culture
Aside from the more potent legal and illegal stimulants, the sale of energy drinks is increasing at a rate of nearly 50% per year over the last five years. Near the end of Speed Speed Speedfreak, Mick Farren points out that “Drug panics would appear to be subject to a kind of natural entropy and will fade away of their own accord,” whether or not the War on Drugs continues. Regardless of the hype, drug abuse is a problem for a small minority of Americans, although as many as 80% of prison inmates are serving time for drug-related charges. With the privatization of the prison industrial complex and the introduction of the profit motive into the process of incarceration, that trend is likely to continue. Jails and rehab programs will remain full because, regardless of the risk of a stiff sentence, the evidence shows that some humans will continue to have the need for speed.
EAT. SHOP. ENJOY.
K
BLOOM
INGTON
F C
B
G
L I
M
A
IOWA CITY’S NEIGHBORHOOD MARKETPLACE.
D E
H
J
N
MARKE
T
O
P
JEFFERS
ON
A
B
C
D
Rich Dana is the editor of OBSOLETE! Magazine, a quarterly underground paper that he describes as “a cross between PUNK Magazine and the Whole Earth Catalog.” He loves feral cats, feral people and feral technology. Read more about OBSOLETE! Magazine at http://obsoletemag.blogspot.com/
30 January 2011 | Little Village
LINN
DUBUQ U
E
It appears that Americans’ appetite for stimulants is boundless. Aside from the more potent legal and illegal stimulants, the sale of energy drinks is increasing at a rate of nearly 50% per year over the last five years. Gourmet coffee shops serve a more expensive and upscale assortment of caffeine and sugar. Workers in an increasingly tenuous job market are feeling the pressure to perform and the market offers a stimulant for every budget and social class.
GILBER T
>> SPEED FREAK continued from 23