opinions // no. 20 Pack an extra change » Naked tourists need to respect sacred rules—even if rules are ridiculous Elliot Chan . Opinions Editor © opinions @theotherpress.ca Tens is all about taking risk. The whole idea of travelling is built upon adventure. What travellers forget—especially Western travellers—is that our vacation grounds are other people’s homes. On May 30, a group of Canadian, Dutch, and British tourists visiting Malaysia decided to strip down on Mount Kinabalu for photographs. The mountain was considered the most sacred peak in the country. The act was not only considered disrespectful, but also thought to be the cause of a magnitude 5.9 earthquake that ended up killing 16 people. It’s hard to argue that the earthquake and the obscene act had any correlation. In my mind, the two events were just an unfortunate coincidence. The movement of tectonic plates— not tits and penises—causes earthquakes. Nude photography is a popular trend; just ask the : celebrities who have had their —: : phone hacked. We all love thrills : : and what is more exciting than : : nude pictures and travelling? It’s : : totally a memory worth having, : right? There’s nothing wrong : with naked pictures if you are : willing to take full responsibility : | : for them. For the tourists in : : Malaysia, they paid for it heavily. : : It became a criminal offence : : and it cost lives. Anytime you : disrespect sacred rules and suffer : : immediate consequences that : must cause some remorse. It : reminds us that while travelling : we are guests in someone else’s : country; we need to acknowledge : : their rules and customs and : : abide by them. Getting in trouble abroad is : every tourist’s nightmare. So why : : put yourself ina bad situation? | : I don’t blame those tourists for : “angering the Gods and causing : an earthquake.” They were just behaving like idiot tourists and : got linked to a tragedy. If you are travelling and you : want to be adventurous, be sure : you learn the rules first. General : laws and ethics are not universal. : : You can be certain if something : is deemed sacred that the rules : are stricter. Don’t fuck around. : It’s okay to break through your comfort zone and do something : daring, but breaking the rules : can put you in a tough position, : especially where language : barriers are involved. There are plenty of places to : be naked in this world, plenty of : places to act the fool. The key is theotherpress.ca g ° 9 Hi oc ~~ n Vv GS ~~ ow “ 5 v ao a g fia} : to know where and when that : is okay. Being a good traveller is : not just about being adaptive, : but also intelligent and aware of : the ever-changing rules. THE OTHER PRESS I$ HOSTING A RAFFLE! Win cool prizes, ranging from a variety of gift cards to candy! All you have to do is attend a meeting at the Other Press, in room 1020 at the New Westminster campus, between now and September 28. Fill out this raffle ticket, and you're entered to win. It's just that simple! Meeting dates, all at 6 p.m.: July 27; August 31; September 8; September 14; September 21; and September 28 Raffle will be drawn on September 28. Prize must be collected by winner at a meeting of the Other Press. One raffle submission per person per meeting. NAME EMAIL Email editor@theotherpress.ca for more details. Enjoying alcoholic beverages 1n public » The stigma of open liquor Cazzy Lewchuk Staff Writer WW: all familiar with open container laws regarding alcohol. Drinking an alcoholic beverage in public— outside of a designated drinking zone—is not only socially frowned upon, but illegal. Citizens can and do receive heavy fines for committing the crime. Beer, wine, and spirits are all served with abundance at restaurants, concerts, festivals, and anywhere else with a liquor licence. It’s legal to drink alcohol other private area. But as soon as youre outdoors, alcohol becomes strictly off-limits. It’s encouraged to enjoy a beer ona patio, but take a few more steps and you're subject to a $230 fine. The liquor doesn’t even have to be visible for the law to take effect. You can have a half-full bottle of booze in your backpack—perhaps being enforcement were to find it (only searching your bag if they have : reason to believe youre hiding : something). The laws are not a deterrent, as many of us have no doubt : experienced. We continue to : enjoy the fireworks downtown as : alcohol is poured with discretion . . : and paranoia into Slurpee cups or in the privacy of your own home or sipped through opaque bags. The : result is rowdy public drunkenness : : unaffected by open liquor laws. : : Generally, those who get disruptive : in public areas due to alcohol : will do so regardless of whether : they consumed alcohol legally : or not. In addition, someone can : get drunk ina bar and still cause : a disturbance right outside the : establishment. Of course, the transported on the way home from : vast a wa of people en} oye a party—and still be charged if law : a couple beers are not causing P : any trouble. It’s ridiculous that : citizens are not allow to consume : a substance outdoors that they can : Image from Thinkstock : consume indoors. In most countries outside : the US and Canada, alcohol is : legal to consume in public. Many : tourists have been surprised or : angered visiting our country to : discover they can’t enjoy a cider : on the beach. It’s an archaic, : pointless, and unfair law. It forces responsible, legal-aged citizens : to engage in tactics that should : be reserved for high school kids. : Quiet drinking and disruptive : behaviour under the influence : are two different factors, and : there is no reason to assume one : will frequently lead to the other. : If you're of legal age and not : disturbing anybody, there’s no : reason why you should be barred : from bringing some beer to a : picnic in the park or day at the : beach.