did you ever wonder why old fashioned's are made with bitters?

breathe in

i always did. i always wondered why anyone would mix perfectly
good bourbon with a substance that engages a gag reflex
in much of the population. regardless, during the years
i spent in the bar industry, i still would see it lauded as
a classic cocktail appreciated by true connoisseurs of
spirits and wino's everywhere. it was also interesting
to notice that anyone who ordered the drink usually wasn't
a day under 40, which leads to my next point. the mutual consensus
of anyone in my peer group who tried the concoction was like
watching rosie o'donnell fuck julian macmahon on
nip/tuck, revulsion.

comparatively most modern drinks, those that seem to be
the most popular among people in my age group, usually have
less of an obvious alcoholic taste and more artificial
or fruity flavorings(i.e. juices, soft drinks, energy
drinks etc.) even the old standard of beer has evolved,
most popular american beers having toned down the flavor
of the hops in favor of a smoother, less bitter flavor. (this
i disagree on. give me a pale ale any day over that bar tap
mass produced american swill.)

so, you may ask, why post something like this in the rants
and raves section, when you could have posted in the general
section or something like that.

and so begins the rant.

i realize that our gay forefathers, those that opened the
door for the newer generations, mine in particular, to
actually feel somewhat safe in coming to terms with their
sexuality, fought a hard struggle. they struggled for
acceptance, for respect, and for equality. some died,
some were sacrificed, some even lost their souls in the
mix and i, as well as many others, are forever grateful.

i just ask that you please stop with the bitter crap.

most of the people that write articles, questions, and
comments on the magazine pages just at a quick glance seem
to be over 40. i have no problem with most of them and have
found some insightful and amusing things. i have a problem
with the fact that a few of these frequent posters have now
lumped the younger generation as represented on this site
as a bunch of narcissistic sex obsessed materialists that
only care about cock size, body hair, and how many times
they went to the gym this week. you also glorify yourself
with holier than thou morality editorials which condemn
people for attempting to ask a simple question in order
to better understand the attitudes shared by this community.
i have seen several posts that push envelopes of morality
and could spark intelligent discussion but then are beat
down by bitter queen in the corner screaming accusations
of grotesque and idiocy. the impression given, as i see
it as being a relative newcomer, is that unless i devise
a question or a post that relates to something within a narrow
range of topics that seems to center around asking sage
advice from the wizened elders of the FRIENDS
OF DOROTHY foundation about whether i should
dump my boyfriend or that it is anathema and subject to all
manner of flames just short of the (my personal favorite)
horribly fashionable pNw3d!!!!.

now i don't expect you to like everything that i write,
and intentionally i do mean some of my opinions that i post
here and on other places around the net and in the world around
to flat out piss people off, but that does not give you license
to scream out your self-given geriatric authority from
the rooftops. every message posted on this system, and
those posting them, deserve the right to post and be heard
regardless of the vulgarity or simplicity of their sentiments
or opinions.

so please refrain from comments like the following:
'you must be one of those guys'
how do you know? you really can't make a judgment based
on 2 sentences of someone who's only persona you know
from a shrunken face pic and a headless torso.
'obviously you don't know
what you are talking about'
maybe thats why they posted in the first place. next time
educate before you insult.
'being that i am 300 years old let
me tell you
what i think'
your age doesn't matter. in all honesty that hot 21
year old you jacked off to in the chat room last night could
be 75 and have 4 small children tied up in his closet and is
looking for an accomplice. when you preface an opinion
like that all you do is make a feeble attempt to add hollow
weight to what ultimately, in my mind, becomes a hollow
statement.

now, before the shovels and torches and garden hos come
out and the mob starts to chant 'sink the psycho',
i don't mean this for everyone, just the few people
that i have seen post time after time with scathing remarks
and gross assumptions that often have been unwarranted
and unwanted. does that mean that i will block their comments?
hell no! opposition makes life interesting. it means that
i will use their bitterness induced ignorance as a weapon
against them. point out that the same man that is complaining
about how shallow someone is is the same person begging
to get a big cock up his ass, minimum 7", on his profile,
followed by the words 'no fats or femmes'.

in a world that is constantly changing and growing, growing
smaller in some cases, we should respect anything that
anyone takes the time to sit and put into text regardless
of how offensive, incorrect, asinine, or vulgar and use
it as an opportunity to grow ourselves or help another do
the same.

the point? swallow the bitters yourself, pretend like
you like it, and join the party. the bar is out of bitters
and a twist of lime really doesn't do anything to the
flavor, other than make it look pretty. find a new vice,
a new flavor, and come and join the party.

this bar doesn't make a drink called old fashioned
anymore