Welcome to the nonprofits. And tonight we're going to talk about something that well, is it a grocery store, is it a gas station?
What is it?
We're going to talk about Bugies. But before I ruin everything for you, aj, what do you have for us?
They say that everything's bigger in Texas, and gas stations are no exception. The famous Buggies is over the top pit stop, offering not just gas and the largest car wash in the world, but also all kinds of sugar snacks like Kandia nuts, greasy pork tweets and their frameous Beavert nuggets. And if you're in the market for obscure gadgets and useful items like baby clothes, dog toys, a meat smoker for whatever reason you may be looking for
it at a gas station, you are in luck. Buggies combines convenience, indulgence, and absurdity into one bizarre but addictive experience. This article satirically portrays how BUCkies represents the rot at the heart of the modern, over consuming American identity. And this story was by development by Bradley Browne on November twenty eight, twenty four.
Thanks a Jay, and I've got to say, as someone who finds certain things about Bucky is uncomfortable, I can't deny that going to it. Those portraits and those sweet things that they have, they are really good, so I get why they're there. But what did you see with the article's tone and the style of the article in itself. Did that have an impact on your perspective on this issue on BUCkies.
I actually enjoy the humorous and sort of sarkartistick tone of the article while appreciating the underlying message that the writer was trying to convey. Right he was pointing out that these megal shops are unnecessary and excessive, but also something that most people seek. They attract like six million customers at each of their locations per year, and they make nearly a million dollars per day at each one of these locations. So to me in BUCkies is kind
of like Alex Jones in FORO Wars. People know that it's trash and is full of shit, but they follow it religiously without question because that kind of dot cells. And unfortunately, the whole yeer and more environmentally friendly stuff just isn't marketed in the same way that junk is and you know, healthy only appeals to a future benefit, whereas in for wars and BUCkies appeal to your immediate gratification that most humans.
Thrive on and not being immune to that. I definitely agree with you, and I want to switch over to Rob. What do you think when I know that you had some unique perspectives on this and how this is a reflection of American cities in general, and so what was your take from this?
Initially, so I watched some videos recently and they were talking about like how American infrastructure is starting to look homogeneous throughout all of America, and so that combined with uh, I once had an English teacher, and you would talk about how societies would build cathedrals, and cathedrals are places of worship, but they are strictly unnecessary and how grandiose they are, right, like, you don't need it to be this giant piece of artwork to be able to practice
your religion. So what I thought was really funny about this article, combined with the how cities are starting to look well not even starting, cities are looking extremely similar, is that in America we don't only have cathedrals because we don't build anything like this as a giant landmark for the stake of our entire culture, and you would use cathedrals as a way to talk about or express us with the things that you believe in. So in some ways this is literally saying BUCkies is our God.
And that's a little hyperbolic, I think. But what I think is far more apt is that because BUCkies is so massive, just like it's enfranchised and spread out, while also each location is just enormous, it necessitates making all BUCkies the same, and because they're huge, they end up being the same. And therefore, since there are BUCkies everywhere,
things become more homogeneous. And like I said, it's not like we worship BUCkies, but it sure seems to be that we are expressing our value in being able to buy knick knacks and oddities on the road.
I have to push back on you a little bit because I have to say that maybe maybe the articles less hyperbole and that this really is the American version.
Of a cathedral.
I mean, because it is pretty much the excess of everything you could possibly put all in one location. I mean, they're the huge car washed the huge I mean, was it one hundred dollars pumps at one of their stations, all these different things. We just took everything and amped it all the way up. And yes, of course it's all the same, because did you really expect us to be creative?
Come on, Rob, No, I think we're saying the same thing in that it is a cathedral, and a cathedral does not need to be expressed about a literal god. It is just an expression of our values in our culture. So yes, it's just we don't need a god anymore. Do we've got greenbacks?
I mean, really, didn't that what religion's always about? But Cindy, I'm pretty sure you've never been to a BUCkies and as many things as I could say negative about it, if you ever come to Texas, I'll make sure you go to a BUCkies because I think it's something you should experience. But I think your perspective would be different having coming from your point. So what did you think about this? From what you read about this? What was your outside perspect.
Well, it's definitely on my bucket list, you know, so.
Yeah, But as as a non US citizen, it's it's hard for me to comment on this article because it talks a lot of things about that I don't experience as as as a European. So although I liked the tone of the article, it seems that the the the author of the article doesn't believe that the US is the beacon of light that so many people still believe it is. And and I thought that that was interesting seeing this kind of view in in in an article.
Also, you all.
Talked about hyper consumerism and and and how this reflects on on on the US in general. But what I thought when I read the article was architecture, actually, because I've seen several videos in the last few months that talk about how cities were built and when when I see cities in in the US, as Rob said about BUCkies, I see cities looking almost all the same because they were built around cars. Uh and and and that's not
the case here in Europe. I grew up in a city where we have monument monuments that are over two thousand years old.
Uh. And it's you look at.
Cities their center with usually a cathedral or or church or something in the middle of the of the city of the village. But then around is built very very differently depending on where you are in the country. And and that's what struck me when I this article it's that these BUCkies seem to be like, You're never come over here on foot.
You're going to come in your car.
So we're going to build everything that we can so that you can stay in your car or come and do everything you can just here so you don't have to go anywhere else.
And that's not how cities are built in Europe.
You know, you mentioned two thousand year old monuments, and I was thinking that where I was raised and where I live now both are considered older cities in the United States at four hundred years old, so not quite two thousand. But without a doubt, there is an homogenization of our society because it seems like everybody's chasing the same thing. And Aja, what do you think about that
appeal of places like BUCkies. You know, I see people wearing t shirts with you know, their their BUCkies logo on it, and they're beaver and it's just they're advertising, you know, a place to get gas and treat so and food. So what do you think that appeal? Why does it resonate so strongly with people?
I think it's because America just enjoys excess. You know, Americans enjoy having all the things like like Sindid just said, you know, like having everything in one place and having everything even if you don't need it. And this includes like the places that we visit, especially here in Texas. As I mentioned earlier, everything is bigger in Texas. So for in the case of Budgies, they have a few
locations outside of Texas. They have Alabama, Florida, and Georgia, and they have over fifty locations, but more than forty of those are here in Texas. And the largest BUCkies is about seventy five thousand square feet, which is like the size of one and a half for or one hundred basketball courts. I don't I don't think Cyndy can probably padom that what kind of size that is?
Really? But then the metric system right, oh yes, I apologize, But anyways, like this, this specific the location that is seventy five thousand square feet has one hundred and twenty fuel pumps.
And I remember visiting Europe. I visited Switzerland and Italy in Germany, and I don't remember in any of those places seeing any gas station that had more than like two fuel hops, like the biggest one may have been like maybe three. Yet but no, I honestly don't remember more than two. But they have a location near Houston that has the Guinness World Record for the longest gas station and it includes the longest car wash in the
whole world. So this place, it reminds me of Costco and the movie Idiocracy, what everything is like in one place.
It gets me about BUCkies, is I really only go there right when I'm traveling, so I'm going straight for a long period of time and I turn off to get on too BUCkies. And because their parking lots are so huge for all the gas stations, the approach to the actual building always impresses me every time, right, Like the buildings are never like that huge, but it's just like, all right, turn off.
I'm trying.
I'm trying to get there. I'm not to the building yet.
It's a workout. Well.
One of the things that I thought about is we've touched on this almost religiosity aspect of capitalism that we see here, referring to it as cathedrals in the article and things like that. I think there's been a lot of focus on capitalism and some of the dangers of capitalism.
Do you think that it's interesting that people don't see our don't seem to make a connect between their rampant consumerism and some of the things that we see in other industries where back consumerism is being taken advantage at the disadvantage of the same people, and they don't seem to realize that they're fueling the system or are Do you think that I'm just missing something there, Rob.
No, I think it's uh. I think it's the devil, you know, And I think it's just going to happen because with consumerism, and especially with that being built into capitalism, the society, the literal civilization we live in, is based around being able to buy goods and services, and there are historians who have said that it will be harder to change a capitalist society than anything that has ever
come before it. It's kind of like it's kind of like when I say when I talk to people at my work and like, oh man, I would have got here sooner, but there was traffic, and I'm like, you're you are part of the problem. So it's it's really hard to try to give people the permission to live in a capitalist society doing capitalism and also trying to show them that like it's not good for us. That's the biggest problem with it is you're doing a consumerism
and you have to otherwise you will just die. I personally do not have any idea how we'll get away from this, because think of the things that we had before this, We had things like feudalism. I was going to die anyway, so let's just revolt and like that's just not as true as it has been in the past.
I think you have a good point there, because if I'm walking out of BUCkies with one of those nice sweetened cashew things that the executive producer of the show that shall not be named showed me one time when we were there, If I'm walking out of there with those and enjoying those, I'm sure less likely to go, yeah, let's go ahead and fight capitalism. Maybe maybe we'll do it after I finished his cashews. So it's kind of
almost a self defeating thing. But sending what were your impressions of the tone perspective that the author used in this article? How did you feel he handled things?
I thought it was very help to decide whether the entire article was just a joke or was it a serious topic treated with a lot of snarky comments. And irony and sarcasm. I'm still not sure on which which side A month to be honest, Jean la Fontaine, I
don't know if you know the guy. It's a French guy who used to write fables to criticize the power in place under with fourteenth and he instead of naming the people or other positions, he used animals, you know, like, uh, like the total and the and the hair or the liond and the mice and the mouse and things like that. And he he used uh, those animal to tell stories about about greed, about all the things he didn't like, and he hid it behind a story with with with
a moral at the end. So it felt a little bit like this when I read the article A J.
I was wondering because I believe, if I recall this properly, you done a little research on this. What about the political influence or any of that we've seen from BUCkies?
Are they just.
Completely a political or are we seeing some of that? You mentioned a million dollars per day restore of sales. Where's that being fueled?
You know the thing is that BUCkies doesn't just indulge America's wars habits and go the pleasures, it seemsact the CEO and owner systems Archie Beaver up to him.
The third.
He enjoys indulging political agenders as well. He has a cozy relationship with many tech top you know taxan Republicans because of his healthy donations that benefits them, including Great Abbots, the Attorney General, Can Paxton, and Don Patrick. In total, he has given more than two point eight millions in contributions to different political campaigns since twenty fifteen. About almost half a million of those went towards the twenty twenty four elections. I don't need to tell you who it
is supported, you can guess that. And about a million dollars has gone to support specifically Great Abbot, and this is from Transparency USA that I'm not making that up. In fact, Great Abbot is so thankful for the contributions of his body that in twenty twenty one he appointed mister Beaver to serve on Aircost's board like the selection committee, actually the board selection committee, for one term which is two years. So that's a pretty long, you know, pretty
good package there. Talk about squatching each other's beaver nuggets, well.
It definitely will make those delicious treats that I've been introduced to it BUCkies, maybe a little less sweet Sending any anything you wanted to say.
Yeah, I wanted to respond respond to what Ad just said, because there is so much, so much money into politics, into US politics right now, and it's hard to say whether donations are political in nature, as in, I want to influence the the moral political agenda, uh, compared to I'm just paying the guys so that they don't don't text me and and yeah, it just just crossed my mind when when ag was talking.
And I don't know in which category this
Uh, this CEO CEO is, but yeah, it's it's becoming so so intertwined politics and money in the US that it's it's it's hard to say whether people have bad motives or they're just trying to fill their pockets