A controversial act at a Houston nightclub gained attention on social media for highlighting the wastefulness of some consumers.
As explained in Business Insider, a TikTok video featured a so-called "bottle war" between club attendees from New York and Baltimore in which they emptied expensive liquor bottles onto the floor. The questionable disposal of pricey liquor was even egged on by the club's DJ.
"Pour that s*** the f*** out!" the voice boomed over the loudspeaker as the partygoers gestured back and forth toward one another.
@jord.an2x_ Na the bottle war was crazy!! #fyp #houston #spacenightclub ♬ original sound - Jordan2x
The video of the "bottle war" garnered nearly 32 million views on X, formerly known as Twitter, and over 3,300 comments on TikTok. Many were rightfully confused about why someone would want to waste their money on alcohol just to pour it all out as a way of "flexing."
"Our generation is so dumb," commented one viewer of the TikTok video.
Another added, "This is ignorant & poor money management."
While some believe this is a recent trend by millennials and Gen Z-ers, a nightclub DJ with 19 years of experience named Rocky Montana told Business Insider that "bottle wars" have been going on for nearly a decade. Montana said he first saw it happen when he was on tour with two-time Grammy Award winner T-Pain in Atlanta in the early 2010s.
"Bottle wars are different everywhere," Montana said. "It's something that started in the culture that nobody really talks about."
Despite the criticisms, Montana said he believes how people spend or waste their money is their own business.
"Why do guys buy big cars with big rims on them? Why do people buy Gucci, Prada, Louis V? People like to shine," he said. "We can't judge what other people do with their money. We just have to watch our own pockets."
However, empty liquor bottles pose a threat to the environment if disposed of improperly. Glass bottles can end up in landfills where they take incredibly long to break down and potentially never decompose, contributing to the ongoing problem of solid waste in landfills. A study by Recycle Across America determined that more than 28 billion glass bottles and jars end up in landfills each year.
Also, if you don't want to drink your liquor, there are other purposes it can serve. A Scottish whiskey distilling company found a way to turn leftover whiskey into biofuel that can be used in cars. In France, wine that was going to waste was instead distilled into pure alcohol to be used in cleaning products and perfumes.
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