Grasshopper -- Stuck in the 60s But Not So Counter-Culture

I left work Friday feeling like I'd been sucker-punched a few times (long story, don't wanna talk about it) and P. suggested that I buy myself a pick-me-up gift. I'm not generally the 'shopping as therapy' type, but it actually sounded kind of appealing. So we headed over to Grasshopper. I hadn't been there for a few years and was looking forward to it.

The handful of you who hit this site from ErieBlogs will know what I'm talking about, as it's an Erie institution of sorts. For the benefit of the rest of you, Grasshopper is exactly like a headshop, except that you can't buy a hash pipe, dildo or whip-it dispenser there. I'd include a link, but Grasshopper has zero Web-presence except a one-line blurb on the Celebrate Erie site to the effect that they'll have a booth there next week.

Anyway, at Grasshopper you can buy tie-dyes, Guatemalan-style shit, jam band tees (although I didn't see a single Phish t-shirt -- WTF, guys?), indie-label music, a dizzying array of beads, hippie jewelry, incense and static/bumper stickers. I was hoping to find something along the lines of a Buck Fush t-shirt or bumper sticker -- anything particularly incendiary would've elevated my mood nicely.

Quick aside: I think I may have wigged out a few of the stoners when I walked in, being way out of uniform and all. (Don't worry, dudes. I'm pretty sure that you're still more likely to run into a narc wearing a Steal Your Face t-shirt and Birkenstocks than you are to run into one with a buzz cut in business casual.)

Anyway, there was not a single political statement to be found, except for a few worn out Green Party bumper stickers and leftist slogans that have been floating around since the early 90s. Yawn. Big. Fucking. Deal.

<rant> There's a culture war at full pitch, folks, and the side that shops at places like Grasshopper needs a brand of ammunition that they don't, and won't ever, sell at Wal-mart. Put down the fucking bong and quit rolling the fucking FIMO beads for a minute. It's not just good politics or good citizenship, it's also good business. Every time you see a car with a Kerry/Edwards bumper sticker, you're probably looking at someone who'd buy a 'Bush Lied' bumper sticker. All sorts of people are angry and disgusted, and want to speak out. Help give them a voice.<⁄rant>