Not my scene :)
Some of the Malaysian bloggers are planning to go clubbing tonight. Ahh... that is SO not my thing. :)
I've been conspicuously silent as emails have shot back and forth, suggesting possible venues. It's not that I have any objections to the activity itself I highly doubt that going to a nightclub/disco is synonymous with promiscuity or rebellion or drunkenness or any other such thing that parents worry about.
The fact is, I don't like the crowds and smoke and the blaring music. It's personal preference, pure and simple.
My choice of music is usually slow and soothing; my favourite radio station (when I do tune in to one) is Light N Easy, whose tagline goes, "Playing continuous relaxing favourites from the 60s to the 90s". So what if some people say it's an "old peoples' station"?? *tosses head defiantly* *grin*
Yup, if you were to give me a choice, I'd choose a nice café with soothing music in the background. I'm a throwback to another era, that's what I am! *rolls eyes*
Besides, that kind of environment is more conducive to conversation. I've never understood why some people say they go clubbing in order to meet more people. How can you "meet people" when you can barely see the other person's face in there, the lighting's so dim, and you have to conduct a conversation by yelling at the top of your voice?
To top it all off, I don't like the taste of alcohol. Maybe I've just been trying the wrong kind, but I don't even like wine or beer, let alone whiskey or vodka! (Of course, you're talking to the girl who doesn't like coffee either, unless it's been sweetened and creamed beyond recognition. All true coffee drinkers are sure to cringe when they read this...)
Two years ago, on my birthday, a friend (who shares the same birthdate as I) persuaded me to go clubbing with her and her friends. Somehow, she ended up spending the night hugging the toilet bowl and this the same woman who told me to nurse my drink slowly and drink lots of water so I wouldn't get dehydrated!
After watching her, I wondered why on earth anyone would want to get drunk. It's not fun and it's not pretty. Why do people make jokes about it and laugh about it as if it's a huge lark?!
I think it's quite obvious that I'm not a party animal :) In fact, I'm always a bit awkward in crowds, preferring to go out in smaller groups or one-on-one.
Do I have any religious grounds for staying away from nightclubs? Not really. I wouldn't say that going clubbing makes one a "bad Christian" there is so much more to being a Christian than simply following a bunch of petty do's and don'ts.
There ARE people who will instantly say that Christians have no business being in such places. On the other hand, I've heard stories about the whole "Christians are boring people who never have any fun" myth being burst simply because someone met a Christian in a nightclub.
I guess the way a person carries him/herself makes a difference. I know a Christian friend who simply goes there to dance she views it sort of like exercise, to "release tension". She also told me that although she might dress slightly more skimpily than usual, she's doubly careful in the way she acts and carries herself because she has no intention of sending out wrong signals.
But whatever it's just so not my scene. I think I'll stick to places like Starbucks.
And if I'm not out clubbing on a Friday night, it's not that I don't have a life; my definition of "life" is just different from yours :)
I wrote this and then I wondered if I was being too liberal, if I was bending over backwards to seem open and understanding and considerate, or some such rot. Coz I know most of the bloggers who are planning to go clubbing tonight will probably read this, and I definitely didn't want to sound disapproving (like it's any of my business to disapprove anyway) or condescending or judgemental. I'm the type of person who will take the middle ground and dance around the fact that I don't like something, if someone else's feelings are involved.
To be honest, the thought of a Christian in a disco still kind of shocks me a little inside. But, quite aside from not wanting to step on anybody's toes, I do believe that reaction stems from silly prejudice, not a conviction that it is wrong.
Why a person goes there and what s/he does there is what makes the difference, I think. Simply being there is not really the issue.