The Bad Egg Collective

Who are the Bad Eggs? “People who are smart, eccentric, love to share what they learn and love arguing,” says Staten Islander Ella Grapp, 27, who founded the discussion group in 2006. “If you feel out of place in ordinary situations, there’s probably a place for you here.” Members are mostly in their twenties and thirties (older folks are welcome too), and the ranks include artists, anthropologists, scientists and out-of-the-box thinkers of all political stripes. When and where do they meet, and what do they do when they get there? The group meets monthly at bars and restaurants and discusses everything from politics and movies to revenge and cannibalism. Explains Grapp, “We had dinner at a vegetarian restaurant and I asked: ‘Is it safe to eat babies? Vegetarians eat eggs.’ From there, we got into animal rights and all kinds of things.” The Baddies also take field trips to museums, movies, mini golfing, puppet plays, monster wrestling and Roller Derby. “Once we went to Dead Horse Bay in Brooklyn, which used to be a landfill. When the tide washes out the sand, you can see Coke bottles from the ’40s and horse bones; there was a horse-rendering factory nearby.” Won’t it be hard to infiltrate such a close-knit group? “We’re not cliquish. We’re very open and friendly to new people,” says Grapp, but warns that newbies should be willing to participate. “We ask questions. I want to find out what makes them interesting, I want to know what they know.” How do I join? Visit badeggcollective.com and sign up for the Meetup group. You’ll fill out a survey—“for us to get to know you before you enter our private world,” says Grapp—but everyone is accepted. Then you can view events on the calendar, and vote on future topics of conversation. Or start by reading Fight Club for Bad Egg’s first-ever book-club meeting, slated for January 26 at Clover Club in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn.