Today’s open thread is brought to you by Punch reader, Shane Coghlan:
After surviving a robust ALP conference, Adelaide’s resident political playboy “King” Kevin Foley fronted the media last weekend crying out for sympathy after being assaulted outside a popular Adelaide club in the early hours of Sunday morning.
While not a rare occurrence and well know to most late-night city revellers, the incident left many wondering what their State’s 50 year old number is doing out at a time thought to be exclusively owned by the “troublesome and irresponsible generation Y?
Over 60% of respondents on an online poll frowned upon Kevin’s city soirees. As a leader there is no denying the responsibility Mr Foley has of leading by example, but is a good night out in contrary to that? He didn’t hit anyone, sexually harass any animals or get too drunk and disorderly (Though I’m secretly praying for more CCTV footage to be released which shows Kevin walking face first into a stobie pole.) Should we confine our politicians to their homes on weekends, condemning them to bed after the 6 o’clock news without anyone of the opposite gender in the immediate vicinity?
It’s unrealistic and unhealthy to expect our pollies to be perfect. If we remove the human element of our politicians, people will just feel even more disconnected from their political representative than they are now.
However, the thing that gets me every time I happen to be at the same bar as Kevin or anyone else in his age bracket is that their presence creates a social awkwardness which is a real buzzkill. In my experience male mature age partiers, all commit the same party fouls:
1. Their dance moves are so distractingly poor the focus moves away from the dancing and the music to them. Unlike men of our generation who restrain their movements so they don’t create too much of a scene or distraction, our elder statesman will tear through the dancefloor with flailing limbs attempting impossible breakdance routines and/or attempting to sing over the music.
2. The awkwardness of seeing middle aged men ogling and flirting with girls up to 30 years their junior it’s not only creepy but can scare all the fish out of the pond as it were.
3. This includes chatting up barmaids, holding up the line of party-revellers waiting for a drink.
4. They turn into camels, losing any control of their saliva which flies onto people’s clothes, drinks and our faces.
5. ACDC shirts, flowing beards and old football jackets are not appropriate nightlife attire. Their intoxicated presence at these places in general can make clubbers depressingly reassess their lives, not wanting to be “that guy” when they are older. At fifty years old the time to hang up the playboy crown is increasingly dawning on Kevin Foley and for him to not only acting his age, but his role in society demands.
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