8/12/08

Marines Just Wanna Have Fun

Not Even Extra Cash and a Jug Of Ripped Fuel Will Get Servicemembers Into Clubs in NC

Type: Frat Boy C.H.U.D.
CHUDitude: 4
Location of Outbreak: Wilmington, North Carolina, The Club Scene (h/t NavyCS)
Description of Attack: Short, high-and-tight haircuts make service members stand out like a sore thumb amidst a sea of gel-haired douchebags usually found in the club scene. While the competition to meet the ladies might be fierce in the dimly-lit backrooms of Wilmington, some club owners and bouncers won't even give them a fightin' chance as they are denied access under some weird antebellum law. WHQR in Wilmington explains:

On this night Navy Corpsmen Kenny Preudhomme and Chris Burns stand beside their car in downtown Wilmington and spray themselves with cologne. They're dressed in polo shirts and jeans, and blend in with the civilians on the sidewalk. Only their extra-short haircuts flag them as service members . . . and that haircut might be a liability. They've heard about bouncers in Wilmington turning away Marines and sailors. Preudhomme explains.

"If the bouncer's not having a good night and he sees military members, he's going to automatically think we're going to start something, just try to ruin someone's night."

A bouncer can probably fall back on a law that says if you aren't a member of that bar, you can't get in. Most military personnel are in town for one or two nights, and the law says you have to wait three days to become a member.

While it's one thing to support the troops with a yellow magnet, it's quite another matter when the civilian population has to interact with them, where stereotypes clearly run rampant.

Prognosis: Despite the fact that military service members have a lower crime rate than the average civilian population here and abroad, business owners stereotype regulation haircuts with drunken hooliganism and barroom brawls. Despite robust support for the military from North Carolina, many of the same constituents could develop a NIMBY-like attitude towards unsupervised service members frequenting their establishments. Kudos to NavyCS for locating this brand of CHUD that many service members have to deal with while blowing off steam on the weekends.

Update: Ms. Kiyum provides information on a recent meeting with the Marines and Wilmington business owners.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

When Mr. Kiyum was a marine stationed in NC he wore his hair longer so he could get into the Greenville clubs and chase sorority tail. He had roughly a dozen club memberships until he showed up with a guy with a high and tight. The bouncer took his membership away and wouldn't let his friend in either. On the other hand, we heard from several sailors that were on North Carolina during its recent commissioning in Wilmington who told us they had never had so much free food and beer in their whole life. The whole membership thing is a pain in the ass for every club going North Carolinian. Clubs will usually sell food, not get a liquor license or let you sign in as a guest to get around this stupid law but then you have some jerks who use it to keep away undesirables, like me for instance. I recently was turned away from a bar I frequented roughly 5 nights a week 6 years ago. Unfortunately for me they are now serving liquor and I wasn't going to be in town long enough to get a membership. The bouncer only let me in when I found a bartender I knew.