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YolksOnU t1_j9urvd7 wrote

RIP Kenny Shopsin :(

Here's a passage from a New Yorker piece on him. The man was clearly the best kind of a menace and at the same time living the dream of anyone that's ever worked in a restaurant.

>"One evening, when the place was nearly full, I saw a party of four come in the door; a couple of them may have been wearing neckties, which wouldn’t have been a plus in a restaurant whose waitress used to wear a T-shirt that said “Die Yuppie Scum.” Kenny took a quick glance from the kitchen and said, “No, we’re closed.” After a brief try at appealing the decision, the party left, and the waitress pulled the security gate partway down to discourage other latecomers.

>”It’s only eight o’clock,” I said to Kenny.

>”They were nothing but strangers,” he said.

>”I think those are usually called customers,” I said. “They come here, you give them food, they give you money. It’s known as the restaurant business.”

>Kenny shrugged. “Fuck ‘em,” he said."

Fucking legend.

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Northstar1989 t1_j9w2jpy wrote

One wonders what could have happened if someone pointed this absolute unit of a man towards Socialism...

Gentrification is obviously a problem of Capitalism- and its unequal distribution of wealth and power. It sounds like this legend had rad levels of Class Consciousness even if he didn't know it or call it that...

If Albert friggin' Einstein could see the impacts of Capitalism on his work in physics and teaching grad students, and write a famous essay "Why Socislism?" (read it here), then surely a restaurateur who's worked to sustain himself by the sweat of his brow his whole life could have seen how it applied to his life as well...

−23

beedly t1_j9wav3h wrote

Can't you just let a legend rest without slapping modern ideology all over his memory?

Fuck me I'm a socialist but for the love of selling socialism. shut up.

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BBHymntoTourach t1_j9wdeeu wrote

Lmao 'modern'

What the fuck are you talking about, socialism far predates this dude

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beedly t1_j9wehrm wrote

Good point. But I'm not gonna take it.

−33

Northstar1989 t1_j9wbvc7 wrote

Fair enough...

He might have been a Socialist though. We don't know. There's a tendency to "sanitize" legends of anything that rubs against the power of elites...

After all, how many people know Albert Einstein was a lifelong Socialist? Here's an essay he wrote in 1949...

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beedly t1_j9wefl5 wrote

What did I say?

Correct me if I'm wrong, please, but I'm pretty sure I said shut up.

−43

CrookedCreek13 t1_j9wj40r wrote

I’m pretty sure random strangers on the internet don’t have to follow your commands.

22

Kamelasa t1_j9xe6ac wrote

I love how his pugnacious (dare I say NYC) attitude lives in the comments. Also I saw this documentary years ago and this is the first I've heard anyone else mention it. Feels good to share the love.

2

MrLoadin t1_j9yi9v0 wrote

Ah yes, a capitalist business owner well known for making his own decisions and not going with the societal standards, whom loved the power of personal ownership.

Totally a great choice for a potential socialist...

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reelznfeelz t1_j9xnhin wrote

I for one agree with you. Not sure why the downvotes.

0

Northstar1989 t1_j9xnpm2 wrote

Because conservatives hate Socialism (even though they don't actually know what it is, having never read a page of Socialist theory in their lives...) and will bury any comment that mentions it, just so others don't get the chance to read it...

I guess I just refuse to be deterred by such people. I have a right to respectfully speak my mind. At least this sub doesn't have abusive moderators who go around censoring anything they disagree with... (and making up bogus reasons for bans)

1

KingOfNewYork t1_j9wkyig wrote

Deer God, Reddit is fucked.

This world needs exactly zero more evangelists. We don’t need to create them ourselves.

−15

EstebanPossum t1_j9wqbrz wrote

The idea that a man who (checks notes) made his wages based on the idea that people with money spent lots of money on fancy food, would be relevant to Socialism is the dumbest thing I’ve heard in several weeks. You spoiled ass children with your Che Guevara tshirts need to look into what actually went down an ANY of the socialist nations before you speak your ignorant ass ideas. I’m fine if you want to suggest that we would be better being farmers than capitalists but the very idea that you can be a Socialist but also be a fancy chef is absolutely ridiculous

−26

Kamelasa t1_j9xe8ye wrote

> fancy chef

Where did the fancy chef come into this story? I missed that.

5

DirtyPolecat t1_j9y8dxi wrote

> with your Che Guevara tshirts

Does anybody actually still wear these damn things? I thought it was just an 80s/90s Hot Topic goth/skater kid thing.

2

adrolter t1_j9yywlj wrote

Lmao this man threw yuppies with money out of his restaurant, what is this revisionist bs

0