If you don’t like pub noise, don’t live next to one | Rebecca Whitfield-Baker

It seems in the increasingly selfish, single-minded and self-entitled society in which we live it is, “my way or no way”, writes Rebecca Whitfield-Baker.

Picture this. You are an 18-year-old bloke out with your sporting teammates post game on a Saturday, celebrating a win at the local pub.

It’s about 8.30pm, you’re in the beer garden and the lads, aged from late teens through to early 40s, are well and truly savouring the victorious moment.

The perfect early January weather makes it ideal to be outside for the exaggerated, entertaining telling of the match’s highlights.

It’s shouts of beer and cheers all-round, the joyous shenanigans rising to new levels as the group befriends some young Scotsmen, in Adelaide for a wedding.

OK it’s all a bit rowdy but it’s good, happy, pretty harmless fun – or, at least you’d think?

But apparently in this instance, the frivolity was all a bit much for a neighbouring property owner, who reportedly contacted said pub to complain about the gaiety with a hapless waitress sent to deliver the cranky message from the tut-tutting resident.

It’s true, I didn’t hear the fun-having first-hand (learning about it while in the driver’s seat of the Mum-taxi ride home) but you’d think there was plenty more to complain about than the noise coming from a pub’s beer garden early on a Saturday evening; we’re not talking 3am on a weeknight.

I can’t help thinking if you’re not a fan of pub noise, you’d be wise not to buy a property adjacent to one.

There’s plenty more we should be worried about than a few noisy mates at the weekend in a beer garden. Picture: iStock

It seems a bit like a non-smoker sitting in the out-of-way smoking section of an establishment and then complaining about, well, the smoke, or someone with a weak stomach heading to Bali and getting peeved when struck down with the dreaded “Bali belly”.

Or, a vegan heading to a steakhouse and complaining about the lack of non-meat options, or a holiday-maker whingeing about the rain during the Wet season in the Top End.

If it were fellow patrons complaining about the noise, I’d understand but it seems a bit rich for someone who has chosen to set up house near a hotel to whine about the noise coming from it, especially on a Saturday night.

It’s a little like residents who live near a sporting oval moaning when training sessions are held at night under lights or others miffed by the sound of kids bouncing basketballs in a community park.

As far as I am aware, the pub complaint didn’t involve people urinating over a back fence, choofing on some illegal substance which wafted elsewhere, or any hint of violence beyond backslapping each other on the back for a game well played.

For the most part it was simply a group of mates letting their hair down after a sporting win and enjoying a beer while they can still afford to – we’re told a pint of beer is about to rise to $15 when the tax on alcohol is again hiked next month.

I’ve got to say I think it’s great to see young people continuing to embrace sport post school, wanting to actually be outside doing something active at the weekend, interacting face-to-face with others –. and coming together at the end of the day to support a local establishment.

When you consider the shocking statistics on loneliness and depression as well as reports of young people striking up relationships and falling in love with artificial intelligence chatbots, I’d say there should be more of it, not less. Seriously, let’s get a grip.

But it seems in the increasingly selfish, single-minded and self-entitled society in which we live it is, “my way or no way”, rather than stepping away if you don’t like something.

I’ve absolutely no issue with restaurants that have a “no kids” policy; when my kids were little I’d rather know upfront if the establishment was geared towards family, or people wanting a quiet and calm night out.

Personally, I don’t agree with supermarket bigwigs taking a grandiose, moralistic stand over issues such as Australia Day – preferring they focus more on trying to keep down the eye-watering cost of some items amid this crippling cost of living squeeze – but I can choose to shop elsewhere.

Not into something, it doesn’t matter, you don’t have to be but it seems petty to be constantly nitpicking, criticising and finding a way to deflate someone else’s bubble.

There is so much sadness and angst in the world, surely we should be rooting for a bit of fun and giving good-hearted young people – who really aren’t doing anything wrong – a break?