I've joined three so far. Some of my friends won't be surprised to know that I've joined a humanist group, a skeptics group, and (actually this might surprise a few!) a non-fiction book group.
Where do these groups meet? Mainly pubs. And since I've attended, I've become reacquainted with just why we call them "pubs". Because they are "public houses".
On Tuesday nine people attended the non-fiction book group, some having read the book all the way through, some about half way through, and some not at all. There was no supercilious attitude towards the non or part readers. They were welcomed for their contribution that fed off other material brought to their to mind by the discussion.
On reflection, we seemed to spend an equal amount of time discussing the book in question (Daniel Kahneman's "Thinking, fast & slow" - quite fascinating in bits), other books that might be like it or better, miscellaneous subjects, and finally, and perhaps most importantly to some (not me, of course...), the merits of the "malt of the moment".
Our meeting place is the Blue Blazer pub in Edinburgh. As I half listened to the conversations around me, I glanced around the room we were in. I realised that the previous meeting also featured the same groups of other people in the room. There was a group discussing a European film they had seen at the Filmhouse Theatre down the road; a small group of men were discussing fatherhood; and finally there were a group of young women earnestly discussing gender orientation and implications.
All of us had chosen to use this "public space" in which to meet together to discuss ideas, support one another, and to develop bonds. The fact that social lubrication was consumed - in apparently responsible quantities judging by the behaviour - perhaps made the discussion flow more freely.
I had been told that British pubs were different to Aussie pubs, and finally it has dawned on me how important these places are to so many people. Of course there is debate raging in Britain about binge drinking and over-consumption of alcohol, and those problems are evident in some of the local bars around where I live. However, when used in the best spirit (pardon the pun) the pub can be a "public house" for education and friendship, and a place to encourage new ideas.
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3 comments:
Having grown up as a female in a small South Australian country town, I learned early on to loathe Australian pubs. I still loathe them, but not so much. The British ones are so much nicer and family-friendly. Much more conversation seems to take place than in an Australian pub, which seems (pardon my prejudice) to be mainly for blokes getting "pissed". Maybe I just haven't discovered the good Aussie ones yet.
British pubs even allow dogs in (with their owners, of course) - not good for someone with a dog allergy, though.
In one famous Aussie pub, just inland from Macksville, there was a dog on the verandah (not inside) waiting for his master who was "sipping wine", instead of beer :-)
Sang this song with a dying man yesterday.
It's nice to hear about public gathering places that do not emphasize alcohol consumption, strictly speaking. In my neighborhood, Rogers Park, USA, we often hold committee meetings, cards groups, and other semi-formal gatherings at local bars: Similar foci using American terminology. Hazzan, the world is more alike than we give credit!
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