Several months ago, in a studio somewhere possibly at an unreasonable hour, a designer created this year's holiday Starbucks cup. This designer took into account the company's wishes in regards to appearance, message and so on.
But the outrage so many would have over their simplistic design probably never crossed their mind.
Just a few weeks ago, Halloween ended and major companies across the world went into Christmas mode. Starbucks being one of those companies, released their holiday cup for this year. For nearly 17 years the company has released a new design on their signature red holiday cups, some of them including varying shades of red to illustrate trees and snowflakes in 2014, a winking snowman in 2012, and tree ornaments that read "I wish everyday was a holiday" in 2009. This year's design took a bold turn by being just a plain red cup with the signature logo with a white lid. While the release of the cup is meant to signal the start of the holiday season for consumers, instead this year it's creating controversy.
One man, Joshua Feuerstein, found the cup to be rather offensive. He used social media to say that he felt "Starbucks removed Christmas from their cups because they hate Jesus", and continued to ask consumers to have Starbucks employees write "Merry Christmas" on their cups instead of their names.
Instantly the information went viral and an international internet debate began on whether or not the cup was offensive to the Christian belief on the holidays or not. Even some celebrities and politicians weighed in on the fight through Twitter where the debate began. The two defined sides stand as Feuerstein's side stating that Starbucks is attempting to be politically correct with this cup, and the opposing side stating that this cup is not a bash on Christianity that this is simply a way to acknowledge all holiday stories.
Here's why the cup is the least of the world's problems.
The company still sells merchandise with the term "Christmas" on it. These items include coffee blends, Advent calendars, and gift cards with the phrase "Merry Christmas". The company simplified the design because minimalistic style is the cutting trend right now, and the easiest way to appeal to all audiences.
The Starbucks cup has never had Christian symbols on the cup at any point in its history. The designs have included things such as trees, snowflakes, snowmen, and ice skaters. That being said, their was never a Christian influence in the design for it to be said that the company was erasing religious affiliation from the cups.
The company made a public statement saying that they wanted to invite all customers to express their holiday stories by leaving the cup blank. This is because the holidays are not just about Christmas. Other holidays celebrated at this time include but are not limited to:
The holiday of Kwanza: Celebrated by the African people in America for a full week. The holiday celebrates African heritage and has feasts at its culmination alongside gift giving. This year the holiday will begin on December 26, 2015 and last until January 1, 2016.
The holiday of Hanukkah: Celebrated by the Jewish people for eight days. The holiday celebrates the rededication of the Second Temple and consists of lighting eight candles on a special candelabrum called a menorah. Though the holiday's dates vary each year according to the Gregorian Calendar, this year the holiday will be celebrated December 6, 2015 to December 14, 2015.
The holiday of Newtonmas: Celebrated primarily by atheists and skeptics who chose December 25th as the celebration date because it is Sir Isaac Newtons' birthday on the Julian calendar.The practices vary, but some celebrate by exchanging gifts that celebrate the sciences or sending cards with Newton themes to them.
The holiday of Yule: Celebrated by the Pagan religion, otherwise known as the historical Germanic people. The celebration of Yule or Yuletide, is a festival had during mid-winter where feasts are had a gifts are given. This holiday eventually became Christianized, and contains almost all the practices we known today to be "Christmas" traditions.
These and countless others are all valid holidays and primary examples of why Starbucks and so many other companies are creating logos and merchandise that is not solely associated with the holiday of Christmas.
The holiday seasons is about more than just one holiday. Winter festivals aside, the holiday season encompasses the holiday of Thanksgiving and New Years, and doesn't truly end until after the holiday of Valentine's Day. Starbucks' action to simplify their design not only creates a more free options for their incredibly diverse consumer population, but also allows them to use the same design for several months without seeming outdated. No one wants to see snowmen after December 25th. They just don't.
The solid red Starbucks cup is not an attack on anyone's religion, but the retaliation against it was. The real religious persecution lies within extremist groups, and within hate crimes, and within the ignorant. This cup was an irrelevant even that went viral because social media makes that sort of thing possible.
The question remains not "Does Starbucks hate Jesus?" But rather "Did anyone notice the design before now?"
Did it really matter whether the trees were green or red?
Or whether the ice skaters were black, or white, or yellow, or blue?
When your 30 minutes with the cup are over, will it really matter how you felt while you were holding it?
No one really noticed, and if they did, until recently- they didn't care. The holidays are a time for all peoples, not just the ones who are a part of the commercialized sector.
Go get a red cup of whatever you drink at Starbucks, and instead of having them write Merry Christmas, write your own holiday story. Because these next weeks that the cup will grace the market are not just about Christmas.
