Chapotraphouse

When Charlie Kirk died, I had genuine childlike joy.

When Tim Cain died, I at least got a sensible chuckle from it.

When I read that Scott Adams died, I just switched back to this tab to continue reading it instead before coming back to the thread two hours later to post this comment: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Costermonger

Didn't even watch the video or search to see if there's some news article about it. Victorian fruit vendors are so much more interesting. Look at this shit:

They became known for their melodic sales patter, poems, and chants, which they used to attract attention. Both the sound and appearance of costermongers contributed to a distinctive street life that characterised London, Paris, and other large European cities, especially in the 18th and 19th centuries. Their loud sing-song cries became part of the fabric of street life in large cities in Britain and Europe. Costermongers exhibited their membership in the coster community through dress, especially the large neckerchief, known as a kingsman. Their hostility to police was legendary. Their distinctive culture and appearance led to considerable appeal as subject-matter for artists, dramatists, comedians, writers and musicians. The cheeky costermonger was a stock character in Victorian music hall shows.

Street vendors have zero cultural presence in the modern west. I can't associate them with anything apart from street food and pirated movies. No persona, no ideological identity, they're just Maria the taco truck owner selling the taco itself. Street life must have been so much more vibrant back then.

edit: Even in other countries with more street vendors. Only Japan kind of comes close to something like that, but most of the Japanese street vendors I saw didn't dress in the stereotypical way unless it was during a festival.