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starbucks: the “other” void

July 18, 2008 by p00ky.

the announced closure of a number of starbuck’s “stores” prompted one portland channel to do a news brief on the event, from the perspective of an elderly woman recently moved to portland from west virginia.  in the piece the oft cited starbucks-corporate-wish was dredged up:  that the plastic place exists as the third world - the place between work and home.

she lamented near tears that the place was like family to her… that it was like Cheers, where everybody knew her name.

A little historical perspective, though sadly, as testimony to a fleeting memory, devoid of footnotes:  a nice essay exists somewhere out there by a source forgotten naming the pub as a kind of third world, precisely the reference mentioned in the news article and the mantra of starbuck’s corporate.  a place extant between the worlds of home and work.  a place, particularly in the british pubs, where people of all classes meet on a randomly regular basis to rub elbows and exchange stories and laughter and sometimes tears…. with tongues loosened a bit by a few pints served dutifully by the employees (who may also on occasion remind Bob that he might mind  his Ps and Qs lest the troubleandstrife put him in the dog house again).  the pub, in short, is truly a land unto itself, cultivated by the regulars and kept from the dangers of inbreeding by frequent visitors who are embraced and encouraged to share.

compare this dynamic and creative Other to the plastic isolating homogeneity offered thru the endless replication of starbucks where your day is fucking “made” by the recognition that the hired help remembers your name and how much cinnamon you like in your latte.  where you sit alone at a table sufficient to hold a laptop and a newspaper, and safely emerge grasping a corporate brand in a paper cup having bared your pathetic soul to absolutely nobody, and ready to face the world.

i contend that some independent coffee houses afford their patrons the experience of the “Other,” and recognize that the experience, whether pub or coffee house is largely dependent on the clientele.  I would sadly go so far as to admit that the very concept of the “Other” is relegated largely to memory, and further to drinking establishments distant from our shores.  that being said, at least the Potential exists for something more than a company mantra and logo.  if a clerk at starbucks calls me by name it holds as much meaning to me as the “have a nice day” at the bottom of a super-market receipt…. barring some deeper relationship:)  and the very fact that starbucks exists as portable pods littering the landscape, as examples of anti-humanity structures that serve the most superficial need of interaction, denies them any goddam right to proclaim themselves as the “other”…. and relegates those who find fulfillment there to the realm of the lemures (and lemurs) - the realm of the walking dead clutching a cup of severely over-priced joe to their starving breast.

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[prelude to the prelude of independence day]

July 3, 2008 by p00ky.

i promise this will be the last post on the matter  (for now) :)

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prelude: happy independence day

July 3, 2008 by p00ky.

this is the full version of “with god on your side” by bob dylan, accompanied by joan baez (i luv her but she can get annoying…. perhaps bob thot so too).  it woulda been included in the trilogy below, but for some reason editing multiple youtube entries in a single post fuxors things, and i grew tired of redos.  i discovered that the post in the trilogy was truncated, hence this rendition.  further to this rendition, there are better ones out there, you really have to turn your speakers up, and tolerate joan, but people seem to resist youtube songs with an album cover as the video.

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Happy Independence Day! a 4th of july trilogy

July 3, 2008 by p00ky.

a couple perspectives on freedom by neil young, followed by a lil bob

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gay portland pride replay

June 13, 2008 by p00ky.

Tis the season again, eh…. and yeah, opinions are like assholes… we all got em…. here they are all valued, and here are a couple of em lifted from our previous blog… to fuel the fire:)

Sam Bach said…
Okay, so I’ll play the devil to gdfather’s Daniel Webster….               I haven’t ever been involved in Pride, but I’ve attended a dozen or so of them, and have been going since before I came out to myself. Sure, the drag queens leave a more lasting visual impression, but there are plenty of “normal-looking” folks - both gay and straight - out there as well.I don’t know… perhaps I credit most people with the brains to know that homosexuals aren’t all alike, and that should be bolstered by seeing the variety of groups one sees at Pride: gay parents, two-wheeled women, leather boys, gay geeks, gay jocks, religious gays, etc.

Pride has long been as much a show as a message. If there are things on offer that you find enjoyable, go ahead and have some fun; if not, then don’t. I don’t care for parades, so I tend to avoid them… and there are LOTS of parades to avoid in Portland in June! But I enjoy going down to the waterfront and talking to people, seeing what is on offer at the various booths, and so on.

6/27/2006 11:54:00 AM

prideparade.jpg

Toronto 2006…. or AnyTown, Universe.

Gide said…

I have spoken with youngins on the subject of gaypride, and with older folk who are newly “out”, and sooner or later they often express a feeling that is not unakin to something like “self-affirming” in their description of the experience. Rather than question the fabric of a fragile ego (we all have em, eh), I tend to hold a genuine respect for this emotion. The concept of a “gay culture” remains conceptual, if that, and to the extend that it holds a reality it does not always percolate down to the individual - who has endured self-examination, doubts, personal rejection, family rejection, and on and on. I have seen a joyful giddiness in the eyes of gay folk who, at some level, take enormous solace in the comfort of the company of kindred souls.               At another level, there are those of us who look forward to the event as a venue to renew old friendships and acquaintances, with regard and a tear to the void that exists, the spaces created by friends lost.Even this most public event permeates the personal, and a greater health ensues.

It is worthy of mention in passing that gaypride is also one hell of a good party:) Which is reason enough to justify almost anything.

Sam is correct… gaypride Is both a show and a message… and both show and message are for the choir, and the congregation, as well as for the nonbelievers. I doubt there is a faggot among us who has not at least read the roots of “Pride” in Stonewall , nor do I pretend to know the extent of the minds and hearts of the participants of Stonewall in the spontaneity of a reaction to systematic and life-long oppression.

An elementary posit in Sociology 101 (which i never took) is that a vociferous fringe element expands the parameters of acceptable behavior. Thru blood, sweat, and tears, the parameters of GLBT’s (i know, it sounds like a delightful sandwich) “behavior” has gained considerable acceptance since the days of Stonewall. That “behavior”, however, is one of sexual and romantic love…. If homosexuality were a matter of caritas, I doubt we would be having this discussion.

I admire assless-chaps as much as the next faggot (with a modicum of aesthetics), but (pun intended), if the next battle is in the courts, driven largely now by a wet finger (lub it) reading the winds of the political climate, might the gaypride exposition serve to further entrench the already alienated, and possibly, just possibly, narrow the hard-won expansion of the minds that have come to accept the concept of equality?

6/30/2006 08:52:00 PM

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happy gay portland pride!

June 13, 2008 by p00ky.

“no man is an island entire of itself…. and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls.  it tolls for thee.”  j donne

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Retrospective on GayPride day, via Robyn Hitchcock

June 13, 2008 by p00ky.

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YourObamablog.com

June 8, 2008 by p00ky.

Thanks to “Nilsson” for introducing me to a nifty community blog sponsored by the Obama campaign. His particular contribution is his blog at http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/blog/hi .
and well worth the read and a comment or three!

You need to register to publish a comment in one of the blogs, but you register only once. Having registered, you are free to set up your own blog. Cleverly, you are awarded points for registering, publishing a comment, inviting friends, etc…. but i have not discerned just how the point system works, nor what the prizes are:)

I suspect this format will be replicated in the future by political hacks of all stripes, but i have a hunch that none, any time soon, will be as robust as http://my.barackobama.com.

Let the campaign begin, and put your queer shoulder to the wheel!

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visitors online

May 26, 2008 by p00ky.

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Portland! The place to be?

May 21, 2008 by Bondage47.

Newby to Portland in search of opinions, feedback, testimonials. I arrived at PDX from Bangkok on May 20th and could use a little local wisdom about where to look for housing and how to avoid problems. I have never been to Portland before and I don’t know anyone in the area. I am traveling with my dog (Jack), so I guess I am technically not “alone”, but I don’t think that Jack will provide much in the way of good advice. 

Jack FS 30

  As a result of a bicycle accident, I am recovering from a severe head injury, and on disability, so not working or looking for work. Hoping to find a place where I can bicycle without a repeat of this, and am hoping that Portland is that place. I am not really able to operate a motor vehicle any longer, partly due to my injuries (but mostly because they emit CO2), so I am looking for an area where biking/walking/public transit can be sole transport. I am not getting rich on disability, so the area also needs to be affordable.  My biggest concern is finding low cost housing in a relatively safe area. I actually prefer to live in a more rural area, but that would seem to require getting a car. Mmmm… Being in a gay neighborhood would be nice, but I know that this is likely to exceed my finances. Having Jack with me does not help much when looking for an apartment. I’m hoping to find a studio for around $400-500. I know that this is not too likely in any decent area of Portland. Maybe Vancouver? I am also open to a roomate situation, but so far have not had any success with finding anyone willing to even talk to me being on disability and with a full size dog. Anybody have any suggestions? I would love to hear any ideas/thoughts.   -Bondage47

David in Tampa, Florida, USA

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