I’m sipping a vodka stinger, enjoying a quiet moment at the bar, when this asshole from Arizona walks in, high on his haunches, and acting like he’s so above it all. (I know that stance, I’ve walked it before. I did not, however, keep my sunglasses on as he does.) He makes a pitch for his band to play at the bar, but the bartender says he’ll need to speak to the owner. It turns the guy off, and he goes into further douche-like behavior, acting like it’s so absurd that anyone would turn his band down.
He comes from Phoenix, but is stationed in Gloversville and Johnstown, and he plays at the Coffee beanery in Amsterdam, NY. Yes, that is indeed the big-time, so when he starts slagging off Albany and Washington Park and the parking issue, it’s all I can do not to go ballistic.
Now, admittedly, I’m the last person to call anyone out on haughty behavior, but there’s a way to do it with charm, and there’s a way to do it with condescension. One is pretty and the other is not. The way he talks to bartender is despicable, and I see no reason for such attitude. His suit and tie date back to the 80’s, and not in any sort of self-aware retro way either – I honestly think he was wearing it back then. The sunglasses remain perched on his nose, and the fact that it’s happening in a darkened bar just makes him look more ridiculous.
No matter who you are, there’s never a reason to treat others as if they are beneath you. I’ve always maintained that you can tell what a person is really like in the way they treat wait-staff and retail workers. Having done a tiny bit of the former (bus boy) and a whole lot of the latter (Structure slut), I can say that it’s a pretty good gauge.
(Example: I once tried helping Nancy Kerrigan in the Faneuil Hall Structure store and let’s just say she got what she deserved.)
