Police should block the party rock

Seemingly inspired by the Fleming Drive riot, online reality show Beer4Breakfast.ca is heading to the Forest City this fall—or spring, depending on casting—in hopes of determining Canada’s best party city.  Other university towns on the itinerary include Hamilton, Toronto, Guelph and Waterloo.

The three hosts of the show will supply the party with a bartender, DJ and professional photographer to throw the bash of the century, and the hosts will later assign the party a grade based on categories, such as party tricks, popularity, originality, team morale and shock factor.

Understandably, London Police aren’t impressed with the competition, issuing several warnings to the show’s creators. And they should. As long as the police take action within the law—which, given recent bylaw changes greatly expands their power—they have every right to keep the party under control and protect Londoners from any potential escalation.

While the police can’t necessarily prevent Beer4Breakfast from coming to London, they should definitely be on alert because this kind of activity can lead to alcohol poisoning, as well as drunk driving.

Overall, there isn’t any good that can come from this competition. Sure, we could be named the best party city in Canada—or we could further the negative connotations associated with our degrees and made to look like a bunch of idiots, furthering the stereotypes given to students.

And then there’s the issue of alcohol consumption. The last thing we need is for Beer4Breakfast to promote binge drinking, especially since campus culture already promotes it.

As for the competition itself, the qualifications of the three “experts” assigned to grade the parties are unclear. Furthermore, with producers looking for a very specific type of student—read: blonde girls and alpha males—many gender binaries are being reinforced by the casting.

Sure, many of us will probably watch our classmates and friends partying it up online if such a show comes to fruition, but the kind of socialization and reputation initiatives like this promote can be much more damaging than a few light-hearted laughs or captivated stares at a group of girls making out in a pit of foam.