Title: Shotgunning
General Information about Item:
- Type of Lore: Drinking Game
- Language: English
- Country of Origin: America
- Informant: Anonymous
- Date Collected: May 5, 2019
Informant Data:
- The anonymous informant was born and raised in Michigan in the 1950’s. He says that he had a mid-west upbringing. No association with the military. Origins from northern Europe (British/German). Growing up he was a practicing Lutheran but not currently. Lived in the mid-west and now in New Hampshire. Currently married with children. Education includes a PHD and a BA.
Contextual Data:
- Informant declined to share much contextual information, but narrows the time-span of when he learned this game to when he was in college. He also describes that there were relatively few drinking games when he was younger and believes that drinking games only became relevant after his generation.
Item:
- One pierces a hole in bottom of a beer can and places it to one’s mouth so it shoots into the mouth with lots of foam spraying. The item used to pierce the can was usually a key because a lot of people didn’t carry pocketknives. The way to fail the challenge is to not drink the entirety of the can. If the drinker was successful in drinking the entire can, onlookers would cheer.
- Drinking was more social rather than competitive. Shotgunning happened at parties. The informant indicated that a variation would be drinking directly from the tap of a keg of beer. This keg would usually be cheap beer.
Informant’s Comments:
- The professor said that Dartmouth is the place where beer pong originated from (this was later verified). He also indicated that the school’s unofficial mascot is Keggy the keg. “A joyful character”.
- He thinks shotgunning is done for youthful exuberance, to relieve boredom, and as a social challenge.
- When the Professor was asked how he interpreted the experience, he responded with, “People have no respect for beer because they want to get drunk quick, so they buy cheap stuff”
Collector’s Comments:
- Note that there is a large degree of data gaps because the information that the informant was willing to give was limited (so as to preserve their anonymity).
Collector’s Name: Kyle Carlos
Tags/Keywords:
- Ritual. Drinking Game.