We all--well, most of us, anyway--like to group certain traits or people into easy shorthand definitions.
For example, the French become "surrender monkeys," southerners are all "rednecks" and Eagles fans are...um, that's unprintable. As the guys from Monty Python once pointed out, the only group we don't slap a some prejudicial label on are the Belgians, which they rectified with "miserable fat Belgian bastards."
This tendency even applies on a smaller scale. When describing the types of people to go to certain restaurants or hang out in different parts of town, we generally end up with "the only people who go there are..."
So here are the most common stereotypes...
The people who filled Dallas bars and restaurants in 2009:
1. Douchebags
We're still not absolutely certain what douchebag really means in context, but the SOBs are everywhere. They congregate on Henderson, traipse around West Village, live in the suburbs and even wander Bishop Arts. Clearly, douchebags spent more in bars and restaurants than any other group of people.
2. Cougars
Pop culture aficionados say it all started with Thelma and Louise. But
this year--and for a few years prior--older women have become
assertive, hard drinking seductresses on the prowl for hapless young
men...or so the story goes. So be it. We've always been in favor of
equal rights.
3. Yelpers
Not meaning to single out Yelp, but rather the people who post thoughts
on sites such as Yelp, Chowhound and the others. With a population more
knowledgeable about world cuisines and the means to express opinions
readily available, restaurants must be on their guard now more than
ever.
The people who filled Dallas bars and restaurants in the 00s:
1. $30,000 millionaires
The recession has taken a bite from their credit lines. But once upon a
time, these folks pulled up to valet stands in their leased Beemers,
slipped the Hugo Boss jacket over the shoulder and began ordering $12
martinis. What the hell--it all went on the platinum card.
2. The Fickle 500
Remember the dot com executives who said it was more important to be
first on the market? During the 00s, a fabled group took that advice
and applied it to nightlife. The Fickle 500 descended on every newly
opened spot. Then disappeared shortly after the first normal person
showed up.
3. Von Dutch trucker hats
We didn't really know this group's shorthand name (although they may
have been precursors to the modern day douchebag), but when places like
DoubleWide and Lee Harvey's first opened, young professionals with high
paying jobs thought it was fun to dress like designer rednecks and
pretend to be 'trailer trash.' Nice.
