And yet the guy with "a PhD in coffee shops" in the original article says he thinks they contributed to political stability in 18th Century England because they

And yet the guy with "a PhD in coffee shops" in the original article says he thinks they contributed to political stability in 18th Century England because they give people a place to rant and feel better afterwards... (I never was convinced that you feel better after a rant, though. Rather, you have just worked out your "angry muscles".)