chick and a dick. The nameless, faceless prospect of getting down and dirty. Here, a sexual interaction is glamorized as easy, a guaranteed prize for patronizing this unnamed bar. Picture it: the two of you are talking , dancing, buying beers or having beers bought for you, perhaps even a little touchy feel slipped in here and there among the drunk laughs. Then one of you says smoothly, "Hey. What do you say we hit that telephone booth, baby." Easy, huh? Ahhh, the simplicity of bar life.

We all know that's not the way it happens. It's awkward, it's dirty, and there is no telephone booth. And what about if you're not there to find that chick, or that dick for that matter? You're just there to have a few beers, perhaps unwinding from stress with friends. But come to this bar, and someone will undoubtedly back you into a corner on your way to the bathroom and throw you one of those classic lines: "Aren't you in my blah blah class?", "Haven't we met before?", "I just had to tell you how hot you are."

Whatever happened to hanging out? God forbid you're not there to get laid. You see, throughout out the ages there's always been this nagging little issue of the separation of the sexes. Men and women having a small problem with forming connections. But ha ha, not in this picture. Here we see a fine example of a man and a woman as one. There's her leg wrapped around him and his hands down her crotch. You know they're thinking, "getting to know you, getting to know all about you." Come on people, whathafuck is going on here? The only connection between these two is in their alcohol ridden lower nether regions. And this is the kind of image that is actually being promoted as a positive thing. There's something frightening about these images, their promotion, and our casual acceptance of them.

Glorifying a situation like this is exactly the way society perpetuates the gap between males and females . Physical connections are touted as the most desirable form of interaction. As women, we could merely be personally offended by the fact that she's hanging onto the booth like something at the local meat factory. But that's not really the issue. Walk around campus and these signs are plastered everywhere. Take a second look at what may initially seem like an innocent if not mildly amusing advertisement. If this is the kind of thing that attracts you to patronize any institution then maybe *you* need to talk someone. Mental connections should not be regarded as second best.

© Trincoll Journal, 1996.