Leo
07-11-2020, 06:56 AM
(Edited 07-11-2020, 08:17 AM by eastofeden.)
Thanks for the vote of confidence @matty7 BTW - so nice to see you again! I think it would take someone more up to date on the current social protocols and vibes but I can give my two cents.
My recommendation is that they not open at this time with no exceptions. HOWEVER - there are ways to get creative.
The thing to consider - why do people patronize a bar or club?
If consuming alcohol was the primary reason then no problem - just consume it at home - case closed.
The thing is - bars and clubs provide an important link for alot of people. It gives some people who might not otherwise engage a place where they "belong". It gives other people a chance to socialize without having to play by the same rules as one would do outside a bar. It gives people a chance to unwind and have conversations - to meet possible dating prospects or form new friendships or find sex partners
OR to people watch - to flirt - to sing - to socialize - to dance - to laugh - to hug - to make out - you name it.
An ugly underbelly is also a driving force. Unfortunately it is a common phenomenon that oppressed groups of people oppress each other and LGBT people can be horrible to each other - and enjoy doing it - like a drug. Of course - it reveals who they are as an individual and says nothing at all about the object of their scorn but they never realize that.
In other words - alot of gay men especially spend alot of time tearing apart other peoples looks or bodies or clothes and it is a VERY COMMON reason these types of people go to clubs unfortunately. These types of people who belittle people for fun are especially hard to deal with if you shut them down - I know because I shut them down all the time as a rule
Consuming alcohol is not the problem as it can be done alone at home but it is a very big problem when the person consuming alcohol is in a larger group and does not want to do as they are asked - and since some form of social interaction is basically the purpose of this experience - it is a disaster during a pandemic.
If I owned a bar in this particular time - I would set up a zoom or some kind of social group to meet just like a bar so they could get the socialization - or flirting - or whatever it is they seek - until it is over and/or safe to be in a close space again - face to face contact via a screen.
I don't see any other way.
As a bartender - I would be scared to be in that environment. When I worked in a club - on any given night there is the possibility of pretty much anything happening that you can imagine - and things you would never imagine - and a skilled bartender has to be able to deal with whatever is in front of them at any given moment. I regularly got grabbed by surprise and got ALOT of wet kisses - tongues - VERY AFFECTIONATE EMBRACES (yeah - use your imagination
- and it probably happened) - hands up my shorts - down my shorts - people taking off their clothes - things that people do when they drink go mild to wild and if covid existed during any of these things I would be infected as would anyone else.
Of course - this was in the 70s-80s-90s - things probably have changed a bit as social norms change but drinking and being drunk - never gonna change when it comes to social distancing in that environment.
My recommendation is that they not open at this time with no exceptions. HOWEVER - there are ways to get creative.
The thing to consider - why do people patronize a bar or club?
If consuming alcohol was the primary reason then no problem - just consume it at home - case closed.
The thing is - bars and clubs provide an important link for alot of people. It gives some people who might not otherwise engage a place where they "belong". It gives other people a chance to socialize without having to play by the same rules as one would do outside a bar. It gives people a chance to unwind and have conversations - to meet possible dating prospects or form new friendships or find sex partners
OR to people watch - to flirt - to sing - to socialize - to dance - to laugh - to hug - to make out - you name it.
An ugly underbelly is also a driving force. Unfortunately it is a common phenomenon that oppressed groups of people oppress each other and LGBT people can be horrible to each other - and enjoy doing it - like a drug. Of course - it reveals who they are as an individual and says nothing at all about the object of their scorn but they never realize that.
In other words - alot of gay men especially spend alot of time tearing apart other peoples looks or bodies or clothes and it is a VERY COMMON reason these types of people go to clubs unfortunately. These types of people who belittle people for fun are especially hard to deal with if you shut them down - I know because I shut them down all the time as a rule
Consuming alcohol is not the problem as it can be done alone at home but it is a very big problem when the person consuming alcohol is in a larger group and does not want to do as they are asked - and since some form of social interaction is basically the purpose of this experience - it is a disaster during a pandemic.
If I owned a bar in this particular time - I would set up a zoom or some kind of social group to meet just like a bar so they could get the socialization - or flirting - or whatever it is they seek - until it is over and/or safe to be in a close space again - face to face contact via a screen.
I don't see any other way.
As a bartender - I would be scared to be in that environment. When I worked in a club - on any given night there is the possibility of pretty much anything happening that you can imagine - and things you would never imagine - and a skilled bartender has to be able to deal with whatever is in front of them at any given moment. I regularly got grabbed by surprise and got ALOT of wet kisses - tongues - VERY AFFECTIONATE EMBRACES (yeah - use your imagination
- and it probably happened) - hands up my shorts - down my shorts - people taking off their clothes - things that people do when they drink go mild to wild and if covid existed during any of these things I would be infected as would anyone else. Of course - this was in the 70s-80s-90s - things probably have changed a bit as social norms change but drinking and being drunk - never gonna change when it comes to social distancing in that environment.
![[-]](https://gayspeak.com/images/duende_v3_local/collapse.png)
