If you've been on the internet in the past few days, you've probably seen the famous red cup debacle. For those of you who aren't aware, Starbucks recently announced their new holiday cups in the bright hue of red. To some, this was a move towards minimalism. Others began accusing Starbucks of attacking Christmas.
Joshua Feuerstein made a video that went viral, in which he began complaining that the reason behind Starbuck's new design is that they want to take "Christ and Christmas off of their cups." He told his followers that the best way to combat this was not to boycott the company, but to instead start a movement in which coffee cup lovers give the name "Merry Christmas" to the cashier to write on the cups. "Guess what Starbucks, I tricked you!" he says as he goes on to gleefully tell everyone that he also brought a gun into their store.
But Starbucks sings a different tune about the reason behind their cups. The official page says,
"Since 1997 Starbucks has served its holiday beverages in a unique cup, starting with a jazz-themed design in jewel tones of deeper reds, greens and blues. Every year since, the cup has told a story of the holidays by featuring symbols of the season from vintage ornaments and hand-drawn reindeer to modern vector-illustrated characters.
“In the past, we have told stories with our holiday cups designs,” said Fields. “This year we wanted to usher in the holidays with a purity of design that welcomes all of our stories.”
Arguments over the loss of "Christ in Christmas" have been going on for years. From complaints about "X-Mas" and stores saying "Happy Holidays" over "Merry Christmas," Starbucks' new cups seem to be another nail in the coffin of the spirit of Christmas. These arguments are based on the beliefs from Christians that America is becoming "too politically correct."
Tory MP David Burrowes has criticized the move. He told Breitbart London: “The Starbucks coffee cup change smells more of political correctness than a consumer-led change."
I'm not opposed to companies being politically correct, but in this case it seems that Starbucks is changing from its usual holiday decor to having a minimalist design that has no story and, in this case, welcomes all stories. It's not "politically correct" to showcase a red cup that lacks Christmas designs. It is simply a change, that will probably only last this year. More importantly, why is a red cup so important? The spirit of Christmas is more likely lost in the consumer-driven society we have. Christmas hasn't lost Christ because of political correctness. It has lost the name because the holiday has become commercialized, with the focus on companies that can convince you to buy the fanciest gadgets and toys.
Let's shift our focus to more important concerns in society than whether or not a cup has snowflakes and trees printed on it.
