Althouse: The popcorn store is open... open to discussion... and it's been open...

June 9, 2020

The popcorn store is open... open to discussion... and it's been open...

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Photographed yesterday on State Street in Madison.

43 comments:

NCMoss said...: Street photography has more impact when people are included or are central in the image. Althouse needs to work on that.; 6/9/20, 11:06 AM
Wa St Blogger said...: Just wondering. If their ideas about open discussions begin with "shut up you racist and listen." Then they are not really open to discussion.; 6/9/20, 11:18 AM
Original Mike said...: WE'RE OPEN

Freeman Hunt made a good observation yesterday (I think). How gloomy it must be inside.

So now, not only are we to slip down our masks when we want a bite of food, but we're supposed to do it inside a plywood box. Can't wait for that experience. In the end, I bet it's greater than 42/100 businesses that close forever.; 6/9/20, 11:25 AM
damikesc said...: Colin is a G.O.A.T?

He lost his job to Blaine Gabbert, for Gods sake.; 6/9/20, 11:29 AM
Inga said...: “In the end, I bet it's greater than 42/100 businesses that close forever.“

State Street is prime property, something else will take their place.; 6/9/20, 11:30 AM
Original Mike said...: "State Street is prime property, something else will take their place."

So they can get shattered too?

State Street WAS prime property.; 6/9/20, 11:37 AM
Original Mike said...: And screw the current business owners. They had it coming.; 6/9/20, 11:39 AM
Rick said...: Inga said...something else will take their place.

So the FU to those people who lost their life's work. Remember these are people who pretend to be compassionate, but only because doing so helps them criticize others.; 6/9/20, 11:45 AM
Not Sure said...: Sorry, but that shop has got to be shut down. Popcorn is a cultural appropriation from pre-Columbian indigenous peoples.; 6/9/20, 11:46 AM
Temujin said...: Because nothing says 'popcorn' like riots in every city across America.; 6/9/20, 11:47 AM
Ann Althouse said...: There’s been an effort for a long time to get more retail shops on State Street, especially interesting boutiques. Even if the spaces are kept open with new businesses, chances are these will be more fast food restaurants and bars... though without the students on campus, it’s hard to see even that being worthwhile. The shops are needed to pull people in from the residential areas, and these, I think, were most hurt by the looting. These places are also competing with on-line shopping. So I think it will be hard for State Street to get back to what it was. Inga’s comment at 11:30 strikes me as dismissive and simple-minded.; 6/9/20, 11:48 AM
MayBee said...: Maybe something else will take its place, but downtowns can die. That happened in my hometown in the 70s. Suddenly everyone wanted the mall and the strip malls. All the stores that had been downtown died. It wasn't until the late 90s that a few restaurants started things going again in the downtown area. Now its thriving, but it will only thrive as long as it's safe. There was a riot there two weeks ago. We'll see.

If people think these uprisings and COVID are going to keep happening, or that the police won't protect them, or that the college students won't be back, then State Street won't be prime property anymore.; 6/9/20, 11:49 AM
Darkisland said...: So does the ebonics "We been open, how about you" make it more authentic?

Does it make the store less racist or more?

Isn't it cultural appropriation?

Of course, if the store is owned by blacks, the last would not apply.

Are blacks even allowed on State St? I thought the Madison way was to keep them all penned up in the ghetto.

John Henry; 6/9/20, 11:56 AM
Sebastian said...: "We been open, how about you"

More open than you. Open to evidence, for one thing.

Number of nonviolent black arrestees killed by police, per year =
Number of white victims of black violence, per year =; 6/9/20, 12:05 PM
Not Sure said...: I'm assuming the popcorn shop didn't get torched, cuz there'd be some awesome video if it did.; 6/9/20, 12:10 PM
Bushman of the Kohlrabi said...: So if you turn your store into a bunker and lie prostrate to a leftist political movement you may be allowed keep your popcorn store open? I wonder what the requirements for a new boutique would be.; 6/9/20, 12:11 PM
Todd said...: Good for you, hope you do well BUT I am NOT open to getting a lecture while I am involved in two party commerce, by the other party I am involved in commerce with. If you want to have a political discussion and/or "teaching moment" do it on YOUR time, not my dime.

Just like the "entertainers" were told to "shut-up and sing", would you just "shut-up and serve". If the transaction must include a lecture, I will just go elsewhere to conduct my transaction, thank you very much.

Always remember and never forget, "get woke, go broke". Have a nice day.; 6/9/20, 12:19 PM
Yancey Ward said...: Inga’s comment at anytime strikes me as simple-minded.

FIFY.; 6/9/20, 12:22 PM
The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...: A social media discussion or a private circle-of-trust discussion? because I have to say that all of the latter I'm privy to are strikingly at odds with the former. Weird.; 6/9/20, 12:29 PM
Ken B said...: Inga:
“In the end, I bet it's greater than 42/100 businesses that close forever.“

State Street is prime property, something else will take their place.
———————————-

Once when we were discussing the covid death count Mark, the religious instructor, noted the greater of number of births the ame day. Mark's comment is a lot more odious than yours Inga, but they share the same logic.; 6/9/20, 12:36 PM
h said...: "Open to discussion". I recollect that Stephen Colbert (?) used to ask rhetorically: George Bush-- a great President? or the greatest President?" I guess that too is open to discussion.; 6/9/20, 12:48 PM
Big Mike said...: Are blacks even allowed on State St?

@John Henry, I'm sure there will be a few, carefully vetted tokens allowed. Liberals always do that.; 6/9/20, 12:48 PM
bagoh20 said...: All those people and families and dreams destroyed first by the lock down and now by myopic, toxic self-righteousness. You have to be one callous and ugly person to have no compassion for them, and one stupid person to believe their loss won't effect the communities they contributed to. Mean and stupid explains a lot.; 6/9/20, 12:48 PM
bagoh20 said...: People are already looking around for someplace to go to escape this stupidity, and Madison might have been such a place, but your little spoiled white kids shit in their own nest.; 6/9/20, 12:51 PM
jeff said...: Look at that! Early 70’s State St, are the head shops back? Can I drive up and down it again?; 6/9/20, 12:52 PM
Howard said...: The humor expressed on the plywood is as dry as a popcorn fart; 6/9/20, 1:26 PM
Howard said...: Well I think that it's hard to blame the riots on these business closures because the covid shut down they were probably going to go under anyway without getting torched. In fact they can probably get some insurance money out of it now so the rioters actually did them a favor.; 6/9/20, 1:30 PM
mikee said...: The google image for the popcorn store still shows this emporium with glass windows.
It was a more civilized era, I guess, when the last google street view car drove past.
Will google still note what stores used to be open at each address, long after the rioters have their way with the property of their betters?; 6/9/20, 1:33 PM
walter said...: I've always wondered how that place survives in such a high rent area.
There should be an emblem on the art to show when commissioned by Satya.; 6/9/20, 1:57 PM
Inga said...: I’m not being dismissive of the shop owners, I’m being dismissive of people who wallow in negativity, like the commenter I was responding to. State Street doesn’t need the people from the residential areas as much as it needs college students and University related traffic, so additional pubs, bars and restaurants will bring in more revenue than interesting boutiques. If downtown Madison having interesting boutiques is a deal breaker for Madison residents, they can consider living elsewhere. I’m being optimistic and if optimism is simple minded then anyone who is optimistic about Madison’s downtown area is being simple minded. UW isn’t going to be closed for in person classes forever. The U of MN already are going to recommend in person classes.

Guess I’m not too simple minded to figure out how to get a mail in ballot online.; 6/9/20, 3:24 PM
MayBee said...: Madison having interesting boutiques is a deal breaker for Madison residents, they can consider living elsewhere. I’m being optimistic

If not getting killed by police in Minneapolis is a deal breaker for black Minneapolis residents, they can consider living elsewhere.; 6/9/20, 4:04 PM
Original Mike said...: "I’m being dismissive of people who wallow in negativity"

You can be as positive as you want. But unless you are willing to take on the financial and emotional risk of starting a business yourself, it doesn't mean squat. The negative incentives of having your life's work trashed while the police look on, and knowing there's nothing to stop it from happening again, are what matter.; 6/9/20, 4:08 PM
Ken B said...: Shorter Inga: “You better put some ice on that.”; 6/9/20, 4:31 PM
Inga said...: “Madison having interesting boutiques is a deal breaker for Madison residents, they can consider living elsewhere. I’m being optimistic”

“If not getting killed by police in Minneapolis is a deal breaker for black Minneapolis residents, they can consider living elsewhere.”

Huh? Are you serious? You equate a resident of Madison not having an interesting boutique to frequent, to a black Minneapolis resident not having a life to live because a cop has killed them?

Whaaaaat?; 6/9/20, 6:47 PM
brylun said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 6/9/20, 6:54 PM
brylun said...: I feel sorrow for the destruction of State Street, and for the people who devoted their lives to their businesses. I sense that those like Ann who have devoted their lives to the City and the University are feeling a tremendous loss.; 6/9/20, 7:29 PM
Original Mike said...: "The negative effects of riots, looting, and widescale vandalism echoed for decades."

"Some economists guess, in the aftermath of story after story of sad businesspeople who saw their businesses looted or destroyed the very week they returned to business from the COVID-19 shutdown, that the riots may well shave another couple of percentage points overall off U.S. GDP this year."

And there, folks, we have the point to all this.

Not that it is without cost:

""The negative effects of riots, looting, and widescale vandalism echoed for decades. Researchers in a 2004 National Bureau of Economic Research paper found that "riots depressed the median value of black-owned property between 1960 and 1970, with little or no rebound in the 1970s," and "that the racial gap in the value of property widened in riot-afflicted cities during the 1970s….Using both city-level and household-level data, we find negative, persistent, and economically significant correlations between riot severity and black-owned property values."

But then, keeping the base subservient is a feature, not a bug.; 6/9/20, 8:12 PM
Inga said...: It IS a loss, but lost actual lives matter too. I hope there will be some program to help these shop owners that are in danger of closing. The night that the rioting happened in Madison I read one after another comments here from people reveling in the destruction, because it was liberal Madison. Very few expressed sorrow.; 6/9/20, 8:22 PM
Original Mike said...: "I hope there will be some program to help these shop owners that are in danger of closing."

Brilliant! Let thugs burn it down, then we can rebuild it.

Money to rebuild is fine, but without a commitment to protect it the next time, you won't have many takers. It's much more than a matter of money. You really don't get that?; 6/9/20, 9:46 PM
Bunkypotatohead said...: Only 207 shopping days till Christmas.; 6/9/20, 10:19 PM
Drago said...: Inga: "Huh? Are you serious? You equate a resident of Madison not having an interesting boutique to frequent, to a black Minneapolis resident not having a life to live because a cop has killed them?"

To date, Inga has refused to even mention the name Justine Ruszczyk.

In fact, to Inga, its as if that person never even existed.

Similar to David Dorn and Dave Patrick Underwood.

Similar to the 18 murders in 24 hours in Chicago just this last weekend. The most violent weekend in 60 years in the lefty/dem city that has been under complete democrat control for generations.

Also interesting to note after this type of Inga Zero Self-Awareness comment: she is a passionate supporter of the party of infanticide and post-birth abortion along with the selling of baby body parts for fun and profit.; 6/9/20, 10:54 PM
Drago said...: Inga: "The night that the rioting happened in Madison I read one after another comments here from people reveling in the destruction, because it was liberal Madison. Very few expressed sorrow."

Republicans Pounce!!!

Leftists/dems operating with full leftist/dem support trash leftist/dem controlled city and destroy leftist/dem businesses while chanting leftist/dem slogans and pushing leftist/dem/marxist dogma.

Inga takeaway: Too many Althouse conservatives made note of the irony.; 6/9/20, 10:56 PM
Original Mike said...: "It IS a loss, but lost actual lives matter too."

Yes, they do. the death toll from two weeks of demonstrations over the death of George Floyd continues to creep upward, with at least 19 people—a majority of whom are black—now dead.; 6/9/20, 10:59 PM