Where Everybody Knows Your Name – 1970’s to Today
You wanna be where you can see, our troubles are all the same; You wanna be where everybody knows, your name. The theme song from the TV show Cheers brings back fond memories. Bartenders and the people that drink in their favorite watering holes have a significant bond and are a tight nit community. Regardless of whether it is the 1970’s or 2009 the customers of bars continue to gather at a place where they receive comfort, positive vibes, friendship, and can share their troubles just like the theme song above proclaims. With a downfall in the economy many would believe bars would be one of the many hard hit businesses because drinking is perceived as an unneeded expense. This is in fact untrue. The bar business tends to run steady if not pick up new customers while facing economic hardships. Recent research from the Nielsen Company, who tracks consumer purchasing, showed that consumers do not necessarily eliminate alcohol as quickly as other items during economic crunches. "Beverage alcohol really is only mildly affected by the economic factors," Danny Brager of the Nielsen Company said. "A lot of consumers would still consider alcoholic beverages as an affordable indulgence."
The bar life in the early 1970’s was quite different than it is today. Back then you could be 18, 19, or 20 years of age and legally sit in a bar depending on which state you lived in. Today there is a standard age of 21 years. Back then it was not as common for females to be in the bars as is today. “Females were supposed to be at home not sitting at a bar…unless of course you were a cocktail server,” Claire explains when I asked her what the environment was like back then. There were not many female bartenders in this area until the 1980’s. Now this area is predominantly female bartenders. She also said regardless of anyone’s money situation or what was going on in the bar, people took care of their own. Meaning if Bob comes into the bar with only a couple of dollars to his name his “bar friends” will take care of him for the night because the assumption is that Bob will reciprocate the same for his “bar friends” on another night.
Back in the 1970’s many females were stay-at-home moms. Today there are more women in the work force and they are looking for the same bond that men are in respects to the bar. While I was not able to find a statistical ratio of the percentage of women that go to bars as opposed to men, through personal observation of today’s environment it’s about 60% men to 40% women. This would have been unheard of in the 1970’s. In the essay “’Blaxicans’ and Other Reinvented Americans” by Richard Rodriguez he describes his thoughts on assimilation which is directly related to culture, however, this also describes a community. “Culture is fluid. Culture is smoke. You breathe it. You eat it” (123). The bar is in itself is a culture as well as a community. With the addition of females to the mix, “Assimilation happens” (123) as Rodriguez exclaims.
"When the economy's great, people drink. When the economy sucks, people drink," says Donna Hood Crecca, the editorial director of nightclub.com, the trade show's publication. "This is America. People drank during Prohibition. You know? They're gonna drink." “You know what’s changed the most in the business over the last 30 years?” Claire asks me, “The crazy new drinks I can’t keep up with. In my day we would have never thought to call a drink a Crazy Mother*&%$#@. We used to have classy names for drinks like a Pink Lady or Mint Julep. What really has not changed are the people. You know Frank and all the boys? Now they’re sitting in your bar instead of mine, but the way of the world won’t change that. If every single one of them went broke today, they’d still find a way to come in because that’s where they get comfort and part of that comes from the bartender.” In the essay, “You Are Who You Know” by Andrew Leonard he says, “Particularly in the developed world, our atomized, alienated, transient lifestyles have resulted in our seeking community from those who share the same interests, or workplace, or some other kind of tribal loyalty” (155). This is indeed true of the bar community also. People are looking for a common bond regardless of what is going on in the country and world.
I work at a bar that has a group of nightly regulars with a main crowd of about 20 up to a larger crowd of about 40 people. Some of these people are prominent in the community and some are not. Some of these people have money to throw away and some are penny pinchers, yet when they’re all together at the bar they are equals. Most of these regulars were Claire’s customers back in the day; now they are mine. I will agree with Claire that the drinks have changed over the years as well as the clothing and hairstyles yet the camaraderie remains.
Regardless of the year or economic state of our country bars are a community that people use to get themselves through rough times, share special times, and build relationships. Unstable economic situations bring the bar community closer. You would think when money was tight that people would stay home to save money but really the opposite happens. People need people and this community gives certain people what they need.
The bar life in the early 1970’s was quite different than it is today. Back then you could be 18, 19, or 20 years of age and legally sit in a bar depending on which state you lived in. Today there is a standard age of 21 years. Back then it was not as common for females to be in the bars as is today. “Females were supposed to be at home not sitting at a bar…unless of course you were a cocktail server,” Claire explains when I asked her what the environment was like back then. There were not many female bartenders in this area until the 1980’s. Now this area is predominantly female bartenders. She also said regardless of anyone’s money situation or what was going on in the bar, people took care of their own. Meaning if Bob comes into the bar with only a couple of dollars to his name his “bar friends” will take care of him for the night because the assumption is that Bob will reciprocate the same for his “bar friends” on another night.
Back in the 1970’s many females were stay-at-home moms. Today there are more women in the work force and they are looking for the same bond that men are in respects to the bar. While I was not able to find a statistical ratio of the percentage of women that go to bars as opposed to men, through personal observation of today’s environment it’s about 60% men to 40% women. This would have been unheard of in the 1970’s. In the essay “’Blaxicans’ and Other Reinvented Americans” by Richard Rodriguez he describes his thoughts on assimilation which is directly related to culture, however, this also describes a community. “Culture is fluid. Culture is smoke. You breathe it. You eat it” (123). The bar is in itself is a culture as well as a community. With the addition of females to the mix, “Assimilation happens” (123) as Rodriguez exclaims.
"When the economy's great, people drink. When the economy sucks, people drink," says Donna Hood Crecca, the editorial director of nightclub.com, the trade show's publication. "This is America. People drank during Prohibition. You know? They're gonna drink." “You know what’s changed the most in the business over the last 30 years?” Claire asks me, “The crazy new drinks I can’t keep up with. In my day we would have never thought to call a drink a Crazy Mother*&%$#@. We used to have classy names for drinks like a Pink Lady or Mint Julep. What really has not changed are the people. You know Frank and all the boys? Now they’re sitting in your bar instead of mine, but the way of the world won’t change that. If every single one of them went broke today, they’d still find a way to come in because that’s where they get comfort and part of that comes from the bartender.” In the essay, “You Are Who You Know” by Andrew Leonard he says, “Particularly in the developed world, our atomized, alienated, transient lifestyles have resulted in our seeking community from those who share the same interests, or workplace, or some other kind of tribal loyalty” (155). This is indeed true of the bar community also. People are looking for a common bond regardless of what is going on in the country and world.
I work at a bar that has a group of nightly regulars with a main crowd of about 20 up to a larger crowd of about 40 people. Some of these people are prominent in the community and some are not. Some of these people have money to throw away and some are penny pinchers, yet when they’re all together at the bar they are equals. Most of these regulars were Claire’s customers back in the day; now they are mine. I will agree with Claire that the drinks have changed over the years as well as the clothing and hairstyles yet the camaraderie remains.
Regardless of the year or economic state of our country bars are a community that people use to get themselves through rough times, share special times, and build relationships. Unstable economic situations bring the bar community closer. You would think when money was tight that people would stay home to save money but really the opposite happens. People need people and this community gives certain people what they need.
~ REVISION ~
Where Everybody Knows Your Name
You wanna be where you can see, our troubles are all the same; you wanna be where everybody knows, your name. The theme song from the TV show Cheers brings back fond memories. People that drink in their favorite watering holes have a significant bond and are a tight community. Regardless of whether it is the 1970’s or 2009 the customers of bars continue to gather at a place where they receive comfort, positive vibes, friendship, and can share their troubles just like the theme song above proclaims. With a downfall in the economy many would believe bars would be one of the many hard hit businesses because drinking may be perceived as an unneeded expense. This is in fact untrue. The bar business tends to run steady if not pick up new customers while facing economic hardships. Being in the bar business myself I know this to be true. I come from a long line of bar owners, have many friends who are currently in the business, and I myself bartend on the weekends. One thing you can count on is that regular bar customers do not stop frequenting their favorite hangout because of the economy.
I asked Claire, a longtime family friend and bartender, about her perceptions on this topic. Claire has been in the business for 30 years and seen many economic struggles throughout this time. She said, “Regardless of anyone’s money situation or what was going on in the bar, people take care of their own.” This simply means, if Bob comes into the bar with only a couple of dollars to his name his “bar friends” will take care of him for the night because the assumption is that Bob will reciprocate the same for his “bar friends” on another night. "When the economy's great, people drink. When the economy sucks, people drink," says Donna Hood Crecca, the editorial director of nightclub.com, the trade show's publication. "This is America. People drank during Prohibition. You know? They're gonna drink." An economic downfall does not hinder this; in fact, it may promote more of a generous nature among friends. Bar people consider themselves family and they take care of each other regardless of the economic environment.
“You know what’s changed the most in the business over the last 30 years?” Claire asks me, “The crazy new drinks I can’t keep up with. In my day we would have never called a drink a Crazy Mother*&%$#@. We used to have classy names for drinks like a Pink Lady or Mint Julep. What really has not changed though are the people. You know Frank and all the boys? Now they’re sitting in your bar instead of mine, but the way of the world won’t change that. If every single one of them went broke today, they’d still find a way to come in because that’s where they get comfort.” Claire has known some of my current customers for 30 years and they continue to frequent the same establishments because of the camaraderie they receive. I work at a bar that has a main group of nightly regulars of about 20 people up to a larger crowd of about 40 people. Some of these people are prominent in the community and some are not. Some of these people have money to throw away and some are penny pinchers, yet when they’re all together at the bar they are equals. Most of these regulars were Claire’s customers back in the 80’s and 90’s; now they are mine. I will agree with Claire that the drinks have changed considerably over the years yet the camaraderie of the bar customers remains the same regardless of economic situation.
The bar is a place where people feel secure regardless of their economic environment. In Maya Angelou’s essay “Reclaiming Our Home Place” she states, “Wherever home is, the closer one gets to it, the more one relaxes. That’s even if you’re walking. If you’ve been on a trek, a few blocks or a few miles, you can almost spot your house. You start to breathe differently. I think this is true for all people” (136). While Angelou may in fact be talking about the home in which you live her statement also applies to bar customers. Once they arrive to their bar it’s like coming home. This is the place where they can unwind and be themselves, where they can let go of the pressure of the working world to bond with each other. This has not changed over the last 30 years regardless of the economic state of the country.
Regardless of the year or economic state of our country bars are a community of people that are dedicated to each other. This community sees its members through the rough times as well as the good times; it’s a place that is familiar for many, and is a place to build new relationships. Unstable economic situations bring the bar community closer. The assumption would be that when money is tight people stay home to save money, but really the opposite happens. People need people and this community gives certain people what they are looking for. Just like in the TV show Cheers, you wanna be where everybody knows, your name.
I asked Claire, a longtime family friend and bartender, about her perceptions on this topic. Claire has been in the business for 30 years and seen many economic struggles throughout this time. She said, “Regardless of anyone’s money situation or what was going on in the bar, people take care of their own.” This simply means, if Bob comes into the bar with only a couple of dollars to his name his “bar friends” will take care of him for the night because the assumption is that Bob will reciprocate the same for his “bar friends” on another night. "When the economy's great, people drink. When the economy sucks, people drink," says Donna Hood Crecca, the editorial director of nightclub.com, the trade show's publication. "This is America. People drank during Prohibition. You know? They're gonna drink." An economic downfall does not hinder this; in fact, it may promote more of a generous nature among friends. Bar people consider themselves family and they take care of each other regardless of the economic environment.
“You know what’s changed the most in the business over the last 30 years?” Claire asks me, “The crazy new drinks I can’t keep up with. In my day we would have never called a drink a Crazy Mother*&%$#@. We used to have classy names for drinks like a Pink Lady or Mint Julep. What really has not changed though are the people. You know Frank and all the boys? Now they’re sitting in your bar instead of mine, but the way of the world won’t change that. If every single one of them went broke today, they’d still find a way to come in because that’s where they get comfort.” Claire has known some of my current customers for 30 years and they continue to frequent the same establishments because of the camaraderie they receive. I work at a bar that has a main group of nightly regulars of about 20 people up to a larger crowd of about 40 people. Some of these people are prominent in the community and some are not. Some of these people have money to throw away and some are penny pinchers, yet when they’re all together at the bar they are equals. Most of these regulars were Claire’s customers back in the 80’s and 90’s; now they are mine. I will agree with Claire that the drinks have changed considerably over the years yet the camaraderie of the bar customers remains the same regardless of economic situation.
The bar is a place where people feel secure regardless of their economic environment. In Maya Angelou’s essay “Reclaiming Our Home Place” she states, “Wherever home is, the closer one gets to it, the more one relaxes. That’s even if you’re walking. If you’ve been on a trek, a few blocks or a few miles, you can almost spot your house. You start to breathe differently. I think this is true for all people” (136). While Angelou may in fact be talking about the home in which you live her statement also applies to bar customers. Once they arrive to their bar it’s like coming home. This is the place where they can unwind and be themselves, where they can let go of the pressure of the working world to bond with each other. This has not changed over the last 30 years regardless of the economic state of the country.
Regardless of the year or economic state of our country bars are a community of people that are dedicated to each other. This community sees its members through the rough times as well as the good times; it’s a place that is familiar for many, and is a place to build new relationships. Unstable economic situations bring the bar community closer. The assumption would be that when money is tight people stay home to save money, but really the opposite happens. People need people and this community gives certain people what they are looking for. Just like in the TV show Cheers, you wanna be where everybody knows, your name.
Wow! you really worked on this revision. It is much better. I see you added a whole new paragraph with a quote by Angelou. This shows you took this assignment seriously and the result is good execution!
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