GeofCoxMar 28

I often joke that Brittany is the most left-wing region in France - and has the highest number of cafés and bars per capita... but perhaps the two aspects are more closely linked than I thought.

This article - https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/mar/27/progressive-paris-far-right-french-capital-food-culture-community-extremists - links the increasing number of car-free and non-commercial social spaces in Paris with its continuing extraordinary left voting record - and suggests that the well documented disappearance of such spaces in the US and elsewhere may be a factor in the rise of the extreme right.

Progressive Paris has many weapons to fight the far right, but the best? Spaces where you can simply hang out

Drop into any of the French capital’s ‘third places’ and you’ll find food, culture, community – and an antidote to the disaffection extremists feed on, says Guardian Europe columnist Alexander Hurst

The Guardian
Show threadJesse McClure 

@GeofCox

I'd be tempted say coffee shops are still thriving and expanding in the US, but they're doing so by dropping this third-space nature.

The last time I went to a cafe it was nearly empty with two employees cleaning up. I figured my simple drink would be made quickly and I could sit and read.

Then I watched for half an hour as a stream of young people came in to pick up their online / remote orders before mine was finally made.

Our cafes are mostly just walk-in vending machines now.

May 11 at 1:50pmWeb