Andrew Server
aserver@uwyo.edu
Christmas should not be expected to be found in a mere cup- especially one from such a liberal institution as Starbucks. It is hypocritical when those who insist that we are becoming an oversensitive people become so overtly offended over the erasure of “Merry Christmas” from Starbucks cups that they seek to boycott or take action against the institution. It is fully valid to believe that groups of people exist who are indeed overly sensitive, but one ought to avoid hypocrisy in finding themselves offended at such inconsequential changes. If you seek affirmation of your Christian beliefs and joy about the birth of Christ from Starbucks of all places, you’re not going to have a successful time. Just as Hobby Lobby or Chick-fil-A have a right to express their Christian-leaning views on issues, so does Starbucks have the same right to remove “Christmas” from its cups. It is illogical to point out that we are becoming an overly sensitive people if you’re going to incite whining over a simple red cup and declare it an aggression in the “War on Christmas.” With Christians being systematically killed by ISIS, it is outright illogical to become so incensed at the removal of “Merry Christmas” from Starbucks and claim it as an affront to your Christian beliefs. I cringe to use this phrase, but it is indeed a “first world problem” to believe that you face significant antagonism in Starbuck’s free and private decision while there are such atrocities being committed against Christians globally.
That being said, I saw no trace of genuine ridicule of the Starbucks red cups on my rather conservative news feed, rather, I saw post upon post ridiculing those who were becoming so upset over the cups in the first place. I recognize that this example is anecdotal, but it seemed to be mirrored in the experiences of nearly every single acquaintance that I have on Facebook. Christian upon Christian as well as conservative upon conservative on my newsfeed decried the outrage regarding the cups as superficial and baseless. As a Catholic myself, I can claim as a Christian that this indeed is how it should be looked at. With so many Christians and conservatives vocalizing confusion regarding the cups, it begs the question- how many Christians truly are upset over the Starbucks cups? I argue that in reality, there is small, inconsequential group that is stirring up this non-issue “controversy.” I argue that they are a fringe group that are seeking attention and, with the medium of social media, have an excellent platform from which to be loud about it. Via clickbait links posted on Twitter and Facebook, a small, select group of some Christians has been able to convince the Internet that all Christians are irate and calling for a boycott against Starbucks. This “issue” is going to be short lived and easily forgotten.
That fringe group that started this uproar might claim that Starbucks “hates” Christians, but if they haven’t grasped that an organization that donates readily to such organizations as Planned Parenthood isn’t apt to exude themselves as proudly Christian, then I don’t know if they’ll ever come to terms with their red, Christmas-less cups.
