Basement, arguably New York City’s best-known contemporary nightclub, has always had a tight, Berghain-esque door policy. That’s part of its allure. You stand before the bouncer and await to receive their vibe check, and you either get let into its dark, crimson-lit halls, or get turned away, feeling the stigma of being uncool. That’s just the way it is.
But it’s not being mysterious about its newest criteria for entry. On social media Thursday, Basement announced an unequivocal “smart glasses policy”: anyone bespectacled with the quirky pieces of spyware immediately gets kicked to the curb.
“Our no photo/no video policy exists to protect the privacy, safety and freedom of everyone on our dance floor,” the announcement begins. “Devices that allow discreet recording are incompatible with that policy.”
“Anyone bringing smart glasses into the venue, whether wearing them or carrying them in a bag,” it adds, “will be asked to leave and may be permanently banned.”
You heard that right: permanently banned.
Nightlifers seemed pleased by the announcement.
“BASEDment,” enthused one commenter.
“This should be policy at every club,” said another.
Now, to be clear, nightclubs like Basement have a longstanding subjective — and often nebulous — criteria for who gets in, and anyone dorky enough to show up to one wearing Meta glasses almost certainly wouldn’t make the cut anyway.
Still, the fact that Basement feels like it has to draw a clear line in the sand is an indictment of how hated and devastatingly uncool smart glasses have become. No amount of ad campaigns that Meta is pouring untold millions of dollars into — nor even endorsements from Kylie Jenner or Kylian Mbappé, literally some of the most famous people on the planet — is going to change that. To many, they will always be “pervert glasses.”
This is different from the broader trend of newer nightclubs banning phones and other devices, too. Phones, we accept, are just a part of life that would be nice to have a break from, both for the sake of our brains and for the sake of not ending up being roasted on a stranger’s Instagram Reel. But with smart glasses, the message is this: you’re not welcome here.
The little surveillance devices are being used to record people without their consent, and it’s emboldened misogynists to score online points by recording themselves harassing women. No one trusts how Meta is using all the footage and other data the devices record, but we do know that its overseas contractors have watched people be naked and have sex without the wearers knowing. The vibes around them, simply put, are bad.
The glasses will continue to proliferate, undoubtedly, but establishments like Basement are holding the line.
More on smart glasses: Teen Boys Are Using Meta Glasses to Harass and Bully Girls at High Schools and Middle Schools
The post NYC’s Buzziest Nightclub Announces Stance On Smart Glasses: Even Try To Bring Them In, You’re Banned Forever appeared first on Futurism.
