coffee shop wars (was: Alexander Cockburn, foody)

Wojtek Sokolowski sokol at jhu.edu
Wed Jan 5 12:45:07 PST 2000


At 02:01 PM 1/5/00 -0500, frances bolton asks:
>
>Why aren't unattractive cups and bad food worth worrying about?
>

That's easy to answer. McDonalds or KFC with their working class appeal do not directly compete with food serving establishments serving as a status symbol for the literati class, but Starbucks does. The profanation (by replication) of the bohemian coffee shop by a corporate chain is comparable to the replacement of the family doctor with a public clinic - it deprives the schmoozing class of its unique status by making the symbols of that status available to everone, not just to Berkeley, Cambridge, or Greenwich Village elites. No wonder the schmoozing class feels threatened and fights back.

wojtek



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