STARBUCKS. COWARDLY EXPLOITERS OF CHRISTMAS. IT'S JUST GOOD BUSINESS.

Those confused about Jesus, 2015

Dammit! They're taking Christmas out of the commercialism!

Charlie Brown

I just don't understand Christmas, I guess. I like getting presents and sending Christmas cards and decorating trees and all that, but I'm still not happy. I always end up feeling depressed. Isn't there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?

Lucy Van Pelt

Look, Charlie, let's face it. We all know that Christmas is a big commercial racket. It's run by a big eastern syndicate, you know.

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The selling of red cups of coffee is not a war on Christmas as many have claimed, wrongly. To claim that Starbucks execs are waging a war on Christmas is quite the stretch. Never have Starbucks sold a cup of coffee with any depiction of the nativity scene, which is what Christmas is all about — a celebration of the birth of Jesus the Nazerine.

Starbucks Vice President of Design and Content Jeffrey Fields equally lied when when stated, “This year we wanted to usher in the holidays with a purity of design that welcomes all of our stories.” 

Now, here is reality. Since 1997, Starbucks execs have tried to exploit Christmas and the Christmas gift buying season as most retailers in the USA have done for at least 100 years. Through their winter cups, execs have tried to trigger memories about winter, likely, in hopes of increasing sales.

Cowardly, though, no one from Starbucks stepped forward to say that Starbucks seeks to increase sales during the Christmas gift shopping season and for that reason, they seek to attract Christian shoppers into their stores in hopes of selling coffee and other merchandise. Of course, when anyone from Starbucks says, "Happy Holidays," what they are saying to you is Merry Christmas. For more on that, check out SAYING HAPPY HOLIDAYS IS ANOTHER WAY OF SAYING MERRY CHRISTMAS.

Likely, Starbucks execs decided to cut costs by having a cheaper red cup made. Perhaps they shaved a fraction of a penny per cup but over millions of cups, the outlay adds up.

That said, Starbucks execs missed a golden opportunity to market themselves by depicting persons on their cups sharing coffee and other Starbucks merchandise in acts of gift giving.

It's only a cup. If you keep loving, kindness and patience in your heart and let those qualities guide your action, not even red cups will bother you. If you give tolerance to those lost at least some might turn toward you and follow you.


 

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#FOOLISH STARBUCKS CEO RACE BAITS IN A DESPERATE TRY TO MAKE STARBUCKS HIP TO SOCIAL JUSTICE WARRIORS

Hubris. It's gets the best of many. In a stunning marketing gaff perhaps on par with Coca-cola's ill-fated New Coke blunder, CEO Howard Schultz of Starbucks has forgotten that he is in the brewed coffee-to-go business.

The demographic reality of Americans contradicts foolish men like Howard Shultz. According to a work built on U.S. Census Bureau data and published by the Pew Center, in 2010, 15% of all new marriages happened between spouses of a different race or ethnicity from one another, which is more than double the 1980 figure (6.7%). In 2010, the share of intermarriages reached an all-time high of 8.4%. Compare that to 3.2% in 1980.  

In 1960, white-black marriages amounted to only 1.7% of all black same-race marriages, but in 2010, such marriages amounted to 12%. Telling, in 2010, almost one of every four black men married someone who wasn't black. If that doesn't signal black acceptance by others, what does?

More than four-in-ten Americans (43%) believe inter-racial marriage is beneficial for all Americans. Nearly two-thirds of Americans (63%) are good with anyone in their family marrying outside their race or ethnicity. As it is, more than one-third of Americans (35%) say that someone of their family has married someone of another race. 

If Shultz walked his foolish talk, he would strive to reduce the price of a cup of coffee he is willing to accept by becoming more efficient. Also, if Shultz were to become a man of action instead of a man of blather, Shultz would focus on opening all new Starbucks stores primarily in minority-concentrated neighborhoods.

At day's end, corporate America needs to get out of the public opinion making business. It's quite a lowly tactic of style over substance when firms must rely on pandering to Social Justice Warriors in effort to win sales. 

The last time I checked, the two-term president of the United States and leader of the free world, Barack Obama, had a black dad and a white mom. Racism died years ago. The only ones desperate to keep racism alive are poverty pimps, politicians and hubris-suffering CEOs.

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