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A comment on Usenet – Let's Return to Public Spaces. Parent comment

Re:Usenet – Let's Return to Public Spaces by SamBam on Thursday February 13, 2020 @11:15AM (#22318854)
Is a coffee shop really the modern version -- in context?

I think the whole relevance of the "coffee house" in the Enlightenment was that it was a space where different people were talking to each other and sharing ideas.

Does that happen in coffee shops anymore? Do strangers talk about more than pleasantries, if that?

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Re:Usenet – Let's Return to Public Spaces by type0 on Thursday February 13, 2020 @01:25PM (#22320036)
> Does that happen in coffee shops anymore? Do strangers talk about more than pleasantries, if that?

Even in Vienna, which is somewhat of a self proclaimed coffee house capital of the world you can't really have any prolong conversations with strangers to exchange ideas. Beer houses of today are probably more suitable for discussions.

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Re:Usenet – Let's Return to Public Spaces by ghaff on Thursday February 13, 2020 @11:30AM (#22318980)
People do meet and have discussions in Starbucks. You're probably right though that it's not really the same thing--if only because there are so many ways to have discussions that don't require physically sitting at the same table.
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