The Plough used to be my neighborhood haunt. I knew Richard, he was a decent friendly guy, I liked him. Its strange to learn about his passing on this website.
Death of the Neighborhood Bar
121–130 of 164 posts
Re: Death of the Neighborhood Bar
#122As a 28-year old, I never understood the appeal of a pub as a meeting place. I think my main issue is that in loud places I just cannot for the life of me understand what is being said. I've had my hearing tested and it's absolutely fine, better than it should be at my age actually, and yet it's as if my ability to decode human speech goes to zero as soon as I'm in a loud environment, especially if there's sport even…
Apparently bars do that to boost the ammount of time spent drinking vs having conservations as one makes them more money. Needless to say it isn't without side effects like people discounting bars as a social hangout altogether.
Re: Death of the Neighborhood Bar
#123Earlier quoted context omitted.
> In Ireland for example, people would do those things and then go to the pub afterwards. I love the idea of a hot yoga session before heading to the pub for a couple of pints and some darts.
Nothing as beautiful as cans with the lads and a couple of smokes too
:)
Re: Death of the Neighborhood Bar
#124Earlier quoted context omitted.
> coffee shops Central Europe is losing the vibrant cafe culture it used to have, where people could sit together for hours and chat. Cafes today often blast loud pop music and send staff around more frequently to pester clients who seem to have finished their drinks, as owners believe this will prevent people from loitering. Instead, customers will quickly drink what they ordered and then get out, freeing the table…
There's a hookah bar by my apartment that has just the vibe I crave from a coffee shop. It takes ~1 hour to smoke a whole hookah, and you can go with some friends, socialize, work quietly, and they don't blast music. I believe it's like that because it's next to a university and usually full of students. Other ones around me aren't like that. Unfortunately, it comes with some dangers...nicotine.
Good points. Pubs, tea houses, hookah bars, cafés, etc. serve a similar function as local gathering places in a number of cultures. It's important that you won't be pressured to leave if you don't order anything for a while.
Re: Death of the Neighborhood Bar
#125Earlier quoted context omitted.
My spitball opinion on that: we had diversity in America during the beginning of the industrial age that we heavily relied on for it's host of benefits, innovation primarily as well, but it didn't create the conflict (conflict theory terms) we see today because you were expected to integrate (conform) to be "American", which was a shared set of values and beliefs. America is still today one of the few geopolitical di…
Except your opinion does not actually follow from the facts. African Americans weren’t just “hyphenated subgroups” earlier. They weren’t even allowed to be in the same places as white male americans. Similarly, Chinese Americans formthe most part lived a separate life, and Japanese Americans were considered so different they were placed in internment camps during WW2. Even the Irish and Italians were treated differen…
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Re: Death of the Neighborhood Bar
#126Earlier quoted context omitted.
I was going to disagree because I had misunderstood the GP. But if you’re both considering mega churches to be an example of evangelicals then I while heartedly agree. The mega church is the worst thing to happen to Christianity. While once you could be part of a small community and you’d notice new visitors and introduce yourself that doesn’t seem to be the case at the larger churches. I recall visiting small church…
A pro-church atheist is a great description for me too, it never occurred to me but that's a great phrase. Yes, I'm definitely including megachurches (esp. nondenominational megachurches) as evangelicals, and I totally agree with the friendly small church vs dystopian megachurch experiences. Just about any TV pastor is an evangelical as well. For someone who's not a believer, I'm surprised at how sad this state of af…
Strongly pro-church agnostic here. Agreed with you. Small community churches served and in some cases still serve a vital role. Megachurches are like the KFC of the religious world.
Re: Death of the Neighborhood Bar
#127On any other planet the death of the bar industry would be hailed as a victory against alcoholism and date rape.
Ignoring the context is also common on any other planet? Bars don't cause alcoholism, bars don't do date rapes and spoons don't make people fat, but you intentionally ignore facts and play it with your political agenda. Should we close down everything that has any potential for bad things? Where is the button to shut down the planet?
Of course we shouldn't force them to shut down, but if you told me tomorrow that McDonald's was bankrupt I wouldn't shed any tears.
Re: Death of the Neighborhood Bar
#128As a 28-year old, I never understood the appeal of a pub as a meeting place. I think my main issue is that in loud places I just cannot for the life of me understand what is being said. I've had my hearing tested and it's absolutely fine, better than it should be at my age actually, and yet it's as if my ability to decode human speech goes to zero as soon as I'm in a loud environment, especially if there's sport even…
Solution: 'old man pub'. Might have to go to Ireland or the UK to find it though.
Re: Death of the Neighborhood Bar
#129Looks like the usual hatchetators are here to play. Bars and pubs are not the same. Bars just serve alcohol, but pubs are public living rooms and centres of communal life. A pub is where life's milestones are celebrated, the departed are grieved, friendships are cemented, matches are made, and revolutions are plotted. And some of us prefer the pleasures and pangs of gradual self-destruction to the quasi-religious cul…
> I for one never trust anyone who doesn't drink. And if they can't drink for medical reasons?
Medical and religious reasons are totally exempt in my book. Though I strongly recommend getting wasted on Raki with (Muslim) Turks. They have hollow legs. And it totally breaks down any preconceptions or irrational prejudices one might have. I once had a Pakistani Muslim over for Christmas dinner, and I offered him some single malt scotch. He said his duty to accept my hospitality outweighed his duty to abstain from alcohol. We had an excellent time. :)
But really if it's medical, it can't be helped. And if it is really a matter of faith, then abstinence is absolutely worthy of respect.
Re: Death of the Neighborhood Bar
#130Earlier quoted context omitted.
Amen! Drinking in public should be as ordinary and mundane as it is in Germany.
From my experience, (Norwegian, but have spent a year or so in Germany over a couple of dozen visits), the Germans have found a quite good balance: Drinking in public is OK. Being drunk and a nuisance in public is not OK. I wish we could adopt the same attitude back home - here in Norway you are likely to be fined for drinking in public (though the extent to which drinking is tolerated vary considerably from place to…
Typical of Northern Europe and much of the US, unfortunately. Blame moral crusaders and prohibitionists. I like the German approach. I can sit on the street in Germany, play music for tips, and drink a beer without being hassled by anyone. And I do.