A Night Full of Quotes

Ever just spend an evening out with friends and/or family and simply listen and observe? You just don't feel too chatty that evening and are just tuned in to what everyone is saying, part of you fascinated by their words and gestures and another part of you baffled at how a person (or persons) could say/do such things? This is why I like to stay sober some evenings when my friends and I go out to the bars. I enjoy drinking, but some evenings, like this past one, I'm just not quite in the mood. Whenever this occurs, I'm consistently amazed at what people will say and/or do.

This evening was no different. Let me roll some quotes by everyone.

When the subject of a hip-hop club got brought up, I heard another in the group say something along the lines of, "Yeah, well, a lot of people were scared to let that transpire, because there always seems to be a big black guy throwing something through the window to ruin the evening. When's the last time you heard of someone doing anything like that at a rock concert?" For the record, this man is the lead singer of a local rock band.

A bit later, another individual said, "In sales, the manager is almost always stupider than the people under him. He's just there because he's been working there for 15-20 years. He probably didn't even go to college. It's the only job where you don't need education or to really do anything to move up the ladder."

Later in the evening, another said, "I'm a fag hater." Yup, those were his exact words. He then said, "She's crazy. She saw a counselor, so she's nuts."

In regard to the first quote, are you kidding me? Nothing ever happen at a rock concert? It's very sad that he's in a rock band. I mean, if he was a sheltered lad that had never gone to a show period, then perhaps I could understand his prejudice beliefs, but to actually be a member or a local rock band and still mutter such an idiotic statement? I've been to several rock concerts and have witnessed my share of fights with people getting thrown out and people getting arrested after shows. Deaths have even occurred during and after shows in the past. So, please, let's not say that we should all fear the hip-hop club because of "the big black guy", when I and others have witnessed plenty of "big white guys" getting into brawls and getting themselves arrested at rock concerts.

The second quote makes me laugh. Some people just believe they're smarter than anyone, don't they? If they ever have a boss, regardless of how intelligent he or she is, how long they've worked there, etc., this boss will always be inferior to them. Is it true that SOME sales managers may be in that position mainly due to the fact of their longevity with the company? Sure, but the same can hold true for many other jobs. On occasion, one's time spent does pay off, in the end. In either scenario, we shouldn't assume that these managers are uneducated. In my opinion, that is a rather uneducated statement.

The third quote speaks volumes all by its lonesome. To make a hateful statement toward any one group of people like that is stupefying. Whether those comments be directed toward men, women, homosexuals, heterosexuals, actors/actresses, archeologists, or spelling bee champions, how in the world can one lay a claim that they hate every single person in a group based on minimal knowledge of the people in that group?

I'm still trying to come to grips with the final quote. So any and every person who has seen a counselor, even if it was just for a single appointment, that person is crazy? Some shrinks have sought therapy of their own. Does that make them nuts? This is another ignorant statement. This is by no means "factual" information here, but from what I've read and heard, approximately 1/3 to 1/2 of all appointments deal with break-ups/divorces or a couple attempting to work things out with one another. How does that make them nuts? It's not like these people are schizophrenic, bi-polar, suffer from multiple personality disorder. They're going through a rough time, need someone to listen and talk to, or in the final scenario I mentioned, to hear a professional's guiding words in regard to their relationship. SOME people who seek counseling can be construed as being crazy, but that could be true of any profession. Some teachers have been and/or gone crazy. Some who scheduled regular doctor's appointments are crazy, or chiropractic appointments. It's highly ignorant to suggest that EVERY single person who's ever sought counseling is "nuts," plain and simple.

There you have it, an evening full of quotes that I'll never forget, yet wish I could. Evenings such as this one both fascinate and depress me. They make me more curious to stay sober on bar nights, yet perhaps less willing to stay sober.