Who here has been to a night club? Do you go regularly?
What compels you to go? What are your opinions on clubbing in general?
I went last night for the fourth time, and I'm beginning to become a bit disillusioned with the whole shebang. I went with my girlfriend and two friends. My girlfriend and I got there at 9:30, and the place was deserted, despite opening at 8. We decided to get two rum cokes while we waited for my friends. After dropping $7.50 each on two squirts of coke, five ice cubes, and a shot of Captain Morgan, we sat in a booth for about an hour.
Luckily, the music wasn't at the ungodly volume it was at the last club I went to. Also, they were playing a mixture of top 40 and more retro songs from the '80s. Anyways, my friends got there and the place was still empty. So we decided to go to the floor beneath us, where a group called "Jump Smokers" was supposed to be performing some Dubstep. This was the reason we chose to go to this club; I had seen their video on YouTube [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Ee3xemyQjI] for a song called "Don't Be a Douchebag" and liked it.
The place had more people, and a steady stream of them was beginning to fill it as well. There was some DJ DJing and a group of people dancing. My friends and I decided to have a few drinks, because they can't dance without getting a bit greased up. Shots were luckily less than the rum cokes, at the low price of around $6.25 a pop.
Then we headed onto the dance floor. I expected dancing. Instead, I walked into a group of people standing around and nodding their heads. It seemed like everyone was too scared to just lose it and jump to the music. People standing around nodding to the music at the club seemed as out of place as a person head banging to Celine Dion (inb4 YouTube video).
[small]"YEAH! This party is off the hook!"[/small]
The night continued on like this. Eventually, after about two or three hours, I realized that the DJ was actually that Jump Smoker guy. Some live singer came on stage at one point. He proceeded to make the "Don't Be a Douchebag" video a work of irony. He sang, "We don't need no education" then held the mic to the crowd, which responded with, "We don't need no thought control". Wait, no. That was just me. Everyone else just repeated what he said. Oh well, not like anyone heard me anyways.
Now here's the thing that bothered me. Everyone there seemed so damn self-conscious. It was like trying to dance with a pack of Socially Awkward Penguins. Junior High School dances were more crazy than this, and only 5% of the people drank at those! Ever look at old videos on YouTube of the 60s or 70s, where people are actually dancing with each other and having fun? Where is that in today's world?
Despite how I may have worded it, last night was fun. But it all felt so fake. It seemed like everyone was suddenly full to the brim with testosterone and estrogen, but trying as hard as possible to prevent any of it from showing. I should like this. I like some pop songs. I like urban type clothes. But the people just ruined it. Almost everyone has the stench of a false sense superiority hanging around them. Don't you dare smile. Having fun is serious business.
Many of the people act like they're so individual, with one classy lady drunkenly yelling, "Fuck the police!" at a friendly police officer outside at the end. But where was she the whole night, standing out with her non-conformist attitude? That's right. She wasn't.
TL;DR: I spent $85 total last night to hang around a bunch of zombie douchebags. It was fun, but I feel like I participated in the most fake and plastic form of fun possible.
I'm going to find the place where all the hipsters hang out. While they're just as douchebaggy, they at least look a bit more natural.