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Small-Scale Question Sunday for August 20, 2023

Do you have a dumb question that you're kind of embarrassed to ask in the main thread? Is there something you're just not sure about?

This is your opportunity to ask questions. No question too simple or too silly.

Culture war topics are accepted, and proposals for a better intro post are appreciated.

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I'm sure that works as you describe - cultivating a reputation, social proof, all of it, but doesn't it feel dishonest to its core? Like, the whole edifice is built on wanting to be seen as the kind of person who is a sociable regular at a fancy cocktail bar and not actually being that person. If you were that person, you'd already have such a place in your back pocket.

What is dishonest about it? Are you someone who hates cocktails and bars? Probably not. Don't veto something until you actually know if you'd be disgenuine about it.

Are you someone who hates cocktails and bars? Probably not.

I find this to be a bizarre assumption. Plenty of people hate cocktails and bars. I’m not someone who hates alcohol on principle, but the few times I have partaken in social drinking, I ended up making a fool of myself.

The idea that one should add alcohol to delicate high-stakes social situations strikes me as nothing less than pants-on-head retarded. How could that possibly end up going well?

I think the recommendation is to drink enough to loosen your inhibitions. Not enough to get drunk.

However, people obviously do not become authentic bar regulars instantly upon hitting drinking age. So when do you start?

Whenever you find a bar/bartender you like enough on their own merits to keep returning, I guess. More genuine, less transactional. Befriend the bartender because you enjoy their company, not because you need to acquire a bartender wingman.