Bouncers-are they scum or what?

Hairy Homer · 26-03-2002 12:24PM #1

Why do we, the great Irish beer-drinking public, put up with a situation whereby just about every pub i n Dublin city centre has an ape in a bomber jacket on the front door scrutinising the potential clientele's features and refusing entrance on the most arbitrary of grounds?

Don't tell me this is done for reasons of security. I've drunk in bars all over the world and Irish bars tend to be the most convivial and lleast threatening of any I've ever been in.

I am convinced that the reason bouncers are put on the door has more to do with marketing and trying to convince the gullible that what lies inside is an exclusive haven of entertainment, and not an overloud glitzy dump selling watered down beer at highly inflated prices.

I'm now taking the pledge. I will not drink in a pub that has a bouncer on the door. Searsons, Sinnots, Zanzibar, Q Bar, Messrs Maguire etc etc etc you know who you are.

Yez can all feck off!!!!

Is it just me, or could we rustle up enough boycotters to mount an effective economic campaign?

WhiteWashMan · 26-03-2002 12:41PM

Originally posted by Hairy Homer

Is it just me, or could we rustle up enough boycotters to mount an effective economic campaign?

no.

but i agree that they are a pain.
well, they used to be when they didnt let me in.
besides, i blame all the forigners for the trouble.....

strat · 26-03-2002 12:57PM

yes, they usually are annoying w4nkers

Dr. Loon · 26-03-2002 01:07PM

This was posted up some time ago, but yes, I agree... more often than not they're power tripping cúnts. Excuse my language

woosaysdan · 26-03-2002 04:17PM

Yeah but with drinking laws being so strict there only there to stop under age drinkers from getting in. Sure how would u like it if u were drinking a pub and a crowd of people came in pissed out of there skulls looking 4 drink wouldnt u wish there was a bouncer on the door!! Sure they may b strict but there only doing their job so give them a break!!!

PiE · 26-03-2002 04:37PM

Exactly, I'd rather have a bouncer "scrutinize" me than have the place filled with junkies, scumbags and underage drinkers puking their guts up. Irish bars in foreign counties are probably convivial because there are none of the "real" Dublin inhabitants there.

Hairy Homer · 26-03-2002 05:52PM

Originally posted by woosaysdan
wouldnt u wish there was a bouncer on the door!! Sure they may b strict but there only doing their job so give them a break!!!

If you are saying that the issue is one of security then I agree. Pubs should have the werewithal to remove trouble makers in the case of a fight. However, this does not extend to having some decommissioned Provo (and a lot, though certainly not all bouncers are former patriots stood down from active service) blocking the doorway to people they don't like the look of.

I've been to Germany, and you walk into the large beerkellers there unmolested. At the first sign of trouble, uniformed guards spring out of the woodwork and escort you from the premises. But you don't have to worry in advance that some of the mates you have arranged to meet won't be let in to your choice of drinking venue.

My argument is that in most cases bouncers are there to create the illusion that the pub is a desirable place whereas it is in fact a hive of noisy iniquity.

You don't like drunk skangers in pubs. Fair enough. I don't like bouncers on the doors of pubs and will no longer patronise hostelries that adopt this unnecessary policy.

We can change this by simply voting with our wallets and not going to these dreadful places. Otherwise we just encourage these obnoxious practices.

Dr. Loon · 26-03-2002 05:58PM

I agree with Hairy Homer. It' sfine to have security to make sure no scumbags get in or whatever, but I think Dubin's bouncer's are often scumbags in this regard... blanking people for no real reason other then they can. Althuogh I haven't been blanked from a pub/club in a long time, I see it happen to other people alot, when there's no need for it.

Hairy Homer · 26-03-2002 06:31PM

Originally posted by woosaysdan
wouldnt u wish there was a bouncer on the door!! Sure they may b strict but there only doing their job so give them a break!!!

If you are saying that the issue is one of security then I agree. Pubs should have the werewithal to remove trouble makers in the case of a fight. However, this does not extend to having some decommissioned Provo (and a lot, though certainly not all bouncers are former patriots stood down from active service) blocking the doorway to people they don't like the look of.

I've been to Germany, and you walk into the large beerkellers there unmolested. At the first sign of trouble, uniformed guards spring out of the woodwork and escort you from the premises. But you don't have to worry in advance that some of the mates you have arranged to meet won't be let in to your choice of drinking venue.

My argument is that in most cases bouncers are there to create the illusion that the pub is a desirable place whereas it is in fact a hive of noisy iniquity.

You don't like drunk skangers in pubs. Fair enough. I don't like bouncers on the doors of pubs and will no longer patronise hostelries that adopt this unnecessary policy.

We can change this by simply voting with our wallets and not going to these dreadful places. Otherwise we just encourage these obnoxious practices.

WhiteWashMan · 26-03-2002 07:14PM

if you bother to actually put on some decent clothes, comb your hair and act like a human then you will get into somewhere.
if you look like a student or a goth, you should be refused entry.

Karl Hungus · 26-03-2002 08:01PM

Originally posted by WhiteWashMan
if you look like a student or a goth, you should be refused entry.

That's bull****!

I went out for a friends birthday, had a nice white shirt, nice pants (Not jeans), hair tied back and all brushed...
And I STILL got refused into a club!

Wouldn't mind, it was only the one time I;d go to the place for the friends birthday. Otherwise I'd never set foot in the place.

And I just about NEVER get refused.
They wouldn't even give me a straight answer why either.

And also, WWMan... I should give you a poke in the eye!
Nobody should be refused entry because they look like a goth.

daftbegger · 27-03-2002 12:25AM

Originally posted by WhiteWashMan
if you bother to actually put on some decent clothes, comb your hair and act like a human then you will get into somewhere.
if you look like a student or a goth, you should be refused entry.

And from both sides of the fence!!
Shut your bitchin. If a prick started on you in a bar you ex-student little pussies!! The first thing you would look for is a man with some balls!! IE!!! THE BOUNCER SCUMBAGS!!
Thats 'Admission consultant to you boy'.

Lump · 27-03-2002 02:27AM

Ok, as the only bouncer (that I know of) on these boards, firstly, people are refused for a number of reasons.....

1. They way they look, ok, I know it might not be fai, but if you look like a mong, and the management are trying to have "well presented people in there establishment" then you are not going to get in.

2. If you are pissed, stoned, or a "known" trouble maker, then you are not going to get in, fair enough, your judgement of how pissed you are, may not be the same as the bouncers. However, this reason is generally used as a safety concern. I.E., If the place is heaving and you are pissed, if you fall over due to drunkenness then you may hurt, yourself/ someone else.

3. If you are underage, It doesn't matter how ****ing old you look, you may not look as old as you think to the bouncers. If you are over 18 carry so bloody ID, if not piss off home. People do not relise that if a pub is raided, it is the bouncers who get a roasting if there are under agers in, so you cant blame them for covering their backs. Most bouncers I know will let people off if they loook some way old.

I have worked as a bouncer in Kilkenny, and currently in Carlisle England, where things are a lot more strict. Fair enough, bouncers, like us all have bad nights, and cant be arsed, or just want a laugh. But any that I have met even wen out on the piss, they all are spot on. All I say is. Carry ID, and try and dress a bit respectable.

John

AKA Bouncer cúnt.

SantaHoe · 27-03-2002 02:33AM

Bouncers are a neccisary evil IMO... sure, you'll get a handfull that're power-tripping scumbags who'll turn you away because they don't like your face ... but I don't think I'd feel safe in a pub/club without decent bouncers, where any skanger can just stagger in and cause trouble.
Having said that, if someone wants to smash a pint-glass in your face and flee the premesis ... they'll probably be half way down the street before the bouncers have a clue what's happened.
I've seen it happen too

(although I think the Garda found him eventually)
I guess the bouncers have to be that bit more carefull... looking out for peoples attitudes and temprement aswell as the more obvious visual clues like grooming and dress.

That's why it always makes me laugh when I see people agressively arguing with the door staff when they don't get in ... like they're REALLY going to let you in if you give them guff. :rolleyes:

blondi · 27-03-2002 03:06AM

bouncers piss me off to some degree , many of them have a big 'goodfellows' thing going on and is evident when you end up in a 'piss-pot pill house' like Switch or similar dance venues whose names I thankfully can't remember. It seems they can fulfill their pre-pubecant fantasies of being in an 'Al Capone' like Firm, conceal and assist organised drug dealing,and they will be forever adored by the kind of brain dead scum that go there, sad ****s.......
(the peace process has a lot to answer for , for not 'de-mobbing' the troops psychologically before just sending them home, or is it that they have they not gone away ?)

Lump · 27-03-2002 03:17AM

IMHO, it doesnt matter how much bouncers say, they always get blamed for refusing people, ETC. Remember, bouncers work for some one, they dont just stand at the door randomly putting people out.

John

Shinji · 27-03-2002 03:30AM

I've drunk in bars all over the world and Irish bars tend to be the most convivial and lleast threatening of any I've ever been in

Wow! Hey, do you think maybe the whole convival, pleasant atmosphere might have something to do with the guys on the door keeping the undesirables, the underage types and the drunkards out....?

SheroN · 27-03-2002 10:29AM

Well i've no problem with them refusing me entry...but there's no need to be a complete and utter **** over it.

Ser · 27-03-2002 10:42AM

i never noticed many female door people in Ireland while i lived there, here in london they dont use word bouncer any more, is doormen, and alot have women with them now. they use to be right cvnts but now they seemed to have carmed down, after so many get shot in the head for turning som1 away.

Dr. Loon · 27-03-2002 10:56AM

Before I had moved to London, I often got refused entry to places, then when I lived in London I was never refused once.... there was one time I was in a club píssed out of my brains and feeling dodgy, I was leaning against a pole, and the bouncer came over, picked me up and told me to go outside for some fresh air, and he'd let me in when I was feeling alright again!! How sound is that? I don't think that would happen here.

Since I've moved back to Dublin, I've never been refused entry anywhere. So my point? Well, I think Dublin bouncers are indeed often power tripping gits, but I still rarely have any hassle getting in, and generally get in in the end anyway. Bouncers outside the pale

are less likely to blank you if you're dressed\present yourself alright, and bouncers in London were sound bástards - they're doing their job properly - making sure no scum get in, making sure there's no trouble inside - i.e - a drunk Irish git leaning against a pole who could potentially razz all over the shop is escorted outside until he feels better!

WhiteWashMan · 27-03-2002 01:22PM

Originally posted by daftbegger

And from both sides of the fence!!
Shut your bitchin. If a prick started on you in a bar you ex-student little pussies!! The first thing you would look for is a man with some balls!! IE!!! THE BOUNCER SCUMBAGS!!
Thats 'Admission consultant to you boy'.

im sorry, you seemed to have misread my post.
you see, i didnt say anything bad about bouncers.
i said if you dress up respectable enough you will have no problem getting in anywhere.

poor lad, you seem to have quiet the attitude dont you.

Hairy Homer · 27-03-2002 01:38PM

Originally posted by Shinji

Wow! Hey, do you think maybe the whole convival, pleasant atmosphere might have something to do with the guys on the door keeping the undesirables, the underage types and the drunkards out....?

Like I said. I don't drink in pubs that have bouncers on the door. Their presence automatically detracts from the overall conviviality IMHO.

The fact that they are there indicates that the management has such contempt for its potential customers that they subject them to an arbitrary screening before they let them in.

And BTW I look every moment of my 41 years of age. I don't need ID to convince people that I am over 18. Or 21. Or 23 whatever the arbitrary policy of the pub is.

It's an apalling practice and I will no longer endorse it. I ask and encourage others to adopt a similar attitude.

Of course if you're such a wuss that you don't feel safe unless some guy has looked comtemptuously at you as you slink through his door and identified you as being no physical threat to him whatsoever.......maybe you should have stayed at home.

azezil · 27-03-2002 01:49PM

Originally posted by Hairy Homer
Of course if you're such a wuss that you don't feel safe unless some guy has looked comtemptuously at you as you slink through his door and identified you as being no physical threat to him whatsoever.......maybe you should have stayed at home.

So your saying only guys over 6'4", and about 15stone should be aloud have social lives? :rolleyes:

Not everyone is capable, or willing to stand up for themselves, they deserve protection. Bouncers maintain a certain standard within a premisses, i'v seen a club with 1 old bouncer on teh door who does nothing n the place is a kip!! Fights in every corner, drugs freely available, couples "expressing their love" all over the place... disgusting!

Hairy Homer · 27-03-2002 02:08PM

Originally posted by azezil

So your saying only guys over 6'4", and about 15stone should be aloud have social lives? :rolleyes:

I'm neither. Nor do I indulge in pugilism. And that is not the criteria on which bouncers admit or refuse entry. From what I can see it is purely arbitrary. Has nothing to do with security. And is purely around protecting the interests of pub owners. Not their customers. ie us.

TwoShedsJackson · 27-03-2002 02:18PM

Originally posted by azezil

Fights in every corner, drugs freely available, couples "expressing their love" all over the place... disgusting!

Name and address of said premises?

azezil · 27-03-2002 02:39PM

Originally posted by Castor Troy

Name and address of said premises?

Pedigree Corner - Somewhere in Laois (your kinda place?

)

WhiteWashMan · 27-03-2002 03:15PM

Originally posted by Hairy Homer

I'm neither. Nor do I indulge in pugilism. And that is not the criteria on which bouncers admit or refuse entry. From what I can see it is purely arbitrary. Has nothing to do with security. And is purely around protecting the interests of pub owners. Not their customers. ie us.

and thats your perogative.
personally i dont care if theres a bouncer on the door or not.
i go to a pub to drink an cha and enjoy.
i do not think i need to have a physical presence or the attitude of begby in trainspotting to go to a pub, as you sem to be suggesting.
but i would rather go to a pub where theres less likely to be a fight, because i have no interest in fighting.

but some people like to go to a certain type of place where there is a certain type of clientel, and they are usually the ones with money.
swings and round abouts.....

logic1 · 27-03-2002 04:18PM

I worked as a doorman in a club in Tramore - Waterford before I moved to Dublin. Tramore is basically a holiday town which has a huge caravan park that fills up with mostly Dubliners every Summer.

As a Doorman on that particular club we used our own judgement as to who got in and who got refused. Inside there were 5 Doormen and Two or Three were outside on the Door. The Door lads were guys who knew exactly who was barred and who wasn't. They knew who out of the regulars would cause trouble and who wouldn't.

I've never seen anyone turned away that shouldn't have been.

Inside if any trouble started we simply escorted the trouble to the door and let it go. As long as it wasn't in the club it's not our concern, although 99% of the time we'd break up the fight and stick around until at least one of the parties left the area altogether.

When I moved to Dublin I noticed that the Doormen do work on a slightly different set of rules because there's alot more choice in Dublin. Certain bars want a certain type of clientele.

I don't find any problem with this at all because besides the fact that a suits and boots bar wouldn't want me I probably wouldn't enjoy myself in a suits and boots bar.

One thing I did notice in Dublin is that I usually always get asked something on the door. I nearly never get asked for I.D. but I'll usually get asked where I'm coming from or if I'm having a good night and as far as I can tell I believe it's because they want to see what type of accent I have. I'm 6'3" with a shaved head and personally I consider the Doormen to be quite switched on to approach the subject like this. They're not sure whether I'll be trouble or not so instead of stopping me and acting the prick they simply ask me a trivial question. Now some might say "Well so what if you have a heavy accent that doesn't mean your trouble" but personally I'd be alot more cautious of someone who fit into a certain typecast than someone who doesn't.

I certainly have never had a bad incident with any Doormen and would definately consider them neccessary.

.logic.

SantaHoe · 27-03-2002 06:24PM

One thing I did notice in Dublin is that I usually always get asked something on the door.

I guess it's also to check if you're coherent enough to string a sentence together, and what kind of mood you're in.
A good screening technique if you ask me.

daftbegger · 27-03-2002 07:50PM

I was agreeing with you. AND I was directing the attitude elsewhere.
Read this one carefully now!! You don't want to get confused.

cournioni · 28-03-2002 01:32AM

I know lots of fairly cool dead on bouncers. Alright there is a small minority that are power hungry ****heads but once you get talking to them they are alright. I've never been refused entry to any night club or pub in my life (yet). And I've only been stopped twice briefly. I have no ID (yet my 18tht was last month). I could handle my drink unlike many others under the age of 18 who have been refused entry before. Usually when I go out I usually wear one of my band t-shirts and nothing was ever said about them.

I've only ever been in one confrontation with a bouncer inside a club and that was when (as usual) Teen Spirit came on one time in the Manor, Virginia and I went out and moshed (as you do to teen spirit). And he grabbed me by the shirt and pulled me over to the corner (bad idea, on the bouncers part. Especially after me moshing). He had his arm drawed back as if he were about to punch me and said if I ever done it again he'd "kick the **** outta me". I just laughed at him (he was smaller than me) and said "don't or you'll be sorry". He looked around and just walked off. I went out and moshed again and he didn't say anything. Talk about a gob****e!

What I'd like to know Lump... is why moshing is not allowed during such songs as Smells like teen Spirit. What are we supposed to do? Dance like those e'd up gob****es or just sit down and move our heads a little bit.

Bouncers-are they scum or what?

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