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Shamus Roan
Bio
I am a non-partisan observer of the world, from politics, culture, religion and any nuance that ties our human narrative. 15 years I was a security contractor, now in hotel management and working on my first fictional novel.
Stories (6/0)
Forever Our Children
Children are our future, our legacy in which we shape with our words, actions, example and presence. It is not an easy job for any parent trying to do the best we can for them and there seems to be no one way or guide book to how we should do these things—if there were I could imagine it being only slightly easier to understand than a Ikea manual.
By Shamus Roan7 years ago in Families
My Story of Violence
(Disclaimer: Sorry for the length, much was cut before the final version, i hope you see it through.) This is not a world history lesson or even a political narrative, this is a story about something I struggle with, an addiction which there is no rehab for, least not in the way I could have once used it. This is the story about my relationship and domination of violence.
By Shamus Roan7 years ago in Psyche
In the Lives of Others
Some may have figured out by now that I have existed mainly in two careers in my life, though both very different; there are similarities in which seem to fade into the other effortlessly. As a bouncer I did, on the most part, get to know people; depending on where and how long I worked in a venue I could get to know intimate details of their lives which often helped me deal with them better. In my Hotel career, it's actually far more intimate and detailed, and this is about those I have had the pleasure and displeasure of knowing while manning the front desk into the darkest hours of our daily rotation.
By Shamus Roan7 years ago in Humans
Don't Raise Your Kids to Be D*cks
Parenting is difficult for anyone, but as parents, we must do all we can to raise our kids the best we can. They are our legacy and the future of the world. They will encompass all that we are in a tiny package, so for God’s sake, raise your kid’s not to be dicks to others.
By Shamus Roan7 years ago in Families
Unsung Heroes
Rain came down in sheets, soaking everything it could at this time of year it was not expected. My colleague and I were working the front desk when a familiar face popped in, drenched but smiling. The night before we checked him in, a vagrant traveling up from from Colorado to get to a town nearly an hour further away. He was dressed in a way that made me think of an post-apocalyptic merchant, even sporting a large brim hat full of different decorations. We already knew he was having a tough time ending his journey; the last leg of it was just an hour away but he sat out for three days hoping for a ride to his destination without success. So he had to stay another night to get out of the cold wet, have a shower, and enjoy the indoors for a moment. We knew he was a botanist and had a job waiting for him whenever he was able to arrive and we respected that.
By Shamus Roan7 years ago in Serve
When Profiling Isn't Harmful
For over 15 years I worked the doors in Melbourne, I have encountered enough things to last a life time of articles and stories, but today I want to speak about how profiling can save someone from harm.Consider this, you are a bouncer at a club that varies the clientele nightly, in a weekend you may have a gay night, a "Race" night, you may have a 28 and older night etc. These nights are niches in which specific communities can gather together and have fun and act like tools in the comfort of whatever they are. Sometimes it is a great idea, others... not so great."Race" nights normally are not called this, its more a term we use in the industry and to be honest we know it will be a night of issues. Generally you hear "African Night" or "Croatian Night" etc. Here comes where profiling saves you from harm. I will explain from a personal story. In my early days of drunk babysitting, I was asked to assist in an African night, and I loved it, the vibe was great, girls gorgeous, dudes good fun. The night went on with a few squabbles and drunks going about their rants, till I made a mistake, let two whites dudes inside—not considering any harm, they were well dressed, well mannered and just starting their night type of drunk. It was not ten minutes in I hear the call to a huge fight, I run in, meeting my brothers in arms to a scene of several people beating the living hell out of these two white guys. We pulled them out, they refused medical attention and we ended up shutting the night down early due to that incident killing the vibe.Now some may hear this story and say, "Those Africans obviously racist." and that could be a case for possible individual feelings but not the reality. See the white guys went in and were greeted well, even offered drinks which they accept. While at the bar, the two white guys said and I am quoting the bartender here, "Even here we are superior," which obviously more than one person took offense too. From that day I decided I would be a professional bigot on the doors. This was not the only case of this sort of thing happening and generally comes from inexperience. I didn't consider race or religion or culture when I dealt with people, I only assumed their attitude, intoxication level, and or dress. Now that has changed.I got called a bigot often, and I took it happily cause I knew that whoever I refused based on profiling would not likely be waking up in hospital or worse the next day. I refused gay guys and Middle Eastern guys into redneck bars, I refused Greek guys into Turkish nights etc. It sounds wrong, and it is and hated doing it, but it kept people safer. Does this mean I always did this? No, you have to consider other factors. Now if someone who "isn't of the crowd" comes up with those who are, good chance that person will be safe.I was probably most selective at LGBT events than anything. I was not about to allow a group of straight guys go into a gay night or even Hen's nights. Trust me on this it can cause issues, damn the things I've seen. Now again, this is not some golden rule, I did on occasion let straight guys into gay nights, why? Some guys literally would go to those nights for safety reasons, or some would be discovering their own sexuality and I cannot be the guy to deny them that. In the end it is case by case but profiling can literally save your life if done for the right reasons—agree or not; I sleep well at night knowing I helped others avoid very dangerous situations.
By Shamus Roan7 years ago in Journal