The douchebag of the day thread

The BBQ Pit
61

A lot of places around here have similar “unofficially racist” policies. One bar has a Yelp page full of anecdotes of discrimination. A group of black people will be told by the bouncer that the bar is full, and then allows the same number and gender make-up of white people who were waiting immediately behind them.

Similarly, the dress code discrimination is not unfamiliar to me as well. There was a place my friends and I would go for brunch - fairly trendy, with a DJ that would set up and start playing remixes of 90’s songs. It became more of a club as the afternoon progressed. As the months went on, the DJ would start earlier and earlier, to the point that you were getting Smashing Pumpkin’s “1979” blaring at 11:30. Not good if you were recovering from a long night, or if you wanted to hold a conversation with your friends.

About 1 o’clock or so, I was having brunch with my friends, and one of them (a black guy) realized he needed to go to his car. He left his phone on the table, and when he didn’t come back after ten minutes, I went out to look for him. Turns out, he was being kept from coming back in, because he was told he was violating the dress code. (Something like his shoes or something - nothing in any way egregious)

When he told me that, I told the doorman that it was kinda strange that he would be in violation, since he’d been inside not 15 minutes before. I then pointed out that I was wearing similar shoes. You could tell the guy was pissed that he was being called out on his racism, and I half expected to be kept from entering as well.

Before he could sputter anything out, I made mention that I know the owner (mentioned him by name), and perhaps I should speak to him about their dress code policies. I then pulled out my phone and showed him that I did, in fact, have the guy’s number.

Suddenly, my friend’s attire was acceptable once again, but that guy shot me looks all day.

Sad thing is, that policy is pretty much the norm around places I frequent. You’ll hear about some pushback from the paper, a news station, a community group, etc. and the discrimination will be toned down for a few months, but then it starts back up again, once these places feel like they’re out of the public’s eye.

62

I think you’re a dick for NOT telling the owner about the bouncer’s behavior.

63

Sounds like an issue with the enforcement of the rules, not the rules themselves. Like I said, it’s a shitty bar run by shitty people. It doesn’t mean that the dress code is overtly racist.

64

No, they’re the coolest.

65

:smiley:

66

UPDATE: How Does A Bar Lose Its Liquor License? Bottled Blonde Faces Test Tuesday.

67

My assumption is that the owner already knows about the bouncer’s behavior, because he told the bouncer to do this kind of thing.

The dickish thing to do would be continue to patronize a place that discriminates like this, regardless of if you know the owner or not.

68

Oh! Here’s the problem. “Flint has the same problems as Detroit: fucking niggers don’t pay their bills.”

69

Intrigued by the line in your linked story, “Neighbors had been ‘suspicious’ of the Bottled Blonde since before its November 2015 opening, concerned it would be similar to the chain’s party-heavy Arizona location…”

Having been blissfully unaware of this establishment, I looked them up on Yelp. I’d say the Chicago neighbors’ suspicions were well founded.

70

Are you getting in wearing skate shoes? Because there is a specific exception for Vans. Somehow, I doubt it.

71

We actually stopped going there shortly thereafter. Unfortunately, it wasn’t solely because of the behavior (my friend said he didn’t want that to affect our “routine” and that if we don’t go, then we’re kinda giving them what they want, but you could tell he was uncomfortable). Basically, if you didn’t get there before a certain time, mid-day, they’d have the doormen out there and there might be “issues.”

The final straw for all of us was when the DJ set up and started playing his loud music before noon on a Sunday. They’d attempted to revamp their image, menu, etc., and the next week, when we were trying to figure out where to go, we realized we weren’t really enjoying it anymore, and going there more out of a force of habit.

72

You missed an opportunity to either get a groveling apology, with comps, and witness the firing of the bouncer, or to see the owner shuffle his feet and stammer out some lame-ass excuse.

73

Yeup DesertDog. As the video in the article reveals, they are operating more as a bar with a restaurant when their license is for a restaurant with a bar. A fine line but a line none the less.

74

I walked in to Funky Buddha wearing Heelies (without the wheel). Outside of the hard plastic square smack in the middle of the heel, they make pretty damn decent dance shoes. The rest of the sole is supposed to act as a brake for the wheel, so they’ve got a good stickiness and hold up for quite awhile. Vans are similar, but not really my style - a bit too grippy and the sides of the sole are too squared off. I have a friend that swears by his Chuck Taylors.

Low-key Vans? They could absolutely come across as acceptable.

75

This crazy bitch

Boyfriend killed my baby. Yep, it was him. I didn’t do it. He did it. He’s evil EVIL, I tells ya!