The series “We Create the Culture We Want,” named after the mantra, highlights certain aspects of culture at the high school that impacts the community. This installment explores party culture and its effects on students. The four students interviewed in this article requested anonymity and are identified by pseudonyms given the sensitive nature of the subject.
When the weekend rolls around, some students gear up for basement ragers, while others avoid the party scene altogether.
An anonymous survey on party culture at the high school conducted by The Cypress was sent out to the whole student body via Canvas. Out of the total 207 respondents, 45.9 percent of respondents said they had not attended a party in Brookline in the last 12 months, while 54.1 percent said they had attended at least one. Within those who do attend parties, there was significant variation in their frequency of attendance.
Only 5.8 percent of respondents said they attended parties multiple times a month; 42.4 percent attended parties anywhere from once a month to once every six months; another 6.8 percent of respondents said they attended parties once a year; the rest responded that they had not attended parties at all.
To party or not to party?
One anonymous senior, who will be referred to as Diana, started attending parties this year and said she gravitates towards parties in Boston over those thrown in Brookline because there is less police presence and more room to stay under the radar. The Boston parties can vary each week because many of the attendees are college students who come and go based on their own busy schedules, Diana said.
“Usually it’s [at Boston parties] where I tend to have the most fun because [there is] live music and cool lights around, and you can lose yourself in the crowd,” Diana said. “Then, the frat parties and the college parties—you feel like you’re being observed and, depending on the frat, preyed upon. If you go with a few friends you can enjoy yourself; it’s just not usually my kind of atmosphere.”
Another anonymous senior, who will be referred to as Brenda, said in her experience, almost all the parties she attends feature many guests and loud music and almost always get shut down by police when things get out of control—including one noteworthy incident involving an attendee stealing a microwave. Despite near brushes with the law, Brenda said she remains unfazed about potential repercussions.
“I don’t really think about the consequences,” Brenda said. “I don’t think my mom really has an opinion on parties either; I think she just thinks I’m having fun.”
Some survey respondents also expressed their frustration both at Brookline’s lack of parties and frequent police intervention, including an anonymous senior who said they attended one party in the past 12 months.
“It’s really annoying that we can’t have nice things. The fact that parties regularly get out of hand and shut down—in Brookline of all places—is the dumbest thing,” the senior said.
Another anonymous senior, who will be referred to as Peter, said he does witness parties getting out of hand, including “altercations with parents” and an attendee who “got up on a kitchen table and started tweaking.” Despite witnessing these incidents, Peter said he tries to stay out of trouble.
“I try not to do stupid things. I think the main thing is, if you have a handle on it, you can just have an enjoyable time and avoid bad things,” Peter said. “Everything in moderation can be that way. But if you do things excessively, it can have negative effects on yourself, from a health standpoint.”
On the other hand, many of the 45.9 percent of surveyed respondents who said they had not attended a party in Brookline in the last 12 months cited concerns of safety, including one sophomore who chose to remain anonymous and will be referred to as Freddy.
“It amazes me how many idiotic choices are being shamelessly made and discussed around me every day,” Freddy said.
In an interview with The Cypress, Freddy said that he does not attend parties, which can create a disconnect between him and other students more engaged in the social scene. However, he doesn’t think that missing out on parties significantly impacts his life and said he plans to stay away from partying in the long run.
“As someone who doesn’t want to be involved in that, I think that it could sort of have an impact on where I want to go to college in the future, based on which schools I think have a party culture,” Freddy said.
Diana said most of the “peer pressure” she has faced has actually been positive in the sense that she gets encouraged to connect with others.
“I’m a very social person, and I’m honestly just looking for an excuse to talk to people,” Diana said. “I feel like at these parties it is maybe a little uncomfortable, at first, to reach out and talk to a stranger, but in the end I always come out of there with at least two people’s Instagrams. I think I really just enjoy connecting with my town.”
Peter said he does consume substances because they can create “more enjoyable moments” but has never personally faced peer pressure at a party.
“I think at least in Brookline, there’s definitely a mind-your-own-business, ‘no pressure, enjoy yourself’ type of vibe,” Peter said.
Sober in a sea of solo cups
According to data from the Center for Disease Control, 178,000 people die from excessive alcohol use each year in the United States. One anonymous junior reported in the survey that they face judgement from peers for choosing not to drink.
“As someone who does not drink alcohol for many reasons, it feels like drinking and even alcohol abuse can be the norm. I am often asked why I don’t drink, as if it is an odd choice to make,” the junior said.
Diana said she is opposed to drinking and rarely participates in it herself. She also said she discourages alcohol consumption among her friends in order to remain fully conscious and live in the moment.
“I think that people usually drink as a social lubricant, so if you get rid of that, those training wheels, the real thing gets much tougher for people,” Diana said. “I think getting used to communication and having fun without [alcohol] is ultimately beneficial in the long run.”
Brenda said she attends parties for the social aspect and to spend time with her friends. While she does drink at these gatherings, Brenda said she occasionally feels pressured to drink more than she would want to.
“[I drink] to have a little bit more fun and be more social, being around all these new and different people,” Brenda said.
Diana said attending parties sober can sometimes feel challenging, especially with the strong culture around drinking games like beer pong, which can make non-drinkers feel excluded.
“Typically at BHS parties I’ll feel more like an outcast if I don’t drink or if I show any kind of emotion—that’s why I find my crowd in the Boston parties usually,” Diana said.
Several anonymous survey respondents agreed and said that parties aren’t fun without drinking.
“Functions are just for kids to get drunk, nothing more,” an anonymous sophomore respondent said.
Cliques and clichés
While many teenagers might worry about missing out on parties, Freddy said, he is not one of them and feels no pressure to conform to stereotypes perpetuated by the media.
“I think that most movies will glorify specific aspects of parties, like girls or drugs, and I’d say that that definitely contributes to one’s inclination towards going,” Freddy said. “Even though I think that, generally speaking, most parties won’t have as many of those stereotypes present.”
Party invitations are often intertwined with popularity and social cliques, according to several survey respondents, who expressed that many parties feel like an exclusive event that only some students can attend.
“It’s a very socially-separated culture—the cool kids have their cool parties and some less popular kids have less cool parties. The ‘cool’ ones are very elitist and separated. They think if you’re not cool or important enough you shouldn’t be there,” an anonymous junior survey respondent said.
Diana, echoing this sentiment, said the high school definitely has a party culture, though she wishes it were different.
“It feels very restrictive; it feels like only a certain kind of person can attend, and that’s what makes the parties not fun—it’s strictly a few groups of friends, and then you’re just kind of in an echo chamber with the same kinds of people,” Diana said.
According to Freddy, some people view being able to go to parties as a privilege and something that designates your status, but he does not see the appeal.
“I think that there’s sort of an inclination towards attending parties because it’s, in my opinion, generally viewed as something only the popular kids can do, or like you’re part of an exclusive sort of subsection of the student body if you do,” Freddy said.
The administration’s highs and lows
Dean of Students Astrid Allen said even making “safe choices” by not drinking does not immunize you from consequence entirely, citing the Social Host Law, in which a parent or child can be found liable for “knowingly or intentionally [having] supplied, gave, provided, or allowed minors to possess alcohol at your home or other property you controlled.” This can result in a civil suit.
“A lot of students are surprised when they’re around substance use, but they’re not using substances. They think they’ve made a great choice, and I agree with them, but then they’re in a situation where others are using substances,” Allen said. “We want to promote that kind of upstanding and change the conversation, change the dynamic.”
Some students find substance-related education at the high school to be lacking, including one anonymous freshman respondent who argued that mental health was “barely touched upon” at the high school and that teens will continue to drink because it’s the “easiest option” to relieve their stress.
“I think that shaming students for going to parties and using substances is bullshit. Access to education about substances at Brookline High is almost nonexistent,” the freshman said. “Instead of acting like teenagers are using substances for no reason, maybe look at the common factor between almost all the kids using: school.”
Allen said it is important to be a responsible friend at social events and advocated for safer, substance-free ways to interact socially.
“I know what it’s like to be the safe friend, to take care of my friends who make risky choices,” Allen said. “So I hope that if you’re a safe friend, you’re also thinking about what you can do to navigate the fun social activities away from substances. There’s plenty of stuff to do that doesn’t involve underage drinking and illegal drugs.”
