I was sitting with 2 other bartenders of similar New York City vintage self exiled to East Hollywood and other Southland neighborhoods for reasons of weather appreciation in the Local drinking Tito’s Immaculate Conceptions .

Man Bun and A Line sat next to us getting more and more upset as we shared war stories about a New York that may or may not have existed except we seem to remember it rather vividly.

“So what’s her name Abzug comes in on the busiest night in December,”  Bob says.

“The one with the hat,” Jimmy asks.

“I think so.  It may have been the other one but does it really matter?  Political hacks are all the same.  Anyway, I think this is going to be a nightmare.  It’s me and 600 of my closest friends and I’m wondering how many times she’s going to send back the salmon this time.  But she doesn’t.  She tells me what she wants, I get it for her and she keeps telling this guy next to her who’s ordering one drink at a time for 15 people each round to hurry up I’m a busy man.”

“Political hacks are all the same,” Jimmy said laughing.

Before any of us can launch into another story where the names don’t have to be changed because everybody is guilty as hell, Man Bun and A Line push their chairs back.  As A Line marched to the door, Man Bun stopped and offered the 3 of us a this piece of advice: “You middle aged beer drinking, cis gendered men with your toxic masculinity need to throw your rape culture in the river.”  Then he walked out the door with A Line once more outraged and righteously indignant because of said outrage.

Jimmy, Bob and myself were a bit shocked at said manifesto and not quite sure what he meant.  However we were sure that rape Culture was a great unrecorded punk band we all saw at Brownies on Ave. A back in early 1991.