Not only do they have the gall and social irresponsibilty to block traffic and chain themselves together in human links for the purpose of being “idealistic”, they have the nerve to fuck up my customer service…
I was in a local bar last night (in fact, the same bar where that employee death occured during a meet of Dopers from D.C. and Baltimore) drinking a beer and watching coverage of the preliminary attacks on Iraq. The bartender in attendance was a very cute girl in her mid 20’s with that wholesome “earth mother” look about her. She’s served me many times before, and we’ve talked quite a bit about trivial matters.
So I asked her what she thought of current events, specifically the war.
“Horrible,” she said. “Utterly horrible. I’ve been upset all day, very depressed and anxious.”
I told her that I was no fan of this war myself, but I thought that perhaps her reaction was a bit much. “Do you have a relative or a friend serving in the forces over there?” I asked.
“Oh no,” she said. “I don’t know anyone in the military. I just think that war is inhumane and terrible and NEVER justified.”
I was about to relate my opinion on her beliefs, which is that she only enjoyed her current standard of living and ability to speak her misguided views because of the blood shed in the past by Americans, but she scurried off down the line to wait on someone.
I continued drinking my beer. Soon, the glass was empty.
I looked down the line. She was at the end of the bar, talking to a group of customers sitting at the bar. Her hands flew wildly and she appeared to be extremely distressed and upset. The customers appeared to be agreeing with whatever she was saying, for there was much head nodding and hand gestures.
I waved my hand at her, then pointed to my beer glass. She either didn’t notice or pretended not to notice, because she just went on blathering, frequently pointing to the TV as she did so.
I caught a fragment of one sentence. “All the money they’re spending just to kill people, could put GOD KNOWS how many ARTISTS through ART SCHOOL and give them support, and—”
Well, God forbid an artist should have to work just like the rest of us, I thought.
I pointed to my beer glass again. No reaction. She just went on and on and on.
I got up and walked down to where the group was. “Excuse me, can I get a beer down there?” I politely interjected.
“Yes, oh sure, I’ll be right down,” she said apologetically, then went right back into her whiny monologue. I went back down to my stool and waited, waited, waited.
Ten minutes later, she was still going on and on in her utter dismay and horror of humanity, and I was still setting there with NO beer in front of me. THEN another employee, presumably the manager, showed up behind the bar. I figured that this manager would give this girl a good kick in the ass and tell her to get back to work. Well, fuck no. She just jumped right into the conversation, apparently agreeing as well.
Another ten minutes passed. My blood pressure was pretty tight by this point.
FINALLY the group of customers left. The bartender appeared to be composing herself for a moment, then glanced down to where I sat, staring right back at her. Quickly she rushed down to me, grabbed my glass, and began to pour----
“Nah, no beer,” I replied stonily. “Just the check.”
“Oh,” she said. “Sorry, I was down there.”
“Oh, I fucking noticed,” I replied.
The check came to 6.70. I left exactly seven dollars, and was thinking even that 30 cent tip was overgenerous.
NOW, the point is…we’ve all got our social and political views, along with general convictions about humanity and its supposed function…that’s what we have brains for, to think with. I actually do not have any support for this war.
But when you can’t even do YOUR GODDAMN JOB because you’re so supposedly upset over something that has a minor effect on your life (no relatives or friends at risk, and as for worries about terrorism attacks, she didn’t seem to mention that in her diatribe)
then you are really fucking up as a human being and has a productive member of society. And I mean REALLY fucking up.
I used to like this girl. She seemed interesting.
But last night she revealed her true colors: another processed and mindless member of the Hip Leftist Culture, espousing vegatarianism, disarmarment, and Third World debt forgiveness simply because it’s the goddamn cool thing to say right now…I say now that these radical peace-nik leftist types are just as moronic in their blind adoption of “ideals” as the most deranged right-wing militia camped out in the backwoods and screaming about the federal government are.
And what really sucks is that these idiots make the rest of us no-war people look bad. I’m opposed to the war, but I’m not a goddamn unthinking irrational fanatic about it.
So I have one thing to say to peace-niks:
Stop blocking traffic and throwing fake blood on yourself and get a goddamn life.
) soon to a TV near you.
But if I were your waitress, I’d make sure you got your beer on time.