Roy Exum
I don’t know a better way to explain the silly outcry against a Southside restaurant/bar dress code without sharing the first two paragraphs of a story in the current issue of “The Weekly Standard.” The story, brilliantly crafted by P.J. O’Rourke, is entitled “The War of the Elites” and the writer does a great job of explaining that those who were America’s “elite” and thought their views were brilliant when Barack Obama was president, are suddenly learning America could give a rip what they think now that Donald Trump has upset the apple cart.
O’Rourke begins, “The election of 2016 was terrible because it wasn’t an election, it was a rebellion. America is having a civil war, or, to be more accurate, a War of Incivility. The war is not between Republicans and Democrats or between conservatives and progressives. The war is between the frightened and what they fear. It is being fought by the people who perceive themselves as controlling nothing. They are besieging the people they perceive as controlling everything. We are in the midst of a Perception Insurrection, or, depending on how you perceive it, a Loser Mutiny.
“The revolt against the elites,” he further explains, “targets all manner of preeminence—political elites, business elites, media elites, institutional elites, and, kind reader, you. You're reading an article in a serious magazine, and the article is about a serious subject (however flippantly treated). This marks you as an elite.”
Well, I don’t know that I would go that far but, to be specific, in as much as the Southside Social’s new dress code is concerned, I think the noise you are hearing about “proper dress” is coming from two former “elites” who are desperately screaming as they begin to sense their “control” is now disenfranchised.
John Wise, who built an entertainment complex across from Finley Stadium on Chestnut Street, where the Southside Social has roared to a great start, is not a racist at all. I’ve known him since he moved here after graduating from Auburn and he and I are good friends. I don’t consider myself a racist but, boy, I am a realist and John’s new dress code is because the “in crowd” is shying away from Southside Social. He’s trying to save his business, pure and simple.
The Southside Social dress code: “No backward ball caps, visors, do-rags or skull caps. No plain white tee shirts, sleeveless shirts, ripped or torn pants, cut-offs on men, jerseys unless its game day or sports promotion, excessively long shirts below the bottom of back pockets, loose or baggy clothing, gym clothes including running/track suits or sweat pants, hooded sweatshirts, excessively long shirts below the knees, biker or gang colors, construction/combat shoes or boots, oversized chains, excessive jewelry, sunglasses after dark, clothing with offensive or foul messages, and see through or revealing clothing on women. No back packs, gym bags or duffel bags.”
The dress code doesn’t say “no blacks” – to the contrary, John wants all the nice people, race has zero to do with it -- but the liberals came out swinging because thugs and gangstas in Chattanooga who shoot each other are usually black. John Wise, not to mention everybody who enjoys Southside Social, doesn’t want thugs and gangstas causing trouble, trying to dance with their wives, making inappropriate comments to single groups of women, taking up a table by ordering only one beer, and generating havoc – their primary reason for showing up. As spectacularly sad as it may well be, any cop will tell you this is fact. C’mon, you know every restaurant or bar at the beach has a “No shirt, no shoes, no service” sign. Before you post some dumb comment on Facebook, think about the stark reality of what you see everywhere we go.
Historically, black troublemakers have caused nice people – blacks and whites and Asians and Indians, et al – to believe they should party elsewhere, leaving the thugs and gangstas behind. But soon the thugs follow the nice crowd and – almost immediately – nine out of 10 restaurants/bars die a defenseless death within 24 short months. Once a nice female is affronted in a lewd manner, she is gone forever.
No? Just drive down Brainerd Road and, when you get back, you’ll see exactly while Southside Social has a new dress code, why just about every other Main street venue has little choice to do the same within the next several weeks and why Hamilton Place – our biggest shopping center – will allow no one under 21 after 4 p.m. on a given day unless they are accompanied by an adult.
Why would Hamilton Place have to do such a thing? The standard line is because “today’s young people sometimes misbehave.” The police department line is “to keep the black gangs and mob scenes out … it is unsafe otherwise.” Yet the ‘real’ line is because a couple of weeks before some blacks set off fire crackers in Victoria Secret to create a cover for an orchestrated shoplifting ring. The resulting stampede was terrible for business; thus, every single merchant loves the new rule.
I can’t begin to count the number of classy restaurants and country clubs I have visited that insist on a sports coat. This isn’t a black thing, by any means. It’s a riff-raff thing. Nobody, black or white, wants to sit next to Bubba in his wet bathing suit and tank top. Incidentally, if you ever show up without a sports coat, subtly ask for the manager – he’ll give you the up-down and then take you to his office where he keeps a rack of sports coats in every size. I’ve never seen it fail.
Coolidge Park lovers will remember the huge throngs of black kids that would gather unexpectedly and ruin the area for everyone. The City Council was forced to take firm action against “crowding” and go anywhere in downtown Chattanooga on the weekends and you’ll visibly see Chattanooga police officers actively rousting clusters of black males who tell the officers, “We aren’t going anywhere in particular … just walking round.” Where are the clusters of white kids?
Back to the elites – when the last administration was in office, it was as though any elite groups had all the say. Now we’ve had a revolution and those who were empowered by the result of the election are suddenly taking the stance to tell the former elites, “We don’t care what you say.”
This explains the ridicule City Councilman Chris Anderson just brought upon himself by declaring he won’t go the Southside Social. While I both like and admire Chris, there are many in his district who recall his homosexual rants this summer where he – openly gay -- ridiculed several elected officials who had nothing whatsoever to do with it. Chris is trying to get votes in a predominately black district that isn’t known to be exactly gay-friendly but I can go out on a limb and predict with some confidence he won’t be missed as he boycotts Southside Social.
Oh, but what I’d give if some of my political pals would put their brain in gear before they misspeak.
royexum@aol.com