The Starbucks experience

Caffeine is an addictive drug, stimulating the brain in a manner similar to the amphetamines cocaine and heroin. Addicts of all kinds from junkies jabbing themselves with needles to obese couch potatoes gorging themselves on chocolate do so in a desperate attempt to block out their constant feelings of loneliness, inadequacy and depression. Giving yourself a hit of caffeine is just another way to deflect the ever-present feeling of unsatisfactoriness. Among a group of coffee addicts the statement "I can't deal with anything until I have a cup of coffee in the morning" will be met with idiotic sniggers and nods of the head from like-minded fools who find reassurance in groups. The fact that people need a drug to deal with reality should raise some large questions about the society in which we live. But in our age where ignorance is celebrated such a suggestion would evoke confusion and be quickly dismissed as alarmist.

Coffee is the 2nd largest legally traded commodity behind oil in the world - it's ubiquitous nature apt for exploitation. Nestle has been inundating the general public with false images of the virtues of drinking coffee for decades. Who isn't familiar with the typical Nescafe advertisement portraying some cardboard cutout dummy wearing a cozy woollen jumper perched high on their balcony or curled up snugly on their couch with a look of orgasmic satisfaction on their face as they sip on the elixir of life?

Starbucks have taken this maudlin image one step further by creating an imaginary atmosphere where people can indulge in their fantasises of themseves as hip and happening people. A visit to any Starbucks outlet around the world reveals an almost identical store format. The beckoning aroma of freshly brewed coffee, stylish, comfortable furniture enveloped by tinted windows creating the illusion that something interesting is going on behind them. This is the perfect atmosphere for the designer label crowd to gather and tell lies to each other to reinforce their warped views of themselves.

There is a particualr type of Starbucks patron who stands out more prominently than the others. Their act centres around pretending thery're having a fabulously good time. They can be most often be spotted close to the window where they can attract the most attention. Now in the limelight they must exaggerate every bit of behaviour in an effort to gain the recognition they wrongfully believe they deserve. Tell tale signs for such gimps are forced laughs, raised voices and wild gesticulation. They try to appear to be engrossed in a humorous and interesting conversation but give themselves away by the abrupt, frequent glances around to see who's watching.

For those with more pressing concerns they can have their part of the Starbucks experience by purchasing a takeaway sample. After an exchange of idiotic grins with the barista they break into a purposeful stride clutching their styrofoam cup strategically displaying the little green starbucks symbol to let everyone know they are part of the unique club.

The ultimate irony is that while thinking their actions represent a sense of individuality the entire masquerade is one of conformity, not unlike the rebellious adolescent who dyes his hair and pierces his nose in a forlorn attempt to camouflague his relative ordinariness.

It is probably fitting to quote from one of the modern day purveyors of myths and fantasy. Scott Bedbury is the former marketing guru for Nike and Starbucks. His ideas have contributed to the afore-mentioned companies ever-increasing profit lines that are the subject of frequent mutual jack-off sessions amongst stock-market analysts and financial journalists.

"A great brand is a story that's never completely told. A brand is a metaphorical story that connects with something very deep, a fundamental appreciation of mythology. Stories create the emotional context people need to locate themselves in a larger experience".

Here you have it in a nutshell, uncomfortable with the reality of their banal existence, people look to external sources to create a false sense of self. Regardless of how fantastical, they find comfort in narrow self-serving constructs which provide them the identity they lack, the absurdity normalised through group acts of ignorance. Perhaps intentionally, Bedbury subtly overstates the existence of a 'larger experience', when all that really remains after the rhetoric and imagery is stripped away is a figment of the imagination in the minds of gullible fools.