Hey Ron! - Why Can't We Have Anything Nice?

Hey Ron,

I love going to the club and getting my dance on. But it seems like every time I go out, there is some knucklehead there who wants to start fighting or even shooting. I don't even kick it anymore because some idiot always ruins it for everybody. Why can't people just treat each other with respect and have a good time? Why can't we have anything nice for a change?

Thanks,
Dancing Blues

This is a problem with all people of all ethnicities and backgrounds. It seems like everyone starts to act up when they get something nice. But once they get that nice thing taken away, they want to get upset. It's just like the kids you see fighting at the club. Those will be the same kids who will be upset when the clubs in your area close for good and they have nowhere to go on a Friday night.

Part of the blame falls on the community. People need to start policing their own neighborhoods. There is no sense of unity or mutual respect. The police shouldn't have to tell your monkey butt not to start fights with others in the street. You should just know not to do that. But if you're silly enough that you want to try and act tough, your friends and neighbors should say to you, "Hey man, chill out. Don't act a fool." But these days, your neighbors actually want to see you get hurt or see you hurt somebody. They egg you on.

This kind of messed up situation is happening right now not far from the VICE offices at the McCarren Pool in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The pool was closed almost three decades ago because people didn't know how to act. Now the community has completely changed with gentrification and all that, but they are still dealing with the same problems. They just opened it up again for the first time in 28 years and there is a whole new crop of party-poopers that are screwing things up for everybody. The city spent over $50 million dollars restoring this public good so these idiots could fight and pee in the pool? It's just crazy.

It’s a public pool, so it is free for kids under the age of 18. But since they've been destroying everything, I wouldn't be surprised if the city went, “OK, everybody has to pay big bucks to use this pool.” And you know who’s going to lose out—all the single moms who can't afford to pay for all of their kids to go to the pool. Everybody loses. Fighting is not a good thing, especially in places like public pools and clubs because they invite Big Brother to start regulating and watching everything you do. These kids that are out here fighting need to understand that the more they act up, the more likely the police and the powers that be will use that as an excuse to hassle them—even when they are doing nothing wrong.

I understand that kids want to wild-out. I've done everything in the book. I was so bad when I was a young kid living in the projects that I would catch bees in a jar, climb onto the top of an elevator, shake up the bees, and then drop them down the elevator shaft on innocent victims. I even surfed the train once. So I get it. I know you young people want to go nuts and act dumb, but trust me, you are only hurting yourself. Everything I used to do, I am completely against now. So take a note from me kids and just chill out. If you see someone acting up, help them out by being a voice of reason—maybe then you'll finally be able to have something nice.

Ron is VICE's accounts receivable manager. He also happens to be a master of mixed martial arts and a treasure trove of knowledge and advice. Even your sick perversions, dysfunctional predicaments, and anti-social thoughts don't surprise him. So go ahead, ask him something already. Email Ron your questions to HeyRon@vice.com or tweet them to @Hey_Ron. Every person who gets their question answered will receive their very own Hey Ron! t-shirt, three print issues of VICE magazine, and a personal note from Ron.

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