You'd think that when Starbucks stood up for marriage equality in Washington state by officially supporting the legalization of same-sex marriage, the general consensus would have been a big fat caffeinated "Cheers!" While that seems to be the case for the most part, there are still radicals on the far right who have a major bone to pick with the popular coffee purveyor.
The National Organization for Marriage (NOM), aka an extreme conservative group created to fight same-sex marriage at every turn, has released a statement whining that "Americans should be able to drink a peaceful cup of coffee without worrying that a portion of the company's profits is going to be used to push gay marriage without a vote from the people." Oh, boo freakin' hoo! Cry me a cappuccino river.
Hilariously, they're also speaking out against Starbucks "discriminating against customers, vendors, or employees who oppose same-sex marriage." HA!! Give me a break. Because those are the people who are sooo disenfranchised, right?
Haven't these people ever heard of the expression "vote with your pocketbook"? I do it all the time! I even rationalize the slightly added cost of organic produce or chemical-free beauty products by thinking to myself, "Well, maybe if I buy this over the toxic crap, the industry will get the message to make more of this, and over time, the price will go down." Similarly, if I hear a company has horrendous policies I don't support or gives part of their profits to causes, corporations, or politicians I strongly disagree with, I'll do business elsewhere. The great boycott shouldn't be that novel a concept to Americans.
If these "straight marriage defenders" (with a steeply declining marriage rate and an ever-growing divorce rate, what's to defend, but I digress ...) really hate that Starbucks is bold enough to stand up for progress and stand with the majority of Americans who endorse same-sex marriage, then they can choose from a plethora of other java joints to get their "peaceful cup of coffee." I'm sure they've also got to be annoyed that Google, Nike, Microsoft, and countless other companies have created a coalition in support of Washington legalizing same-sex marriage, so they should probably turn their backs on all of those brands, too.
Meanwhile, same-sex marriage supporters can make it a priority to patronize these companies in order to show our love for their applause-worthy move.
What do you think about the NOM's statement? Do you make a point to vote with your pocketbook?
Image via Satish Krishnamurthy/Flickr
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Comments 26
i don't like starbucks coffee. yucky. this situation is a nonissue for me, so if i liked their coffee i would continue to drink it. no matter what their stance is.
I have to wonder just how many people are against gay marriage atually go to Starbucks. Look at their clientele. Hipsters? Usually pro-marriage. Students? Mostly pro-marriage. Educated people AKA people who make enough to buy $5 lattes on a regular basis? Not many homophobic bigots against civil rights in that group.
I support same-sex marriage, but at the same time I think this just brings up a different issue: anytime a big corporation endorses a particular stance/issue, it can be risky. Not everyone likes your product, but now some of the people who did like it may not because they don't want to support your political stance either. So you could end up losing more customers. You might gain some too, but the bottom line is there will be "controversy" the minute a your company decides to openly express their views. Do I like Starbucks now more that I know where they stand on same-sex marriage? Eh, not really? I mean it's great that they support it but personally it doesn't make me want to run out and buy their coffee NOW. But that's just me. As this article points out, there are a lot of people out there who react much more extremely.
How on god's green earth can you justify screaming that your demand to discriminate is being discriminated against?
There is no excuse for opposing same sex marraige. Frankly, we should be encouraging stable monogamous relationships regardless of the orientation of the couple.
I see issues like these as marketing ploys and nothing else. They're speaking to and gaining more loyalty to their demographic.
Because there aren't companies like Chik-fil-A doing the exact same thing for the other side.
I will however keep going to Starbucks. They make good drinks. And ill still eat at chick com a because they make good food. I'm not so shallow as to allow the views of a major corporation dictate whether I go to that chain of stores. I like what I like.