What's he on about now?

In case the articles, essays and opinions throughtout this site just weren't enough for you, here's my online diary (a.k.a. 'blog'). It's as close as you'll come to the inside of my head, so don't say I didn't warn you
(and remember, you can always e-mail me if you love or loathe anything you're about to read)...


   Tuesday, December 16, 2003

MY HOOD'S AT THE CLEANERS

A very slow evening at the pub last night, yet one of the more intense of late (I blame Christmas!). I discovered a 19-year-old that I know about to be throttled by a larger guy right at the bar. I ran over to break it up and each started yammering at me about one stealing from the other. "I don't care," I barked in my best Tommy Lee Jones, "Whatever the hell this is, you can settle it like grown men. No one lays a hand on anyone else, got it?"

Oh, wouldn't that have been simple. Normally, I'd just chuck the pair of them out on the street right away but I figured that the bigger guy would probably resume trying to murder the little one if I did that. From what I could tell, the younger one did seriously steal from him and, sure enough, a scuffle quickly resumed. A bigger co-worker came over, along with the manager, and the three of us decided to get the one guy out of the place. The worst part is that he refused and it got physical. No one was harmed -- even this idiot -- but it's still an ugly thing for customers to witness and I always get annoyed when diplomacy fails.

Once out on the curb, he then announced that I was a racist for choosing the white boy's side over his. "You're the one hitting people!" I said, "Where's the racism?" I hate when that angle gets played -- an attempt to make me trip all over some kind of white-liberal guilt is the easiest way to turn a situation to his advantage and we both know it. It's a cheap and ugly tactic, especially when it's coming from the aggressor -- no matter how victimized he may be feeling.

In the end, we all decided to bar both of them from coming in again. Each will cry victim status but, as we're fond of saying, we just don't need the drama.