Wednesday, May 14, 2008

My newest entrepreneurial idea

Convert a cafe that is located near a university into a "Town Hall Cafe" where, every hour, patrons discuss a different topic of current interest.
Posted by Marty Nemko at 2:05 PM
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6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm glad nobody has thought of that in my area. I'd be there every day and wouldn't get any work done! And I'd buy a lot of coffee.

Topics that would be popular in my 'Town Hall Cafe':

1. The problems of multiculturalism.

2. Progressive societies (Judeo-Christian) vs regressive societies (Islamic).

3. Terrorism.

4. Russia's new president (Putin Dynasty)

5. Teilhard de Chardin.

6. Higher education.

7. Reverse discrimination.

8. Geopolitics

9. Minority groups that are fundamentally opposed to the culture and traditions of indigenous people.

10. Islamisation of Europe - whether or not it's a threat to the West's democratic and cultural institutions.

11. Government marginalising working class whites?

12. New Labour.

13. EU constitution.

14. Europe's demographic crisis (low fertility rates).

15. Decline of marriage as a child-bearing institution.

16. Youth crime and anti-social behavior.

17. Decline of 'Mainline Protestantism'...

18. Providential worldview and the existence of Israel - is it God's will?

19. Was Gumby's friend Pokey a homosexual?

20. The curse of 'The Little Rascals'/'Our Gang' actors.

21. Tom Lehrer songs.

22. Vaughn Meader's political album 'The First Family'

And on and on....

May 14, 2008 at 4:17 PM
Anonymous said...

Sorry. I got carried away.

May 14, 2008 at 4:32 PM
Anonymous said...

I must ask, Mr. Nemko. How is this any different than a radio talk show?

The format is the same for many talk shows: throw out one topic per hour, or perhaps several per hour, and have listeners comment.

And how is it different than a blog? Granted, most blogs are just diaries for the world to see and are of little interest, but some are like what you propose. I like to think that yours is something similar to that already. It's one reason why I'm a frequent reader.

I will admit that, like Dave, if there was such a cafe near me, I'd might be a frequent patron. I say "might" because I come from an area where the general population and I disagree on several major issues.

Which reminds me: if you were the owner of the "town hall cafe," how would you keep it from coming a place with a particular agenda? How could you make sure it was a place where ideas of all stripes could be expressed?

May 15, 2008 at 11:08 AM
Marty Nemko said...

Great questions, Anonymous. Here are my responses:

1. It's very different from a talk show. Millions of people hang out at Starbucks and other cafes all around the world because they like to people-watch, flirt, and/or work in the cafe ambiance. The Town Hall Cafe allows them to enjoy the cafe atmosphere and participate in a discussion (as well as flirt, people watch, etc.) And unlike talk shows, your chances are excellent of being able to have your points heard. (On talk radio shows in major cities, only a small fraction of callers get on the air.)

2. It's different from a blog in that it's in real-time and involves human-to-human interaction, and you get to enjoy the cafe atmosphere. Of course, if you don't like that, you wouldn't go. Also, on blogs, usually the poster doesn't respond to your comments. In the Town Hall Cafe, there would be a dynamic exchange.

3. I'm sure that some owners of a Town Hall Cafe would slant the topics and moderators to a Leftist or Rightist perspective. That would be unfortunate. If I owned one, I would scrupulously ensure that the full range of topics and perspectives on those topics were covered. For example, here in the Bay Area, which is overwhelmingly liberal, I'd not only pick topics of interest to Libertarians, but would send an invitation to come to local Libertarian orgs.

May 15, 2008 at 11:18 AM
Anonymous said...

There's actually a group that already does this. The catch is that the group is religious and nonprofit, so it can't prove whether the idea has commercial potential. Still, if you're seriously considering the idea, it's worth checking them out, I think.

May 15, 2008 at 3:31 PM
Marty Nemko said...

I have no time to do it. I just like sharing my favorite ideas.

But yet, it's always a good idea to see someone else's incarnation of the idea. You can often learn a lot.

This is an idea that could be replicated a zillion times, all over the world.

May 15, 2008 at 3:52 PM

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