Hipster Coffee Shops And Capitalism — An illustration of economic systems, capitalism and socialism
Yesterday I went to a coffee shop with a “hipster” vibe that also doubled as a plant store.
I arrived around 20 minutes early to meet a friend and explore the various interesting items. There was an area to order coffee, and tables to sit at— the typical coffee shop, but the store also sold snacks, honey, bagels, fig-trees, orchids, and other items.
The “hipster” aesthetic could almost be described as organized clutter.
The various coffee drinks were generally priced between $4 and $6.
As I explored, enjoyed my coffee, and met with my friend, I was struck with an obvious irony…
Before I explain, I want to explore context. Most readers in 2024 have a general idea of what a “hipster” is, however, those reading this article in Japan, Saudi Arabia, or even in America in 2044, may not understand this term or may have a different definition.
But even those of us in 2024 America might be so used to the “hipster” vibe that we take it for granted and miss the incredible “elephant in the room.”
Your typical hipster has a fashion style that blends a mix of retro-chic, rustic, casual hair and clothes, and subtle choices that aren’t too flashy in-and-of themselves, but which accumulate and stand out. This might include a knitted messenger bag, a “man bun,” and round glasses that are reminiscent of something from the 1800's.
Hipsters also tend to be very left-wing in their social and political philosophy. They tend to support homosexual relationships, pre-marital sex, the right of a woman to end the life of her unborn baby for convenience, and socialist government policies.
This latter is where the irony comes in.
Those on the Left often complain about the evils of “capitalism” and yet they open these expensive and very stylish, privately owned coffee shops.
The terms “capitalism” and “socialism” are often thrown around in American political discourse, along with phrases such as “fascism” and “communism” but it seems that many people are unaware that these are specific economic terms with specific meanings, not just emotional labels for things we like and don’t like.
Capitalism refers to an economic system where individuals are free to open and run businesses as they see fit, and where business is done by consent. The government’s role in a capitalist economy is to step in in matters of force, fraud, and coercion, including contract violations. The government in a capitalist economy does not own or run the businesses. Business in a capitalist economy is done when two parties agree on a mutual exchange for mutual benefit, and this is done by consent.
Socialism, in its various forms, is where the government owns and runs the businesses and ultimately runs the economy.
The contrast is this: In capitalism, you are free to open a coffee shop, purchase your coffee beans, and decorate in any way you so choose, and you can choose to list your products for any price, while other people are free to accept or reject your offer.
Under socialism, the government owns the coffee shop, dictates which beans are used, sets the prices, and chooses what the decorations look like. If you do not like the coffee or the aesthetics, you are not free to open your own shop on your own terms. There is also little incentive to improve because the government endeavor is paid for with your tax dollars.
This is the irony — most hipsters would (most likely) generally describe themselves as “socialist” and mimic the anti-capitalist rhetoric, and yet they tend to frequent these privately owned, privately run, free-market businesses with very expensive cups of coffee.
Rhetoric about “price gouging” never seems to be applied to an $8 latte in an era where a cup of coffee can be easily produced for less than $1 at home.
Should the government dictate “price controls” on a cup of coffee? Should DMV politicians shut down these privately owned businesses and replace them with sterile, gray coffee lines where “free” cups of coffee are given out and paid for by force?
You might want to dismiss these questions as right-wing talking points, but the history of socialism has consisted of shutting down privately owned businesses. This includes shoe-shining boxes owned by young boys. I often hear those on the Left talking about the virtues of Cuba and Venezuela. This includes college students who have “vacationed” in Cuba and have seen what the party wants them to see.
But then I talk to people who lived in Cuba and Venezuela, and the actual reality is a nightmare.
(Hint: People are not braving shark-filled waters to get to Florida to escape free healthcare.)
Of course, most economies are a mixture of socialism and capitalism. In the U.S. in 2024, the cell phone industry is largely capitalist, along with hipster coffee shops, while public schools are socialist monopolies. While many hospitals are privately owned in my state, they are so regulated as to be essentially run by the government.
This is something I could get more into, but I want to bring the topic back around to the main point: What kind of world do you really want to live in? How much do you want to be free, and how much do you want politicians running your life?
I would rather live in a free-market “capitalist” society where I can go to my local coffee shop, open my own business, rent rooms out of my own house, and have the freedom to engage in the relationships I choose to have, be they business, personal, or romantic.
I am willing to bet that many of you self-described “socialists” actually love capitalism and don’t even know it. I can’t help but notice that you are going to a hipster coffee shop for your coffee, rather than sitting at the DMV with a “free” cup of coffee, and I can’t blame you.
I would rather enjoy a latte with organic, fair trade roasted beans, imported from a startup village in Peru, lactose-free organic milk from a local free-range dairy farm, caramel sugar from cane grown in black volcanic soil, and authentic eco-friendly vanilla.
Okay, I have no idea if sugar cane can be grown in volcanic soil, but that goes with the point that Milton Friedman made that no one human being on Earth has enough knowledge to make a #2 pencil, let alone enough knowledge to run an entire economy. This is a major part of why socialist top-down economies inevitably collapse.
This brings everything back around to the question of what kind of world you want to live in. After enjoying my Asian-derived latte (enter “cultural appropriation” here) I chatted with my friend and then went for a walk where I saw art on the streets. Later I bought a double cheeseburger with bacon from a street vendor and a bottle of water for a total of $8. Once again, capitalism served me well.
Various shops lined the streets in this neighborhood, including one selling natural hair products. These “artsy” streets are an example of capitalism and are made possible in our industrialized fossil-fueled and nuclear-powered world.
Remember this next time you are in a coffee shop, making your own decision to freely purchase a $5 latte. If you honestly hate capitalism, if you honestly hate the idea of people being allowed to make their own economic decisions, then why are you supporting such capitalist free-market endeavors?
To push the point further, do you want schools, hospitals, and coffee houses to be run by teachers, doctors, and business owners, or do you want them to be run by distant politicians in Washington D.C.?
Or do you want a situation like what we’ve seen with the cost of education, where colleges and universities keep raising their price of tuition because Federal loans keep increasing?
Of course, if you still hate the notion of people making their own decisions, owning their own businesses, and running their own lives, then I challenge you to create your own community on an island somewhere where people are free to come and go, and where the government gives everyone “free” healthcare, “free” education, and “free” housing, food, and electricity while running everyone’s lives.
I just ask that you refrain from the genocide that is typical of Socialist regimes and that you practice open borders allowing people who want to leave to leave and allowing anyone who wants to enter your borders to do so without question.
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