Optimism

     So, in English, we're reading Lord of the Flies, about how human nature is the downfall of civility. I beg to differ, human nature is intrinsically good, and human compassion is one of the most powerful forces in our understanding. These are two especially strong examples learned from the night and early morning of last Saturday and Sunday.

     I was in the crowd at the 9:30 Club in downtown DC, waiting for George Clinton to get on stage. Me and my friend Clydefrog had really good spots, about 4 or five rows of people away from the main stage, and they were all fairly short, so visibility was no problem. I felt the side of some man's arm press into my right side, just beyond my peripheral vision. My experience in other concerts told me to move forward, be considerate of other people. I begin to move forward, and as soon as I unlock my knee, the man falls forward, beer bottle and all, sending me sprawling into the crowd in front of me. I was initially shocked, but I got back on my feet and turned around to see what had happened. And in the time between him hitting the ground and me getting up, people had already cleared a space, someone was checking his pulse, and multiple people were waving down club staff. All of that had happened in ten or so seconds. After what seemed like an eternity in the span of 45 seconds, the man  moved around, was helped back onto his feet, and I assume ushered out of the facility.

     Later that night, Clydefrog's parents went to see a friend who owned a nearby bar, which was only 21 and up. So Clydefrog, his dad, one of his parent's friends and myself waited outside under an awning an out of the freezing Two Am rain. A man with some boxes in his hand and his girlfriend who had recently come out of the bar were walking back in, and a guy who was clearly drunk and his tipsy friend were walking out of the bar. The two groups of people collided, and the drunkest of the four called the man's girlfriend a cunt. The man with the boxes was clearly disgruntled, but kept walking. The evidently drunk one decided it would be a good idea to escalate the situation, and yelled repeatably that the man with the boxes should "stand up for his girl", until the man turned around to confront him. The drunkard's friends, and the man's girlfriends both tried to get the two to split up, but to no avail. All of this was happening all of five feet in front of the group I was in, and Clydefrog's parent's friends stepped forward and intervened. She told the man with the boxes "not to be an asshole and ignore him," and the drunken man "go home." Thanks to her, the fight broke up, and the man and his girlfriend continued on into the bar, and the drunken man's friend started to apologize, but was interrupted by her, saying, "Please, don't say you're sorry, just take your friend and go home."