It seems as if Starbucks is not only interested in brewing a good cup of coffee, but they are also interested in cultivating the public sphere. Long a place where people could come together and share ideas to a democratic and rational end, the public sphere was famously defined by Jurgen Habermas and rooted in the theory of communicative action. Basically, he stated that the public sphere was a place where people could congregate and discuss issues relevant to the public in hopes of influencing each other and/or reaching consensus. This is supposed to be a rational, inclusive, and status-free place. Coffee shops represent a classic venue through which this could take place.
Of course, in this day and age, I would be hard pressed to walk into a coffee shop and strike up conversation with anyone other than the barista (note my professional terminology). I don't talk to strangers, and most other people don't , either. Unless they are online, of course. But the movement of the public sphere to the Internet is another story. Starbucks, in its brilliance, has realized that people don't talk to each other. So what do they do? They put conversation on their cups.
When I went to my local Starbucks the other day, I picked up a pamphlet titled "The Way I See it," which details their "The Way I See It" campaign. For anyone who doesn't go to Starbucks, all of their cups are printed with "The Way I See It" and a quotation underneath. They use writers, musicians, philosophers, etc. I always wondered what that was all about. Now I know --they are trying to stimulate thought and conversation! But now, they've taken it one step further -- anyone can write in and either respond to a "The Way I See It" quote, or submit one of their own. And sure enough, my coffee cup from yesterday contained the one woman's musings about her parents. Hmmm.
So I got to thinking -- because Starbucks corporate is obviously selective about what they publish, they are clearly trying to cultivate a certain image of what a "Starbucks" public sphere would be, and by extension, what mindset is indicative of a Starbucks public. Wouldn't it be interesting to go through all of their cups and quotes and see just what that image is? My guess is that it is some kind of liberal, intellectual, somewhat self-important kind of public. No wonder I like Starbucks so much -- I fit right in! Okay --sort of -- but I'd still like to see exactly what kind of image they are trying to cultivate. It will take a lot of cups of coffee, but I'm up to the challenge.
In the meantime, I've found a way to save money at Starbucks. Whenever I bring in my travel mug, they only charge me for a tall even though my travel mug is a venti. It is one particular person who works behind the counter, and I'm wondering when she is going to realize that she is only supposed to give me a $0.20 discount. Hopefully not for a long time. However, by using my travel mug, I may be saving the planet, but I am removing myself from the conversation.
I realize this whole post makes it seem like I have a ton of time on my hands, but really, think I just have adult ADD.
