Tonight, I went to my newest favorite bar. It's right down the street and is also right across the street from where my wife works-- this is all best for gas and watching my wife's every move. I also meet a friend of mine, Wesley, there from time to time to play a little pool. He's a teacher, and always imparts wisdom unto me. And he's pretty good at pool.
I say "newest", though, I've been frequenting this particular establishment now for 6 months. Most of the time, I go alone, and play pool and drink beer. Oh, and chain smoke cigarettes. It's become such a habit that I almost forget that I smoke a half pack of cloves every day, right after I've smoke one. Later is invariably different. The lights are always low, they are always playing some type of sport on TV, and it is occupied mostly by people 20-30 years my senior.
I've noticed the conversation mostly. People will talk with whomever. Some sit alone, as I usually do, and drink slowly, though I drink quickly, and be sure to do so each time I go. There is always a haze surrounding the oval bar area, and the jukebox is neglected from time to time. But there is always interesting conversation, and I am quite the eavesdropper.
Tonight, there were two men, we'll call them Bill and Sledge, sitting together watching the TV right above them, intermittently glancing over to speak to the other. Eventually their conversation blows down the bar to a man I see there quite often, we'll call him Wade (he looks like a Wade to me) and he is usually drunk. He sniffs out controversy better than anyone I've ever met. Casually, he inserts himself into the conversation and immediately begins throwing pennies. Soft at first, but as they all started riffing together, he became more ostentatious. When I catch wind of this bellicose affair, I hear him present this argument to the two quiet men.
"Hey man, listen, I tried to send money to Haiti. And you know what happened? They charged me 50% just to get the money there. Just to get the money there.... You know what that says about Haiti, right? I mean... right?"
The two men shake their heads, though they make it seem more like a gesture of disbelief.
"It tells you that Haiti is just another Third World country. I mean, look at Africa. The entire continent of Africa. Poverty, war, famine... you name it, and Africa is fucked by it."
Bill, who turns out to be Wade's foremost target, opened his mouth to speak, but the man continued with his question speech.
"They just are not a civilized nation, man. They can't fend for themselves. And yet, we send billions of dollars over there... to protect what? An impoverished nation? *** that, man. *** that."
"Doctors go there. They try and help. Economists have been working with Africa for a long time now. Africa is impoverished because they have people willing to oppress rather than include, and on another note, they've lived different lives than we have. Capitalism isn't the end all here."
"Yeah, but democracy is. How great are we? Seriously! And doctors? I would rather go to India for a *** doctor man!"
"Wait, wait, you would rather go to India for a doctor? Why the hell would you do that?"
"They've got the best doctors in the world. Think about it," he says while shushing the other man,"All their doctors come here and get their medical degrees, practice a few years, and then go back home! They've got the best doctors in the world! Look at their education scores. Best technical institutions in the world."
"Do you know what it is like there? Have you ever been to India?"
"Yeaaaahh man. Totally."
"Really?"
"Man listen, man, you know we only know what we know. And the media feeds us most of what we know. So how can we really now what we are hearing? They control everything. It's ridiculous."
"Oh c'mon!"
"No, hear this. There is more money at stake each football season than in an entire election year. Each advertisement and commercial and game pays for these players. They control what we watch at any given point during the year and all that money goes somewhere. It's just a mindfuck wrapped in an enigma. They're playing us all."
"I watch what I want to watch."
"Yeah, but this 'game,'" and he made sure to do air quotes, "this game ain't nothing like what we watched in the '80s and '90s. I've watched football all through the '70s, '80s, and '90s, and there wasn't any of this. The fanfare and pompous acts of showmanship, coupled with the hefty weight of advertising opportunities, is just ridiculous now. I wish it just went back to the way it was."
"I still say that I watch what I want to watch."
"Well, ***, that money has to go somewhere. Where do you think it goes?"
"I think it goes to keeping me entertained."
"No, you can't be this naïve! You can't be! It goes to the players. How do you think those college players are doing so well when they haven't even signed a contract? Why do you think the players wear Nike on their jerseys, but don't get paid for it? They're obviously getting paid by the networks and the networks are paying to have in concealed."
The bartender chimes in. "Not everything is a conspiracy Wade."
"Don't tell me that you are that naïve too? You've got to be *** kidding me!"
"Well, call me crazy, but I'd like to believe there still a little integrity in this world," she says, laughing towards the end.
"You are crazy, honey. But, they get away with it, and we keep paying for it."
"That's illegal, isn't it," chimes in Bill.
"Hey man, nothing is illegal in a capitalistic democracy, am I right?
Think what you want to about this.
Was going to say "you either wrote down the conversation as it was happening, or you're a writer"...then I saw that you're a writer. well done