Our favorite coffee shop is ringing in the holiday season with another new red cup, as per tradition. However, rather than bringing holiday spirit, it's bringing controversy.
Since 1997 Starbucks has introduced a new red cup each year for its drinks around November. The design has varied over the years, but usually carried a Christmas theme to it.
This year Starbucks announced their cups would have a more minimalist design. The cups debuted on November 1 in Starbucks cafés nationwide.
Jeffrey Fields, the vice president of design and content for Starbucks, said that the design is simple because, “In the past, we have told stories with our holiday cups designs, but this year we wanted to usher in the holidays with a purity of design that welcomes all of our stories.”
The ombré design has been praised by many as a way to keep the holidays more open for the general public. However, others believe this action is an act against Christmas in an attempt to make Starbucks, and the holidays, more secular.
The little Starbucks cup has even been discussed by Donald Trump, one of the GOP candidates. At one of his campaign rallies, Trump told the crowd, "I have one of the most successful Starbucks in
He later added, "If I become president, we're all going to be saying Merry Christmas again, that I can tell you. That I can tell you. Unbelievable."
But most of the buzz on this controversy came from Joshua Feuerstein, an Internet evangelist, who posted a video on Facebook criticizing the new design. In the video he says, "Do you realize that Starbucks was trying to take Christ and Christmas off of their brand new cups? That's why they're just plain red."
He later encouraged his viewers to go to Starbucks and tell baristas that their name is "Merry Christmas" when they write on their drinks, in order to fight this secularism they believe to be taking over the holidays.
To watch the full video, click here.
What do you think about this crazy controversy that's all the buzz right now? Is it an attack on the Christian holiday? Or did Starbucks just want a simpler design?
Supporters of the cup have pointed out that Starbucks still carries a Christmas blend of coffee, and that their cups before were more winter-themed than Christmas-themed.
More importantly, why is America so caught up in the design of a paper cup when we have a lot of bigger issues to deal with?
