cross-posted from: https://sopuli.xyz/post/52075917
Is that the Inception cafe?
this post was submitted on 23 Sep 2026
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I see 7 people getting a coffee in the top photo.
Okay well there's 17 in the bottom, there's 18 people but I hope the infant isn't getting one. Actually there's a few more people behind the cart to the left, they don't appear to be getting coffee though
In the upper photo it's more like 15 people at most. The inefficiency of cars astounding once you actually start paying attention to it. Moving to cars for every transit mode is in the 10 ten worst decisions humanity has ever made.
The other 15-20 are behind the camera, causing a grid lock traffic jam.
The top three for me are cars, bathroom attendants, and the brassiere
And in the bottom picture, it's reasonable to assume the inside of the shop is just about as full. There's like 8 times as many people
Honestly seems more of a critique of grind culture we've got in the US. Used to be you had time in the morning or afternoon to enjoy a cafe but now you've got a job you can't afford to quit in a town you can't afford to live in and need to drive an hour to get there with gas you can't afford... that last part because there are no trains anymore, too.
Yeah, halfway through that, I admit it's also still bullshit car culture nonsense, too. Lol
People absolutely stop by coffee shops to get something to go in an urban context too. But the queueing that happens inside one of them, maybe even spilling out of the premises, still requires very little area and is pretty benign in an urban context. Especially if you wind up having a little chat with someone.
That's the thing for me. You take away any comeraderie (sp?) and societal benefit from this style of capitalism. Nobody knows their neighbors anymore. It's all just a grind and you wind up selfish because you see people as NPCs. Even just a chat with someone for 10-15 mins would give people some sense of empathy.
Yeah, I think a lot of us frequently hear from suburbanites about how urban living is all "in a pod", but then … they really should check their mirrors. Throwing stones from glass- and metal boxes, and all that.
I get it to a certain point. Just because I live next to you, doesn't mean we're friends. If you've ever had an intrusive neighbor you'd understand. But at the same time, at least getting to know someone builds community, even if accidentally. We'd be a much closer community with more caring and empathy if we were forced to exit our bubbles for even a small amount of time. But selfishness is built into American culture.
Bring back third spaces!!
I love this youtube channel and this guy's gentle critique of the concept of third space, in favor of alternative goals: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8E5MegoW2pA
thanks! I'll give it a listen during my workday!
I mean I agree, but have any of you been to a busy cafe or restaurant? Listening to 30 people inevitably shouting over each other while I try to drink coffee isn't my idea of enjoyment.
In the below picture you can still take your coffee and walk off to a more quiet place.
Even the architecture of the Starbucks is so inhuman. It looks like a fireplace in an AirBnB that's just a TV that shows a video of a fire.
Nah that top photo is at most 10 people getting a coffee.
Cars suck
I dunno, sharing a single coffee with 30 other people sounds like a pain whether everybody's in cars or not.
Coffee too expensive to get and not enough money to enjoy not just coffee, life as well.
Personally, I dont want to sit with that many people. Get in my car and drive away from them as far as I can
"I want the benefits of society without being part of that society."
Who is complaining about benefits? Projecting much?