[Closed] Vile language in pubs - is it worth a bad review?

Parents lived in the Lodge overhanging the high street from when I was 18. Both long gone, but still call in when I'm down there. All my mates lived in Balsall Common, so I used to jump on the train and do all my drinking in the Railway over there, but sunday lunch pint was always in the Lion.

Front bar is full of bores now, sadly.

Lodge to the Manor? Know it well.

House opposite was haunted by three ghosts - two of which, only females saw. My bro was there once when mum and daughters all went quiet and watched something walk across the room!! The big dark shape upstairs scared me more!!

My bro was there once when mum and daughters all went quiet and watched something walk across the room!!

Blimey. I hope they left a suitably scathing comment on TripAdvisor?

I just thought it'd be worth ressurecting this thread after the experience I've just had in my local. Now my attitude on this subject has been pretty clear.

I'd nipped in to meet Mrs B for a couple of post work beers. Now My local is a great boozer, complete with pretty basic language, which I couldn't really care less about. It's a pub. What did you expect? But I've had issues before when the casual racism and sexism has got a bit much. And tonight it got far too much.

The news was on, and when Chris Rock made his Oscar speech, one of the more unreconstructed regulars, who congregate round the bar said 'oh STFU you *ing ****'. To use the approved parlance, at that point I saw my *ing arse! What followed is probably best referred to as 'a full and frank exchange of views', conducted, at volume, in words of 2 syllables or less. It got quite sweary. To say the least. Kaz behind the bar came out and calmed it down before it got too out of hand.

The upshot of this is that I've had it with my local. Despite loving the place. If they're happy to put up with this kind of thing, then I'll spend my money elsewhere thanks. But this isn't the first time*

So going back to the OP's dilemma: I don't mind swearing, but I object to blatant racism, so casually expressed, like it was 1970. So having had a stand up Barny at the bar i'm considering doing something quite bedwettery, and firing off an email to the brewery to ask them whether they want a pub that's going to end up with just a bunch of nasty, homophobic racists sat round the bar, loudly expressing their bigoted opinions, and driving everyone else out? The landlord doesn't seem arsed.

I can't work out if I've just contradicted my previous position, or reinforced it. I'm not very bright. And I'm certsinly no hard man. I just don't like homophobic racists.

I most definitely WON'T be writing a ****ing internet review! I'm not that STW! 😉

* Mrs Binners has already gone off the deep end on one occasion about their homophobia. She accused them of being, and I quote: "a bunch of ****ing bigots!'. And stormed out. Apparently the place went deadly quiet, then a voice piped up ....

'What's a bigot?'

You're so tough, binners, my gusset just melted.

Perhaps you could learn that a sentence which ends with a question mark is asking a question?

I'm definitely putting gusset melter on my business card 😀

I liked that place as well Binners, it had a worn-in relaxed charm about it but you did right.

Theres a place near me (not a pub)- if someone leaves a bad review (I and others have), an immediate glowing 5star review pops up!

I had a pub the c word was banned and a swear box on the bar quid a word to the air ambulance,lost a few of the football crowd gained a'lot more descent punters.

Barmaid / landlord is failing if not enforcing some decent maners imo especialy if they encourage familys and food.

Pubs were better when you had public and lounge bars tryin to keep every one happy is impossible.

I most definitely WON'T be writing a ****ing internet review! I'm not that STW!

FWIW I applaud your stance and sincerely hope your pub flounce / stiffly worded brewery rebuke isn't as futile as I imagine it will be.

I know it'll be ultimately futile pp. Probably as futile as being sniffy on Tripadvisor. Complaining on the interweb is like shouting your disapproval into an empty shipping container, but I'm about to email the brewery now anyway

But I do feel better about having a right old barney with someone, and experiencing the novelty of actually occupying the moral high ground, for once. I quite enjoyed it. I might order myself a really high horse, like so many people on here have got. Our house has high ceilings so it'll fir nicely.

Its a real shame, because its a good pub. It could be a great pub. The landlady is lovely, and has laid on food for us after night rides, for example. But she's fighting a losing battle. They're now packing up and leaving. The problem? There are a bunch of regulars, who've been here since the dawn of time (not like us recent interlopers, from outside their obviously limited gene pool). They seem to be under the impression that the brewery runs the pub exclusively for their benefit, and they can do exactly what they like. This seems to involve recreating a really bad 70's sitcom. I ignore it most of the time, blank it out, but I've had heated exchanges before about their UKIP voting, anti-everything, prehistoric opinions in the past. I I completely lost it last night.

I know other people, who don't wear a high vis jacket, drive a white van, read the Sun, and think using the word **** is perfectly acceptable, won't go in there for this very reason.

I'm hoping, probably hopefully wishfully, that with the brewery now getting new people in, they might see it as a chance to address the issue of the place being treated as a personal drinking club for a bunch of unreconstructed bigots. I might get all 'campaigning' and start an internet petition. That'll show 'em! 😉

Internet Petition??

Gusset melted. 😉

Binners the brewery will go with who spends the most. Most of the views I hear in pubs conforms to what you would call backward bigotry from surprising people (to me anyway). You can't argue because mostly there to thick to understand, you just need to learn to enjoy their fear because thats what you are witnessing.

The terminally stupid talk loudest and drink the most. hic.

Well MT - you were right.

I just got this reply from the brewery

[i]Thank you for your email and apologies for not replying sooner as I have been on annual leave.

I have visited the pub and spoke to the landlord and landlady informing them of your complaint. They are of course very upset regarding the information in your email.

They have advised me their customers are not and have never been 'Bigots or racist' and would not allow any type of racist comments in the pub.

I am therefore satisfied with their answers.

Yours sincerely,

Blah, blah, blah[/i]

So there you have it. If your money is good then, as far as Thwaites brewery is concerned, you can sit at the bar in their pubs and refer to people with a slightly different skin tone to you as *ing ****s, *ing coons, and *ing ****'s, and homosexuals as *ing faggots, then pass comment on how we'd all be better off if they all "want *ing shooting" or "need *ing stringing up" or "send the ****ers home!" and thats all fine.

So going back to the OP, I can just imagine how much attention would be paid to an online review

Cheers!

So there you have it. If your money is good then, as far as Thwaites brewery is concerned, you can sit at the bar in their pubs and refer to people with a slightly different skin tone to you as *ing ****s, *ing coons, and *ing ****'s, and homosexuals as *ing faggots, then pass comment on how we'd all be better off if they all "want *ing shooting" or "need *ing stringing up" or "send the ****ers home!" and thats all fine.

Someone [i]really[/i] needs to have a look at the swear filter. As there is no way that **** is more offensive than ****.

I can just imagine how much attention would be paid to an online review

To be honest I think the OP is correct in that much - they'd probably take a public online review more seriously than a private email. Such is the nature of our social media age.

Gusset-melting internet petition time?

Dear Singletrack,

I am writing to review your swear filter, or obscura profanisimus, as I like to call it. It's not very ****ing good, is it?

Yours

Disgruntled of Biggleswade.

To be honest I think the OP is correct in that much - they'd probably take a public online review more seriously than a private email. Such is the nature of our social media age.

Finally...a use for the share button.

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Here's the 140 characters if anyone needs it:

Singletrack Forum: Vile language in pubs - worth a bad review? - Post by binners http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/vile-language-in-pubs-is-it-worth-a-bad-review/page/5#post-7562666 via @singletrackmag @Thwaites_Pubs