Idiots, Morons, and Crybabies, oh my!

[Jester]

Sorry to disappoint you, Steve, but I haven't been to Salt Lake City since May.

[Nohbody]

However, I'm firmly convinced that the phone has some secret magic power that can make otherwise normal, rational people turning into raging assholes - or at least help them quickly down the path. It's the same phenomenon that turns decent folks into flaming douchebags when behind the wheel of the car and gives pimply 13 year old kids license to talk crap while on the internet.

The latter is explained by GIFT (Greater Internet Fuckwad Theory), and all of the above are probably explained that while in those situations, the offending can't be punched in the face.

(No, I'm not arguing that all SCs are best handled by physical violence. But the possibility that it may happen can be a deterrent.)

[Ghel]

But the possibility that it may happen can be a deterrent.)

I have a feeling that this is going to spark a debate, so I posted my thoughts over on fratching.

[EricKei]

And by the way, in what American city CAN underaged kids sit at the bar? Please, tell me. I am dying to know.

It would not surprise me at all if that stuff can fly here. Then again, we're "special" ... They still won't get servd, but I'm sure kids will be allowed to sit there as long as the parents buy them a burger to eat while they're there. I am assuming a Bar & Grill-type place, not a straight bar, which they should never be able to even ENTER.

I also recall graduation night from high school. They took us all to a bar and threw a kegger. Yes, some of the priests were in attendance as well, mainly just to make sure nobody started a fight (yes, we had a Padre or two who were tougher than their students)...

China, I am 39, and have been carded recently. Well, not since my 39th birthday (June), but definitely since my 38th birthday. My girlfriend is a few weeks away from her 39th birthday, and she still gets carded, not just for booze, but for cigarettes as well. (She looks pretty damn young!) And neither one of us freaks out when we are carded....we simply hand over our IDs and laugh about it.

Been awhile since I was carded (then again, I neither drink nor smoke, tho I occasionally do buy same for friends whom I have known long enough to verify their ages)...I consider it a compliment of the highest order when it does happen. I'm 34.

When I first turned 21, I was PROUD to show my ID >_>

[Zeniq]

Apparently Not Obvious To Everyone

Three people come in and sit at the bar. While the two parental types are clearly more than of age, their daughter (female companion? niece? concubine?) is of carding age. As they settle in, I ask to see the young one's ID. "Oh, she's not drinking." That's fine. However, if she is sitting at the bar, I have to see her ID. "But she's only drinking Coke." I understand. But (again), if she is sitting at the bar (which she so clearly is), I still need to see her ID. She is more than welcome to sit at the tables by the bar. The group can sit in the dining room without any trouble. But if you are sitting AT the bar, you have to be of age, with ID. I have explained all this to them very politely. Do they do what others have done in the past in the same situation? Such as rationally accept this and either all move to an off-bar table or have the youngster move? No. They get up and leave, heading (presumably) to another bar, where either they will get the same exact treatment, or the other bar just doesn't give a shit about their liquor license. Once again I need to point out that these were Americans, and that in my (and my friends' and acquaintances') experience, in just about every bar in the U.S., you cannot sit at the bar if you are not of legal drinking age.

Too bad they didn't have a photocopy of her ID with them.

I am 20, and look it. I have sat repeatedly at a bar in the state of Colorado and Michigan (without ordering a drink that contained alcohol) and have never been asked for ID to sit there. Maybe this is just a law in your local state?

[NateTheChops]

photocopied id = easy fake id

And what's better than photocopied ID? A "Birth certificate" that was clearly made in MS paints or Adobe Photoshop and doesn't look a thing like the ones any municipal building would print out.

[Jester]

It would not surprise me at all if that stuff can fly here. Then again, we're "special" ... They still won't get servd, but I'm sure kids will be allowed to sit there as long as the parents buy them a burger to eat while they're there.

My Rockin' Nanager has been in the industry a lot longer than me, and I've been doing this since 1986. And her whole philosophy on this is that kids at the bar are taking up space that is therefore costing the bar and bartender(s) business and money. Even if the kid gets a burger, what's a kid's burger? Six bucks? In place of a person who might be having a few beers, martinis, adult food, what have you? Also, in the BAR area of the restaurant, adults want to be able to be adults and speak like adults, and not have to watch what they say because there are kids there.

Kids are, in essence, a waste of space.

(No one get mad--that was said just in regards to space in a bar, not on the planet.)

I am 20, and look it. I have sat repeatedly at a bar in the state of Colorado and Michigan (without ordering a drink that contained alcohol) and have never been asked for ID to sit there. Maybe this is just a law in your local state?

Honestly, it rarely has to do with the law. There is actually no Florida state law nor Key West city law that prevents children from sitting at the bar. It is, however, policy. Not just in our bar, but in just about every bar. Why? Several reasons. In addition to the wasted space issue as mentioned above, it is better for the bar's liability to not have underaged people sitting in the area that is primarily there for drinking of alcoholic beverages. I know, six year olds are probably not going to be drinking, but when you get into teenagers and under 21 adults, you and I both know a lot of them are going to try to be drinking, and a lot of their friends and family are going to be trying to help them do just that. Now, if people want to believe that it is the law, that is fine by me, and by most people I know. I won't lie about it, but I won't necessarily correct them if they are under that impression, either.

And what's better than photocopied ID? A "Birth certificate" that was clearly made in MS paints or Adobe Photoshop and doesn't look a thing like the ones any municipal building would print out.

Honestly, even if the birth certificate is 100% authentic, with the state seal and all that nonsense, it would not be valid for purchase of age-controlled items, such as alcohol, tobacco, lottery tickets, or adult magazines. Why? Well, beyond the fact that birth certificates are not one of the clearly defined items that are acceptable for such purchases, they are also not picture IDs. Even someone who doesn't know what IDs are acceptable for such purchases usually knows that it has to be a picture ID!

[Mordecai]

I'm not surprised Jester was hit up for weed......don't give druggies very much credit here, kiddos. Do you really expect people with the mindset of Jeff Spicoli to know better than to hit up strangers (or potentially, undercover cops) for weed?

Every time I go to the bars with my girlfriends, I get asked by at least one person if I know of anyone who has "nuggets" or even sometimes they want coke or Ex. I didn't even realize people in this podunk, farming part of the state did Ex. I just get really offended that someone thinks I look like a drug user.

You do know that alcohol is a drug, yes?

Also:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPQDw1D9jaE

[Pagan]

Even someone who doesn't know what IDs are acceptable for such purchases usually knows that it has to be a picture ID!

I wouldn't count on it. Lately, I've been getting a lot of nitwits that seem to think their credit cards are acceptable id when picking up a control prescription or pseudoephedrine. And not the ones that have their photo on it (which isn't acceptable, either).

[EricKei]

Pagan -- I haven't seen much of that lately, but I have waited on peopel who seem to think that a non-picture CC is somehow valid ID. I recall seeing that a lot in the 80's...

[infinitemonkies]

And I'm guessing they had Miami-Dade or Broward plates. Just a wild guess..

As for the ID idiots.. I think tourists think Key West is some sorta wild, no-rules, anything goes hedonistic Caligula-typle place 24/7 (like every day is FantasyFest). And a lot of these people are probably coming off of cruise ships. And as you probably know, ALL the cruise lines are very lax about serving alcohol to minors.

Hmm, correct me if I'm wrong, but while a cruise ship is in international waters, there would be no legal drinking age. In theory, you could serve a 10 year old.

Who or what is Morgan Spurlock??!?!

The guy who made the documentary 'Super-size Me' a few years ago

[tamezin]

And by the way, in what American city CAN underaged kids sit at the bar? Please, tell me. I am dying to know.

Wolfpoint MT.....34 years ago I used to sit and drink shirley temples and spin around on the bar stool while my grandpa had is afternoon visit with his buddies.

[NateTheChops]

Honestly, even if the birth certificate is 100% authentic, with the state seal and all that nonsense, it would not be valid for purchase of age-controlled items, such as alcohol, tobacco, lottery tickets, or adult magazines. Why? Well, beyond the fact that birth certificates are not one of the clearly defined items that are acceptable for such purchases, they are also not picture IDs. Even someone who doesn't know what IDs are acceptable for such purchases usually knows that it has to be a picture ID!

It doesn't stop kids from trying it though, hence my point.

[Jester]

The guy who made the documentary 'Super-size Me' a few years ago

Okay, never saw the movie, but just googled the guy.

And no, I do NOT look like him. And no, Blas, you never told me that. If you had, I would have been protesting then as I am now.