capitalism
On the day the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded to a man who has made micro-capatalists out of thousands of Bangladeshi people, I see the American capitalist machine slogging grotesquely along. A few months ago, I wrote about a wagon-load of children being pulled along towards the park by a single young man who was obviously working for the daycare provider up the street. Well. Today I saw the creepy, disturbing bookend to that sight.
I was sitting at that same table outside that same coffeeshop, which is situated on a corner across from a block dominated by an enormous Starbucks. I looked up and saw a woman pulling a wagon with two little, fuzzy-headed kids inside. A boy and a girl, no more than two years old, riding along, happy as could be. I smiled at them and looked down then snapped my head back up again. They were both sucking on green straws. Green Starbucks straws. Sure enough, they both held enormous Starbucks cups in their tiny, toddler hands.
Toddlers! Starbucks! What could you possibly give your toddler from Starbucks?? The only thing you could possibly give your toddler from Starbucks is the first in a series of lessons about the lifestyle of consumption. (I know what I'm talking about as I'm a lapsed, recovering consumerist myself and I was certainly sitting there drinking overpriced coffee myself, though I like to justify my own behavior like this: at least mine wasn't in a disposable cup, at least mine wasn't from Starbucks, at least mine didn't poison the minds of the children... etc.)
Anyway, gross. I guess its never too early to start inculcating your consumerist values into your little offspring. Look out, people, the future of the world is right now in the chubby little fist of a toddler drinking Starbucks.
I was sitting at that same table outside that same coffeeshop, which is situated on a corner across from a block dominated by an enormous Starbucks. I looked up and saw a woman pulling a wagon with two little, fuzzy-headed kids inside. A boy and a girl, no more than two years old, riding along, happy as could be. I smiled at them and looked down then snapped my head back up again. They were both sucking on green straws. Green Starbucks straws. Sure enough, they both held enormous Starbucks cups in their tiny, toddler hands.
Toddlers! Starbucks! What could you possibly give your toddler from Starbucks?? The only thing you could possibly give your toddler from Starbucks is the first in a series of lessons about the lifestyle of consumption. (I know what I'm talking about as I'm a lapsed, recovering consumerist myself and I was certainly sitting there drinking overpriced coffee myself, though I like to justify my own behavior like this: at least mine wasn't in a disposable cup, at least mine wasn't from Starbucks, at least mine didn't poison the minds of the children... etc.)
Anyway, gross. I guess its never too early to start inculcating your consumerist values into your little offspring. Look out, people, the future of the world is right now in the chubby little fist of a toddler drinking Starbucks.
posted by reasonably prudent poet at 12:10 PM
3 Comments:
From the UK Guardian Blog...
"But one big question lingered about the scheme. Was the encouragement of capitalism, on however small a scale, only serving to entrench a system which many blame for poverty in the first place? Prof Yunus recognised that the bank could well be accused of just churning out more "greedy capitalists". But the economics expert said there was no reason why this had to happen, and cited the bank as an example of socially responsible business.
"A person with a social conscience can run an enterprise with as much dedication and drive as a greedy person - he is just running it to achieve social goals not to fill his pockets," he said.
"And if you put the greedy person against the socially committed person in competition, the greedy guy will fall because he has to make more money to make a profit, where the other guy just has to cover costs."
So what was his ideal world?
"There will always be some poor because everyone has ups and downs, but everyone will be keen to help because poverty will be a novelty."
... the flow, the flow, the flow of money on a more fair basis, i guess that answers something of the questions.
... and starbucks, the creator of that place has dreams of wiping out the absence of health insurance in the USA, so perhaps with good acts those kids might learn something of a better future. i look forward to Starbucks starting to put its message out there, i only read his dream once in a short interview. I hope it is true.
Hi,
I just ran across your blog.
Without getting into the greater discussion about consumerism, etc., and as the father of two young children (and also a student at L&C law), I'll say there is at least *one thing* you get for your child at Starbucks: really tasty hot chocolate.
It's a small thing, but little kids love the adventure of going out for a lukewarm hot chocolate at Starbucks.
anonymous: not that you will necessarilly check back for my follow-up response (how did you get this far down the blog anyway??) i should say, yes. you're probably right, i'm sure they have a nice hot chocolate at starbucks and if i was a kid i'd probably love it. i think it shocks me b/c it's so unfamiliar to me: as a poor kid, we didn't eat out and my family wouldn't in a million years dream of taking me and my brother out and spending money on hot chocolate we could've made at home. i guess i'll spend a long time understanding the larger class issues that underpin my feelings about consumerism.
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