Wednesday, August 22, 2007
So it’s Friday night, you’re sitting there with your girls or boys, making a few decisions. Main one being: In or out? Once that is settled, you can move on to the next round of oh-so-important night making decisions. If you’re going out, for one, where to go? Then the obvious: What to wear and perhaps what to drink on. Motivation behind these being, obviously, you want to have the cleanest-looking gear along with the most banging stilettos or kicks, while having a great time not being sick on what you chose to sip on for the evening. While this may appear to be what is on everyone’s main agenda when they go out, after my experience a few weekends ago, I wonder what else is included in people’s thought processes as they prepare for the night.
A few weekends ago, I went out with some of my friends around Lawrence. Being from Topeka, over the past couple of years, I have had to get used to the difference in environments that one encounters here in Lawrence versus in Topeka. Topeka does not have that many spots to go to, and although it is a college town, most bar-goers are local and the typical fights are because someone slept with someone’s wife or is wearing the wrong color in the wrong side of town. That to me, is explainable.
When we went out a couple of weekends ago, my friends and I got into it with some other people at the bar. Over what, I’m still not sure. I had on some cute, white stilettos and had my hair down along with the other females I was with (one was celebrating her birthday). The guys were wearing white shoes and some new hats, and looked good. Our main purpose that night was to make the town blurry. The drama started, heated up, then ended just as quickly, with all of us getting dragged out by the police while the guys who started it stood there watching, still in the bar.
Now that you have the gist of what happened, let’s break that down a bit more and try and understand it because this is where I get confused. When the arguments started, the people I was with tried to stop the fight from happening, while the other guys just continued to instigate and swing at us, including me, a female. Instead of the police taking the aggressors out of the bar, they took us out and handcuffed some of my friends. We tried to explain ourselves. While I understand they were ‘trying to do their job,’ I was wondering, “isn’t part of their job getting all sides of the story and what went down rather than just making assumptions?”
Like I said, being from Topeka, there aren’t that many random bar fights; most conflicts are bigger issues that, if they do escalate, become much more serious instances. In our situation, I felt it was treated as just another typical night in downtown Lawrence, and that is what I think is the problem. By not digging into the dirt of what causes these little petty fights as the police see them, it allows them to become more serious. It allows people to go out and start stuff weekend after weekend without anything happening to them. These fights blowing up into bigger instances is not just a Topeka problem.
Lawrence has experienced first-hand some of the instances when former basketball player J.R. Giddens’ KU career ended over a bar fight that resulted in him getting stabbed. A couple of years ago a man was shot and killed in front of the Granada after a fight following a concert.
I would like to think, along with most people, that I just want to go out, chill and have a good time without any unnecessary drama and without having to be worried about who I might run into or people looking to start violence. From experience, I feel like most fights are not just random. I feel like some guys and women throw on the track pants or Nikes in anticipation of starting something.
Although some people don’t take their bar fight preparation that far, the ones who just can’t handle liquor without pushing someone or looking at someone wrong need to just stay home, because its not worth it. Why would you want to go out and ruin someone’s night, possibly career, or even life, regardless of whether you had the intentions of doing so or not is beyond me? It’s a new school year and new people. I say we all forget the dumb stuff, have a drink, pass out, go to class and do it all over again without skipping a beat or starting a fight. I think we all would have more enjoyable bar-going experiences, perhaps somewhat vague, but nonetheless less bruised and with a cleaner criminal record in the morning.
McNaughton is a Topeka junior in journalism.
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Comments
McNaughton: Altercations in Lawrence become the norm
Are you kidding me? The only people who shoot people in Lawrence are from Topeka, and the only people who get in big pan-gender drunken brawls are sorority girls and their fratty beaus.
That's two strikes Angelique.
McNaughton: Altercations in Lawrence become the norm
Wow... self-absorbed... vacuous... You have all the makings for a columnist. Seriously though... really? I mean. Really? C'mon...
McNaughton: Altercations in Lawrence become the norm
Honestly I've been going to bars in Lawrence for a bit over a year now and I've never, ever been in or around a bar fight, except one time, and that was because of your typical drunken frat guy getting his ego bruised because another pink polo-wearing ass has the same shoes as him.
Seriously though, this article is pathetic. The argument is that there are too many fights in bars in Lawrence, without any kind of real supporting statistic other than a shooting (by a Topeka resident) in front of the Granada and Giddens getting shanked (Giddens was a thug... come on).
Not only that, you do sound like a person who maybe just goes all out with your drinking. It might be a part of the college experience, but if you're one of those people who is drunk EVERY SINGLE WEEKEND to the point of passing out, you have a problem.
So, in summary... Get help. Both with your writing and your drinking.
McNaughton: Altercations in Lawrence become the norm
Oh...my...word. Besides the poor writing that made me cringe (one gem in particular was "Why would you want to go out and ruin someone’s night, possibly career, or even life, regardless of whether you had the intentions of doing so or not is beyond me?" is not only a run-on sentence but should probably end with a period - i'm not a grammar stickler, but i expected more from a journalism student), this article lacked substance and relevance. While it is valid to claim that one might have been arrested wrongly, the claim loses much of its validity when one is intoxicated. As the author so eloquently stated, the "purpose that night was to make the town blurry". This statement makes me highly doubt that the author and her good-looking, white-shoed and new-hat wearing male friends and female friends (with the free-flowing hair and stilettos, of course) were probably not so innocent as she claims. By the way, those physical descriptions served no purpose whatsoever except to further irritate me that our money is being used to print such mindless drivel, but back to the main issue. What was the point of that article? Are we now supposed to be so concerned that - heaven forbid- there are altercations at bars when all over the world innocent lives are lost due to war, crime and natural disasters? Come on. The solution is so blatantly simple - anyone with a shred of common sense knows that drinking responsibly will significantly lower their chances of ending up in an altercation.
McNaughton: Altercations in Lawrence become the norm
There are so many things wrong with this "column" I do not know where to begin. This looks like something someone would post on their facebook or myspace looking for sympathy.
If your friends still have a pending criminal case out there, you better hope the judge/magistrate/prosecutors do not read this. If crap people post on myspace and facebook can be used against someone in court, then a column in the school newspaper is obviously fair game.
This is an insight into what is wrong with American youth in our society today and I am offended you would even want this in print. This is the kind of stuff that will keep you from getting a job, but hey, whatever, if you're still out looking to pass out and go to the bar, that may keep you out of a job as well.
If I needed a reminder on why I shouldn't go to bars, this would be it. Thank you for fitting the stereotype. I'll certainly stay away from bars after this reminder. As for your friends hand cuffed. Way to make your incident as public as possible.
I can't imagine how a judge would react to hearing "why can't we all just get along and go get drunk for christs sake." You need serious counseling. I'd seriously look into AA.
McNaughton: Altercations in Lawrence become the norm
No wait! I've got it! This is actually a phenomenal piece of satire... It has to be.
McNaughton: Altercations in Lawrence become the norm
My favorite part is, "Now that you get the gist of what happened..."
Wait, where did we get any relevant information at all about what happened? All I got was that you coordinated shoes with your guy friends and got wasted. The "gist" would've included something about why the fight started, but obviously the town was "too blurry" for you to remember.
Not only am I still trying to figure out "the gist" of what happened, but I'm also trying to find "the point" of this piece.
McNaughton: Altercations in Lawrence become the norm
Wait I Know...you wrote this article while you were drunk at the bar!
McNaughton: Altercations in Lawrence become the norm
While I agree this "article" is a waste of space...it is an op-ed piece in a college newspaper. Are you expecting something profound? Though, you're all probably coming here just to find funny articles written by kids who think they're intelligent, clever, and unique when really they're just idiots. That's why I come here anyway...that and to mock them in these little comment boxes.
McNaughton: Altercations in Lawrence become the norm
Am I expecting something profound? No. Am I expecting more than sorority-grade whining about the terrible troubles of discrimination of law enforcement against rowdy drunk people? This sounds like a column a 14-year-old would write after their parents grounded them for going to a party.
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