Starbucks red cup controversy a misunderstood marketing move

Kellie Bowen, Staff Writer

It is apparent that everyone, Christians included, can’t get over how absurd the Red Cup Controversy is. The whole downward spiral began with a man named Joshua Fuerstein who posted a video on his Facebook saying “Do you realize that Starbucks wanted to take Christ and Christmas off of their brand new cups? That’s why they’re just plain red.”

This, of course, is simply not true. According to the Starbucks website, the coffee company has made it a tradition to have ombré red cups for the holidays. But there is actually a specific reason behind the plain cups this year as told by Jeffery Fields, Starbucks vice president of Design and Content:

“Taking a cue from customers who have been doodling designs on cups for years (Starbucks held a contest to support this creativity), this year’s design is another way Starbucks is inviting customers to create their own stories with a red cup that mimics a blank canvas.”

“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,” Fields said.

In reality, Starbucks did not release these red cups in order to offend Christians, summon the devil or make any kind of political/social statement. The company did it so that people can draw their own designs on the cups if they wish.

The only thing I’m upset about with these cups it that I can’t really tell that the red is “ombré red.”

If Christians truly cannot stand the sight of plain red holiday cups, no one is stopping them from bringing a sharpie while picking up a Pumpkin Spice Latte and drawing the Nativity scene on it.

A Starbucks Barista said, “I’m a Christian, too, and you don’t see me freaking out. It doesn’t matter what religion I’m in. Just because Starbucks decides to do their own thing doesn’t make it right for us to go make an uproar about it because it ‘doesn’t agree with my life.’ The world doesn’t revolve around those guys – around anyone.”

“There’s other things happening in our country and around the world that are so much more devastating and affect people’s lives much more. I don’t understand why people are so caught up about the color of a cup or the design of a cup, when, in the long run, it doesn’t really matter,” said Linfield Student Julie Braet.

Also, in light of the attacks in Paris on Nov. 13, the significance or lack thereof of a Starbucks cup design should be the least important aspect of society right now. This silly conundrum is soon to be forgotten.