The percolator is, as we should all know by now, both the foundation and fountainhead of Anglo-American liberty:
As the number of public spaces proliferated during this period, so did opportunities for the exchange of information, ideas and criticism. An exemplar was the coffee-house. Within fifty years of the founding of the first in Europe--in Venice in 1645--it had spread across the continent, reaching London in the early 1650s. By 1659 Samuel Pepys could record that he had been to the Turk's Head coffee-house in New Palace Yard, close to Parliament, and had heard 'exceeding good argument against Mr Harrington's assertion that overbalance of propriety [property] was the foundation of government'. For the price of a cup of coffee (although many other beverages were on offer), anyone decently dressed could join in debating the issues of the day. The newly restored Charles II took a dim view of the freedom expression that prevailed there...
The notion of "public spaces" and the way they permit civil society to function may be the most important part here.
The recent controversy involving Starbucks and the open carry folks (crazies?) may be a good modern example of the ways in which public spaces (though privately owned) can promote political mobilization.
No comments:
Post a Comment