carpe flaggelum
Aug. 19th, 2007 07:51 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
thoreauSo last night I got an invitation for a political fundraiser for Mark Leno - our current assembly representative - who is now running for the California Senate.
Being relatively new to the leather community here - I thought it might be a fun party to meet some of the movers and shakers. I got dressed in my kneehigh laceup boots, leather pants, my black tshirt and my leather jacket. I bought my leather jacket in 1992 when I was thin - it feels so good to put it on again and not feel like it doesnt' fit. So did the John Travolta "strut" through the neighborhood. (i always thought that was an odd ending to Saturday Night Fever - "i'm going to go strut". LOL!)
The party was at a nice home in the upper castro. it was hosted by "Mama" and few other leather folks. Mama has a long history of fundraising and activism in the community. and members of her "family" have gold nametag's "Mama's _______" - with a nickname based on their name or their specific contribution. Mama and I had a short conversation - she's clearly pleased with her legacy of service and fundraising. Just like any community - Mama isn't everyone's favorite activist. but - you can't deny she does a lot of great work.
later in the evening I got to get my wine refilled and a guy orders a drink. wait. no - he BARKS his drink order. then corrects the bartender for not saying SIR... "Ice, Sir. Gin, Sir. Tonic, Sir" and then slaps the drink down and says "Not enough Gin, boy, do it again." and I spoke up - "he's a hired cater bartender - not your boy - don't be an asshole, just take the drink and quit fucking with him" - and this guy was a stranger but he might've reacted with a glare and some attitude - but once it occured to him that the MAN behind the counter wasn't a member of the leather community but a hired caterwaterbartender - his entire demeanor changed. He didn't thank me - or even truly admit that he'd had a brainblast - but took the newly prepared drink and walked away rather - his entire butch demeanor down a level.
That whole treat everyone like their YOUR subservient slave - because you wear something in your right pocket or have a nametag that says "Master this" or "Sir". The kind of guy that expects you to change your entire way of speaking and acting around them. what the fuck is that? it is just plain embarassing to watch how people can "expect" others to treat them without any context or history. For the most part - the leather guys and women I met last night were real nice - but this one guy - just made me roll my eyes and wonder how people stand to be around that kind of shitatude.
on a shinier note - the most interesting conversation came when a guy who had just come home from a vacation in Germany and while there experienced Dinner in the Dark. It's a sensory deprivation restaurant - where you are met in the lobby by the blind waitstaff - and then led through a labrynth in the dark and sat at your dinner table totally in the dark. They orient you to your glass, and your utensils. then you do a two hour service in complete darkness. Now this is something that appeals to the foody in me AND the pervert. While it wasn't part of his experience - I can imagine being fed something - and being asked to guess the ingredients. and there being rewards and punishments depending on the answer. :) oh my! (fans self)
So I had a great evening out - feeling sexy - and enjoying the company (for the most part) and enjoying fitting into my leathers in an entirely new way.
Being relatively new to the leather community here - I thought it might be a fun party to meet some of the movers and shakers. I got dressed in my kneehigh laceup boots, leather pants, my black tshirt and my leather jacket. I bought my leather jacket in 1992 when I was thin - it feels so good to put it on again and not feel like it doesnt' fit. So did the John Travolta "strut" through the neighborhood. (i always thought that was an odd ending to Saturday Night Fever - "i'm going to go strut". LOL!)
The party was at a nice home in the upper castro. it was hosted by "Mama" and few other leather folks. Mama has a long history of fundraising and activism in the community. and members of her "family" have gold nametag's "Mama's _______" - with a nickname based on their name or their specific contribution. Mama and I had a short conversation - she's clearly pleased with her legacy of service and fundraising. Just like any community - Mama isn't everyone's favorite activist. but - you can't deny she does a lot of great work.
later in the evening I got to get my wine refilled and a guy orders a drink. wait. no - he BARKS his drink order. then corrects the bartender for not saying SIR... "Ice, Sir. Gin, Sir. Tonic, Sir" and then slaps the drink down and says "Not enough Gin, boy, do it again." and I spoke up - "he's a hired cater bartender - not your boy - don't be an asshole, just take the drink and quit fucking with him" - and this guy was a stranger but he might've reacted with a glare and some attitude - but once it occured to him that the MAN behind the counter wasn't a member of the leather community but a hired caterwaterbartender - his entire demeanor changed. He didn't thank me - or even truly admit that he'd had a brainblast - but took the newly prepared drink and walked away rather - his entire butch demeanor down a level.
That whole treat everyone like their YOUR subservient slave - because you wear something in your right pocket or have a nametag that says "Master this" or "Sir". The kind of guy that expects you to change your entire way of speaking and acting around them. what the fuck is that? it is just plain embarassing to watch how people can "expect" others to treat them without any context or history. For the most part - the leather guys and women I met last night were real nice - but this one guy - just made me roll my eyes and wonder how people stand to be around that kind of shitatude.
on a shinier note - the most interesting conversation came when a guy who had just come home from a vacation in Germany and while there experienced Dinner in the Dark. It's a sensory deprivation restaurant - where you are met in the lobby by the blind waitstaff - and then led through a labrynth in the dark and sat at your dinner table totally in the dark. They orient you to your glass, and your utensils. then you do a two hour service in complete darkness. Now this is something that appeals to the foody in me AND the pervert. While it wasn't part of his experience - I can imagine being fed something - and being asked to guess the ingredients. and there being rewards and punishments depending on the answer. :) oh my! (fans self)
So I had a great evening out - feeling sexy - and enjoying the company (for the most part) and enjoying fitting into my leathers in an entirely new way.
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no subject
Date: 2007-08-19 04:19 pm (UTC)Thanks for standing up for that bartender!
Date: 2007-08-19 04:52 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-08-19 05:05 pm (UTC)I'm very glad to hear that he was the only brown spot in the evening. I've always been leery of the leather community because of that kind of attitude, but am glad to know now that this is the exception and not the rule.
no subject
Date: 2007-08-19 07:47 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-08-20 12:42 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-08-20 03:13 am (UTC)Errr...
Date: 2007-08-20 03:13 am (UTC);->
no subject
Date: 2007-08-20 08:40 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-08-20 07:07 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-08-21 06:09 am (UTC)The only disappointing food was the mains, which was a sort of a vol-au-vent with chicken. It was Ok, but I've tasted frozen ones with more taste.
no subject
Date: 2007-08-20 05:11 pm (UTC)Glad you got out to strut. Would like to have seen that! ;-)
no subject
Date: 2007-08-20 05:49 pm (UTC)I like hanging out in my leathers. :)
no subject
Date: 2007-08-21 04:48 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-08-21 07:24 am (UTC)Hell - that sort of attitude / behaviour really gets me pissed off. Firstly, I find it hard to understand a lot of dominant / subservient behaviour in the first place, because being someone who had low self-esteem issues, I see this played out in that sort of role playing.
I like the look of leather - but some of the lifestyle is questionable!
As for the "Sensory Deprivation" restaurant - I read about a place in Christchurch, New Zealand, that was doing that AGES ago - I wonder if they still do?