WEBVTT NOTE 26. In Praise of McCafe 1 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:09.080 In praise of McCafe, it's a strange thing that all the leading progressives feel schadenfreude 2 00:00:09.080 --> 00:00:12.160 toward all the Starbucks closings around the country. 3 00:00:12.160 --> 00:00:18.640 I mean, this institution samples all the fashionable attitudes in music, aesthetics and politics, 4 00:00:18.640 --> 00:00:24.160 subtly embracing the ethos of the arc-lefty consumer class happy to promote commercialism 5 00:00:24.160 --> 00:00:29.840 provided that the commercialism points to all the right environmental and social justice 6 00:00:29.840 --> 00:00:30.840 Causes 7 00:00:30.840 --> 00:00:37.160 Still, Starbucks expanded too quickly and too aggressively, and eventually, for whatever 8 00:00:37.160 --> 00:00:41.060 reason, earned the wrath of the tribe. 9 00:00:41.060 --> 00:00:46.120 The Wobblies seem particularly annoyed that they have avoided unionizing. 10 00:00:46.120 --> 00:00:52.380 For my part, I'm glad to see Starbucks go down the old-fashioned way, bested by a rival. 11 00:00:52.380 --> 00:00:57.080 In this case, it is the least likely rival that one might expect. 12 00:00:57.080 --> 00:00:58.080 McDonald's. 13 00:00:58.080 --> 00:01:03.200 Have you seen their amazing coffee machines that crank out lattes and cappuccinos with 14 00:01:03.200 --> 00:01:04.200 the best of them? 15 00:01:04.200 --> 00:01:09.960 Yes, I know that these treats have long been available in urban areas, but they only recently 16 00:01:09.960 --> 00:01:13.200 reached my hometown. 17 00:01:13.200 --> 00:01:17.120 The machines that make the stuff are sheer wonders. 18 00:01:17.120 --> 00:01:23.180 They have two canisters on top with beans that get ground fresh with each new cup ordered. 19 00:01:23.180 --> 00:01:27.420 The entire machine is self-contained with digital operation. 20 00:01:27.420 --> 00:01:30.420 And they do it all in minutes for $2 per cup. 21 00:01:30.420 --> 00:01:35.540 I'll never stand around Starbucks for 10 minutes listening to bad 1980s alternative 22 00:01:35.540 --> 00:01:38.540 rock again. 23 00:01:38.540 --> 00:01:43.400 The blogs are furious about it all, of course, with people denouncing McDonald's for stirring 24 00:01:43.400 --> 00:01:50.060 in the foam and other heresies of coffee drink making, but I could not care less. 25 00:01:50.060 --> 00:01:55.060 I find them delicious, and I'm thrilled to be free of all that Starbucks pretence. 26 00:01:56.460 --> 00:02:00.140 McDonald's feigns attempts at latching on to current political trends, 27 00:02:00.140 --> 00:02:04.660 offering low-fat this or that, or claiming to be environmentally friendly, 28 00:02:04.660 --> 00:02:07.460 but it is never very convincing. 29 00:02:07.460 --> 00:02:11.020 Our standard operating procedures include regular litter patrols 30 00:02:11.020 --> 00:02:14.180 of the areas around our restaurants, and thank goodness. 31 00:02:15.340 --> 00:02:19.580 This is a company that is all about the thing they do well, 32 00:02:19.580 --> 00:02:28.380 which is bringing to life the Jetsons' world of push-button food, a vision that has enticed me since childhood. 33 00:02:28.380 --> 00:02:36.880 One has to appreciate this company's capacity for continually reinventing itself and bringing all of its products to all social classes. 34 00:02:36.880 --> 00:02:40.480 They perfected the kids' playground. 35 00:02:40.480 --> 00:02:43.120 They have a pitch for the hip urban class. 36 00:02:43.120 --> 00:02:45.440 They have a countryside, too. 37 00:02:45.440 --> 00:02:52.960 They do fish, they do breakfast, and sometimes it seems like a quarter-pounder is the best thing in the world. 38 00:02:52.960 --> 00:02:58.840 What's more, they don't do what they know they can't do. 39 00:02:58.840 --> 00:03:10.120 Now they have taken a luxury drink like cappuccino and found a way to bring it to every living soul in a package that is a beautiful and unashamed mimic of the competition. 40 00:03:10.120 --> 00:03:16.480 In this sense, it embodies the very soul of capitalism, efficiently universalizing society's 41 00:03:16.480 --> 00:03:19.520 most desirable things. 42 00:03:19.520 --> 00:03:25.560 One of the reasons that the elites loathe places like McDonald's or Walmart or Target 43 00:03:25.560 --> 00:03:30.840 or any of these places that cater to every man – and you might suppose that the champions 44 00:03:30.840 --> 00:03:34.960 of the workers and peasants would love these places – is precisely their capacity to 45 00:03:34.960 --> 00:03:39.840 rob the rich of their distinctive social markers. 46 00:03:39.840 --> 00:03:44.760 One day, it was a sign of class and distinction to drink a latte. 47 00:03:44.760 --> 00:03:49.240 The next day, every construction worker is new in it. 48 00:03:49.240 --> 00:03:52.520 Places like this make it difficult for the rich to set themselves apart from everyone 49 00:03:52.520 --> 00:03:54.180 else. 50 00:03:54.180 --> 00:04:01.200 This is a message I pick up from both Mises' anti-capitalistic mentality and Garrett Garrett's 51 00:04:01.200 --> 00:04:04.080 wonderful novel, Hering. 52 00:04:04.080 --> 00:04:08.960 They both seek to explain the strange elitism of the left and its opposition to capitalism 53 00:04:08.960 --> 00:04:10.880 for the masses. 54 00:04:10.880 --> 00:04:15.340 And they both discern that the answer lies in the way that the market is so slavishly 55 00:04:15.340 --> 00:04:21.120 devoted to serving the needs of the average person, as opposed to society's philosopher 56 00:04:21.120 --> 00:04:23.640 kings. 57 00:04:23.640 --> 00:04:29.160 And that's why McDonald's efforts to latitudinize the latte is not garnering accolades from 58 00:04:29.160 --> 00:04:31.640 the blogosphere. 59 00:04:31.640 --> 00:04:36.500 No matter, this is a success, as you can see by the lines and all the excitement. 60 00:04:36.500 --> 00:04:40.060 It is especially pleasing to see how much the employees enjoy the action. 61 00:04:40.060 --> 00:04:44.860 Next time you're in, ask about the machine and talk to the management about how it works, 62 00:04:44.860 --> 00:04:49.860 how they were trained and how it is drawing new crowds into the restaurant. 63 00:04:49.860 --> 00:04:53.500 Yes, it is all about profits. 64 00:04:53.500 --> 00:04:55.300 Sorry socialists! 65 00:04:55.300 --> 00:04:59.220 This also means that it is all about people!