There’s Always The Drive By…er Drive Thru
There was a time when the classic ” No shirt, no shoes, no service” sign was hung up at the entry to restaurants and that decree was accepted and followed. Generally in an harmonious society, people try to get along without creating too much fuss around themselves. As the virus of narcissism has infected society at large, the notion of blending in has been supplanted by the need for self expression, as in “look at me, I’m special”.
As most people who have been raised on the Mr. Rogers credo of ‘you are special’ are unaware of, if everyone is special, then no one is. When people adopt a manner of dress, it says much about not only who they are but also who they identify with. It’s not just a matter of deciding to wear the head bandana that day because of bad hair. Nobody wears their hair in a Mohawk as a means of self expression. It’s about shock value and a need to draw the attention of other people. In a similar vein, but less in your face, we’ll see people who aspire to be part of the Harley Davidson tribe wearing their standard jeans, boots and black leather costumes. They don’t do it to be individuals, they do it to be part of the tribe.
It’s amusing to see that the writer of the above linked article describes Tennessee’s Bar Louie policy as “horrible and discriminating”. Really? If you were in said restaurant with your family noshing the daily special, would you want to be seated next to people who looked like they modeled for the FBI most wanted poster? Apart from the Harley crowd, most normal people don’t dress like thugs and outlaws unless, well, they were thugs and outlaws. This is the same syndrome that was addressed during the initiative to clean up New York city back in the 80’s and 90’s, called the broken window theory.
The theory was that broken windows and graffiti be fixed and cleaned up in neighborhoods as soon as possible as a tonic for crime and squalor. It was theorized that one broken window attracted more broken windows (and graffiti) which was an implicit acceptance of crime in that area. Showing no tolerance for even one broken window demonstrated a commitment to keep the unsavory elements out of the neighborhood. When you have people in gang regalia frequenting restaurants, you have essentially the beginnings of broken windows.
It’s unclear to me why restaurants shouldn’t be able to dictate their own policies of dress. In many places today, a tie is still required. If customers don’t have one, the establishment will loan them one. If gang wanna be’s don’t have regular clothes, then perhaps they can be offered burlap sacks to wear whilst dining. Or they can go the to Biker bars, where the gang look is coveted and encouraged.