Strange Encounters

Observation is an important if not vital part or security guards duties. As a guard one must be able to make judgment upon any individual based on their behavior. For this assignment I chose to do my observation at a local bar when I work as a security guard.

It’s a Saturday night close to 10 o’clock. Saturday nights have a potential of being very busy and full of surprises. I chose this day specifically to encounter as many scenarios and patterns in peoples behavior as possible. I was sitting at the bar, positioned in such way that I could see practically everyone.

In few minutes my first “victims” have arrived. My subjects were three girls that arrived together, and two guys that were sitting at the bar before me. The girls sat at the lounge without ordering any drinks. I was expecting at least one of them to go up to the bar to order a drink. I noticed them scoping the place, and checking people out. Few minutes later, one of the girls walked to the bar and ordered three beers. I noticed that she specifically chose to order the drink in such was that she would be noticed by the two guys sitting by the bar. It worked. As the bartender pulled the beers from the cooler, a conversation arose between her and the two guys. She was being very sweet and somewhat flirtatious, as she pointed at two of her friends sitting at the lounge. As she got her beers she walked back to her friends.

The two guys seemed interested, and it didn’t take more than few minutes for them to get up, and go up to those three girls, and introduce themselves. They sat next to the girls and began talking. After few minutes of conversations and a cigarette break, I noticed that the two guys are now sitting closer to the girl. Taking advantage of the fact that is was loud, they would come closer to the girls and say things to their ear. I was beginning to see which girls were being targeted as potential “hookups”.

A man just walked in to the bar, and right away caught my attention. It looked like he already had a few drinks before, so I decided to watch him and observe his behavior. He started just like anyone else in the bar; scoping the place, and ordering his first drink. As he drank his beer, he looks at the band that was playing that night in great admiration. But his attention quickly changed to a lone woman that was sitting few seats away. Unfortunately for her, the seat next to her was empty, so this man walked up to her and as he tried to introduce himself, sat right next to her. By the woman’s reaction, it was easy to tell that she was not happy with her new company. Just to avoid contact and conversation with that man, she would keep her eyes on the band and pretend that she didn’t hear half of what he was saying. He was quite persistent, but fortunately for her, one of the guards noticed his behavior and asked him to leave.

After about two hours, it was clear even to an untrained eye, that most were there to meet new people, even though not every encounter was successful, that was the chance they had to take.

The band is taking a break after playing non-stop for over an hour, and so did some of the guests. The atmosphere at the bar quickly changed, from some what passive to very active. People started interacting with each other. Most conversations were not very creative. They would start with a question, followed by an introduction. When I first started my observation, people were still very hesitant about talking to each other. However after few drinks, their demeanor has changed significantly. I had to stay and observe a little longer.

I turned my attention back at the two guys and the three girls. Things seemed to be going fairly well between them; however one of the girls was almost completely ignored by her friends and the boys. The drinks on their table were multiplying by a minute, and the guys had to open a tab. It didn’t take long for the girl that was left alone to get up and move to the bar seeking attention. As she proceeded with her order, a guy that happened to be having a drink next to her, offered to buy her that round. She took the offer and ended up spending the rest of the night in a company of a man who gave her his undivided attention.

The ratio of girls over guys was about three to one. And girls took a full advantage of that. I didn’t see a single girl buying more than one drink for herself from the moment she arrived until the end. The rest was bought by the admirers. It began to look like a competition. At one point it was a timing game. If a guy didn’t make a move quick enough, another would. I was observing the changes in people’s behavior, and found it very amusing. Ironically I was familiar with many scenarios from my own experience.

It has been three hours from the time of my arrival, and things have changed quite a bit. No longer you could see an individual, but a crowd that seemed so alike and careless about anything, that everyone started to get along, dance, joke and drink some more. I was curious to see if any of the encounters had a potential for a second date; however as I discovered later towards the end, most were just being opportunistic, and taking advantage of the company whether it was a male or a female.

Barker talks about culture and linguistics in chapter three, which very well applies to the given social scenario. The productivity of power and the discourses of gender caught my eye and helped me during my observation. Of course the lacks of discourse in most conversations were the main cause of failed connections; however the attempt of attention and of a personal gain was still present. “According to Freud, the libido or sexual drive does not have any pre-given fixed aim or object. Rather, through fantasy, any object, which includes persons or parts of bodies, can be target of desire”, (Barker, Chapter 3 P.97).


Five rounds of tequila-$ 60.00, two rounds of Red bull vodka- $ 24.00, having a date to share some good times with, without worrying about the consequences- Priceless!! For everything else there is MasterCard.

Romatic Comedy or The Sad Reality

Romantic Comedy
McDonald Chapter 1

Romantic Comedy is a concept that most of us are familiar with, one way or another. However so some it’s simply a chick flick. McDonald covers and defines the key elements of romantic comedy very well in chapter one. By breaking it down to three essential parts, McDonald sums up the structure and the essential system of romantic comedy.

“A romantic comedy is a film which has as its central narrative motor a quest for love, which portrays this quest in a light-hearted way and almost always to a successful conclusion”-McDonald, Romantic Comedy p.9.

The three generic elements of romantic comedy are:
Visual characteristics
Narrative patterns
Ideology

McDonald constantly makes comparison to gangster films and their structure. She breaks it down so well, that after reading this text; I could visualize and even name several movies made using the same structure she was talking about. What I loved about this text was the fact that most movies she mentioned are very familiar to a contemporary reader, which makes it very easy to relate.

I’m sure that most people watching romantic comedies know, for the most part, what will happen in the end. But once you read this text you will know exactly why certain things happen, and the reason behind the “Plot”. I could even say that this knowledge can ruin the viewer’s interest towards romantic comedy genre, and make it so predictable, that it will eliminate the element of surprise.

Family Affairs (Cat on a Hot Tin Roof)

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof was an interesting play. Can’t really say that it was shocking when it came to the behavior of the characters, but it was nicely put. The story evolved around a southern family, and its differences. Maggie, the wife, married Brick-her husband- in hopes for a better, wealthier life. However she finds herself in a very unhappy and unfulfilling marriage. Brick Pollit was the son of Big Daddy- a Mississippi tycoon- and an ex football hero. After an injury he could no longer continue his career as a professional athlete. Later on we discover that Brick is a closet homosexual who seem to like his friend Skipper. Big Daddy’s entire family is very much after his wealth, and is willing to lie for it. 

Mendacity, a word used by Brick to describe the world they lived in. Mad at the circumstances of his life and the family. However mendacity-the practice of lying- is the key element in Bricks family. They all lied to Big Daddy about his illness, and never told him that he will not see his next birthday just so they can take over his wealth. Absence of morality is my opinion on the subject. 

As far as the title of the play, “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” is very appropriate. The cat is describing Maggie, which is a perfect analogy. Cats by nature are very selfish and unforgiving. They only think about themselves first and maybe just maybe one that they depend on. The hot tin roof represent the unstable Pollit family and Maggie’s life. 

Some of my favorite phrases used in the play were by Big Daddy: “What’s that smell in this room? Didn’t you notice it, Brick? Didn’t you notice the powerful and obnoxious odor of mendacity in this room?” and by Big Mama “When the marriage is on the rocks, the rock are there” pointing at the bed.
Sadly, this story is so close to reality, that it's not even funny.

Women vs Men (The second sex)

Let me start by saying that “The Second Sex” was not only easy to read,
but interesting and in many aspects very true. The topic itself is
fascinating, and as a man I can relate to many of the examples that were
brought up in this text. I’ve highlighted some of the quotes from the
text that I thought were not only interesting but quite truthful.

As I read the text, I realized that I wasn’t the only one over analyzing
women. Apparently the subject is on every man’s mind at one time or
another. I think it’s because no matter how we regard women, they still
occupy the greatest portions in average mans life. This text can be
viewed in many different ways by both sexes. Women will most likely find
it offensive, and men on the other hand may nod in agreement.

According to Aristotle, “a female is a female by virtue of a certain
lack of qualities; we should regard the female nature as afflicted with
a natural defectiveness.” This statement must drive feminist’s nuts.
However if we look beyond the politically correctness, the truth is,
women are in many ways more fragile than man.

Looking at today’s feminist world, is it safe to say that roles might
change and a woman will be regarded as the strong one or the “man” of
the house? I don’t think so. In my personal opinion what we see now, is
simply better than it always was for women. History has changes
significantly over the centuries, and the word respect is now being used
more often than ever towards women. I just hope that it stays this way,
and not escalate to hate by men…

What a First Day !!!

It wasn’t just the first day of school for me, it was the first year at
CSUN as a junior. The school is new to me, and the idea of not having a
clue about the classes was terrifying. The only thing I hoped for was to
have good teachers for my classes.
English 313, the study of popular culture. I had no idea what I was
getting myself in to at first; however to my pleasant surprised, the
subject was an interesting one. Right from the beginning of class, I was
interested to say the least. Interactive class that does not follow
useless guidelines is always easier to grasp.
The discussion of two movie clips that we saw in class was so
fascinating, that it literally got me hooked. I’m a big fan of movie
analysis, therefore I felt right at home. I look forward to the rest of
the semester and the project that’s coming up. Cant wait to see what’s
next.