Trite Little Coffee Cups

 The cliche', that little expression that has been used so much that it has become trite, is like a rash, or irritant, to most writers.  Even readers flinch when they come across them.  The corporate world is quite adept at creating cliche's at a rapid rate.  Of course, they like to call them catch phrases, or call's to action.

Isn't "call to action" somewhat of a cliche' at this point?

Let's talk about the coffee cup.  Bear with me, this will all tie together in the end.

Historically, coffee and coffeehouses represented a space for free exchange of ideas, linking coffee to intellect, creativity, and revolutionary thought.  It often symbolizes shared moments and intimacy between people.  

Years ago, in the world of YouTube, the popular shot was that of the creator holding coffee, usually in a Starbucks cup, occasionally in the traditional vessel.  The camera focused on the coffee as the holder traveled from one point to the other.  The cup represented that creativity and intimacy the creator of the video desired to convey.  YouTube creators used this shot a lot.  I mean, a lot.

That shot has fallen to the wayside.  Now, however, if you peruse the rabbit hole of YouTube, you will often find a coffee cup in the shot, almost like an easter egg.  Really, the coffee cup has become a character in many of these videos.  Booktubers often have a cup in hand while they convey their thoughts, or at the very least, sitting somewhere within the camera's field of view.

This isn't just monopolized by Booktubers, though.  You will see the famous symbol of intellect in videos that discuss creative concepts of a variety of topics, and videos where someone of some self-declared expertise is conveying a greater knowledge of gadgets and whosiwhatsits.

One of my favorites are the videos of a politician, whom I forget the name, is in shot holding a cup of some mysterious liquid just inches from his mouth while he conveys obvious words of wisdom.  When he has finished enlightening the world, he quips something often snarky, raises an eyebrow, and pretends to drink.  Often the coffee cup has a really meaningful quote sprawled across it (insert sarcasm font here).

All of this has turned the coffee cup into a cliche' on YouTube.  It's presence no longer represents what it once did.  It is overused to the point that it has become trite.

In some cases, it's presence makes the presenter appear pretentious.