If you've been on the Internet recently, you've probably seen the video of some Starbucks barista named Ryan (who, to be fair, does give off a douchey vibe) refuses to serve a man who wants the name written on his drink to be Trump and then has his coworker call the cops. This Ryan kid totally has the right to his opinion, but if he'd just shaken his head, taken the man's money, and muttered a quiet "khsfjdhtrumpjgkwrhsfk" when the man's order was ready, none of this would have happened.
What exactly is this, per say?
In protest to douchey Ryan, Trump supporters are now asking for the name on their cups to be Trump as a form of protest, which I find really funny, because usually when someone protests against a place, they do so by not shopping there and encouraging those around them to do the same.
Best protest ever for a business, am I right?
The best part about this whole debacle is that baristas don't even have to write your name when they take your order. It's just a fun ritual that Starbucks has developed in some of its stores over the past few years. They can easily just shout "Iced, Half Caff, Ristretto, Venti, 4-Pump, Sugar Free, Cinnamon, Dolce Soy Skinny Latte," but some baristas just want to be friendly. Obvs that isn't working out too well for some people, though.
The guy who started #TrumpCup, Tim Treadstone (@bakedalaska) did say that he did not start the protest as a boycott, explaining, "We did troll them, let's be honest. If you're so afraid to write your president's name on a coffee cup, that is sad, that's insane."
I personally find the whole protest stupid, as well as the Hamilton one that developed over the weekend. I'm actually kind of okay with the Hamilton one, because all the boycotters will leave more tickets behind, which will give me a slightly better chance of snagging one and getting one step closer to being reborn with Lin-Manuel's genius baby.
Going back to the subject at hand, I think it's important to note that last week a man went full ape at a Miami Starbucks. Here's a snippet:
MAN: We want nothing to do with you. You're trash.
BARISTA: So what?
MAN: Because I voted for Trump! Trump! You lost! Now give me my money back. What is your name? I want your name. I want your card. You're garbage. You're complete trash.
He says that she refused to serve him the coffee he paid for and discriminated against him for being right. She, along with a witness who was interviewed, says that is untrue; he simply got angry because the order was taking too long. Regardless, the situation got worse when a guy told the man not to talk to the barista like that, which nearly resulted in a fistfight. Things are going great.
That isolated incident and this #TrumpCup "protest" are proof that 1) we all need to chill. Thanksgiving is coming up, which means lots of family, which means the moment someone says the word "politics" your Aunt Becky is going to throw gravy in someone's face or flip the table over, and 2) This is coffee. Don't bring this pure, innocent concoction that we really don't deserve into this. If anything, this proves that we need more coffee. Just let your barista call out your Tall, Half-Caff, Soy Latte At 120 Degrees, get that caffeine in your body, and go about your day.
