Curiouser And Curiouser

What time IS it, really?

Alice: What funny a watch!  It tells the day of the month, and it doesn’t tell what o’clock it is!

The Hatter: Why should it?  Does your watch tell what year it is?

Alice: Of course not, but that’s because it stays the same year for such a long time together.

The Hatter: ……Which is just the case with mine.

The addiction of a generation.

“I tried to quiet coffee once, it didn’t work out.”  A coworker once confided to me as we discussed how convenient having an IV pump for the caffeinated drink would be for the purpose of getting us through ten hour workdays.  We laughed about how sad it was that we were reliant on the drink that supposedly kept us awake and energized. 

This morning though, as I sipped my fifth Pumpkin Spice Latte (PSL to those who know what’s up,) my coffee drinking companion noted how dangerous it was living just a few blocks from a Starbucks.  Three of my PSL’s had been consumed at the particular location we were currently at, and it’s not even my neighborhood. This was the first week PSL’s had been available at Starbucks locations, and that was my excuse for overdosing on them- they will only be available for a few months so might as well drink it while it’s hot!  This fifth PSL was not hitting the spot as great as the first, second, and third, even the fourth, yet I kept drinking and it dawned on me at this time how mindless my sipping of the sugarized milk and ground bean combination had become.  I was doing it so regularly it was almost as if it was an addiction.

Generally the first time the generation that is under the age of 25 has heard if the word “addiction” it has been in realization to those bad skinny round things known as cigarettes.  I personally have a distinct memory form when I was young; my brother and I being in awe of a “cool” looking cowboy (I can’t believe I just put those three words together in a sentence) that was on a billboard we passed on the way to where we spent our days while our parents were at work.  He was jealous of the cowboy hat, I was jealous of the horse.  Our chauffeur, my mother, had talk us out of wanting to be like the cowboy each morning.  Her reasoning?  The cowboy was advertising cigarettes.  Cigarettes were bad.  This was my first of lessons about smoking and how it could ruin lives.  The numerous health classes that followed as my life passed through elementary, middle, and high school, even college, were repetitive in reminding me how addictive and dangerous cigarettes were, and how the companies who made and distributed them wanted you to think they were in no such way that by marketing in movies, television, and in magazines.  Besides addiction, I was made aware of all the negative connotations cigarettes held and purposes they were used for such as looking cool, substitution for meals, as well as happiness and relief when in possession. Due to the extensive education received, I believe that the number of smokers has greatly decreased with the generation I am in, at least in Minnesota.  However, I have come to the realization that this generation is addicted to a new substance- COFFEE.

The cheap plastic cup with a green mermaid imprinted on the side, held with a cardboard ring around it has become a symbol to those of us under the age 25, and I am not just talking about the fact that it is the Starbucks logo.  When held, this cup filled with a warm liquid has come to represent a number of things.  I am not stereotyping, I know I am personally guilty of several of the listed to follow:

Those who walk around with their designer coffee in their hand believe they look “cool.”  They are the ones who know what a PSL is without asking, and don’t even crack a smile when someone makes fun of them for having an acronym for a latte.  Seasonal drinks are serious business.

Holding a cup of expensive caffeine also demonstrates that they have important things to do that energy is needed for.  A brown drink will be what gives them this energy.  They need it to get through the day.  Even if they aren’t sure if they need it right then, chances are they will pursue the possession just in case they get tired later on to prevent the paranoia of what if sinking in.  The necessity of coffee each day has been made apparent to this generation through chick flicks based in New York City and based around the hard work of fashion, magazines, and television.

Even on vacation days when there is no duty that must be completed in a timely manner and with perfection, the thought crosses minds of, what better thing to do than to spend the day off at a coffee shop?  It’s where the fix can be found, and plus, it’s where the intelligent, intellectual, hip people hang out.  Which is who they are.  People with a purpose.  Also, aren’t coffee shops where people fall in love?

For those who are not part of the coffee cult, there are other beliefs that are held about the crowd that is.  Often times this generation is judged for spending their money on $4 coffee daily.  Yes, you’re right, I probably do not have twenty dollars just to throw away.  But I do not feel as bad about spending my money on this when I realize that the generation that is judging the coffee cult crowd is the generation that spent their $4 on those big bad cigarettes daily.  I suppose the judgment about how short of pleasure a cup of coffee provides.  Sure, 15 minutes and it’s down the tube.  But really, how long does a cigarette even last?  There are those who smoke cigarettes to avoid eating- in my mind this seemed to be a thing of the 80’s.  I bet there are those who do drink coffee to replace meals, but I don’t know any- because who can resist the beautiful fresh baked or freshly microwaved pastries that sit along the counter where an order is placed?

I was raised by a heavy coffee drinker.  I will admit to being one of those people who considers coffee to be one of the best parts of my morning; this is great because it means I have 15 great moments every morning! 

If there is one thing dangerous about the coffee addiction of this generation that is under the age of 25, it is this- Pumpkin Spice Lattes are definitely a gateway drug to straight espresso.