Assault Party and Waft Culture of Gold Coast - Term Paper Example

Correlation between Violence and Assault with the Club Culture in Gold Coast Student’s Name Institution Affiliation The Gold Coast Clubbing Culture The club culture in the Australian Gold Coast dates back in the mid-1880s. This was during the colonial period when majority of the foreigners, mostly colonialists, were carrying around scotch whiskies and other beers, a trend that the aboriginals came to adopt later in life. According to Crosbie (1998), the initial stage of alcohol drinking in the gold coast was characterized by heavy drinking mostly dominated by the adult males, mostly the non-indigenous people and the few aboriginals who were treated as special citizens. Noteworthy also is the fact that most of the aboriginals were conspicuously obtaining alcohol although illegally, and were in most cases abusing it to a harmful state. According to history, this binge drinking as scholars later came to call it involved taking more than seven beers in a row for men. In the early stages of the 1900s, youths and women were already warming up to alcoholic contents, a trend that was later supported by the human rights crusaders thus adding the women and youths to the alcohol drinkers. Crosbie (1998) asserts that clubbing and beer drinking in Australia in general was mostly a social event expected to bring people together in the act of uniting them. He further states that, alcohol consumption has been used in most of the religious, social, cultural and economic functions as a symbol of celebrations. He asserts that along the Gold Coast, alcohol consumption is equated to relaxing and merry making in a social gathering for the sake of enjoyment. With this consideration, it is noted that most of the gold coast dwellers take alcohol content. Alcohol use is considerably considered according to the historical event or other societal aspects of views. This research will highlight the role of the club culture in the rise of violence and assaults in the gold coast, as it seeks to establish the possible correlation. With this consideration, most of the pubs and clubs act as the social places mostly in the rural areas of the gold coast. Crosbie (1998) point out that across the social gathering resulting from the use of alcohol, most of these drinking mates align themselves along various social economic background as well as provide the necessary entertainment for these respective social groups depending on one’s social standing. According to Greenfeld (1998), these social places established because of alcohol consumption, do contribute towards the societal integration as well as giving the people within the society some form of identity. Similarly, the same places are currently coming out as the sources of most of the criminal violent activities within the gold coast community; an aspect that is completely opposed to the celebratory aspect of alcohol as an informal arena for the community members to meet and share their concerns within the society amidst the interaction. Hecontinues to argue that compared to some years back, alcohol accessibility among the youths, women and the society is conspicuous. The Link between Club-Culture and Violence With the rampant clubbing culture that is conspicuously prevalent along the gold coast, as well as the lack of age limit regulations for the persons supposed to access alcohol, the trend has become a boiling pot for the violent activities that have increased of late within the area in mention. According to Greenfeld (1998), there is a very significant correlation between the club-activities and the violent assaults within the area. He cites that from research carried out within the area, the findings have proved that, most of the criminals within the area have openly admitted to have used the alcohol as a disguise to perform their outrageous atrocities. He further points out that most of the criminals arrested within the area of study have confessed to have been under the control of alcohol during the time of their crimes or having alcohol as the primary cause of their being arrested. These indicators can be used to a greater extent to ascertain the fact that there is a strong co-relation between the club culture and violence and assault along the gold coast. Kevin (1998) notes that most of the seriously affected areas security-wise are the tourists’ destinations. Most of these areas have experienced both locals and tourists being frequently attacked to a point of police raising a complaint over their staffing constrains to respond to these growing security challenges. Additionally, Kevin (1998) observes that following the drugs cartels that are organized within the clubs as well as having drug circulated in private and club parties, it becomes increasingly challenging for the police officers to counter these challenges amidst other reported crimes. This is significantly promoting the growth of these criminal activities along the gold coast to a point of making it what the media are referring to as the crime capital of Australia. There is an alarming rise of criminal gangs that are carrying out their criminal activities in most of the licensed social places. Kevin (1998) observes that with alcohol and tobacco regulations being a major challenge within the gold coast, regulating other serious hard drugs from circulating could equally prove futile. He note that with the challenges already owed to the excessive usage of alcohol, the widespread circulation of other drugs across these social amenities could cause a devastating impact within the society. According to Greenfeld (1998), the drugs cartels are targeting the young partygoers whom they use to lure other youngsters to their traps. The latter explains why most of these criminal gangs are situated in the clubs as well as other social places that are mostly licensed. According to recent research, violence caused through inter-personal assault is to the largest extent attributed to alcohol consumption. Greenfeld (1998) adds that violence has been attributed to alcohol and substance abuse with the severity of most of these cases depending on the level of alcohol or other drugs intake. According to a study carried out by the National Drug Strategy Household Survey, it was established that in the gold coast alcohol abuse doubles theabuse of other hard drugs. Similarly, it was established that because of the latter, most of the violent assault in gold coast are alcohol related, as opposed to such incidences resulting from use of other hard drugs. Assault and Murder According to Greenfeld (1998), alcohol consumption especially in extreme cases can easily result in various forms of violence as well as physical assaults. This could be inform of triggering an incident of violence, use alcohol as a cover up to face a challenging incidence or as a result of the former and the latter, may directly cause a violent incident. Kevin (1998) asserts that the amount of alcohol consumed directly dictates the nature and extent of violence or assault that has or might occur. He further acknowledges that areas where alcohol is sold in high quantity have a high likelihood of experiencing crime related violence, assault as well as property destruction. This highlights the fact that limitations and strict regulations of alcohol consumption and sales could result in a significant drop in terms of alcohol related assault and violence in the gold coast region. According to Kevin (1998), consumption of alcohol mostly beer as well as spirits- in bars within and restaurants in Gold Coast has caused great level of violence within and without the social premises as well as assaults and other related incidences compared to those who take alcohol spirits in private places. He assert that in most of the cases reported in gold coast related to women assault both sexually and physically, have been directly linked to alcohol consumption. He adds that the latter, with the exception of other forms of sexual abuse, children below 18 years are as well alcohol related. It is also noteworthy that most of the assault and abuse cases related to alcohol are mostly prevalent in the rural parts of the Gold Coast as opposed to the urban dwellers. Most of the clubs revelers risk being either assaulted or witness a violent incidence or be involved or caught up in one such horrible incidence. Criminal Gangs and Bikers Apart from alcohol, Sutton (2013) cites the outlaw bikers’ gangs to have caused serious and much significant mayhem with the Gold Coast. These rival bikers as he observes battle out for supremacy and territory and as a result take out their differences to the public thus risking both their lives and those of the innocent bystanders. In the gold coast, the trend has become almost untenable with the gangs operating within certain areas and clubs that they control. This he observes has opened clear doors for trading drugs and having them in circulation right under the police watch. The most disturbing trend according to Sutton (2013) is the recent violence activities that are on the rise following the numerous brawls across various gangs as well as burning the clubs that are affiliated to the rival gangs. This type of rivalry keeps growing and extends for longer periods with some reported cases lasting for days and resulting in mass murder during such gang shoot out. The police have ruled them outlawed and are trying to come up with means to curb their rising level of criminal activities. It is noted that not a day goes by without behaving the gang members arraignedin court to answer violence related charges. Significantly, Sutton cites that in most cases these gang activities are influenced or used by the organized crimes syndicate to terrorize their rivals, thus resulting to much violent activities. On the contrary, they are the major drug circulating cartels with the drugs usage being on the increase in the gold coast amidst the much violent activities associated with the latter in both clubs and on the streets. Police have also linked other forms of crime such as burglary, physical and sexual assault to the rising gang activities that are drugs oriented. According to Sutton, (2013), most of the biker gangs are running some legal businesses but just to disguise their true operations which in most cases involve s drug circulation. The most challenging aspect of this clubbing culture that is crime oriented according to Sutton, has been on the rise and is gaining youth’s appeal all over across the gold coast. Withlimited police intervention,he warns that the activities of these allied biker gangs are really gaining some grounds, and might in the long run get out of control thus rampaging the normal business activities of the gold coast residents who are not gang members. Conclusion It apparently appears that the activities of the gold coast region are slowly being lost to the operations of the outlawed biker gangs. This trend has thrived and promoted the drugs sales and circulation to a very great extent, with most of these activities being carried out in clubs and other licensed residence. According to Greenfeld one cannot rule out the influence of alcohol as well as other drugs use to be of lesser significance in as far as the escalating level of violence and assault within the Gold coast region is concerned. He also observes that with alcohol abuse being reported to have almost primarily been the major cause of drugs related violence and most of the assault cases, it apparently appear that most of the current law regulations pertaining the same are significantly ineffective. With most of the violent activities being attributed to heavy consumption of beer as well as, most of the violent cases taking place in the clubs or outside the clubs or still being greatly influenced by the club activities, one can easily rule out that there is a great correlation between the violence and assault and the club culture in the gold coast. The most disturbing issue according to Crosbie is the police reluctance or failure to arrest the situation once and for all to restore normalcy within the Gold coast region. This also shows that much ought to be done if these violent criminal activities are to be dealt with comprehensively. References Crosbie, D. (1998). Rural resource allocation and politics. In: Griffiths S, Dunn P, Ramanathan S. (Eds) Drug and alcohol services in rural and remote Australia. The Gilmore Centre, Wagga Wagga, NSW, p. 65-73. Greenfeld, L.A. (1998). Alcohol and Crime: An analysis of National Data on the prevalence of alcohol involvement in crime. Report prepared for Assistant Attorney General’s National Symposium on Alcohol Abuse and Crime. Washington, DC: US Department of Justice. Kevin, M. (1998). An examination of factors associated with alcohol-related violent offending towards developing appropriate skills-based intervention strategies. Sydney, NSW: Research and Statistics Unit, New South Wales Department of Corrective Services. Sutton, C. (2013). Bikie nation - the outlaw gangs in your backyard news. Retrieved from http://www.news.com.au/national-news/bikie-nation-8212-the-outlaw-gangs-in-your-backyard/story-fncynjr2-1226690598400 Read More