Written by Dallas Hyland
The owner of the now infamous restaurant, Barista’s in Hurricane, Utah, has replaced the enlarged phallus on the towering bull statue atop his establishment.
Honestly, he never should have removed it.
The decision to go back to the statue’s original state, amidst conflicting stories about why it was removed at all, was reported in several news sources who attempted–in vain perhaps–to tone down the rhetoric of owner Steve Ward.
Here at the Indy, we thought it best just to cite the man directly on Saturday, April 18, for a couple of reasons. For one, well, he said it. And two, you really have to experience the guy in real time to get a handle on the affront to the senses he really is in a platitude of ways. Whether you like him, hate him, are indifferent to him, or whatever, you cannot ignore him. He will not let you.
And folks, he is making money on this. A lot of money to be sure.
In the middle of a seemingly “who really cares” tabloid-worthy story, however, is the nucleus of something important here locally. And perhaps beyond.
Admittedly, while Ward may be an unlikely and unsavory candidate for the task, he is the man of the hour who is brazen in taking on the establishment, namely the establishment that maintains its own somewhat religiously based moral imperative and applies it judiciously across the board to the people who live, work, and particularly engage in legal businesses here.
I often like to tell people that there is a progressive right of passage for those who move to Utah–and in many cases, specifically St. George–from out of the area and are not part of the predominant culture wherein for about a year you find yourself in different local settings saying, “Seriously?”
For instance, order a drink at a restaurant and find out you are required by law to order food with it. Seriously?
Try to take that drink in your own hand from the table where you are sitting to another table and find out you have to be escorted by a waiter who carries your drink for you, under penalty of law. Seriously?
Have a party at a mini golf family center and hire a DJ, and when people start dancing, a gaggle of police officers will come in to shut you down. Seriously?
The list goes on and gets progressively more serious as it goes.
Sometimes it goes so far as to give ominous passes to those within the predominant culture who conduct themselves in unethical ways while at the same time quite literally running off others in the name of some predisposed morality or fictitious, arbitrary version of the laws of our land.
Just ask anyone who has faced the local code enforcement division. Yeah, the one who levies fines and property leans with no current judge presiding, leaving due process for the accused not even an afterthought. Just ask recently fired or expelled people from the university-in-name-only institution, Dixie State University, who have had their civil rights egregiously and intentionally violated. One gets the justifiable notion that things are run in this area by a coup of sorts that has an agenda, legal or not.
By all counts, Barista’s is a thriving and successful tourist supported establishment. Granted, a visit to Trip Advisor will reveal that Ward’s repeat business may be questionable as there have been issues about pricing and an ornery and narcissistic business owner. But maybe that is what he is going for. Ever stop to think that he is much like many tourist businesses whose customer service ethic is a little shy but which are largely not a concern to owners because the supply of new customers is plentiful and the demand for establishments is few in the infamously impacted Zion corridor?
Anyone remember the Soup Nazi on Seinfeld? He was an asshole, and people lined up out the door for two things: the soup and the experience. There is a lesson there, I am sure of it, and Ward is on it.
The more important point here, however, is being lost in the sensationalism.
A more apt comparison for Ward may be that of infamous porn mag producer Larry Flynt.
Flynt prevailed in the Supreme Court in an historical First Amendment battle on the premise that if you legislate morality, you open a Pandora’s box of sorts.
This state claims to champion the cause of limiting government, yet its very own government, right down to the municipal level, actively engages in judicious implementation of moral imperatives outside the scope of its power. In other words, it behaves exactly like the big government it decries.
The statue is neither lewd or pornographic, and is quite literally protected under law. That is the point.
And as obtrusive to the senses as Ward may be, his fight is a righteous one, whether you like him or not.
Perhaps the question we should be asking is this: why is a local municipality and community gunning for this guy?
He is a single entity. He is eccentric. He is not Mormon. And he has tailored a niche in a milk-and-cookies town where diversity–both socially and in retail sales and eateries–is to say the least, thin if not thwarted entirely. I mean seriously, what does it say about a town who wants to cater to a tourist industry when the best place to get a beer and engage in a cool social setting is a coffee shop or a restaurant with a wily owner? (Don’t mistake me here, beer and coffee are like peas and carrots in my book. They just go together.) The choices are limited at best, and it appears to be by design. This is the antithesis of the “less government, free enterprise is akin to God’s plan” mantra touted by these so-called leaders.
Watch this one closely folks. There is much more to this bull than meets the eye.
See you out there.
Dallas Hyland is a freelance writer, award-winning photographer, and documentary filmmaker with three films currently under his belt. The opinion editor of The Independent, Hyland’s investigative journalism and opinion columns have ranged in topics from local political and environmental issues, to drug trafficking in Utah, as well as the international front, covering issues such as human trafficking in Colombia. On his rare off-days, he can be found with his family and friends exploring the pristine outdoors. Listen to him live as a regular guest co-host on the Perspectives talk show on Fox News 1450 AM 93.1 FM in southern Utah.
