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I went with my kids to a Chuck E Cheese party a few years back. It was the perfect encapsulation of modern American capitalism. As my kids milled about, sudde
by xrd 2y ago
I went with my kids to a Chuck E Cheese party a few years back.
It was the perfect encapsulation of modern American capitalism.
As my kids milled about, suddenly the employees started chanting "Chuck E! Chuck E!" And, encouraging the kids to pump their arms in the air.
My kids did this as I stood there and the horror crept over me.
Then, Chuck E came out. My kids were putty in his hands at that point. He could have said "Now, turn to your dad and murder him. Don't think, just do it." And, they would have done that.
Then, they ate extraordinarily crappy pizza. I did too. It was a coping mechanism for me, I'm not sure why my kids ate it.
After that, they went into the arcade and were encouraged to "earn" tickets. Those tickets could be converted into cheap plastic toys that cost $0.10 to make in China. Earning 100 tickets would cost several dollars on a debit card. And, the conversion rate was 10000 tickets for that cheap plastic shit. It wasn't a good exchange rate. But, man, my kids were sucked in.
It was a gorgeous example of American capitalism. I have to tip my hat to Chuck E. He's a maestro.
- echelon 2y agoIt's fun. They sell fun, and kids aren't going to view this though a philosophically deconstructive lens. Memories like these will last kids their lifetime. I certainly remember going when I was their age.
- bongodongobob 2y agoLighten up dude, sheesh.
- drivers99 2y agoOne could say the same back. It’s just Gen X dark humor, being sarcastic about whatever is popular. (I’m Gen X too btw.)
- bombcar 2y agoImagine buying the per play games and not just getting the minutes.
- Aeolun 2y agoI feel like they can easily make the stuff you get from these things at least marginally worth it and still make a ton of money. It'd at least make the adults feel a bit better, but somehow it always seems to be the first thing they try to save on. Then again, I find that I'm often the only one that has issues exchanging $20 for fifteen minutes of fun and a $0.1 toy.
- dfxm12 2y agoYou can never make enough money. Most local governments don't care that kiddy games are unregulated and you have no shot at winning the grand prize. Hence, "It was the perfect encapsulation of modern American capitalism."
- _yb2s 2y agoWere you standoffish and angry enough that you managed to prevent the kids from having a fun party? It sounds like good harmless fun- dancing, games, pizza, and toys/prizes. The only negative to me is that the loudness and dancing can be overwhelming for some kids.