Every once in a while, a story comes along that so perfectly encapsulates the absurdity of the radical Left that it almost seems like a gift from heaven. Such is the case with the hilarious demise of Mina’s World, described by the founder as Philadelphia’s first-ever “QTPOC-owned and -operated” coffee shop. For those of you who are blissfully unaware of the latest woke terminology, QTPOC stands for queer and trans person of color.
Mina’s World was the brainchild of two trans activists, Sonam Parikh and Kate Egghart, with the goal of offering folks (or should I say folx?) a “community space” where they can get “an amazingly made cup of coffee that’s not whitewashed.” Who knew whitewashed coffee, whatever that is, was such a problem in the cafe world?
You have no doubt surmised by now that Egghart and Parikh are your prototypical leftist activists. One need only watch a handful of videos from Libs of TikTok to get a sense for the kind of people we’re dealing with here. Think nose rings, pink hair, gaudy tattoos — you know the type. And like any good leftist activist, they felt called to a righteous mission — a mission to root out white supremacy, transphobia, and colonialism from Big Coffee.
“I have worked in coffee since I was 18,” Parikh told Bon Appétit. “Most of the workplaces were really toxic in the sense that the workers were not being paid well and the white ownership neglected to protect their black and trans employees.”
Isn’t it strange how the places most riddled with racism, sexism, transphobia, and every other manner of thought crime tend to be leftist-dominated institutions? Universities are a den of sexual assault, feminists will tell you. Hollywood is dripping with racism and misogyny (OK, that one might be true). And now I guess hipster coffee shops are transphobic. Why are so many bigots attracted to leftist-run institutions? That’s a question for another day; for now, back to the story.
With the financial backing of Egghart’s mother, who reportedly provided commercial space in one of the buildings she owns, Mina’s World opened its doors to its first customers in 2020. Finally! Queer Philadelphians of color and their cis white allies could enjoy a guilt-free cup of coffee, topped off with a splash of smug self-satisfaction.
To the outside observer, Mina’s World appeared to be quite successful, receiving glowing coverage in the local press. But that progressive facade was shattered this past June when an Instagram account, called Minas World Workers, was launched.
In the account’s first Instagram post, self-described employees accused Kate and Sonam of “exploitation, anti-blackness, ableism” and a whole host of other unpardonable sins. While offering very few specifics, the employees painted a picture of an oppressive workplace — the kind of white supremacist cafe that Egghart and Parikh sought to replace.
Of course, no list of grievances is complete without an accompanying list of demands. And those made by Mina’s World Workers were real doozies. In addition to a public confession by Egghart and Parikh admitting to their crimes, the Instagram post demanded that ownership of Mina’s World be turned over to its employees.
Let’s stop and reflect for a moment on just how insane that particular demand is. While I am loath to defend Egghart and Parikh, starting your own business is not easy. It takes an incredible amount of work, the assumption of great financial risk, and no promise of being rewarded for your labor. Hourly workers at Mina’s World likely know nothing of the pressures of running a business, yet they felt entitled to the fruits of other people’s labor. A sane employer would have laughed these bozos out of the room. But not Egghart and Parikh. To the contrary, the two woke business owners appeared all too quick to cave to their employees’ demands.
In an Instagram Live that resembles a cross between a hostage video and a Maoist struggle session, Egghart and Parikh confessed their sins to the world. “We’re complicit in the gentrification and anti-blackness of 52nd Street,” Egghart somberly acknowledged. After lamenting the “harm” and “exploitation” they have caused, the two cafe proprietors announced they would capitulate to the workers’ demands. Ownership of Mina’s World and its building would be handed over to the Bolshevik baristas.
There was just one little problem: the building was not actually owned by these two QTPOC entrepreneurs. It was reportedly owned by Egghart’s mother, who also held an 18% stake in the business, according to the discontents.
Egghart’s mother, Eunjoo, is an immigrant from Korea. As a single mother speaking little English, she worked multiple jobs to pay for night school. Through hard work, education, and grit, Eunjoo became a successful entrepreneur. By all accounts, her story is quintessentially American, which is perhaps why she wasn’t swayed by the demands of a bunch of entitled leftists.
Rather than hand the business over to the employees, Eunjoo decided that she had had enough of this proletariat uprising and placed the building up for sale.
It is perhaps noteworthy that the only sane person involved in this saga is an immigrant who came to America in search of a better life. One can speculate that having grown up on a peninsula divided by socialist oppression, Eunjoo understands better than most Americans the dangers of collectivist movements. Regardless of her motives, her decision to sell the building rather than entertain the workers’ ludicrous demands makes her the undisputed hero of this story.
Following this brilliant capitalist power move, the disgruntled employees launched a GoFundMe page with the goal of raising enough money to buy the building from Eunjoo. Unfortunately, they were unable to convince enough of their socialist comrades to fork over their hard-earned money to buy the racist coffee shop. Last month, having run out of funds, Mina’s World announced to their customers that they were closing up shop for good.
Sorry, Philadelphia. You’re stuck sipping on whitewashed coffee for the foreseeable future, at least until some other QTPOC entrepreneur steps forward to decolonize Big Coffee. When that day comes — and you can be certain that it will — I suspect the new venture will meet much the same fate.
Let the demise of Mina’s World serve as a cautionary tale to all. You can never be woke enough to appease the mob. As the French journalist Jacques Mallet du Pan observed more than two centuries ago, “Like Saturn, the Revolution devours its children.” That was true for the French Revolution, and it is true for our current woke revolution. The solution, therefore, is to refuse to play their game. Instead, just sit back and bask in the schadenfreude that comes from watching the woke eat their own.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.