Louts

I just read an article on Yahoo about a scheme in Britain wherein pubs and clubs will have biometric fingerprint reading machines that can scan and store information about customers. This is to ostensibly remove the need to carry identification (which can be a problem when you're going to a club and not wearing much--see a recent episode of CSI: Miami) but it is also a way that clubs can identify louts and other troublemakers and--this is the kicker--share that information with other clubs. So if you got kicked out of a pub for say, defending your football team's honor with a broken beer bottle, and wanted to go down the road to another place, by the time you got there, there would already be a friendly man in a large overcoat ready to explain to you the various reasons why you're not going to be admitted. (exhibit A: A broken beer bottle) At first glance this seems like a good idea: I mean, some of the places can get pretty rowdy. Englishpeople seem to use the excuse that they're buttoned up all the time to go absolutely crazy on Friday and Saturday nights (for more information, see the excellent op-ed on my friend Andrew E.'s page), but then I got to thinking. Wait a minute, who says what kind of behaviour is going to get you in trouble? Is it merely the shouting, the kicking, the punching the fighting crowd that's going to get kicked out? What about the annoying, shrieking sixteen year olds who are drunk on alkapops and who are not fighting, but who are taking far FAR too many pictures of each other on their camera phones and seriously infringing on my peace of Saturday night mind? (Friends don't let friends drink alkapops...unless we need the bottles for a show) Then of course there's the whole thing, is this something you want? I mean, once you're in the system, all you have to do is scan your finger again to get in a club, but what's wrong with flashing a little driver's license? ("Wis-con-sin? Where the hell is that?") Or is this just another way to keep track of us and limit our movements? If you do get kicked out a club, then are you banished? For how long? How much would it take for that information to be provided to the police? And what if the only reason you got in the fight in the first place was some jerk insisted on supporting Man. United when CLEARLY he was in the wrong pub, so you trot on down to a more civilised place only to discover you're not welcome anymore? Clearly this scheme is a troublesome one, one that is only in place in six pubs in Britain--and is "optional" apparently, but for how long who knows. Until then I guess we'll just have to put up with carrying around identification and, if necessary, take to partying in the streets.