truth bombs

I'm glad I've been to Cuba multiple times before the Starbucks and whatnot. I wish there was a middle ground between people having basic freedoms and not being rampaged by lots of Wal Marts.

― Van Horn Street, Wednesday, December 17, 2014 2:40 PM (3 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

A bit simply put, perhaps, but on point

just spitballin here but maybe cuba could be turned into a museum for americans disgusted at their economic system to tour multiple times

btw idk how starbucks became the symbol for the excesses of american capitalism but its inadequate to the point that it makes you think maybe people are just complaining about their consumer options

I've seen one Walmart in my life. Until you get to about $15k GDP per capita most multi-nationals dgaf.

walmart is fwiw a much better symbol of the problems w 21st century capitalism, anyway i heard a similar sentiment as van horns expressed multiple times on twitter today and it comes off mostly as a complaint about a big store ruining the view

is starbucks a bad corporation? i've never heard a lot shitty about them

would they sell Cuban rum at this Walmart in Pinar del Rio?

Starbucks brownies are good

they pay shit (but who doesn't). can't remember if they offer any kind of insurance or benefits. ime the worst aspect of working there was dealing w/ the preening fussiness of the customers.

iirc they are known for offering pretty good insurance/benefits

the left-wing critique is usually on fair trade stuff / killing small businesses

They paid a total of $15m in tax over the course of 14 years in the UK, despite sales of about $750m a year.

Also known for predatory / anti-competitive tactics that haven't really worked very well.

Frappes are good, though.

http://neilyoung.com/?frontpage=true

people fretting about this stuff at this moment need to take a seat imo

that said i've heard there's almost no coastline in jamaica that doesn't have a resort on it

No Starbucks though. Have to give them that.

actual facebook post in my news feed today from a HS acquintance:

"Cozumel is the only place I can get Starbucks in the Caribbean. Hence, my favorite port. ‪#‎itsthelittlethings‬"

I think Starbucks could also stand for wealth inequality and/or a kind of tourists/natives divide, IDK, do they have Starbucks in like tourist areas of DR?

But yeah concerns about capitalism and consumerism entering Cuba address more than just the sense that we'll lose photogenic old cars and rustic weather-beaten houses and buena vista social club or whatever

kinda depends on what you mean "on it" re jamaica and resorts

*should address

ha marcos answered my question I guess

Cafe con leche, cortadito (especialmente con espumita) are the best ever -- Cuba don't need no Starbucks

I don't really have a good sense of how much, say, Riviera Maya development really benefits *The Local Economy* as opposed to putting money in international investors' pockets while providing shit jobs to people who lost their fishing docks or whatever.

There's an unbelievably huge tourist / resident divide and dozens of large resorts in Cuba already. The tourists just aren't American.

most ppl prob rather work at a resort than fish tho obvs thats not nearly the whole picture, the characterization of them at "shit jobs" is certainly debatable too

Those who can stay thanks to wet foot/dry foot often travel back and forth and leave relatives money (e.g. my abuela's caretaker).

went to cuba on a very brief trip (10 days or so) about a decade ago, it was very fascinating. this is otm:

There's an unbelievably huge tourist / resident divide and dozens of large resorts in Cuba already. The tourists just aren't American.

― Wristy Hurlington (ShariVari), Wednesday, December 17, 2014 5:06 PM (9 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

also what specifically is being changed - diplomatic relations or the entirety of the economic embargo?

both supposedly, see what happens with the republican hissfit

everything I saw said the embargo is very much still in place

well the president cant lift the embargo unilaterally but restoring diplomatic relations is an obvs step in that direction and an indication of a desire to do so

am i the only one that feels like 'oh no american tourists turning cuba into cancun' is more trenchant social commentary than truth bomb

did you read any posts after that one

i sort of tuned out after i saw more than one post about starbucks

speaking of trenchant social commentary

only 90s kids will understand

i mean like genuine commercial made for your money under the indiepop glaze for people who like their starbucks iphone identity but no longer of the generation instinctively and cynically averse to blatant commercialism and instead are of the gen where identity is found within it rather than in opposition to it. Emimem's violent rap against a pop queen finds himself in a era he's not familiar with in that when he was going at pop stars in his pomp because now they curry favour in we are cool and knowledgeable circles rather than just been teen pop who you can say what you like about without anyone serious giving a sh

https://scontent-a-lga.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfa1/v/t1.0-9/10540994_10152921772274104_623640500323819581_n.jpg?oh=f8275ad2a06c4195fb274bb0b423a424&oe=553FCFC2

facebook is so boring and mundane and most people i'm very close with don't really use it. yet deleting my account seems like more effort than not deleting it. for some reason i still browse my newsfeed pretty regularly, just as a general "let me escape this present moment" thing (not dissimilar to ILX, but ILX generally has funnier or more insightful shit to say) but not because i find any great worth in it. in general "let me escape this present moment" is a net negative in my life so i can't say i gain anything worthwhile from facebook.

― marcos, Monday, February 23, 2015 12:41 PM (1 minute ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I was not 15 when I was in college, but really, I kind of was.
― mh, Wednesday, April 1, 2015 7:48 PM

You're essentially internet bullies. I mention that I'm British and you and your cronies spend your whole time using it as an insult, we all know in your rl you aren't so confident with the insults.

― Arctic Noon Auk, Wednesday, April 1, 2015 1:25 PM (3 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

People get a lot more confident with their insults when they are directed against British people irl or not.

missed the og thread but in their defense Arctic Noon Auk as a username sounds like a deleted Frank Zappa track title.

it is a bad dn and a worse poster

http://images.esellerpro.com/2152/I/487/07/medscaleWKDAC-9142_KIT_FRONT_800.jpg

um jeez offensive

u can tell ilx is an indie fan site cause any time u make a post about pavement 3 people pop up to say "pavement is a mythical beast both large and small, dumb and wise, ironic and true"

― flopson, Sunday, April 5, 2015 11:03 AM (1 minute ago) Bookmark

When I become Emperor I will ban all songwriting credits from ever being published

― 龜, Sunday, April 5, 2015 11:05 AM

but then we'd have no Alexander Nevermind!

songwriting credits are the most valuable part of music

^ truth bomb