This was the original Seminole Heights blog with commentary about life in and around the urban neighborhood of Seminole Heights in Tampa, Florida. Musings about other topics as my mood permits. The blog is essentially inactive since I moved to Lutz. Go to The Official Unofficial Seminole Heights Blog - www.seminoleheightsblog.com for active content.
Saturday, April 15, 2006
Starbucks Defaced?
I just received this email. Once I verify this I will rant.
"noticed this today a snapped a pic on my way to the gym... "
I disagree. I feel that the lack of skillful manipulation of the lettering detracts from the attempt. There's a noticable lack of attention to detail and it's just plain sloppy. An overall shoddy job from someone who doesnt take pride in his or her craft.
Where are the balls on the defacer? If he or she really doesn't want Starbucks, let them stand in front with a sign protesting. I say "bring on the crimewatchers" and let's catch these cowards!
HERE! HERE! and let's see if we can get them tried as terrorists against the American way of life (and decent coffee)and have them locked up in Guantanamo or even Abu Ghraib if we can get away with it...These slimeballs deserve to hang!
Well, at least we know they were hetero.....gay men would have color coordinated the spray paint and did some masking tape to make sure the lettering rework was even....not to mention they would have gone in for a latte afterwards.
How would you feel of you son/daughter was working at this Starbucks while this was being done to it? My son is so excited about the possibility of getting a job here, which, by the way, includes benefits, even for part time people,and now I must re-think his safety because of this. This is vandalism, and a crime, and has no place in our neighborhood, so stop trying to be cute about it. This is an economic opportunity for many people.
Its natural for a mother to worry but don't let a coward with spray paint deter your son from getting a job, learning good work habits, going to college etc.
The anti-Starbucks types I've seen aren't exactly phyiscally threatening.
The indignation is exactly what the anti-Starbucks folks want, and the funny thing is, for the defacers, things like this usually have the opposite result by effectively creating free advertising. Again, my vote is that it is petty, cowardly, mischief and, if its not, the perpetrator is pretty pathetic to think they are actually making any sort of difference. Either way the best course of action is to ignore it and leave it to Law Enforcement for investigation and prosecution. Anything else, such as this expressed outrage, just "feeds the beast" so to speak.
What is it about Starbucks that elicits such a visceral negative reaction in some people? I mean, this is a company that was listed as one of the most socially responsible in the country by Fortune Magazine. Yet some people react to it as if it were partners with Al Quaida.
This is in contrast to Publix, which was recently found to have systemically discriminated against women. Or Family Dollar, whose business plan is essentially a bait and switch targeted to poor people. Or Save-A-Lot (the sixth largest grocery chain in the country - bigger than Publix, and whose parent company, SuperValu, is bigger than Starbucks), whose clientele come primarily from out of the neighborhood, many of whom cut through our local streets at high speed, littering along the way - set up a chair at the corner of Ola and Mohawk and you will see it happen all day long. Or even some of the local mom & pop's, few of which, if any, offer benefits to their employees and others where the phrase "customer service" is found only in the dictionary. Yet, nary a pip of protest against these establishments.
As for the person who defaced the sign, if one of the goals was the protection of "values" in Seminole Heights, that has clearly backfired. Instead, you have portrayed our neighborhood as one of vandalism and profanity.
This morning I was at the Starbucks and it was crowded with families on their way to church. Perhaps the defacer has the answer when one of the children asks a parent what happened to the sign and what does it mean.
If these kids you speak of dont know what "fuck off" means they're living in a bubble. I would refer them to a webster's dictionary or wikipedia... Fuck Off: to tell someone to go away in very profane language. Eavesdrop on an elementary school playgorund for 10 minutes and you'll probably hear it.
Why in the world would you be afraid to let your kid work at starbucks just because someone sprayed some graffitti? Do you shield his eyes from dead dogs in the road? nudie scenes? homeless people? Do you watch a lot of television? How about installing in your kid a sense of humor?
Once again, there's a big difference between 'simple crime' like holding up a Starbucks at gunpoint, and 'creative crime' as a form of expression. Creative crime is uplifting to the soul...What better way to survive our anthill society than by abusing the very mass media that sedates the public? The skillfully reworked billboard directs the public viewer to a consideration of the original corporate strategy. It provokes discourse as this site illustrates. The studio for the cultural jammer is the world at large. Get off the high horse.
"What is it about Starbucks that elicits such a visceral negative reaction in some people?"
Did you really ask that? If you dont get it by now, you probably never will...
First it was just coward with wheat paste and the apologists tried to make that sound innocent because it comes off easily.
Now it's a coward with spray paint and apologists are focusing on how "creative" it is.
Next it will be a pipe bomb as happened in another Starbucks mentioned in an earlier thread. How will the apologists deal with it then, I wonder?
There is no such thing as "creative crime" in a way that uplifts anyone. Civil disobedience is only admireable because the persons breaking the law are willing to do so publicly with the intent of paying for their acts publicly. Anonymous vandalism and other criminal mischief deserves arrest and public ridicule.
If you want to see what real protest is about, take a look at the current immigrant fracas. Vandalizing a Startucks is petty, valuless, and demeans those that fight the real fights.
I agree with Shawn, but would add that I hope those responsible are caught and prosecuted. Regardless of how I feel about Starbucks, crime has no place in my neighborhood. What if I put up a sign for a political candidate they don't support? Is it OK for them to vandalize my house? Fuck Off? Fuck Them.
Eric Hoffer wrote in "True Beliver": Power corrupts the few, weakness corrupts the many. What he described in his book was the actions of self-appointed "true believers". Those that pathologically feel insignificant turn nihilistic and lash out at the significant. Starbucks is merely the "significance" of the moment, where our attention is drawn. The self-absorbed perpetrators insist that our attention be drawn to them; they actually seek conflict. This self-absorption is evident from the creation of personal symbology--the pyramid symbol that graced the first vandalism-- and the development of a personal belief system, one that requires the ignorant masses to follow their superior wisdom. These people do not hate Starbucks. They hate that you like Starbucks more than them. They think they rightfully should be Starbucks with your attention drawn to them. As a substitution, they are temporarily satiated with our attention to their “work”. Negative attention as it may be.
We can only hope that these people outgrow their adolescent narcissism.
I'm reading Eric Hoffer's True Believer now. It's a good book and he has some accurate analysis but I interpret the significance of the Starbucks sign altering graffitti quite differently. It's a stretch to compare this sort of thing to what Hoffer talks about. Is this a movement or a lone prankster graffittist getting his or her kicks? Is he as fanatical as the religious right or the fascists Hoffer examines? Are all social movements self-absorbed by nature? Hoffer's book was written before the radical civil rights movement, Vietnam, and the general social upheavel of the 1960s. Would he have characterized these movements in the same way? As "insignificant lashing out at the significant." Starbucks certainly is significant as a large multi-national corporation. Is this a simple case of the have nots clamoring for some spotlight or is this a pop culture social phenomenon with some merit worth examining a little deeper? Starbucks has consistently received the contempt of anti-globalization counter culture types for what they represent...stale, corporate, overpriced homogeny. The same value system that places significance on fancy consumer items, giant SUVs, the newest sleekest picture cell phone, profitablity, status, keeping up with the jones's etc...is what Starbucks has come to represent (as the wikipedia entry above clearly illustrates...*There's a Starbucks across the street from Starbucks*) Starbucks isnt unique in the corporate world. They're as aflicted with the guiltless pathology of commerce as the next multi national. They proudly tout their ethical business practices but despite repeated pledges they still buy coffee and chocolate produced under exploitative labor conditions, and in the case of cocoa plantations in Africa, workers who are actually slaves. They still load their products with recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone. They still make obscene profits while only recently (and because of pressure from grassroots groups such as www.starbucksunion.org/ ) are they beginning to pay something near a fair wage and offer benefits...Maybe there is something to get bent out of shape about. Maybe the motivation of the vandal was attention but I doubt your explanation that "They think they rightfully should be Starbucks...Disliking what something stands for shouldnt be confused with jealousy.
If you havnt yet, check out the documentary film "The Corporation" (www.thecorporation.com). It explains the anti-corporate mentality but than I have done here...
There is nothing creative about this. It's a destruction of private property. If these criminals are so upset by Starbucks they should stand outside and protest or write letters or avail themselves of any other number of LEGAL ways to show their displeasure. Their chosen method is immature and cowardly.
I am amazed at the number of anonymous posters on your blog. You would think that, at such a late day and age, these people would have figured out how to put together a profile, or at least to write their name at the bottom of their anonymous post, so the rest of us could know who we are speaking to and whether the anonymous posters are 1 person or many.
Reading these posts, I cannot figure out who is arguing with who. It would make such a dialogue much more helpful to others and I am sure David would like to know who he is talking to instead of having to guess according to tone and word choice.
I actually stopped acknowledging the presence of these lurkers and anonymous posters a while back. Either that, or my regulars go after them.
No one would think I was talking about the National Socialists which Hoffer described. Still, the adoption of self-created titles and symbolism that try to project the grandiose opinion that these people have of themselves is indicative of paranoiac tendencies, perhaps not on a sociopathic scale but nonetheless, I believe it holds a clue to who these people are.
Someone asked why the perpetrators didn't attack a more obvious target like the Family Dollar which is obstensibly here to prey on the ignorance of the poor. Simple. We, the masses, don't like Family Dollar. What fuels these actions is not righteous indignation but egotistic self-pity. They hate not Starbucks but that you like Starbucks more than them. Holding up issues like Third World poverty or the Environment is only cover for lingering adolescent narcissism. I would doubt that the vandals have ever studied the environment or the economics of the third world, which would reflect true altruistic interest.
In the end, if they are caught, they'll found to be self-styled "artists" mostly rejected by true artists. They'll have a history of political activism, will most likely have arrest records of minor offenses and be grown adolescents living off parents income.
I would not underestimate their potential to do more harm. Anyone paranoid enough to convince themselves they are "educating" the ignorant is only a couple more failures from reaching a lower level of self-pity and even more desperate for attention.
Sometimes some of the talk on these Starbucks and vandalism/graffiti subjects tends to sound like anarchist talk.
Destroy/tear down the system.
I don't respect anarchists and nihilists as they are for de-struction.
At least the greens / hippies / socialists / progressives / liberals / moderates / conservatives are trying to build something, trying to be constructive trying to move us forward. We just differ on the goals.
There was a homicide this morning on Powhatan and 30th Street LINK HERE. Another possible victim/suspect may still be on the loose in our neighborhood.
Todays scorecard: Homicide -- zero comments Starbucks Vandalism -- 25 and counting
Have another latte and think about your priorities.
Devon Brady. what a punk. that's a little ludicrous don't you think? I don't see anywhere on your blog where you've addressed the awful crimes of the day.
it looks like your hiding behind that murder to push your own agenda. You don't even know this victim and yet you'll use his death to feel high and mighty. What a clown.
What's interesting is that your belittling others priorities but yours appear to be standing up for vandals for whom Starbucks is a great evil...with the gratuitous use of someone's death.
You took the time to count how many posts there was on Starbucks and then posted one yourself with that “stat” Congratulations you sir are a Jackass. If you care so much why don’t you log off your computer and go Scooby Doo out the killer? Oh wait you don’t care. Well I don’t care about your white liberal guilt.
Why don't these vandals spray paint Family Dollar? Simple. Because it's not cool! Starbucks is consistently ranked one of the best places to work in the country while Family Dollar was given a 33 million dollar penalty *just this month* for overworking its managers. But, hey, protesting against a dime store that takes advantage of lower-income people who can't afford more or can't get to better stores isn't "cool", right?
It boggles the mind that there are people out there who seriously view Starbucks as a bigger threat than the many pawn shops that line Nebraska Avenue.
Hmm, let me get this straight, Devon, because we have commentary about something that directly affects our neighborhood, but nothing to say about the loss of a life, as tragic as that is, that happened in the middle of the night, outside the neighborhood, we have our priorities in the wrong place? Should we comment about every single crime listed in the blotter? Should we start a conversation about crimes in Brandon, or Plant City, or Miami? The charge that the graffiti was done by an employee, and not an activist, notwithstanding, this act of vandalism is much more relevant to me given the recent discussions on the blog and elsewhere; of course we have more to say about it than the murder of an unknown person, in an area that just happens to be 3 miles away from my house. Is it sad, of course, should the murderer be caught and punished, undoubtedly, but what else is there to say? I am going to give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that your comment was sincere, and that you truly mourn for this person and will actively involve yourself in pursuit of justice, and not think that it was just a sniping comment intended to promote further ire. As for the anti-Starbucks folks, please make sure that your activism is guided by your heart and youre not just involved in activism for the sake of activism. There are some truly great causes out there that need all the help we can give them, but what do you hope to prove by attacking a single Starbucks store in our neighborhood, particularly by vandalism in the dark of night. Let's say you win(and, given the money I've seen being spent at SB since it opened, trust me you won't) we get another failed business and an empty building, and another mark on the reputation for being anti-business. In the grand scheme did you really win, if you think so, perhaps your values are misplaced, because Starbucks will live on elsewhere, at best just a few blocks away, and Seminole Heights will just be another blighted neighborhood. Seminole Heights is transitioning, as is the whole world, people are forgoing the suburbs and moving back to the cities, while the suburbs are becoming the only affordable alternative for lower income families, with the associated probles that were once primarily found in "inner city neighborhoods". Why not focus your activism on property tax reforms and other policies that will help guide this population shift to provide for diversity in neighborhoods such as Seminole Heights, East Tampa, West Tampa, Ybor City. True activism should make the world a better place, not a place of war-torn battlegrounds.
First, if I gave the impression that I thought David’s coverage of the events was inadequate, for that I apologize. It is his blog and he can cover whatever he wants. The same goes for me. That said, the fact that the crime occurred outside of “the neighborhood” is of little consequence. It may be three miles from your house, but if I were living at Powhatan and 22nd “in the neighborhood”, I might want to know if there was a potential murderer running around less than a half mile away. Besides, as David has stated above, the initial reports were saying that this occurred “in Seminole Heights”. As for the Starbucks controversy, the attitude of “you’re either with us or you’re with the terrorists” is ridiculous. I’ve stated before that I think Starbucks has every right to be in the neighborhood, whether you patronize them or not is your own choice. This was an act of vandalism and should be prosecuted with the same vigor as the thousands of other similar crimes that occur in this city on a daily basis. It seems a little incongruous to me that these comments come from people who hide behind a veil of anonymity as they decry these “cowardly acts of anonymous vandalism.” They feign concern for the sensitive eyes of church-goers and children and then call me an “asshole” . Lay off the caffeine guys it’s making you kinda cranky.
Devon, your comment referred to "comments" not the news itself. Of course the murder is news and people would want to know about it, but what sort of comment were you expecting? You came across as quite self-righteous by implying a debate about Starbucks- oriented crime caused such a furor, while a murder went ignored. I saw the morning news talk about the murder, and it was close enough for me to take notice, but not so close that I have any commentary about the people involved other than the obvious. If you want local interest commentary, here's one for you, on my way to work, passing the intersection of Florida Av, and Idlewild there were two Caucasian prostitutes (not transvestites as I've heard mentioned recently) plying their wares at 7:15am. The police were called, but no service call appeared on their website, I neglected to get a case number to follow up. As for anonymous postings, we are not the one's who are trying to take a stand against Starbucks. Would Rosa Parks made any difference at all if she would have spray-painted obscenities on the bus in the middle of the night, and remained anonymous? No, but that being said, the biggest complaint about anonymous postings is the impediment it causes to discussion, as identifying which anonymous is writing what gets cumbersome at best. I for one think the whole anti-Starbucks movement is a farce here. The "No" signs were claimed to be a joke, and the obscenity might have been a disgruntled employee. While there may be some locals who are of an anti-Starbucks sentiment, I think they are few in number, and relatively silent(with the exception of some of the goofballs that have posted here with a "F#$% the world" mentality). PS your math is a bit misleading, you should only count the comments that were posted after the murder was announced.
the anti-starbucks comments I see here are not anonymous. But if the President of China's endorsing it, how bad can they be? http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=oddlyEnoughNews&storyid=2006-04-19T134753Z_01_N19133455_RTRUKOC_0_US-USA-STARBUCKS.xml&rpc=22
Devon, What kind of person uses the death of some unknown victim to throw some self-righteous indignation in the faces of people posting here? Instead of truly apologizing, you just try to justify your bullshit.
If you have some concerns about a murderer loose in the ‘hood, post it on your own blog or send David an email. Under what warped logic could it have anything to do with this thread? And who are you to judge anyone’s priorities. At least these people don’t feign concern for some murder victim. If you don’t agree with the opinions, then post something intelligent instead of your little immature quips of “have another latte” or “lay off the caffeine”.
Many of the people you berate, including David, have gone to the trouble to patrol in their neighborhoods at night, sometimes at risk of injury, and have set up Neighborhood Watch groups to help police and their neighbors. I don’t ever recall seeing you at any of these meetings. Suddenly, though you have the cred to question others priorities.
Yeah! wORD IS BORN! You need to REEXAMINE your shit dawg. REEXAMINE!! Where do you get off?! You need to get your ass down to starbucks and pay penance! And quick like!
I'm so old I don't get that excited about any of this. Starbucks is here. Don't do criminal acts. Go to Starbucks or not, it's your choice. People get murdered all over Tampa and all over the country too. No, I don't like it, but neither does anyone else, except maybe the criminals who do the killing. I can't figure out what one has to do with the other.
The bottom line is one should not do criminal acts...that includes destruction of someone else's personal property.
Starbucks isn't perfect, but then neither are any of the other zillion profitable companies. You can find a negative article about almost any company you search on. They don't pay fair wages, they use foreign labor to get cheap goods, they don't pay enough benefits (some don't pay any and when they do they cancel them unexpectedly). Sgtarbucks is just another company...good, bad, and whatever.
Ranting about our business (and it is ours now that it's open) is silly. They are harming no one. You don't have to pay for anything at Starbucks, go somewhere else. But, if you want to pay for a latte or a frappachino or whatever, it's there for you.
I found this while researching something else, but you may want to post this for your readers.
Here is the place these vandals got their idea from. At least you know it was not original. They probably used a microsoft computer or Mac with Windows Explorer to get info, bought their paint at Home Depot, drove thier car bought at CarMax, wore their GAP clothes and spray painted something from a website.
that's just too funny not to post.
ReplyDeleteI disagree. I feel that the lack of skillful manipulation of the lettering detracts from the attempt. There's a noticable lack of attention to detail and it's just plain sloppy. An overall shoddy job from someone who doesnt take pride in his or her craft.
ReplyDelete5 out of a possible 10
Do Over Please.
Where are the balls on the defacer? If he or she really doesn't want Starbucks, let them stand in front with a sign protesting. I say "bring on the crimewatchers" and let's catch these cowards!
ReplyDeleteHERE! HERE! and let's see if we can get them tried as terrorists against the American way of life (and decent coffee)and have them locked up in Guantanamo or even Abu Ghraib if we can get away with it...These slimeballs deserve to hang!
ReplyDeleteWell, at least we know they were hetero.....gay men would have color coordinated the spray paint and did some masking tape to make sure the lettering rework was even....not to mention they would have gone in for a latte afterwards.
ReplyDeleteIn regards to a discussion in a prior post about vandalism.
ReplyDeleteWhat would you say if you found your car spray painted that way?
It's just free speech? No big deal? Just let it be?
This is my/our commmunity. This is my/our Starbucks. I/we fought for this businesses. This is paint upon me/us.
Just as is the rest of the paint graffiti that has sprung up, whether gang related or artist related or punk related.
HAHAHA!! What a great way to welcome them into our community.
ReplyDeleteHow would you feel of you son/daughter was working at this Starbucks while this was being done to it? My son is so excited about the possibility of getting a job here, which, by the way, includes benefits, even for part time people,and now I must re-think his safety because of this. This is vandalism, and a crime, and has no place in our neighborhood, so stop trying to be cute about it. This is an economic opportunity for many people.
ReplyDeleteIts natural for a mother to worry but don't let a coward with spray paint deter your son from getting a job, learning good work habits, going to college etc.
ReplyDeleteThe anti-Starbucks types I've seen aren't exactly phyiscally threatening.
The indignation is exactly what the anti-Starbucks folks want, and the funny thing is, for the defacers, things like this usually have the opposite result by effectively creating free advertising. Again, my vote is that it is petty, cowardly, mischief and, if its not, the perpetrator is pretty pathetic to think they are actually making any sort of difference. Either way the best course of action is to ignore it and leave it to Law Enforcement for investigation and prosecution. Anything else, such as this expressed outrage, just "feeds the beast" so to speak.
ReplyDeleteWhat is it about Starbucks that elicits such a visceral negative reaction in some people? I mean, this is a company that was listed as one of the most socially responsible in the country by Fortune Magazine. Yet some people react to it as if it were partners with Al Quaida.
ReplyDeleteThis is in contrast to Publix, which was recently found to have systemically discriminated against women. Or Family Dollar, whose business plan is essentially a bait and switch targeted to poor people. Or Save-A-Lot (the sixth largest grocery chain in the country - bigger than Publix, and whose parent company, SuperValu, is bigger than Starbucks), whose clientele come primarily from out of the neighborhood, many of whom cut through our local streets at high speed, littering along the way - set up a chair at the corner of Ola and Mohawk and you will see it happen all day long. Or even some of the local mom & pop's, few of which, if any, offer benefits to their employees and others where the phrase "customer service" is found only in the dictionary. Yet, nary a pip of protest against these establishments.
As for the person who defaced the sign, if one of the goals was the protection of "values" in Seminole Heights, that has clearly backfired. Instead, you have portrayed our neighborhood as one of vandalism and profanity.
This morning I was at the Starbucks and it was crowded with families on their way to church. Perhaps the defacer has the answer when one of the children asks a parent what happened to the sign and what does it mean.
Yeah, coz that's gonna make Starbucks look bad to have a sign that got defaced, not the neighborhood the store/sign was sitting in.
ReplyDeleteThat was smart ...
Really.
If these kids you speak of dont know what "fuck off" means they're living in a bubble. I would refer them to a webster's dictionary or wikipedia...
ReplyDeleteFuck Off: to tell someone to go away in very profane language. Eavesdrop on an elementary school playgorund for 10 minutes and you'll probably hear it.
Why in the world would you be afraid to let your kid work at starbucks just because someone sprayed some graffitti? Do you shield his eyes from dead dogs in the road? nudie scenes? homeless people? Do you watch a lot of television? How about installing in your kid a sense of humor?
Once again, there's a big difference between 'simple crime' like holding up a Starbucks at gunpoint, and 'creative crime' as a form of expression. Creative crime is uplifting to the soul...What better way to survive our anthill society than by abusing the very mass media that sedates the public? The skillfully reworked billboard directs the public viewer to a consideration of the original corporate strategy. It provokes discourse as this site illustrates. The studio for the cultural jammer is the world at large. Get off the high horse.
"What is it about Starbucks that elicits such a visceral negative reaction in some people?"
Did you really ask that? If you dont get it by now, you probably never will...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starbucks#Starbucks_in_pop_culture
First it was just coward with wheat paste and the apologists tried to make that sound innocent because it comes off easily.
ReplyDeleteNow it's a coward with spray paint and apologists are focusing on how "creative" it is.
Next it will be a pipe bomb as happened in another Starbucks mentioned in an earlier thread. How will the apologists deal with it then, I wonder?
There is no such thing as "creative crime" in a way that uplifts anyone. Civil disobedience is only admireable because the persons breaking the law are willing to do so publicly with the intent of paying for their acts publicly. Anonymous vandalism and other criminal mischief deserves arrest and public ridicule.
If you want to see what real protest is about, take a look at the current immigrant fracas. Vandalizing a Startucks is petty, valuless, and demeans those that fight the real fights.
Shame on the person who did this.
I agree with Shawn, but would add that I hope those responsible are caught and prosecuted. Regardless of how I feel about Starbucks, crime has no place in my neighborhood. What if I put up a sign for a political candidate they don't support? Is it OK for them to vandalize my house?
ReplyDeleteFuck Off? Fuck Them.
Eric Hoffer wrote in "True Beliver": Power corrupts the few, weakness corrupts the many. What he described in his book was the actions of self-appointed "true believers". Those that pathologically feel insignificant turn nihilistic and lash out at the significant. Starbucks is merely the "significance" of the moment, where our attention is drawn. The self-absorbed perpetrators insist that our attention be drawn to them; they actually seek conflict. This self-absorption is evident from the creation of personal symbology--the pyramid symbol that graced the first vandalism-- and the development of a personal belief system, one that requires the ignorant masses to follow their superior wisdom. These people do not hate Starbucks. They hate that you like Starbucks more than them. They think they rightfully should be Starbucks with your attention drawn to them. As a substitution, they are temporarily satiated with our attention to their “work”. Negative attention as it may be.
ReplyDeleteWe can only hope that these people outgrow their adolescent narcissism.
I'm reading Eric Hoffer's True Believer now. It's a good book and he has some accurate analysis but I interpret the significance of the Starbucks sign altering graffitti quite differently. It's a stretch to compare this sort of thing to what Hoffer talks about. Is this a movement or a lone prankster graffittist getting his or her kicks? Is he as fanatical as the religious right or the fascists Hoffer examines? Are all social movements self-absorbed by nature? Hoffer's book was written before the radical civil rights movement, Vietnam, and the general social upheavel of the 1960s. Would he have characterized these movements in the same way? As "insignificant lashing out at the significant." Starbucks certainly is significant as a large multi-national corporation. Is this a simple case of the have nots clamoring for some spotlight or is this a pop culture social phenomenon with some merit worth examining a little deeper? Starbucks has consistently received the contempt of anti-globalization counter culture types for what they represent...stale, corporate, overpriced homogeny. The same value system that places significance on fancy consumer items, giant SUVs, the newest sleekest picture cell phone, profitablity, status, keeping up with the jones's etc...is what Starbucks has come to represent (as the wikipedia entry above clearly illustrates...*There's a Starbucks across the street from Starbucks*)
ReplyDeleteStarbucks isnt unique in the corporate world. They're as aflicted with the guiltless pathology of commerce as the next multi national. They proudly tout their ethical business practices but despite repeated pledges they still buy coffee and chocolate produced under exploitative labor conditions, and in the case of cocoa plantations in Africa, workers who are actually slaves. They still load their products with recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone. They still make obscene profits while only recently (and because of pressure from grassroots groups such as www.starbucksunion.org/ ) are they beginning to pay something near a fair wage and offer benefits...Maybe there is something to get bent out of shape about. Maybe the motivation of the vandal was attention but I doubt your explanation that "They think they rightfully should be Starbucks...Disliking what something stands for shouldnt be confused with jealousy.
If you havnt yet, check out the documentary film "The Corporation" (www.thecorporation.com). It explains the anti-corporate mentality but than I have done here...
There is nothing creative about this. It's a destruction of private property. If these criminals are so upset by Starbucks they should stand outside and protest or write letters or avail themselves of any other number of LEGAL ways to show their displeasure. Their chosen method is immature and cowardly.
ReplyDeleteI am amazed at the number of anonymous posters on your blog. You would think that, at such a late day and age, these people would have figured out how to put together a profile, or at least to write their name at the bottom of their anonymous post, so the rest of us could know who we are speaking to and whether the anonymous posters are 1 person or many.
ReplyDeleteReading these posts, I cannot figure out who is arguing with who. It would make such a dialogue much more helpful to others and I am sure David would like to know who he is talking to instead of having to guess according to tone and word choice.
I actually stopped acknowledging the presence of these lurkers and anonymous posters a while back. Either that, or my regulars go after them.
peace.
At least we're not bored.
ReplyDeleteGraffiti is just art in the wrong place.
Now I'm off to get a Venti Blackberry Green Tea Frappuccino® blended créme.
It wouldn't surprise me at all if it was the same guy that glued "no no no" and that little triangle logo all over it.
ReplyDeleteIf I was investigating this crime, that's the place I'd start.
No one would think I was talking about the National Socialists which Hoffer described. Still, the adoption of self-created titles and symbolism that try to project the grandiose opinion that these people have of themselves is indicative of paranoiac tendencies, perhaps not on a sociopathic scale but nonetheless, I believe it holds a clue to who these people are.
ReplyDeleteSomeone asked why the perpetrators didn't attack a more obvious target like the Family Dollar which is obstensibly here to prey on the ignorance of the poor. Simple. We, the masses, don't like Family Dollar. What fuels these actions is not righteous indignation but egotistic self-pity. They hate not Starbucks but that you like Starbucks more than them. Holding up issues like Third World poverty or the Environment is only cover for lingering adolescent narcissism. I would doubt that the vandals have ever studied the environment or the economics of the third world, which would reflect true altruistic interest.
In the end, if they are caught, they'll found to be self-styled "artists" mostly rejected by true artists. They'll have a history of political activism, will most likely have arrest records of minor offenses and be grown adolescents living off parents income.
I would not underestimate their potential to do more harm. Anyone paranoid enough to convince themselves they are "educating" the ignorant is only a couple more failures from reaching a lower level of self-pity and even more desperate for attention.
Sometimes some of the talk on these Starbucks and vandalism/graffiti subjects tends to sound like anarchist talk.
ReplyDeleteDestroy/tear down the system.
I don't respect anarchists and nihilists as they are for de-struction.
At least the greens / hippies / socialists / progressives / liberals / moderates / conservatives are trying to build something, trying to be constructive trying to move us forward. We just differ on the goals.
Anarchists are vandals pure and simple.
There was a homicide this morning on Powhatan and 30th Street LINK HERE. Another possible victim/suspect may still be on the loose in our neighborhood.
ReplyDeleteTodays scorecard:
Homicide -- zero comments
Starbucks Vandalism -- 25 and counting
Have another latte and think about your priorities.
Devon Brady. what a punk. that's a little ludicrous don't you think? I don't see anywhere on your blog where you've addressed the awful crimes of the day.
ReplyDeleteit looks like your hiding behind that murder to push your own agenda. You don't even know this victim and yet you'll use his death to feel high and mighty. What a clown.
What's interesting is that your belittling others priorities but yours appear to be standing up for vandals for whom Starbucks is a great evil...with the gratuitous use of someone's death.
Nihilistic Nacissism. Who are they, Devon?
You took the time to count how many posts there was on Starbucks and then posted one yourself with that “stat” Congratulations you sir are a Jackass.
ReplyDeleteIf you care so much why don’t you log off your computer and go Scooby Doo out the killer? Oh wait you don’t care. Well I don’t care about your white liberal guilt.
Why don't these vandals spray paint Family Dollar? Simple. Because it's not cool! Starbucks is consistently ranked one of the best places to work in the country while Family Dollar was given a 33 million dollar penalty *just this month* for overworking its managers. But, hey, protesting against a dime store that takes advantage of lower-income people who can't afford more or can't get to better stores isn't "cool", right?
ReplyDeletehttp://milwaukee.bizjournals.com/charlotte/stories/2006/04/03/daily8.html
It boggles the mind that there are people out there who seriously view Starbucks as a bigger threat than the many pawn shops that line Nebraska Avenue.
Hmm, let me get this straight, Devon, because we have commentary about something that directly affects our neighborhood, but nothing to say about the loss of a life, as tragic as that is, that happened in the middle of the night, outside the neighborhood, we have our priorities in the wrong place? Should we comment about every single crime listed in the blotter? Should we start a conversation about crimes in Brandon, or Plant City, or Miami? The charge that the graffiti was done by an employee, and not an activist, notwithstanding, this act of vandalism is much more relevant to me given the recent discussions on the blog and elsewhere; of course we have more to say about it than the murder of an unknown person, in an area that just happens to be 3 miles away from my house. Is it sad, of course, should the murderer be caught and punished, undoubtedly, but what else is there to say? I am going to give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that your comment was sincere, and that you truly mourn for this person and will actively involve yourself in pursuit of justice, and not think that it was just a sniping comment intended to promote further ire. As for the anti-Starbucks folks, please make sure that your activism is guided by your heart and youre not just involved in activism for the sake of activism. There are some truly great causes out there that need all the help we can give them, but what do you hope to prove by attacking a single Starbucks store in our neighborhood, particularly by vandalism in the dark of night. Let's say you win(and, given the money I've seen being spent at SB since it opened, trust me you won't) we get another failed business and an empty building, and another mark on the reputation for being anti-business. In the grand scheme did you really win, if you think so, perhaps your values are misplaced, because Starbucks will live on elsewhere, at best just a few blocks away, and Seminole Heights will just be another blighted neighborhood. Seminole Heights is transitioning, as is the whole world, people are forgoing the suburbs and moving back to the cities, while the suburbs are becoming the only affordable alternative for lower income families, with the associated probles that were once primarily found in "inner city neighborhoods". Why not focus your activism on property tax reforms and other policies that will help guide this population shift to provide for diversity in neighborhoods such as Seminole Heights, East Tampa, West Tampa, Ybor City. True activism should make the world a better place, not a place of war-torn battlegrounds.
ReplyDeleteFirst, if I gave the impression that I thought David’s coverage of the events was inadequate, for that I apologize. It is his blog and he can cover whatever he wants. The same goes for me.
ReplyDeleteThat said, the fact that the crime occurred outside of “the neighborhood” is of little consequence. It may be three miles from your house, but if I were living at Powhatan and 22nd “in the neighborhood”, I might want to know if there was a potential murderer running around less than a half mile away. Besides, as David has stated above, the initial reports were saying that this occurred “in Seminole Heights”.
As for the Starbucks controversy, the attitude of “you’re either with us or you’re with the terrorists” is ridiculous. I’ve stated before that I think Starbucks has every right to be in the neighborhood, whether you patronize them or not is your own choice. This was an act of vandalism and should be prosecuted with the same vigor as the thousands of other similar crimes that occur in this city on a daily basis.
It seems a little incongruous to me that these comments come from people who hide behind a veil of anonymity as they decry these “cowardly acts of anonymous vandalism.” They feign concern for the sensitive eyes of church-goers and children and then call me an “asshole” . Lay off the caffeine guys it’s making you kinda cranky.
i got me an interesting point of view on Starbux. Watch my video:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.gawker.com/news/video/stick-it-up-your-ass-fuckin-starbucks-160756.php
The Big Man
What's the workin man supposed to do?!
ReplyDeleteFreakin SEVEN DOLLARS for a cup a coffee and a slice a pound cake!
I think the workin' man is still going to Three Coins. Everyone else is welcome to do the same. Vote with your feet, people, not a can of spray paint.
ReplyDeleteGas is over $3 a gallon. When do people start vandalizing the BP?
Devon, your comment referred to "comments" not the news itself. Of course the murder is news and people would want to know about it, but what sort of comment were you expecting? You came across as quite self-righteous by implying a debate about Starbucks- oriented crime caused such a furor, while a murder went ignored. I saw the morning news talk about the murder, and it was close enough for me to take notice, but not so close that I have any commentary about the people involved other than the obvious. If you want local interest commentary, here's one for you, on my way to work, passing the intersection of Florida Av, and Idlewild there were two Caucasian prostitutes (not transvestites as I've heard mentioned recently) plying their wares at 7:15am. The police were called, but no service call appeared on their website, I neglected to get a case number to follow up. As for anonymous postings, we are not the one's who are trying to take a stand against Starbucks. Would Rosa Parks made any difference at all if she would have spray-painted obscenities on the bus in the middle of the night, and remained anonymous? No, but that being said, the biggest complaint about anonymous postings is the impediment it causes to discussion, as identifying which anonymous is writing what gets cumbersome at best. I for one think the whole anti-Starbucks movement is a farce here. The "No" signs were claimed to be a joke, and the obscenity might have been a disgruntled employee. While there may be some locals who are of an anti-Starbucks sentiment, I think they are few in number, and relatively silent(with the exception of some of the goofballs that have posted here with a "F#$% the world" mentality).
ReplyDeletePS your math is a bit misleading, you should only count the comments that were posted after the murder was announced.
Why you gotta drop a dime on a lady?
ReplyDeletethe anti-starbucks comments I see here are not anonymous. But if the President of China's endorsing it, how bad can they be?
http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=oddlyEnoughNews&storyid=2006-04-19T134753Z_01_N19133455_RTRUKOC_0_US-USA-STARBUCKS.xml&rpc=22
Dear god in heavan will people quit bringing Rosa Parks up in debates about Starbucks? She toldme she hates you and lattes.
ReplyDeleteDevon, What kind of person uses the death of some unknown victim to throw some self-righteous indignation in the faces of people posting here? Instead of truly apologizing, you just try to justify your bullshit.
ReplyDeleteIf you have some concerns about a murderer loose in the ‘hood, post it on your own blog or send David an email. Under what warped logic could it have anything to do with this thread? And who are you to judge anyone’s priorities. At least these people don’t feign concern for some murder victim. If you don’t agree with the opinions, then post something intelligent instead of your little immature quips of “have another latte” or “lay off the caffeine”.
Many of the people you berate, including David, have gone to the trouble to patrol in their neighborhoods at night, sometimes at risk of injury, and have set up Neighborhood Watch groups to help police and their neighbors. I don’t ever recall seeing you at any of these meetings. Suddenly, though you have the cred to question others priorities.
I think you need to reexamine yours.
Yeah! wORD IS BORN! You need to REEXAMINE your shit dawg. REEXAMINE!! Where do you get off?! You need to get your ass down to starbucks and pay penance! And quick like!
ReplyDeleteHere's an interesting article about a protest against Starbucks in Tampa 5 YEARS AGO! Click interesting article.
ReplyDeleteI'm so old I don't get that excited about any of this. Starbucks is here. Don't do criminal acts. Go to Starbucks or not, it's your choice. People get murdered all over Tampa and all over the country too. No, I don't like it, but neither does anyone else, except maybe the criminals who do the killing. I can't figure out what one has to do with the other.
ReplyDeleteThe bottom line is one should not do criminal acts...that includes destruction of someone else's personal property.
Starbucks isn't perfect, but then neither are any of the other zillion profitable companies. You can find a negative article about almost any company you search on. They don't pay fair wages, they use foreign labor to get cheap goods, they don't pay enough benefits (some don't pay any and when they do they cancel them unexpectedly). Sgtarbucks is just another company...good, bad, and whatever.
Ranting about our business (and it is ours now that it's open) is silly. They are harming no one. You don't have to pay for anything at Starbucks, go somewhere else. But, if you want to pay for a latte or a frappachino or whatever, it's there for you.
that's just great bungalow lady. now go watch american idol.
ReplyDeleteI found this while researching something else, but you may want to post this for your readers.
ReplyDeleteHere is the place these vandals got their idea from. At least you know it was not original. They probably used a microsoft computer or Mac with Windows Explorer to get info, bought their paint at Home Depot, drove thier car bought at CarMax, wore their GAP clothes and spray painted something from a website.
http://www.starbuckscoffee.org.uk/
and i bet you typed that on your machine while naked, slathered in crisco oil, while watching kiddie porn on your big screen.
ReplyDelete