Opinion: What's Yours Is Mein

Last weekend, I was working on the Mein Floor bar when a tall guy leaned over the counter and waved at me. I asked him to wait his turn because I was busy serving a few other customers but he kept waving. I tried to ignore him so I could concentrate on those other guests, until my colleague tapped me on the shoulder: "That guy wants to speak with you." I turned and saw the tall guy was still there, waving.

"What's up?" I asked.

"I'm sorry if I'm making stress… I'm just kind of high and I wanted to say something."

"And that is...?" I asked, as patiently as I could.

"What happened to MY Meier?" he cried. "I want MY Meier back. You know what I mean?" Yes... kind of.  There are as many Mensch Meiers as there are people that come to this club - that's what sets the place apart. The door crew doesn't expect everyone to dress in black or suspend all of their personal quirks to wait mutely in line, waiting to be processed by security. So people come here as they are... as they're allowed to be.

But sometimes, they come as society tells them to be: egotistical instead of open, insensitive instead of sympathetic. Overall, it's a safe space but that doesn't mean it's a passive one. It's a space that's sustained by a large amount of action & interactivity. This fact comes across in surveys with our guests.

Apparently, the majority of people coming to Mensch Meier know someone in the crews. That gives them a feeling of being part of the production, right from the start, and that feeling reaches everyone else. They don't just feel represented, but also able to represent themselves in a space of trust, experimentation and playful extremes. It's an attractive offer to anyone with an autonomous soul.  

But there are challenges in maintaining that space: how do we avoid succumbing to the impulse to form cliques - and consequently, hierarchies? How do we prevent the backstage from being so packed that the crew can no longer relax in it? What do we do when a group turns up that's so big, its atmosphere overshadows everything and the guests start asking themselves (or the bartenders), "What's happened to MY Meier?" The answer may be that a safe space is less about outcomes than it is about a process. As long as everyone in this space uses it to engage, explore and create, it will stay safe for all those things. If someone makes you feel unable to do that, you can always talk to any of us… because our crew is an extension of yours. After all, your Meier is our Meier too.

Originally published in Mensch Meier's newsletter (sign-up link)

"Party without sexism - you are the producer" - a sticker in the toilets.