A sad Truth about race and Houston NightClubs
Posted on Mar 8, 2010 by
Paul WhiteRecently I received a comment on my Rebels Honky Tonk Review, thatvoiced some unfortunate experiences at the club. Because of this Ifeel I have to speak about this very sensitive issue. So if you haveevery wondered about how race affects the Houston Night Club Seen youmight want to read this. Before I get started let me say that I am not racist. Both my neighbors are black, and very good people. In this blog I am only posting my observations.
The comment I received expressed that several patrons were turned away because of the color of their skin. This is a little hard for me to swallow. The two patrons were going to Rebels with a group of 12 friends. They were told that they couldn't come in because they were wearing sneakers, or because they didn't have a button up shirt. The group was very unhappy about this treatment and left. They claim that because they were black ( only 2 of the 12 were ), they were not let in.
Now I am not going to try to say that prejudice doesn't exist these days. There is a chance that these two guys were judged because of the color of their skin. If true then its very unfortunate and sad. But at the same time its easy to play the race card when you are not let in because of attire. Now this commenter stated that they were told they couldn't come in wearing sneakers yet when they looked in at the bar, they could see other whites wearing sneakers as well ( although probably not the same style ). I don't mind rules and dress codes, but I would appreciate they be enforced to everyone and not just a limited few.
The truth about Houston Night Clubs.
Every night club wants to create a venue that revolves around status. Those who have status, don't wait in line, don't pay cover, and get special treatment. Naturally Celebrities ( both local and national ) have status. Especially in this day of twitter, having a celebrity show up at your club can cause tweets, which cause more people to come to your club. The other side of status ( which 99.9% of us fall into ) are those who want status. Status can be earned by actions ( Celebrities ) or bought. A lot of people do the Fake it til you Make it routine. They buy expensive clothes, lease nice
cars ( lease because they can't afford to buy ), and often have a lot of dept as a result of their extravagant lifestyle. They spend more than they make, all with the belief that the image of success ( material things ) will bring them success. Although this may get them laid by their peers ( others who are faking it til they make it ), this almost never gets them the status they desire. They still have to pay a cover, and buy bottles to get seats at the best clubs. As far as the club management is concerned unless your presence will cause an increase in
business they have no reason to comp your cover and drinks.
As I stated before I don't mind night clubs setting standards, in all honestly I like it. Forcing every guy to wear a suit, and dress shoes is fine, as long as its equally enforced. Of course if Puff Daddy arrives at the club wearing a T-Shirt and Sneakers, the club is not going to turn him away. They bend the rules for him. And of course when some unknown ( white of black ) arrives at a club, they will be required to meet the dress codes.
Now going back to the comment that was submitted about being turned away because they were black. The bar staff all told them their attire was wrong. But when they looked into the bar they saw other whites wearing similar attire. It could be that these whites are either owners ( there are several ), or friends of the staff ( they have a lot of friends ). Naturally dress codes are not enforced to these people ( although they should be ).
Houston Dress Codes
Dress Codes are used for multiple reasons. Dress codes can build confidence with certain customers. I know that if I read on a website and see their dress code as being suits only, I know this will be a very upscale venue. I know that I can wear a suit and I will be surrounded by others in suits. Some upper income patrons will refuse to rub shoulders with the middle class. Dress codes help to ensure you cater to these upper income patrons.
Dress codes in Houston Night Clubs are often used as a way to discriminate. Standards are not the same for everyone. They use the dress code to turn away people who they don't know or like.
Race and Houston Night Clubs
Blacks and Whites get along but there is a cultural divide between the two groups. These days its not so much about the color of the skin as it is about the culture you represent. Think about this. If Obama had been campaigning in sneakers and a FUBU T-Shirt he wouldn't have won. Your sense of style will make a very loud first impression. There are certain stereotypes attached to every type of attire. When you dress in that attire, you are in fact attracting that stereotype. Stereotypes are constantly reinforced by the media and TV. It doesn't matter if you are black or white. If you show up to a club wearing rapper attire, then you will be treated as such.
How race affects night clubs
Race plays a big role in night clubs. All races have different cultural values. People tend to group with others who are of the same cultural values as them. This often results in everyone gathering in race based groups. The impact of race in nightclubs is huge. Especially in Houston where the population is so mixed. The unfortunate truth is if you take a typical night club which is primarily white, and then on a given night you have a large group of blacks, this can often set a new vibe for the club. After this night word of mouth gets around that the club is black that night, and as a result some whites will no longer patronize the club on that night. This goes to show that race is still a problem.
Spreading rumors that a club is racist, is certainly not good for image or PR. But what would be worse is telling people that the entire crowd was black. This would drive off the whites, that would not want to be around a different culture. Unfortunately this often can result in less revenue for the club. The clubs want to make money and will put in place standards to help attract the right customers so they do make money.
Race at the Strip Clubs in Houston
Back in the Enron days. The Houston
Strip Clubs held very high standards for its patrons. All patrons were required to wear a button up shirt. But after Enron was shut down many of the big spenders went away. Company executives could not longer expense a $20K tap at the
strip clubs. When this money dried up,
strip clubs got desperate, so they did what every other club does in that situation. They lower their standards to help increase the number of customers. Now when I walk in a a strip club its normal to see guys wearing jeans and Printed Tees. This lack of dress code has driven some customers to other venues.
Strip Clubs which used to be high end establishments, are now just a place guys go to see something naked.
Summary
Its evident race still plays a big roll in the club scene. Hopefully someday clubs will enforce a dress code to all patrons ( black, white, Celebrity or not ). Until then I sympathize with anyone turned away because of attire, as I know the standard is not being enforced equally.
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