What Does 17th Century French Comedy Share with Coffee House Culture?

The first answer is that there is something more French about Starbucks than Café Au Lait. This article comments on what we have come to understand as the coffee house culture of America, most noticeably spread throughout the country by the billion-dollar retailer, Starbucks. The coffee house culture is one symbol of what has gone awry in America.

Let us first set the stage with the words of the great playwright, Moliere, himself. He wrote a one-act play called Les Précieuses Ridicules, or The Pretentious Young Ladies. It was a hit during one of the best periods of French culture (when it dominated Europe), spanning the long reign of the French king, Louis XIV. This play was first performed in Paris on November 18, 1659.

In the opening scene, two gentlemen, La Grange and Du Croisy, are conversing about the rude treatment they have received from two very pretentious young ladies from the French provinces.

La Grange remarks: "...Pray now, did ever anybody see a couple of country wenches giving themselves more ridiculous airs, or two men treated with more contempt than we were? They could hardly make up their mind to order chairs for us...In short, do you not agree with me that if we had been the meanest persons in the world, we could not have been treated worse?"

So, what on Earth does this French play have to do with Starbucks or the coffee house culture? It is surprisingly simple. All of us pretentious coffee house types (and online café types) are really wenches putting on ridiculous airs. In other words, we go to a Starbucks or a similar retailer and pay ridiculous prices for coffee beverages. Then we sit around in overstuffed chairs and engage in idle conversations. The commercialization of the coffee house and the culture to which we ascribe are farcical at best. Why? Because we are no more refined for paying for expensive coffee and sitting around in overstuffed chairs than we are for driving through at McDonalds and ordering a Big Mac and fries?

This diatribe is not aimed at attacking Starbucks or the coffee house culture. It is a wakeup call for Americans. Leaving aside any reflections on the new social media to which we are flocking in droves, we are losing touch with what is really important about our culture. The legacy that we are going to leave our grandchildren and great-grandchildren is a culture that is dominated by attitudes like "Anything goes" and "World domination at any cost." While these attitudes may not be new, we need to focus again on what makes our country strong. It's not about how many wars we win or how many billions worth of gold bricks are stored at Fort Knox. The legacy that we should leave our great-grandchildren is a culture that reflects the powerful intellectual, social, ethical, artistic, scientific, linguistic, and holistic contributions of our time. We should return to family life and collectivism. Maybe if families spent more time at Starbucks together, then we would be in a better place.

We have to shift the national consciousness from negativity, war, violence, hate, greed, domination, and abomination to love, peace, cultural tolerance, community, good, and sharing. It is a powerful challenge for generations X and Y, but we have the capacity to do it. The social media culture is one way to bring about this change. It takes an effort on every American's part to bring people together, to heal the wounds of our country before they tear us apart. The damage started long before George W. Bush got elected or we were humbled on 9/11. The roots of our great culture are here. We just have to become good gardeners and cultivate them. Watch what happens!