Off Beat

"Once the apex scavenger of the retail era, Blockus bustor suffered a rapid population collapse after its primary food source was intercepted by the more agile Netflexis vorax."

You're saying you don't know what this is? Google Maps

It closed sometime during the Pliocene Era, approximately, but anyone who’s driven through Roslindale since then knows it: The Blockbuster Video at 650 American Legion Highway may be gone, but it is not forgotten. 

At least not as long as the hollowed-out remnant of its sign stands inexplicably in the lot, perennially taunting any employees of Game Stop, Rainbow, and/or the check cashing place who might suddenly find themselves with an urge to rent a VHS tape, but no outlet at which to do so.

The sign has been the subject of no shortage of social media posts since the venerable video rental outlet shut its doors. But a post that went up on Reddit earlier this week seems to have really incensed that subsection of Boston-area residents who spent a good portion of their youth walking up and down brightly lit aisles, contemplating rectangular boxes adorned with the rugged faces of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sly Stallone, and Jean Claude Van-Damme. (You know who you are.)

“Can any urban archaeologists tell me what this relic is?,” WeirdIndication3027 posted on the Boston subreddit on Tuesday, along with a picture of the sign, its vaguely ticket-shaped outline looming over an out-of-focus Dunkin’ sign in the distance. (Appropriately, given the context, it’s a Dunkin’ sign that still reads “Dunkin’ Donuts,” despite the company’s 2019 rebranding. But at least the location is still open, unlike the Blockbuster.)

“This HAS to be ragebait right??…. RIGHT?!?!,” BurrDurrMurrDurr responded quickly thereafter, capturing the mood of what would become a spirited discussion in the comments section among people (presumably people Of A Certain Age) who seemed highly offended that the marker’s origins wouldn’t be immediately obvious.

“This is elder abuse,” jardindeschats weighed in, and RuskiesInTheWarRoom posted a free verse response sure to strike a chord among anyone who’s ever been kind enough to rewind:

This post is hilarious…

is what I’ll tell my therapist tomorrow.

After I update my will

Not that everybody agreed — there was some debate over who should be more disgusted by this turn of events, Millennials or GenXers. Reasonable_Move9518 posted that “Millennial nostalgia has entered the chat,” which led LetEast6927 to respond, “Gen X nostalgia scoffs and rolls eyes.” (As a member of that tribe, can confirm that is something that we do, generally.)

Yes, it’s certainly possible that the original poster is simply trolling. But given that Netflix has been streaming now since 2007 — yes, 19 years! — it’s entirely possible that there are Reddit users entirely unfamiliar with the concept of leaving your house in search of entertainment. (Or anything, really.) Those people would be wise to ponder this history lesson posted by Reddit user Ryancurley10:

Once the apex scavenger of the retail era, Blockus bustor suffered a rapid population collapse after its primary food source was intercepted by the more agile Netflexis vorax. This digital predator evolved a “direct-to-nest” hunting strategy that rendered the physical dens of B. bustor obsolete by the mid-2010s. Fossilized remains consisting of cerulean plastic shells suggest the genus was unable to adapt to the warming climate of the streaming age.

Read the full post here, and share your own Blockbuster memories below.