History Main / Bouncer

From TV and movies, one gets the impression that a bouncer is a large person, whose main job is to turn away the business of people who are insufficiently cool, or to provide an escort out for those customers who have lost their cool after admittance. They also oversee the WannabeLine. Overtly unsympathetic examples are usually portrayed as [[DumbMuscle dimwitted]], [[JerkAss loutish]] assholes who needlessly harass patrons minding their own business and ''always'' seem to be [[BloodKnight looking for a fight to start or join in on]] or a sufficiently annoying patron to [[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown pound the shit out of]].[[note]]While there ''are'' definitely bouncers out there who fit this description, they very rarely work in reputable establishments. Violence in a club is bad for business, as it can cause damage, scare patrons away, and invite massive lawsuits. Intelligent owners and heads of security look for bouncers who know how to ''prevent or stop'' fights, not start or escalate them, and the classic image of the large, overweight meathead is steadily becoming a DiscreditedTrope as more and more places are hiring women and average-sized men, as the former can deal with drunk and aggressive women far more easily and with far fewer opportunities for lawsuits, while the latter group helps foster a friendlier, less hostile atmosphere, as well as being far less likely to attract the attention of aggressive men intent on proving their machismo.[[/note]]

** It becomes less funny when one considers that according to the Codex, Elcor can punch through the average non-military starship's hull. It means that he probably can't even throw anyone out (he'd splatter them with a touch) but it does ensure no one tries to pick a fight with anyone under risk of that. On the other hand, a major aspect of the elcor race is ''extreme'' patience, so anyone who manages to actually make one ''angry'' probably deserves what they get.
** Matriarch Aethyta also handles this role as double duty for [[TheBartender her other role.]] It does help that her father was a Krogan. She is sufficiently tough to drop a Krogan with a headbutt. [[spoiler: One sees where Liara gets her dangerous side.]]

* Some such takes care of the protagonist for getting a little too grabby with the BellyDancer at the end of the song "Stop! Stop! Stop!" by ''Music/TheHollies''.

In truth, most real-life club bouncers have far more prosaic duties; their job consists primarily of checking ID, tossing out rowdy customers, watching for signs of trouble to come (be it the beginnings of a possible fight, patrons who are far too intoxicated for their own good, illegal activity being conducted, sexual predators getting ready to make their move, and other things of that sort), guarding [=VIPs=], and often includes acting as the bar's janitor; the "not on the Guest List" part usually only comes up when the club is reserved for private functions. If they work at a strip club, they will also be in charge of enforcing tipping rules, as most strip clubs require patrons to tip and give the dancers and bartenders the authority to report cheapskates to the bouncers, who can then either inform them of the rules or throw them out if they're rude or have already been warned; furthermore, they also have an incentive to skip the "warning" part when dealing with grabby or creepy customers, as clubs that are perceived as being "creep-friendly" will attract more bad customers, lead to high turnover among dancers, and will attract more desperate or low-quality dancers who can't get work anywhere else.[[note]]Additionally, once the final 60-90 minutes before last call hits, most of these duties are discarded or majorly downplayed in favor of increased floor vigilance; this time is frequently referred to as "magic hour", when customers are frequently at their most drunk, exhausted, and frayed, and this time is ripe for tempers to flare and violence to erupt out of seemingly nowhere. While the door crews will usually continue working as normal, everyone else will be focusing a lot more on monitoring everyone in sight as close as possible for any signs of trouble brewing.[[/note]]

In truth, most real-life club bouncers have far more prosaic duties; their job consists primarily of checking ID, tossing out rowdy customers, watching for signs of trouble to come (be it the beginnings of a possible fight, patrons who are far too intoxicated for their own good, illegal activity being conducted, sexual predators getting ready to make their move, and other things of that sort), guarding [=VIPs=], and often includes acting as the bar's janitor; the "not on the Guest List" part usually only comes up when the club is reserved for private functions. If they work at a strip club, they will also be in charge of enforcing tipping rules, as most strip clubs require patrons to tip and give the dancers and bartenders the authority to report cheapskates to the bouncers, who can then either inform them of the rules or throw them out if they're rude or have already been warned; furthermore, they also have an incentive to skip the "warning" part when dealing with grabby or creepy customers, as clubs who are perceived as being "creep-friendly" will attract more bad customers, lead to high turnover among dancers, and will attract more desperate or low-quality dancers who can't get work anywhere else.[[note]]Additionally, once the final 60-90 minutes before last call hits, most of these duties are discarded or majorly downplayed in favor of increased floor vigilance; this time is frequently referred to as "magic hour", when customers are frequently at their most drunk, exhausted, and frayed, and this time is ripe for tempers to flare and violence to erupt out of seemingly nowhere. While the door crews will usually continue working as normal, everyone else will be focusing a lot more on monitoring everyone in sight as close as possible for any signs of trouble brewing.[[/note]]

That said, some clubs in New York City do use bouncers to screen incoming patrons for whatever reasons. The practice started with Studio 54 in the 1970s, when the owner empowered his bouncers as doormen and made admission to the discotheque arbitrarily selective (for non-celebrities, at least). This was an intentional ploy to build up the mystique of the club, and it worked like a charm. It was subsequently copied by clubs all over the city and beyond, and the entire practice has become rooted in pop culture as the "usual" way things are done. Which it isn't, of course, since most night clubs can't afford to be picky about their patrons. Well, not entirely, as bouncers are still required to screen for and refuse entry to prospective patrons who are visibly intoxicated, aggressive, openly displaying gang affiliation, [[PersonaNonGrata known troublemakers]], or who don't meet dress code standards.

In truth, most real-life club bouncers have far more prosaic duties; their job consists primarily of checking ID, tossing out rowdy customers, watching for signs of trouble to come (be it the beginnings of a possible fight, patrons who are far too intoxicated for their own good, illegal activity being conducted, sexual predators getting ready to make their move, and other things of that sort), guarding [=VIPs=], and often includes acting as the bar's janitor. If they work at a strip club, they will also be in charge of enforcing tipping rules, as most strip clubs require patrons to tip and give the dancers and bartenders the authority to report cheapskates to the bouncers, who can then either inform them of the rules or throw them out if they're rude or have already been warned; furthermore, they also have an incentive to skip the "warning" part when dealing with grabby or creepy customers, as clubs who are perceived as being "creep-friendly" will attract more bad customers, lead to high turnover among dancers, and will attract more desperate or low-quality dancers who can't get work anywhere else.[[note]]Additionally, once the final 60-90 minutes before last call hits, most of these duties are discarded or majorly downplayed in favor of increased floor vigilance; this time is frequently referred to as "magic hour", when customers are frequently at their most drunk, exhausted, and frayed, and this time is ripe for tempers to flare and violence to erupt out of seemingly nowhere. While the door crews will usually continue working as normal, everyone else will be focusing a lot more on monitoring everyone in sight as close as possible for any signs of trouble brewing.[[/note]]

* In ''Film/WhoFramedRogerRabbit'', the bouncer of The Ink & Paint Club is a {{toon}} gorilla named Bongo who unceremoniously dumps Eddie outside when he catches him peeping.

* John Goodman of ''{{Roseanne}}'' fame had a job as a bouncer when he was younger but quit almost immediately when the management began teaching him techniques on how to beat people up.
* GarthBrooks had this job before he became famous.

* Mr. T started as a bouncer. His habit of wearing loads of jewelry started with property he pulled off of people he was ejecting from his club - he wore any jewelry dropped by people in the fights as a walking lost-and-found. For some reason a lot of people never asked him for their necklace back...

In truth, most real-life club bouncers have far more prosaic duties; their job consists primarily of checking ID, tossing out rowdy customers, watching for signs of trouble to come (be it the beginnings of a possible fight, patrons who are far too intoxicated for their own good, illegal activity being conducted, sexual predators getting ready to make their move, and other things of that sort), guarding [=VIPs=], and often includes acting as the bar's janitor. If they work at a strip club, they will also be in charge of enforcing tipping rules, as most strip clubs require patrons to tip and give the dancers and bartenders the authority to report cheapskates to the bouncers, who can then either inform them of the rules or throw them out if they're rude or have already been warned.[[note]]Additionally, once the final 60-90 minutes before last call hits, most of these duties are discarded or majorly downplayed in favor of increased floor vigilance; this time is frequently referred to as "magic hour", when customers are frequently at their most drunk, exhausted, and frayed, and this time is ripe for tempers to flare and violence to erupt out of seemingly nowhere. While the door crews will usually continue working as normal, everyone else will be focusing a lot more on monitoring everyone in sight as close as possible for any signs of trouble brewing.[[/note]]

In truth, most real-life club bouncers have far more prosaic duties; their job consists primarily of checking ID, tossing out rowdy customers, watching for signs of trouble to come (be it the beginnings of a possible fight, patrons who are far too intoxicated for their own good, illegal activity being conducted, sexual predators getting ready to make their move, and other things of that sort), guarding [=VIPs=], and often includes acting as the bar's janitor.[[note]]Additionally, once the final 60-90 minutes before last call hits, most of these duties are discarded or majorly downplayed in favor of increased floor vigilance; this time is frequently referred to as "magic hour", when customers are frequently at their most drunk, exhausted, and frayed, and this time is ripe for tempers to flare and violence to erupt out of seemingly nowhere. While the door crews will usually continue working as normal, everyone else will be focusing a lot more on monitoring everyone in sight as close as possible for any signs of trouble brewing.[[/note]]

That said, some clubs in New York City do use bouncers to screen incoming patrons for whatever reasons. The practice started with Studio 54 in the 1970s, when the owner empowered his bouncers as doormen and made admission to the discotheque arbitrarily selective (for non-celebrities, at least). This was an intentional ploy to build up the mystique of the club, and it worked like a charm. It was subsequently copied by clubs all over the city and beyond, and the entire practice has become rooted in pop culture as the "usual" way things are done. Which it isn't, of course, since most night clubs can't afford to be picky about their patrons. Well, not entirely, as bouncers are still required to screen for and refuse entry to prospective patrons who are visibly intoxicated, aggressive, openly displaying gang affiliation, or known troublemakers.