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Sunday, January 17, 2010

Gold Watch

I've been reminiscing recently on why I've been watching drunk people do naughty stuff for the last decade. I got into the game as a student money earner, it fitted round my studies, it was less work, more money and seemed like more fun than barwork. The money is good, enough to keep me from debt and I'm still at it despite a trip to the southern hemisphere, a graduation and the start of a professional career.
The night job has persisted through all these activities. Now the far side of 30 with a mrs, a car and a real job I'm still doing it in a long black coat on the weekends. The game has changed a massive amount with only one little thing in our favour. The seemingly unaccountable SIA have made their inconsistent civil, not customer, service approach to the licensing bureaucracy both frustrating and pointless. The no-win/no-fee activities of the ambulance chasers have turned the masses into responsibility free walking lawsuits and businesses have responded by just being massively cautious to the extent they stop jobs being done and fun being had. The responsibility free generation has spawned an underclass of drinking chav who fear no one, shout, argue and fight anyone with no sense of control, proportion or sense. The police to me have gradually shifted from practical folk to practical folk with boxes to tick and targets to hit and careers dependent upon these. The days of pills, acid and weed are gone in favour of coke, ket and drink spiking drugs. The students are still drinking though with fees ands loans now the ones with the money to party seem to have daddy's money and not a wide and diverse social mix.
A lot of the initial fun of folding people up and sending them on their way has dissipated. The thrills of confrontations needing skill, wit and teamwork are all still there and provide me with the reasons to keep coming back and getting better at the job, every night, every venue, every person poses a new challenge.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

So is this not another version of :-
"where there is muck there is gold"

Keep up the blog - always interesting if not cheering.

elderly rock chick said...

i'm fascinated to know what your day job is! and i love "folding people up"

Vetnurse said...

Have a friend with a very similar history and age to you. He loves the job as well just given it up last year for about the 4th time. I do not expect him to stay out of it long :-)

Anonymous said...

How far is it to the park?

Anonymous said...

hi all

I just thought it would be good to introduce myself to everyone!

Can't wait to start some good conversations!

-Marshall

Thanks again!

Anonymous said...

whats up everyone


just signed up and wanted to say hello while I read through the posts


hopefully this is just what im looking for looks like i have a lot to read.

Anonymous said...

Long time lurker, thought I would say hello! I really dont post much but thanks for the good times I have here. Love this place..