It's funny you mention drinks, it made me think of the stereotype of starbucks as a drink of left wing liberals, which is funny, because it's really an outdated stereotype as well. I can't think of anything more characteristic of pro-catpitalism, pro-establishment than starbucks coffee. Maybe McDonalds? There's starbucks littered across the USA, they're inside of target box stores, they have fast food style drive-thrus in smaller towns, etc. It's probably drank by just as many conservative types as liberals, maybe more these days, but I don't know. Ultimately it doesn't matter, I just thought it was funny how that whole stereotype persisted for so long. It's mediocre, overpriced coffee
However, I suppose it might fall under what you call conventional alternative.
So I don't know, the country/classical distinction threw me, but I could see how classical is the conventional alternative now, and maybe country used to be a conventional thing but has flipped, I don't know.
this stuff changes and evolves so rapidly, it's hard to keep a finger on the pulse of what exactly is conventional or "establishment" anymore these days.
I read an interesting book several years back called NoBrow, or maybe I'm confusing that with a more recent essay by a different author but they made the argument that all of our cultural goods, be it art (music, film, etc) or physical commodities are to varying extents part of the same thing, even though we fool ourselves into believing certain things are alternative or "indie" or anti-establishment. It reminds me of Naomi Klein's No Logo talking about how the importance of the brand has somewhat superceded the importance of the actual objects we buy.
I guess Che Guevara being turned into a fashion statement says it all. I don't know, just a rant, I don't really know the point I'm trying to make. I don't disagree with you.
