tag:theconversation.com,2011:/au/topics/nightclubbing-34980/articlesNightclubbing – The Conversation2018-01-29T14:51:05Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/905562018-01-29T14:51:05Z2018-01-29T14:51:05Z‘Agent of Change’ protects music venues from noise complaints, but won’t stop them from closing<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/203780/original/file-20180129-100926-1586ejm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://unsplash.com/photos/Gi6-m_t_W-E">Bruno Cervera/Unsplash</a>, <a class="license" href="http://artlibre.org/licence/lal/en">FAL</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>A Conservative minister for housing, a grey-haired Labour MP, ageing icons of rock and creative young people have formed an unlikely alliance in support of the Agent of Change (Planning) Bill. The proposed law, which will be discussed for the second time in the House of Commons on March 16, <a href="https://www.iq-mag.net/2018/01/uk-govt-sajid-javid-backs-agent-change/#.Wmn_opOFilM">makes developers responsible</a> for dealing with noise issues when they build new homes near music venues. </p>
<p>This all came about because people were worried about the high number of live music venues that were closing across the UK. The Greater London Authority (GLA) <a href="https://www.london.gov.uk/what-we-do/arts-and-culture/music/saving-londons-music-venues">asked for a report</a> on London’s grass roots music venues, only to find that 35% of them had been “lost” since 2007. Cities across the nation – from <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2015/sep/09/the-slow-death-of-music-venues-in-cities">Glasgow to Manchester</a> – have similar stories to tell, even though the government <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/creative-industries-record-contribution-to-uk-economy">has recognised</a> how important the music industry is for the economy. </p>
<p>So how did this happen? Many different governments since around the year 2000 have tried to get more flats and houses built in cities, because there aren’t enough for everyone who wants to live there. Many homes have been built on “brownfield” sites – where there used to be factories or warehouses, which are now used less or not at all. These types of places also offered spaces where creative entrepreneurs could set up new clubs, or take over existing venues and attract new customers with the offer of live music. </p>
<h2>Buyer beware</h2>
<p>But as people move into the new flats built on these sites (which they often pay a lot of money for) some inevitably complain about the noise coming from the venues. Venue owners in Shoreditch (one of London’s hip neighbourhoods) actually put up signs warning would-be buyers that there are live music venues in the area. </p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/203518/original/file-20180126-100919-1a2zuoa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/203518/original/file-20180126-100919-1a2zuoa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=360&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/203518/original/file-20180126-100919-1a2zuoa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=360&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/203518/original/file-20180126-100919-1a2zuoa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=360&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/203518/original/file-20180126-100919-1a2zuoa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=452&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/203518/original/file-20180126-100919-1a2zuoa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=452&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/203518/original/file-20180126-100919-1a2zuoa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=452&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">A sign on Rivington Street, Shoreditch.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.hackneycitizen.co.uk/2014/10/21/rivington-street-pedestrian-zone-shoreditch/">Hackney Citizen</a></span>
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<p>Up until now, these complaints caused big problems for music venue owners, because planning principles were not on their side. The onus was on them to ensure their neighbours weren’t disturbed by music and loud noises. But putting in proper soundproofing or keeping customers quiet can be difficult and expensive. </p>
<p>This doesn’t just affect the kind of places run on a shoe string on the outskirts of town. Even London’s mighty Ministry of Sound – which has been a mecca for House music lovers since 1991 – <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-25642151">was caught up</a> in a lengthy planning application for a tower block of flats nearby – a case which eventually ended in the flats having to be soundproofed.</p>
<h2>A matter of principle</h2>
<p>The way the planning system works, is that local authorities in England and Wales produce their own development plans, which must align with national policy as set out in a 2012 document called the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/6077/2116950.pdf">National Planning Policy Framework</a> (NPPF). This document made a small move to protect venues, by saying that if they wanted to expand, then there should be no unreasonable restrictions. But it didn’t address the situation described above. </p>
<p>Some local authorities have already started to draw up their own policies, which put the burden of noise reduction measures firmly on the developer who is making the change – whether it’s for <a href="http://musicvenuetrust.com/2017/11/agent-of-change-is-policy-d12-in-london-plan-2018/">flats or other uses</a>. This is the legal principle, known as the “Agent of Change”. The bill, now supported by government, will ensure that the principle is embedded in the NPPF – so all local authorities will have to follow it. It will also carry more weight in appeals against planning decisions.</p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/203778/original/file-20180129-100926-4mj8h3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/203778/original/file-20180129-100926-4mj8h3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/203778/original/file-20180129-100926-4mj8h3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/203778/original/file-20180129-100926-4mj8h3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/203778/original/file-20180129-100926-4mj8h3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/203778/original/file-20180129-100926-4mj8h3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/203778/original/file-20180129-100926-4mj8h3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Got the power?</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://unsplash.com/photos/TZCppMjaOHU">William White/Unsplash</a>, <a class="license" href="http://artlibre.org/licence/lal/en">FAL</a></span>
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<p>Although the “Agent of Change” principle will help prevent live music venues from closing, it won’t be enough on its own. Sadly, it would not address other issues such as rising rents, hikes in rateable values and property owners preferring to redevelop their buildings into flats. For example, consultancy firm <a href="https://www.london.gov.uk/sites/default/files/report_headlines_-_impact_of_business_rates_revaluation_on_londons_grassrots_music_venues_-_nordicity_-_april_2017.pdf">Nordicity estimated that</a> a revaluation of business rates would cause a fifth of London’s grass roots venues to close. And London’s oldest LGBTQ venue, the Royal Vauxhall Tavern, is still <a href="http://www.rvt.community/news/">engaged in a battle</a> to save it from redevelopment, by way of a community buy out. </p>
<p>Yet <a href="https://pubs.camra.org.uk/pubsuccessstories">past examples</a> show that people can save their local pubs from closure, whether through local campaigning or by taking ownership of the buildings. And to see creativity and culture, especially for young people, supported through the dusty corridors of parliament, is truly heart warming.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/90556/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Marion Roberts has received funding from many different organisations, including central and local government and charitable foundations, for research on the night time economy.</span></em></p>Developers will now be responsible for dealing with noise issues from nearby music venues – but it will take real community activism to prevent closures.Marion Roberts, Professor of Urban Design, University of WestminsterLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/884122017-12-19T18:27:15Z2017-12-19T18:27:15ZArthur Collins’ sentencing for acid attack in London nightclub reveals the true nature of violent criminals<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/199976/original/file-20171219-4985-1stvz2u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/two-human-hand-holding-small-bottle-767480416">Shutterstock.</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Arthur Collins, former partner of reality TV star Ferne McCann, has been sentenced to 20 years, plus an extended licence period of five years for causing five counts of grievous bodily harm and nine counts of actual bodily harm when he threw acid across the packed dance floor of a nightclub in East London, during a night out in April 2017. </p>
<p>The sentence was handed down more than a month after Collins was found guilty of carrying out the acid attack, following a trial at Wood Green Crown Court in North London. At the trial, <a href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/3358442/arthur-collins-acid-attack-guilty-ferne-mccann-boyfriend/">Collins claimed</a> that he threw the substance thinking it was a date-rape drug, after hearing a group of men plotting to spike a woman’s drink. But ultimately the jury saw through his attempt at deception. </p>
<p>Having spent years as a criminologist, researching the behaviour of violent men, I know that it’s not uncommon for cowardly, aggressive and selfish offenders to try to present themselves as heroes. The unfortunate and mundane reality is that violent offenders are most often <a href="http://hub.salford.ac.uk/cjh/2017/05/02/trauma-transformation-returning-repressed/">insecure, damaged people</a>. In contrast to the tortured, romantic gangsters we often see in films and on television, such men are usually conformist, shallow, selfish and callous. </p>
<p>On social media, Collins put himself across as the man with everything; an assured and attractive persona, with a celebrity girlfriend and a model life. His online posts – widely circulated by the tabloid press – frequently featured designer clothes and luxurious holidays. </p>
<p>Yet for all his glamorous pretences, Collins <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5079551/Collins-armed-acid-attack-crime-gang-bust-up.html">is not what he makes out</a>. At his trial, it emerged that Collins had <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-41973161">sent a text</a> to his sister days before the attack: “Tell mum to mind that little hand wash in my car acid”. He claimed the message referred to the shampoo – containing amino acid and coconut oil – which he used because he was worried about hair loss. He sent the text, he said, because he was concerned about his nieces finding and “biting it”. </p>
<p>But Collins was a man <a href="https://uk.news.yahoo.com/arthur-collins-involved-gangland-feud-acid-attack-103250835.html">familiar with the visceral, nasty violence</a> of criminal circles – perhaps that’s was why he was <a href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/4907075/guilty-arthur-collins-acid-attack-adams-crime-family-towie-ferne-mccann/">carrying acid on the night of the offence</a>. </p>
<h2>A corrosive trend</h2>
<p>Acid and other corrosives are becoming a more popular weapon among violent offenders. At the request of the Home Office, the National Police Chiefs’ Council <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/651756/IA_corrosives.pdf">collected data</a> from 39 police forces between November 2016 and April 2017, recording 408 cases of attacks using corrosive substances during the six-month period. Almost a quarter (21%) of these offenders were under 18, where the age of the offender was known.</p>
<p>According to Acid Survivors Trust International (<a href="https://www.acidviolence.org/">ASTI</a>), the UK has one of the highest rates of recorded acid attacks in the world. Worse, the foundation reports that charges were brought over just 414 of the 2,078 acid attacks recorded between 2011 and 2016. </p>
<p>These data paint a very different picture to <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcthree/item/5d38c003-c54a-4513-a369-f9eae0d52f91">the common assumptions</a> about acid attacks, wherein the perpetrator is male, the victim female, and the violence is linked to “honour” crime. Rather, I am inclined to think the growth of acid attacks might simply be copycat behaviour, carried out by thoughtless, violent young men. </p>
<p>I have seen the imitation of violence take place within the criminal justice system before. The recent rise in acid attacks is actually reminiscent of the instances of <a href="https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/534020/burns-inmate-HMP-Hewell-napalm-attack">“napalming” among prisoners</a>, which I have documented while <a href="https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/Documents/college-artslaw/law/Prison-Bullying-and-Victimisation.pdf">undertaking research on violence in Young Offender Institutions</a> (YOIs) since 2000. Young male prisoners would mix sugar with boiling water, and throw it in rivals’ faces to scar them. </p>
<p>In prison, these sorts of offences would spike alarmingly for a period, as young prisoners imitated one another. And just like the violent young men I worked with in prisons, many of the offenders using acid today have grown up an increasingly competitive world, where crime is a way of both making money, and forging a personal identity.</p>
<h2>Austerity bites</h2>
<p>Of course, acid attacks are not a new phenomenon. They were also used by gangsters <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/feb/11/acid-attacks-victorian-britain">in the Victorian era</a> to humiliate and disfigure rival gang members. There are some commonalities between that time, and today – not least a growing number of children are living in “<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/apr/09/children-uk-victorian-conditions-inequality-child-poverty">Victorian conditions</a>”. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/199920/original/file-20171219-4965-g01cu9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/199920/original/file-20171219-4965-g01cu9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/199920/original/file-20171219-4965-g01cu9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/199920/original/file-20171219-4965-g01cu9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/199920/original/file-20171219-4965-g01cu9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/199920/original/file-20171219-4965-g01cu9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/199920/original/file-20171219-4965-g01cu9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/199920/original/file-20171219-4965-g01cu9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Mugshots of the Peaky Blinders – a Victorian crime syndicate.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/westmidlandspolice/8388310297/">West Midlands Police/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
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<p>In the age of austerity, residents of UK cities are increasingly <a href="https://theconversation.com/no-austerity-clearly-hasnt-restored-fairness-to-the-welfare-system-69950">turning to charity</a> for regular meals, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/investing-in-warmer-housing-could-save-the-nhs-billions-82196">going without heating</a> to save money on fuel. And with police funding falling year on year, it’s no surprise that violence <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/c3250b52-bef8-11e7-9836-b25f8adaa111">might rise</a> as austerity bites.</p>
<p>Collins used acid to damage the looks of his rivals, so his actions bear some resemblance to the crimes of the Victorian era. Yet today’s acid attacks take place against the backdrop of a <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2017/12/15/selfitis-obsessive-need-post-selfies-genuine-mental-disorder/">culture obsessed with personal image</a>.</p>
<h2>Selfie society</h2>
<p>These days, everyone from celebrity starlets to <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/people-react-anger-daily-mail-fashion-theresa-may-dress-holiday_uk_59788485e4b0e201d579ce15">politicians</a>, teenagers to grandparents, is being encouraged to <a href="https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/will-storr/selfie">embrace individualism</a> while being judged on their appearance. Society is becoming <a href="https://fullfact.org/economy/fifty-years-income-inequality/">ever more divided</a> between haves and have not’s. Life in <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/inequality/2017/dec/16/journey-to-heart-of-britain-precarious-future-ebbw-vale">precarious, post-industrial Britain</a> has been accompanied by the rise of social media and the cult of the celebrity selfie. </p>
<p>So when young people today turn violent and lash out at others, it’s no wonder that the core logic of their attacks centres around damaging their rivals’ appearances. Indeed, it may be one explanation for the fact that offences such as acid attacks and “bagging” – stabbing someone in the buttocks so badly that the feeling and nerve damage means that they require a colostomy bag – are <a href="https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/london-stab-victim-medics-extreme-violence-call-to-stop-knife-crime-brutality-9939397.html">on the rise</a> among violent young men, and those unfortunate enough to stand in their path. </p>
<p>Violent criminals are not the romantic, glamorous rebels of Hollywood movies – they are selfish, narcissistic men who will attack others with little thought for the consequences. But on a deeper level, the rise in acid attacks reflects British society’s corrosive fixation on physical appearance, as well as the shallow, unthinking nature of violent criminals.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/88412/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>James Treadwell does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>As former partner of TOWIE star Ferne McCann is sentenced for throwing acid in a nightclub, a criminologist considers the real reasons such attacks are on the rise.James Treadwell, Professor In Criminology, Staffordshire UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/853402017-10-16T14:43:28Z2017-10-16T14:43:28ZNurses, drivers and delivery people: meet the real stars of the night time economy<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/190403/original/file-20171016-31008-1o9ksnk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/chrisjl/5361091585/sizes/l">Chris JL</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/">CC BY-NC-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Since the 1950s, New York has been fondly known as the “city that never sleeps”. But over the past decade, cities across <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/30/arts/new-york-night-mayor-europe.html">Europe and the US</a> have begun to take the notion of a “24-hour city” more seriously. Having recognised the economic value of night-time activities, cities such as Amsterdam and London <a href="https://theconversation.com/new-night-mayors-could-make-cities-dreams-come-true-heres-how-68388">have appointed night-time mayors</a> to help foster the night economy. </p>
<p>In London, these efforts have taken the form of a Night Time Commission, set up by the previous mayor, Boris Johnson, just a few months before Sadiq Khan took over in 2016. Khan then appointed a Night Czar, Amy Lamé, to oversee the development of the city’s first ever 24-hour strategy, together with the commission. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.london.gov.uk/what-we-do/arts-and-culture/arts-and-culture-publications/londons-first-ever-24-hour-vision">Their vision</a>, released in July this year, focuses on supporting the arts, entertainment and hospitality industries favoured by a “<a href="http://www.creativeclass.com/richard_florida/books/the_rise_of_the_creative_class">creative class</a>”, that supposedly helps cities to thrive. But in reality, culture and nightlife are only one small part of the night-time economy. </p>
<h2>Beyond pubs and clubs</h2>
<p>Actually, transport and storage, and health and social care sectors have the largest shares of people working at night.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/190190/original/file-20171013-3542-ee5qqc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/190190/original/file-20171013-3542-ee5qqc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/190190/original/file-20171013-3542-ee5qqc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/190190/original/file-20171013-3542-ee5qqc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/190190/original/file-20171013-3542-ee5qqc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/190190/original/file-20171013-3542-ee5qqc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/190190/original/file-20171013-3542-ee5qqc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/190190/original/file-20171013-3542-ee5qqc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Night time workers by sector.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">London's 24-Hour Economy, London First</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>As shown in the figure above, arts and entertainment only account for 6.4% of the employment in the night time economy, and hotels, restaurants and bars 13.4%.</p>
<p><a href="http://londonfirst.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Londons-24-hour-economy.pdf">Reports show</a> that the sectors with the highest economic impact are logistics and deliveries, followed by professional and social services and health and social work. While the entertainment and recreation industries may have a more visible presence on the city’s streets, they actually generate the least economic activity, contributing only £1.3 billion to the total £40.1 billion estimated impact.</p>
<p>Yet the narrow focus on London’s nightlife has led to the creation of a strategy which seeks to meet the needs of a relatively privileged part of the city’s population, and fails to reflect the true diversity of the night-time economy. This imbalance is also reflected in the Night Time Commission, which does not include representatives from the health and care sector, for instance. </p>
<p>The result has been a strategy which caters mainly for cultural consumers in the night time economy. There is less consideration of those who actually make the night time economy work - not only at the weekend but also during the week. It’s important to support nightlife venues, especially since they’ve undergone a <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-37546558">massive wave of closures</a> over the past few years. But London’s current 24-hour strategy does not pay enough attention to issues of unfairness and inequality affecting the city’s night-time workforce. </p>
<h2>The trouble with transport</h2>
<p>The types of goods and services provided at night suggest that night-time workers might fit a particular demographic profile. Employees from logistics, transport, health and social care sectors tend to be in lower paid jobs, and live further from the workplace - doubling the burden of travel cost and time. Because of this, efficient, affordable transport is a major issue for these workers.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/190207/original/file-20171013-3545-13bldka.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/190207/original/file-20171013-3545-13bldka.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/190207/original/file-20171013-3545-13bldka.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/190207/original/file-20171013-3545-13bldka.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/190207/original/file-20171013-3545-13bldka.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/190207/original/file-20171013-3545-13bldka.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/190207/original/file-20171013-3545-13bldka.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A map of the distribution of workers in night time economy sectors.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Jenny McArthur</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>London’s night-time workers rely on off-peak services - with lower frequencies and greater chances of <a href="http://www.bettertransport.org.uk/blog/rail/shift-workers-face-gruelling-commutes">scheduled engineering works</a>, this often leaves them with very limited travel options. Night buses are currently the only mode of transport available between 1am and 5am during the week - and <a href="http://content.tfl.gov.uk/tfl-bus-users-survey.pdf">TfL surveys</a> show that they are essential for night workers: 51% of passengers use the service to travel to or from work. </p>
<p>Our research explores the role of night time transport and the movement of low-paid workers around the city lend weight to these concerns. For example, evidence from the Royal College of Nursing – which has a high proportion of night-time workers – noted that healthcare workers finishing shifts between 12am and 2am are left with a slimmer service, facing longer waits, more changes and longer journeys. </p>
<p>What’s more, workers on the twilight shift face the prospect of sharing public spaces with people under the influence of alcohol and drugs, which can pose a threat to their safety.</p>
<h2>Building a 24-hour city</h2>
<p>Night time strategies are a tremendous opportunity to build cities that are more sustainable; for instance, reducing congestion by moving some transport, retail and logistics activities to the night time. But if more people are to work at night, then the needs of low-paid, night-time workers have to be better understood and accounted for within these strategies. </p>
<p>In Sweden for instance, <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-21784716">24-hour childcare services</a> are available to parents working at night. When it comes to transport, this could be achieved through developing more frequent night bus services and expanding the night tube offer outside of weekend, focusing on tube lines that are directly serving the needs of night-time workers.</p>
<p>If the aim of the 24-hour strategy is to boost the night time economy, it’s vital to recognise the valuable contribution of these non-recreational activities, and come up with a plan which serves the needs of these workers, who make the night time economy a reality.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/85340/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The night time economy goes far beyond pubs and clubs.Enora Robin, PhD Candidate in Urban Governance (Cities, Networks and Knowledge Management), UCLDr Emilia Smeds, Doctoral Student (Urban Governance for Sustainability), UCLJenny McArthur, Postdoctoral Research Associate in Urban Governance (Infrastructure Governance, Policy and Planning), UCLLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/808902017-07-17T03:59:15Z2017-07-17T03:59:15ZWe need more than just laws to ensure responsible alcohol service<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/178360/original/file-20170716-14254-1g97jxj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">There is little evidence that training alone reduces the propensity for over-service of alcohol.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">AAP/Alan Porritt</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Australian law prohibits the sale of alcohol to drunk people. Despite the shifting sands of alcohol policy, <a href="http://www.legislation.vic.gov.au/Domino/Web_Notes/LDMS/LTObject_Store/LTObjSt7.nsf/DDE300B846EED9C7CA257616000A3571/70AC1BBE193EBF8BCA257B10001DF528/$FILE/98-94aa067%20authorised.pdf">Responsible Service of Alcohol (RSA) legislation</a> has remained a stalwart figure.</p>
<p>In Australia, RSA imposes mandatory training requirements for liquor industry workers to educate alcohol servers about signs of intoxication, when to refuse service, and the harms of over-service. Internationally, RSA training is considered a cost-effective strategy to reduce the sale of alcohol to drunk people.</p>
<p>However, <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140673616324205?via%3Dihub">there is little evidence</a> that training alone reduces the propensity for over-service. It may have some effect when coupled with penalties for sales to drunk people and strict enforcement.</p>
<p>Given the longstanding restrictions on the sale of alcohol to intoxicated patrons, it seems perplexing that public drunkenness remains a notable problem – especially when we consider that public knowledge about RSA in Australia appears to be extremely high.</p>
<p>In the <a href="https://www.globaldrugsurvey.com/the-global-drug-survey-2015-findings/">2015 Global Drug Survey</a> of alcohol and drug users, Australian respondents were overwhelmingly aware that it is illegal for bar staff to serve an intoxicated patron.</p>
<p>Awareness varied across states. South Australians were the least aware: 85.2% responded it was illegal to serve alcohol to a drunk person. Western Australians were most aware: 94.7% responded it was illegal.</p>
<hr>
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<p>In spite of this high awareness, a large proportion of respondents also agreed that a drunk person would be served alcohol in Australian licensed venues.</p>
<p>Again, agreement varied across states. In New South Wales, 45% of respondents agreed that a drunk person would be served alcohol. More than 60% of Victorian respondents agreed a drunk person would be served – despite the practice being illegal.</p>
<p>These statistics seem to suggest that current RSA legislation is effective in increasing public knowledge about responsible alcohol service of alcohol, but it may not be effective in deterring public drunkenness or encouraging responsible drinking in Australian bars and nightclubs.</p>
<p>Perhaps more worryingly, these statistics may indicate some patrons buy alcohol even when they are intoxicated, putting bar staff at risk of monetary penalty. There is no penalty for the patron – only for the alcohol server and the venue.</p>
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<hr>
<h2>Combining training with law enforcement</h2>
<p>In Australia, RSA was <a href="http://www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/sinodisp/au/legis/nsw/num_act/placa1830n12395/placa1830n12395.html?stem=0&synonyms=0&query=new%20south%20wales%20liquor">first introduced in NSW</a> in 1830. Since then, it has been adopted across all jurisdictions.</p>
<p>In Australia, mandatory training is coupled with a legislative framework that imposes monetary penalties for the sale of alcohol to anyone who is unduly intoxicated. </p>
<p>Patrons are considered to be unduly intoxicated when their speech, balance, co-ordination and behaviour are noticeably affected, and there are reasonable grounds to believe it is due to alcohol and/or drug use. </p>
<p>In <a href="http://www.legislation.vic.gov.au/Domino/Web_Notes/LDMS/LTObject_Store/LTObjSt7.nsf/DDE300B846EED9C7CA257616000A3571/70AC1BBE193EBF8BCA257B10001DF528/$FILE/98-94aa067%20authorised.pdf">Victoria</a>, <a href="http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/wa/consol_act/lca1988197/">WA</a>, <a href="http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/tas/consol_act/lla1990190/">Tasmania</a>, and <a href="http://www.legislation.nsw.gov.au/inforce/8a197a07-ffb9-eceb-a956-ce6b1f11a313/2007-90.pdf">NSW</a>, it is also illegal for patrons to supply alcohol to another person or assist them in obtaining alcohol if the other person is intoxicated.</p>
<p>Penalties for over-service apply to licensees, managers and individual employees who serve alcohol to intoxicated patrons. </p>
<ul>
<li><p>Monetary penalties for licensees range from A$7,850 (Tasmania) to $63,075 (Queensland). </p></li>
<li><p>Employees who sell alcohol to drunk patrons can be fined anywhere from $1,500 (ACT) to $11,000 (NSW). </p></li>
<li><p>Monetary penalties for patrons who supply alcohol to intoxicated individuals range from $1,100 (NSW) to $7,850 (Tasmania).</p></li>
</ul>
<p>No states or territories impose jail time for the sale or supply of alcohol to intoxicated patrons. Despite long-existing legislation and the potential for heavy penalties, convictions are extremely rare.</p>
<h2>Australia compares favourably on knowledge and laws</h2>
<p>Compared to other countries, though, Australia appears to be performing well when it comes to alcohol and responsibility.</p>
<p>A <a href="http://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/5/12/e010112">recent paper</a> with respondents from 19 countries found Australians were <a href="http://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/bmjopen/suppl/2015/12/23/bmjopen-2015-010112.DC1/bmjopen-2015-010112supp.pdf">second only to New Zealand</a> in relation to knowledge about the illegality of serving drunk patrons.</p>
<p>The research found that in countries where public knowledge is highest, respondents are least likely to agree that a drunk person will be served.</p>
<p>While public knowledge is not enough to stop service to drunk patrons, perhaps informal regulation or self-regulation is enacted through public knowledge. People are less likely to attempt to purchase alcohol when intoxicated if they are aware of the law. And alcohol servers are less inclined to serve drunks if they sense patrons are aware of the legislation and may report their behaviour.</p>
<h2>Room for improvement</h2>
<p>However, the variation in responses between Australia’s states and territories suggests there remains room for improvement. </p>
<p>Focusing on further refinements to the content and delivery of RSA training is unlikely to be the answer. While evidence regarding the effectiveness of RSA training is mixed, there are core limitations of this approach that cannot be tackled through better training methods. </p>
<p>RSA training provides knowledge to servers about signs of intoxication. But these may be difficult to identify in a bar or club where lighting is poor, noise levels are high, and the interaction between bar staff and patrons is brief. </p>
<p>Given the liquor industry’s core business is the sale of alcohol, it’s easy to see why licensees and bar staff may be conflicted when it comes to refusing service. Such an action will likely result in loss of profit, and may lead to outrage or conflict from patrons. </p>
<p>Finally, any systematic approach to enforcement is likely to be resource-intensive and costly. Convictions are difficult to achieve: this requires proof the server was aware of the patron’s intoxication level.</p>
<p>This is not to suggest Australia should do away with its current RSA legislation. Instead, this approach should be coupled with public discussion that encourages people to take responsible for their own drinking behaviour, rather than placing the burden on servers to set drinking limits for patrons.</p>
<hr>
<p><em>This article was co-authored by Emily Kilpatrick, a masters student at the University of Queensland.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/80890/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jason Ferris is the chief biostatistican and part of the core research team in the Global Drug Survey.
Jason Ferris receives and has received financial support from the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council
(APP1089395, APP1122200), Australian Research Council (LP160100067, LP120100689, RFQ2009/30), Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education, Queensland Government, Criminology Research Council, Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Science, Australian & New Zealand Association of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons, Tasmanian Department of Health and Human Services, The University of Queensland, Victorian Law Enforcement Drug Fund, Department of Health and Ageing, VicHealth, Australian National Preventive Health Agency.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Adam Winstock is founder of the annual Global Drugs Survey.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Larissa J. Maier and Renee Zahnow do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Responsible Service of Alcohol laws should be coupled with public discussion that encourages people to take responsible for their own drinking behaviour.Jason Ferris, Senior Research Fellow, NHMRC Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Institute for Social Science Research, The University of QueenslandAdam Winstock, Founder of the Global Drug Survey and Senior Lecturer, King's College LondonLarissa J. Maier, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of ZurichRenee Zahnow, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Institute for Social Science Research, The University of QueenslandLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/714142017-01-22T10:01:57Z2017-01-22T10:01:57ZHow night club bouncers police the social order - from Berlin to Johannesburg<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/153014/original/image-20170117-2750-1yjsgjj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Berlin’s cult nightclub, Berghain, is guarded by bouncer, Sven Marquardt, who has become a celebrity in his own right.
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Joerg Carstensen/EPA</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Across the world bouncers remain gatekeepers to the nightclub experience: controlling the queue at the door; curating the size and look of the crowd; and securing the institution from unwanted “intruders”. Indeed, “door policies” and “bouncing” remain characteristic of nightclub cultures globally. </p>
<p>Last year I attended the <a href="http://stadt-nach-acht.de/">Berlin NIGHTS Conference</a> which saw artists, club owners, researchers, policymakers and
<a href="https://theconversation.com/new-night-mayors-could-make-cities-dreams-come-true-heres-how-68388">night mayors</a> gathered to discuss Europe’s nighttime industry. Discussions about door policies permeated the conference, prompting me to think about how “bouncing” was being understood, and how this differed from my experience of nightclub doors in South Africa. What might the varying bouncing cultures of Berlin and Johannesburg, for example, tell us about these two metropolises? Both are at the centre of their respective countries’ night cultures, and both have undergone fundamental social transitions since 1990. </p>
<h2>Door policies in Berlin</h2>
<p>I learnt that door policies in Berlin, and indeed many other European cities, were notoriously strict, with seemingly mysterious criteria for who is granted entry. After hours of queuing, clubbers might still be turned away: “It’s not your night.” No need for explanation. It could be that arbitrary. </p>
<p>Hopefuls queuing for the Berlin’s most famous nightclub, <a href="http://www.berghain.de/">Berghain</a>, can wait up to three hours, sometimes with as many as 60% being turned away. The club, housed in a refurbished Communist-era power station, is guarded by former East Berlin punk photographer: Sven Marquardt. Now of celebrity status, he has <a href="http://www.gq.com/story/berghain-bouncer-sven-marquardt-interview">featured</a> on the cover of the men’s fashion magazine GQ, is soon to release a book, and is an icon of the global night-scene. </p>
<p>Berghain’s enigmatic door policy has given rise to a slew of online articles, all offering advice for how to “crack the code” to entrance. According to Marquardt, he, and his team, are simply trying to create the “perfect salad”: an optimum diversity.</p>
<p>The internet, however, offers more actionable <a href="http://getintoberghain.com/">tips</a> for how to access Berghain: don’t arrive in groups, don’t be too drunk, “don’t sound like a tourist” (with some worrying implications for recent immigrants), wear casual clothes (preferably black), take it seriously. </p>
<p>Berghain and Marquardt are on the extreme end of what appears to be a wider phenomenon: unspecified entry requirements and discerning, deified bouncers.</p>
<p>Also presenting at the NIGHTS conference was <a href="https://urban-night-life.com/2016/12/05/nights2016-stadt-nach-acht-conference-on-the-nighttime-economy/">Smiley Baldwin</a> a former US military officer deployed to Cold War West Berlin, and now one of the city’s most-loved bouncers. Baldwin was instrumental to <a href="https://www.pri.org/stories/2011-09-23/gi-disco-berlin">GI Disco</a>, which, in the 1980s and 90s, brought black American music to Berlin night culture. Today, as a Berlin bouncer, he told conference audiences that he gives himself 100 meters to decide the fate of a potential club-goer: the way they walk, how long it takes to hear them, what they’re wearing, how they interact with others. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/153016/original/image-20170117-23055-1fd8twz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/153016/original/image-20170117-23055-1fd8twz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=293&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/153016/original/image-20170117-23055-1fd8twz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=293&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/153016/original/image-20170117-23055-1fd8twz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=293&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/153016/original/image-20170117-23055-1fd8twz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=369&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/153016/original/image-20170117-23055-1fd8twz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=369&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/153016/original/image-20170117-23055-1fd8twz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=369&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">People queue up in front of the club Berghain in Berlin.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Hannibal Hanschke/Reuters</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Many who participated in the NIGHTS conference seemed to view strict door policies as a way of championing diversity, keeping out aggressive and so-called “fascist” patrons, and ultimately curating a “Utopian” social space. But others saw door policies as fundamentally discriminatory. </p>
<p>Since my return, I’ve spoken to a number of Johannesburg bouncers about bouncing in Berlin. We’ve agreed that Berlin door policies would fail in this city. The reasons, in my opinion, are interesting signals about our social aspirations and anxieties.</p>
<h2>Club owners need customers</h2>
<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/153046/original/image-20170117-23058-zytzdo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/153046/original/image-20170117-23058-zytzdo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/153046/original/image-20170117-23058-zytzdo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/153046/original/image-20170117-23058-zytzdo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/153046/original/image-20170117-23058-zytzdo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/153046/original/image-20170117-23058-zytzdo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/153046/original/image-20170117-23058-zytzdo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Clubbing is seen as risky business.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Beth Vale</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>South Africa’s night industry is too fragile to be turning away so many of its clientele. Clubs are perceived as risky business, not only by owners, but also many clubbers. To grow the night industry, party-goers need to feel secure. Where Berlin bouncers might serve as discerning cultural curators, Johannesburg’s are primarily “security”, posted to make customers feel “safe” and “welcome”. Drawing from an old police adage, one bouncer told me his job was to “serve and protect” so that people could “enjoy their time”. </p>
<p>Class undoubtedly plays a role. While Berlin bouncers are pseudo-celebrities, Johannesburg’s are former security guards, refugees, working class gym-buffs or immigrants. “You can be a professor or a doctor in your own country,” one Congolese bouncer told me. “[Here], you find yourself in a situation where you have to hustle to survive.” When I asked him whether being a “foreigner” made a difference in his work, he said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Yes. You get insulted every day because of those things. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>Some bouncers indicated that the extent of challenge or insult they received from customers could be differentiated along racial lines. The more societal power, the less likely the patron was to feel affronted by a bouncer’s reprimand or refusal. When confronted by a bouncer, white customers were reported to be “respectful”; black patrons less so. Indian and Coloured clientele — the population groups that are all too often invisible in the national discourse — were reported by these bouncers to have the most volatile aggression.</p>
<h2>Constitutional rights on the dancefloor</h2>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/153022/original/image-20170117-23050-5z8th0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/153022/original/image-20170117-23050-5z8th0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/153022/original/image-20170117-23050-5z8th0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/153022/original/image-20170117-23050-5z8th0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/153022/original/image-20170117-23050-5z8th0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/153022/original/image-20170117-23050-5z8th0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/153022/original/image-20170117-23050-5z8th0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">South Africans believe they have a right to party.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Charles Leonard</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Being arbitrarily denied access to a club in South Africa would provoke suspicions of discrimination, enshrined in the country’s constitution. “They’d definitely be angry,” one bouncer told me. “You can’t say someone is not allowed without a proper reason”.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, Johannesburg nightclubs still entail multiple forms of prejudice. Entrance fees and high-end dress codes create significant barriers to entry. Level of protection and leeway within the nightclub is often a function of a person’s spending capacity. “VIP, VVIP, VVIP Platinum: all those people, they would have paid a lot of money, so you have to look after them,” I was told. And conversely, </p>
<blockquote>
<p>If you look at someone (in the club) and you can tell, this one can’t afford to be here, we make sure we watch those people. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>Covert racial discrimination persists through the directives that some club owners give bouncers. </p>
<blockquote>
<p>In Johannesburg, there are some clubs that don’t want Indians. There are some clubs that don’t want Coloureds. Some they don’t want to mix whites with others: when the whites notice that this place is accommodating more blacks these days, they start to run away. [When I get instructions like this], I just tell them [the “undesirable clientele”] that it’s a private party. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>I was also told: “It’s not easy to find a club that’s accommodating everybody, unless it’s a fancy club at Nelson Mandela Square (in upmarket Sandton).”</p>
<p>The rich, it seems, can party together, no matter their skin colour. </p>
<p>The common factor is that everybody wants to be recognised: to feel like a “very important person” (a VIP). This is one of the primary commodities on sale in nightclubs. In a city like Johannesburg, where so many feel the newness, contested-ness, or perpetual volatility of their social position, the stakes are invariably high. </p>
<p>Bouncers, in both Berlin and Johannesburg, are witness to, and sometimes arbiters of, these social struggles.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/71414/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Beth Vale receives funding from the National Research Foundation. </span></em></p>Both Berlin and Johannesburg are at the centre of their respective countries’ night cultures. Both cities have undergone fundamental social transitions since 1990.Beth Vale, Post-doctoral Fellow NRF Chair: Local Histories, Present Realities, University of the WitwatersrandLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.