Memories...
Sunday, November 27, 2005
THE POLITICS OF CLUBBINGtoday i shall analyze the politics of clubbing, more specifically, the politics of the bartendar. Just felt compelled to write this after watching my friend Affian the bartendar in action these past 2 nights.
Power can be defined as the ability to make others behave in ways in which they otherwise might not do. In other words, it can refer to "domination of the actions and minds of others". In this aspect, the bartendar is really a very powerful person in a club, at the ground level. Why do i say so?
First of all, the bartendar controls the means of production or the resources, in this case, the booze. Clubbers come to a club ultimately for 3 reasons. 1) Get happy and high. 2) Pick up numbers. 3) Get laid.
In each of this reason, it is imperative to note that alcohol plays a crucial role, even more so than a catalyst. Alcohol can turn wussies into men (even for just that 5 min), enough to get the number of a hot chick, or men into wussies. Which brings me back to my point.
Who keeps stock of the booze and distribute them so that clubbers can meet their objectives in coming? The bartendar of coz!
Using a Marxist approach then, the bartendar can be deemed to be the bourgeoise, while the mortal clubbers are the mere proletariat. By withholding the resources (booze),or even purposely making you wait damn long at the counter for your drink, the barman can have a significant influence on the clubbers' actions.
Secondly, becoz of the fact that the barman controls the means of production, the entire floor crew (and even the manager gosh) has to cooperate with him in a way, otherwise, life can be difficult and tedious. For instance, if the barman doesnt finish stock taking and clearing the alcohol accounts for the night, it means you go home at a much later timing. In addition, the club waiters, having taken orders for drinks from customers, have to relay this information back to the central figure, the barman. Should the barman fail to listen or dun wanna listen (on moody days) to the waiter's orders, there is nothing much the waiter can do. Following which, the waiters would get screwed by the clubber who demands that his bottle of jim bean can no longer wait.
Thirdly, the barman is the one man who knows how to mix all kinds of drinks. And i mean all kinds of drinks. Period. If he decides to wander off, good luck to everyone. The entire dynamics and system apparatus of the club will break down.
Fourthly, the barman, oh well being the barman, has lots of tricks up his sleeve. By this i refer to juggling bottles, corny jokes, wonderful pick up lines and of coz, the perennial "how bout a drink on the house dude/babe?" It is again imperative to note that such tricks strike a core with the ladies, and especially effective in warranting smiles from the ladies, followed by their numbers of coz.
Next, the barman, being behind the bar, has a geopolitical advantage compared to e rest of the clubbers. The club is a place of limited space and territoriality, where personal boundaries often get transcended (kinda akin to globalization). Most of us rem how squeezy it can get in clubs at peak periods, with little room to manoeurve. But this limitation does not endear to the barman, who is safely hidden behind the bar. This can mean 3 sub-points. First, the barman has an overview of the entire club, with the advantage of spotting where the hot babes are. Secondly, he can gawk and ogle at the hot babes dancing at the podium discreetly. Thirdly, no one can do any funny things to him coz he's got a safety barrier in front of him. In other words, if u are unhappy with the barman, the most u can do is to hurl some insults or verbally abuse him, unless you wish to climb over the bar and handle him, failing which, u wud most prob be thrown out by the bouncers.
Six, the barman, especially if he's good-looking, draws in the crowds, esp the girls, as he is such a permanent fixture at the club. Girls know that if they visit the club on this night, they ll find the barman. And when the barman brings in the crowds, it means he ll bring in the coffers. And when he brings in the coffers, it means the manager is happy. And when the manager is happy, the status quo of the barman is given even higher regard.
Finally, i ll just like to end on this quote, which is on a big sign that my fren Affian put up at the bar counter:
"Rule No 1: The Barman is always right. Rule No 2: If the Barman is wrong, refer to Rule No 1."
