Algemeen·NRC·30 jul

America should stop making it so hard to have fun

In 1660 the laws of the Puritan Massachusetts Bay Colony declared that its nascent watchmen should „examine all night walkers after ten of the clock at night”. This year Boston’s largest police union offered up a modern equivalent, opposing the extension of bar hours to 3am on the grounds that: „Truth be told, not a lot of good happens after midnight.” For a country that prides itself on defending individual liberty, America has long been surprisingly prissy about nightlife and the boozy, exuberant and sometimes disorderly fun that comes with it. It should learn to lighten up.