“Mind if I stare?” probably isn’t the greatest conversation starter in the world, but you might not have much choice over in Club 77 in Sydney, Australia.
As per the NY Post, the nightclub has banned staring without getting ‘verbal consent’ – and has even hired ‘safety officers’ in pink vests to enforce the new staring rules.
The venue asked clubbers in Instagram post to not show up at their premises if the ‘sole purpose’ of their night out is to pick someone up, and assured they will call the police if clubbers stare at others without getting their consent first.
Club 77 said it wanted to be a “safe space” and updated its rules as it had recently “attracted some people who do not share our values and ethics when it comes to club culture”. Which must mean I’ve been out of the clubbing scene for a long time because I seem to remember the ‘values and ethics’ of going to the club were largely about picking someone up. I guess now it’s all about overpriced drinks, deafening dance remixes, and no unsolicited staring?
Now obviously there’s no shortage of creeps and weirdos in nightclubs and it’s important that everyone feel safe in that environment, but sometimes you need to look at someone in hopes they’ll look back at you. I guess it all comes down to what Club 77’s definition of “staring” is. How long do you have to be looking at someone for it to constitute a ‘stare’? Are they going to put you in handcuffs for stealing a glance? Are they going to show you the CCTV evidence before carting you off? What about the idiots who wear sunglasses indoors – do they get a pass?
It’s 2022 though and this is how we deal with things. Instead of just walking up to the person who’s staring inappropriately at someone and telling them to stop because they’re freaking everyone out, we implement actual staring rules to make everyone paranoid about their behaviour. On the plus side, a nice opportunity to stand quietly and politely looking at the floor for a few hours to the sounds of pumping tunes before leaving in an orderly fashion. What great way to spend a Saturday night!
For the blind man who was confronted by an angry woman at the gym for staring at her, click HERE. Whoops.
