A Starbucks barista’s take on the stupid cup controversies
In a word: why?
It doesn’t bother me if you order a medium instead of a grande. I couldn’t care less if you confuse our terminology with McDonald’s and ask for a frappe instead of a Frappuccino. You could even ask me to explain the difference, in detail, between lattes, macchiatos, cappuccino and Americanos. I’d be more than happy to.
But PLEASE stop creating controversy over our cups!
First it was the plain red cups because they weren’t “Christmasy” enough. As a Christian myself, I was embarrassed by the amount of attention this got. A coffee cup without a few snowflakes isn’t exactly “taking Christ out of Christmas.” And actually, the plain red cups created a canvas for artists around the world to doodle, creating this year’s cups. But my point is: it’s a cup.
Then, this November kicked off with controversy. People were upset by what they thought were green holiday cups with an “ugly” design instead of one related to Christmas. Actually, these weren’t our holiday cups at all (This is what we get for listening to Christmas music in September). They were specifically designed to signify unity for the week of the election by featuring a drawing of all different kinds of people, drawn with a single line. I personally loved it, but again, it’s a cup.
And now it’s the #TrumpCup. Are you kidding me? Yes, you can technically get any name you want on your cup, but let’s be real. This is like me writing Taylor Swift on my name tag and getting upset if you don’t call me that. You know my name isn’t Taylor Swift, and I know your name isn’t Trump. A little advice: giving a company your money just to cause a scene isn’t protesting anything. Also, it’s a cup.
So I’ll write Trump on your cup without a fuss. If you have a complaint about something I’m doing at my job, I’ll genuinely apologize and you can take up the issue with my manager if you feel that’s necessary. All I ask in return is for you to broaden your worldview beyond a peppermint mocha and speak up on issues that really matter.