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Brew Ha Ha (03.02.01)
Lately there has been much hullabaloo and press attention on a subject we know all too much about. Bullies in schools.
Now there is not one of us who hasn't experienced this phenomenon. From the classic, "gimme your lunch money" to the frightening "hey faggot", Bullies have always played a very large part in our education process. Now the press is leaping all over it saying kids are being threatened, beaten up, tortured by their peers, and it must stop. Having lived that all too real hell for 12 years I'll be the first to say get used to it! (of course there are limitations)
School, as I understand it, is where young people learn the skills to prepare themselves for the real world. And anyone who thinks bullies are just a school problem really needs to have their blinders cleaned.
Don't get me wrong, life rocks! There is enough good to outweigh the bad but not without looking. Bullies don't just go to school. They graduate, get a job they hate, marry the first person that they can have a kid with and then, raise that child in their image. Oh, it's a nasty cycle, and one that has gone on since the dawn of time
Sure, after school you don't have to worry about your head getting flushed or getting stuffed into your locker. No sir, those were the good ol' days. When you graduate you realize the bulling gets a lot nastier. At least when you were in school the bullies made themselves known. As they called you fagot and beat you up for wearing UN-hip shoes; you knew who and what you were dealing with. That's just the training phase, after school, you don't only have to deal with the bullies, you have to deal with their creators. Now you have to deal with the people who have lived their lives perfecting the mean spirit and training their offspring to get sneaky. The bully parents.
In Squamish we can see all the years of bully training in full effect. If I may point out the classics. Lets see there's the "Mackintosh code of silence", the "Lynch the hippie-protester campaign", the "Sign this or you'll be sorry petition", "Sorry, No Cameras allowed in our clubhouse meeting", and the most recent, and a personal favorite, "You vote NO? Then the flyers got to go!"
But everyone is guilty of this. Sure we are. I for one have boycotted so many places it's ridiculous. But that's always been my favorite, from the moment I found out Blockbuster not only stops movies from being made, gives stupid amounts of money to radical religious groups, and edits classics like "Caddy Shack" I had to do something, so I boycotted them and never returned.
*Insert biggest belly laugh you've ever heard* That was the best laugh I've had in weeks and it's all thanks to a wonderful man named Dave Fenn. Dave is the owner of the Howe Sound Inn and Brewing Company Located at the end of Cleveland Avenue Downtown Squamish (I'm such a whore) As you no doubt know The brew pub has been the focus of a boycott ever since its inception. I can't believe anyone would even deny that. I guess I've always looked at boycotts with pride. It's like standing up to the man. Only in this case I knew the man. That's no good. That has got to change, and change it will now that we have something we all can share. a pint of "blacklist ale" ahh-ha-ha. Isn't' it great! And the best part. They promise not to tell anyone they saw you drink it. damn I wish I thought of that.
I have so much respect for the young Dave Fenn; here's a guy who was also thrown into the middle of this thing whether he wanted to or not. And what does he do but slaps us both in the face with a great wake up call.
Blacklists are going on by both sides. Sure Wendy, manager of Super 8 Motel/Squamish elected official pulled the black tusk realty folders from the lobby, but how many of us go out of our way to tell people not to go to the Super 8? And to a lesser extent, Paul's Best Western? So it is with great relief that I believe it could all end now with a pint of blacklist ale and a good conversation.
Blacklists stop people from talking. And talking is the only way Squamish
is going to pull through this test.
So come on an join me at the Pub, lets share a pint, have a conversation,
and sort this thing out. I for one could use the break.
Bryan*insert witty barb here*
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