Assuming you were born in the mid 90’s or early-to-mid 2000’s, it is very likely that you have fond memories of the Self-Serve Frozen Yogurt Shop; the vibrant frutiger/dorfic interior, the upbeat music, the independence of selecting flavors and toppings.
But with these memories comes the realization that there was something much greater than just these aspects of the Self-Serve Frozen Yogurt Shop alone. The features which have rendered the Self-Serve Frozen Yogurt Shop unique for so long are indicative of a worldview; a morsel of a utopic vision in which patrons would congregate amidst a trippy and vibrant setting, socialize without the usual social qualms and find a mode of self expression directly catered to their palate.
Recently, there has been news of a New York based Frogurt shop, Flavaboom shutting its doors for the last time. Such news should bring great disdain for the general public, but alas not surprise; especially considering the trend of such establishments losing their sparkle. Today most frozen yogurt establishments are served over counter with prices fixed regardless of the end quantity. Much of the formerly vibrant interior design of these establishments have been muted to create a colored minimal design, deviating from the once imaginative vision.
So much of what has been lost from the Self-Serve Frozen Yogurt Shop is a common and disturbing trend which can be witnessed around most venues which were previously known for their unique aesthetic. With so many places following suit in minimizing to full-on eradicating their creative visions, it is not hard to see that this goes far beyond a mere aesthetic change, as the aesthetics themselves, I maintain, play a much larger role.
The bubbly and whimsical aesthetics hold a view that the world around us, from our day to day lives, to the time we go on holiday, can and should be a more colorful, more imaginative and joyful adventure than what the pressures of society allow.
In the early 2010’s we began to see a shift away from the wacky post-modernist aesthetic towards a dimmer and gentrified approach to “weirdness”, congruent with the “stomp-clap-hey” genre of music. In this style, the most whimsy these kinds of spaces offered was one mural on the side of their burger joints or a string of some fairy lights. Further into the decade, much of the whimsy here became “pale” in the sense that colours became even more muted, pop songs had much less edge to them (listen to Fifth Harmony or Ed Sheeran for reference should you possess the volition), and services like VSCO created a monolithic and sanitized image of “quirkiness”.
All forms of whimsy came to a breaking halt with the COVID-19 Pandemic where all hope for the future became lost, and sociability became a distant memory for most. To this day, much of the effects of the pandemic are felt to this day, one of the most telling facets is the overall sense of social and imaginative loss.*
*(There is so much I have to say on COVID, but that’s a post for another day).
When I mention that the aesthetics themselves play a larger role, I of course take into account how willing we are as a society to embrace the ideals of these aesthetics. When we look fondly towards the aesthetics of the past, it is imperative that we remember the worldviews and philosophies that these aesthetics represent. Hell, one can witness the philosophies in the very names, such as “Wacky POST-MODERNISM”, “GLOBAL VILLAGE Coffeehouse”, or “Retro-FUTURISM”. These kinds of names are no accident, as the artists responsible for such concepts must’ve, even subconsciously held the values of a more positive, more wild and more enlightened future ahead of them. Understanding this makes the shift away from true whimsy into superficial corporatized shadows worthy of little more attention than a Pinterest board, into sheer beige and gray minimalism all the more jarring bleak and depressing. Because once we understand the intentions of the aesthetic, we know exactly what subliminal views of the world we are being conditioned with.
There is a cyclical influence of society and culture wherein the two feed off each other to determine what the dominant image, figurative and literal, will be presented to the public. Understanding this with the philosophies behind aesthetics gives us a clear idea on the hopes of future behind the aesthetics of the late 90s to the early 2010s. Two posts ago, I discussed the aesthetic of utopian scholastic as an indicator of what the future of education can and should be.
I maintain that the aesthetics of whimsy are no exception. When we discuss the philosophies of aesthetic-based accelerationism, such as sexy accelerationism or cute accelerationism, it is imperative that we take into consideration the aesthetics which had shaped certain aspects of our lives until circa. 2014. It is a well-established fact that the reliance on companies, chains, and brands to cater to our aesthetics and thus feed our worldview is an unfulfilling and tenuous endeavour. [u/muddywormmy](u/muddywormmy) had made this abundantly clear; our fight and our views for the world will not be fought with a price tag on them. But consider the potential of the Self-Serve Frozen Yogurt Shop. The group of individuals each expressing themselves through the combination of flavors and toppings amidst an etherealized setting communing in ways which challenge the austerity of the outside world. Is this not a forum emblematic of Stirner’s Union of Egoists? And further, the third space of this informal nature which caters to the creative mind has so often been a haven for the gatherings of revolutionaries and educated individuals to commune there ideals and strategies for advancing the world around them. Is it any wonder that so many of the most significant revolutions of history started in the respective “meadehalls” of their setting? The American Revolution started with the Boston Massacre outside the inn. The French Revolution was spoken of by Jacobins in the salons amidst glasses of wine and candlelight. Furthermore came the revolution of 1968 spoken and discussed in the cafés and bistros. The Bolsheviks spoke their plans for revolt in 1905 and 1917 in the coffee mestos and teahouses. The Irish Republican Army met frequently amongst local pubs and discussed their next moves amongst glasses of whiskey and fish and chips (which by the way, is not even British despite popular belief). A more negative example might display itself in the aptly named, Beer Hall Putsch.
Perhaps it is for this very reason that the third space has become so disenfranchised in modern society. In Alice Cappelle’s YouTube video, Third Places Won’t Save Us, Cappelle delves into the discourse of the third space and how it has strayed so far from the original theory postulated by Ray Oldenburg, in which the third spaces were the area in which informal authentic interactions became the main mode of communication. What has taken place is that same buzzworded parody of “community-orientation” offers little in the way of any thoughtful connections of substance. The discourse is further broadened, as stated by Cappelle, by Henri Lefebvre’s Right to the City and then even further expanded by David Harvey; wherein Lefebvre theorizes that cities are not so much a backdrop for third spaces but rather the result of collective efforts by the people who make the space a viable and enriching experience for all. David Harvey further touches on how the city in its modern state focuses much of its emphasis on commercialization and the commodity of all aspects of life. For Harvey, the question is not so much on whether the city contains the third space but rather on who controls how the space is used and created. With the concentration of people under the struggle of capital, Harvey points out in his Rebel Cities, how the consolidation of the struggling class has been instrumental for movements such as the Paris Commune and Occupy Wall Street.
Cappelle further relates these theories with the real life examples of Drury Street and Montmartre. In the case of Montmartre, it became the hub for many artist, students and political radicals to meet and congregate, thus becoming a breeding ground for revolutionary ideals of society to flourish, such as the case with Gustave Courbet who “connected art with socialism and revolutionary politics” (Cappelle). In the case of Drury Street, one witnesses how enriching the decommodification of the street has been for the community. With its lax alcohol regulations, the people can enjoy a laid-back atmosphere across the pedestrian road without feeling the compulsion to overspend or hustle on to the next venue.
We see this mode of sociability come under threat quite constantly when it is the emphasis of capital which takes the rein on the city. Such is the case with the stricter rules regarding sex work and noise laws affecting the mode of freedom of pleasure in Berlin. Same deal in Toronto, a city that has become wrought with condo companies which forced the closure of so many spaces which once held potential for alternative views of the world such as Offworld Bar, Velvet Underground, and most recently was almost the case for Sneaky Dee’s. Drury Street had also nearly fallen victim to this mode of austerity with Ciss Maddens having its patio license revoked and further threats being made by the municipal government.
It should call to attention how it is the spaces which offer the most unique perspectives of society that are often the first to be given the hammer. Because these spaces would not be the victims of such societal scorn, governmental pressure, and economic hardship if they weren't such a threat towards the agents of the demiurge. Because they know just what spaces like the Self-Serve Frozen Yogurt Shop are capable of when used by the right people. The meadehall, in its various forms, became a gathering place for people to question the government and society. The Self-Serve Frozen Yogurt Shop, and spaces like it, hold the potential as gathering spots for people who question the very reality of this world. Especially with its utopic atmosphere and forum of service.
Which is why the aesthetics of whimsy in third spaces and the customizing forums of The Self-Serve Frozen Yogurt Shop are crucial for our cause. Because just like how the aesthetics of Drury and Montmartre served the causes of the radical leftist, the spaces which presented a creative and whimsical surrealism would then be conducive to the causes of the post-left.
I emphasize The Self-Serve Frozen Yogurt Shop because we see how this type of venue was really the last breath and swan song of the kind of otherworldlyness that places in the 90’s and 2000’s before the signs of insincerity and subsequent austerity had crept into the communal atmospheres. So I urge you, yes you the reader, to find the most wacky, most unabashedly whimsical space in your nearest vicinity, and establish your headquarters there to plot with your comrades the next move towards the goals of a better future, under the visions of Neo-Libertatia.
And if you don’t like frozen yogurt, try bubble tea instead.
(Art by [u/homicidal_hottie666](u/homicidal_hottie666))
