I encountered a customer today who I simply must write about. I was working a day shift at Bar Circle (yes, Squares does have a sister bar and it is called Circle) and things were pretty quiet. I was just on the point of trying to recreate the Basilica of St Peter with glace cherries when in walked this chap who could have been cheeky kid’s science presenter Johnny Ball were it not for the leather jacket and faded four letter word tattooed on his knuckle. He ordered a pint of John Smiths (actually I had already poured half of it before he reached the bar- you can tell you know) and we passed the transaction in the normal way. It was only when he returned to the bar for his second pint that he engaged me in conversation. This began with discussion of ‘undesirables’, a term he reserves for people who drink in Wetherspoons whom he detests because they ask him for money for drinks/fags/the sake of it. He was of the opinion that our £1.50 pints would attract this peculiar class of person and the force of his argument was split between praise of our cheapness and a warning that it would attract a less suitable type of person (it’s funny that just about everyone who comes into the pub has a lower class of person to who they attribute all of society’s ills, no one ever comes in and says “I’m a fucking layabout me, no
good to anyone and frankly I really should get my act together”-there lies a lesson for us all).
Up to this point I allowed myself the usual pleasure of basking in his rant and nodding my head at appropriate intervals. This is the true mark of the old fashioned barman I aspire to be, a friend to everyone and the very model of a patient yet unspeaking wisdom and understanding. However, being as he was talking about good-for-nothing evil doers, it was natural that the conversation would soon turn to people who aren’t British. If ever there were an underclass to assimilate everyone’s misgivings. He told me about the Indian he knew with British citizen-ship who had come to the UK to claim a pension even though he’d never lived here before and ‘without putting anything in’. He told me about the time he’d asked a ‘Muslim-looking-fella’ whether the backpack he was containing actually contained a bomb. He told me about how said Muslim had been quite indignant and (how unreasonable) the bar staff had asked him to make less of a fuss. The highpoint of the conversation was definitely when he said “I’ve never been a racist (pause) I’ve never been a racist…but I am one now”.
I did not intervene until he used the term asylum seeker, at which point I politely pointed out that this particular status was not a favourable one and that they can hardly be asked not to claim benefit while they are waiting for their claim to be processed and are forbidden to work. Once this had happened, I was condemned for a further hour to debate with him, going over the same points and never being allowed to finish without his finger jabbing the air before me and him saying “You only know what you’ve been told”. It is a marvellous irony how people who suppose themselves to be maverick thinkers are seldom the ones who actually give the least bit of decent thought to any of their pronouncements. All it seems to take is the hint of a conspiracy theory and they are convinced that Diana was killed by The Queen who is actually a martian who abducted Lord Lucan and had sex with the federal gold reserves of the USA in Area 51.
The debate had to end (and it did on good terms due to my fear of offending him) when I realised we were arguing from such totally different premises. I am lucky enough to be born into a country where there is a system to catch me if I fall upon hard times, but I don’t see why that luck entitles me to the rewards more than someone from another country. Now I am a tax payer I am more than entitled to desire that it gets spent on supporting asylum seekers and refugees. However, this is a qualitatively different position from that of my friend today. From his starting point (that there is a thing called British-ness and it makes you decent, hardworking and entitled to benefits) you can’t argue round to the position that non-British people should get benefits. You have to make a kind of leap of faith where you believe in a common humanity joining us all. I am clearly going to have to take my bar-room counselling service to the next level.
good to anyone and frankly I really should get my act together”-there lies a lesson for us all).
Up to this point I allowed myself the usual pleasure of basking in his rant and nodding my head at appropriate intervals. This is the true mark of the old fashioned barman I aspire to be, a friend to everyone and the very model of a patient yet unspeaking wisdom and understanding. However, being as he was talking about good-for-nothing evil doers, it was natural that the conversation would soon turn to people who aren’t British. If ever there were an underclass to assimilate everyone’s misgivings. He told me about the Indian he knew with British citizen-ship who had come to the UK to claim a pension even though he’d never lived here before and ‘without putting anything in’. He told me about the time he’d asked a ‘Muslim-looking-fella’ whether the backpack he was containing actually contained a bomb. He told me about how said Muslim had been quite indignant and (how unreasonable) the bar staff had asked him to make less of a fuss. The highpoint of the conversation was definitely when he said “I’ve never been a racist (pause) I’ve never been a racist…but I am one now”.
I did not intervene until he used the term asylum seeker, at which point I politely pointed out that this particular status was not a favourable one and that they can hardly be asked not to claim benefit while they are waiting for their claim to be processed and are forbidden to work. Once this had happened, I was condemned for a further hour to debate with him, going over the same points and never being allowed to finish without his finger jabbing the air before me and him saying “You only know what you’ve been told”. It is a marvellous irony how people who suppose themselves to be maverick thinkers are seldom the ones who actually give the least bit of decent thought to any of their pronouncements. All it seems to take is the hint of a conspiracy theory and they are convinced that Diana was killed by The Queen who is actually a martian who abducted Lord Lucan and had sex with the federal gold reserves of the USA in Area 51.
The debate had to end (and it did on good terms due to my fear of offending him) when I realised we were arguing from such totally different premises. I am lucky enough to be born into a country where there is a system to catch me if I fall upon hard times, but I don’t see why that luck entitles me to the rewards more than someone from another country. Now I am a tax payer I am more than entitled to desire that it gets spent on supporting asylum seekers and refugees. However, this is a qualitatively different position from that of my friend today. From his starting point (that there is a thing called British-ness and it makes you decent, hardworking and entitled to benefits) you can’t argue round to the position that non-British people should get benefits. You have to make a kind of leap of faith where you believe in a common humanity joining us all. I am clearly going to have to take my bar-room counselling service to the next level.
posted by huwtube at 12:43 am
2 Comments:
interesting, huw. do you think it's possible to convince people to alter the premises from which they argue, or is that kind of thing difficult to change? if the latter is the case there are worrying implications for the power of persuasion at all levels.
it's interesting that you didn't want to offend him when some of his comments were (presumably) offensive to you. but i suppose you ought to hold yourself to a higher standard.
I think that changing premises is just the case for further argument. I just didn't have the time and certainly age seems to embed people's opinions ever deeper.
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