h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

An excerpt from a letter which you can read at the bottom of this page: http://www.washingtonbeerblog.com/vocal-minority-threatens-shut-down-kirkland-brewery/

"These are girls becoming shapely young women in form fitting leotards and tights. Alcohol added to this equation creates a huge risk to these young women. One of the great attractions of the International Ballet Academy is that present feeling of safety and security. The brewery creates a huge safety issue with adult males that are either drunk or under the influence."

I hardly know where to begin with this. The new puritanism we're seeing in so many walks of life, which I can only attribute to the backlash of religionists who feel they're on the ropes in this (what was supposed to be) age of reason and science rather than belief and dogma, is asserting itself in instances such as this, and politicians being politicians, always know which side their bread's buttered and will go with whoever's going to get them elected again. Which usually means the group with the loudest voice and the biggest lawyers.

The cynicism, suspicion and misinformation in said letter is mind-boggling. They've apparently decided that this brewery, and by deduction, any brewery, is going to be a haven for drunkards, rapists, ne'er do wells, hobbledehoys, and generally anyone they consider to be, well, not even the dregs of society, just anyone who doesn't think the same way and hold the same standards as they do.

I wonder, therefore, how they might feel if it was a winery.

It's hard, given that they're sending their kids to ballet school, not to visualise exactly what kind of a group they are. But that makes assumptions about them which might be every bit as false as theirs are about the brewery.

Either way, they're bullies. Bullies should always be stood up to.

Oh, one other thing I've just learned from having a look at the site on Google Maps - there's a kickboxing academy next door. But I guess that's okay.