Is Beer the great leveler for men?

I am curious to know the impact that Beer has on Male Bonding? Especially in an office environment, it seems to act as a leveler where the office hierarchy seems to dissolve and all personal differences and animosities just oozes out of their bodies like sweat .The boss smiles on his male subordinates and sends them home with a pat on their rear ends. The next morning the men grin at one another conspiratorially and maybe it’s just me but I can almost hear the song “Yeh dosti hum nahin todenge, Todenge dam magar tera saath na chodenge” in the background.

Normally I wouldn’t care a rat’s ass for the above but since I don’t drink beer I find it very annoying that the rapport that would normally take ages to build between co-workers, subordinates and the boss is built overnight over a pint by these beer drinking men. Am I jealous…what do you think?? And though there are some female collegues who join in the fun the camaraderie does not seem to extend to them, it is somehow just restricted to males. In fact the poor girls get judged on the amount they drink and there some nasty jokes floating around the next morning and I am ashamed to say this, but there are some “holier than thou/ I-don’t-touch-alcohol” females who decide to take the moral high ground. Hypocrisy you say….you got that right!!!

Finally, I think beer gives men the courage to freely express their love for other men using various methods -- butt-patting, hugging, back-slapping, neck massages etc. Also, it gives these gay (forgive the pun) men a chance to air out the skeletons in their closets. Do you think I’m being mean-spirited?? Well, after enduring those never-ending dinners I think I can be forgiven for this;) J !!!!

Roopa Prabhakar