The Only Thing The New Starbucks Cup Represents Is The Age Of Offense That We Live In

I’m not sure what or why it is exactly, but in the past year or so, I’ve seen more and more people become offended over something that would otherwise seem rather trivial. In a world full of 7 billion people (give or take), we all will differ in opinion in some way shape or form. I’m not sure if it’s more prevalent because of social media, or if everyone has just decided to start randomly whining about every little thing, but quite frankly, I’m sick of it and I’m not the only one. This Starbucks business is just one of the many cases to prove my point.

So Starbucks has decided to give us all a nice little red cup for the holidays. I think that’s nice of them. They could have continued with their typical white cup, but no, they decided to become more festive for the season. Of course, everyone has something to say now. In Starbuck’s attempt to be more neutral in the way they represent the holidays, they have come under fire.

I can’t say I’m surprised. People are upset because there are no reindeer or Christmas trees, etc. First off, none of those previously mentioned things have anything to do with the Christian Christmas.

Let’s take a nice stroll into Christmas past. Christmas trees were initially used to remind people that Spring would come, despite the cold temperatures amid the Winter solstice. Christians later adopted this emblem and now, most people, Christian or not, use Christmas trees as part of their holiday decoration. If Christians really wanted to celebrate with a tree to represent their reason for the season, they would not use a spruce tree, it would be something like a palm tree or oil tree, you know, some sort of tree that actually grows in Bethlehem. Reindeer come from the Dutch tale of St. Nicholas of Myra and Sinterklaas, which we now know as Santa Claus. Again, not Christian.

Second, and most importantly, Starbucks was trying to do the right thing by appealing to all people. In a world of 7 billion people, only a third of our population identifies as Christian. By making the cup neutral, it offers a level of festivity for everyone. Had the cup used a manger scene, everyone except people of the Christian faith would have been upset. Had the cup used a dreidel or a menorah, everyone except people of the Jewish faith would have been upset, and so on, and so on. But of course, there is no “right thing” anymore because someone will always be offended.

The holiday season has been under fire for years. Many huge department stores no longer say or wish “Merry Christmas,” because they don’t want to offend those who are not Christian. Then it came down to how these large businesses could decorate so as to not offend anyone. In schools, teachers are very limited on what they can do or teach regarding the holiday season, and in some schools, it’s not allowed period. When it’s all said and done, aren’t we all losing our holiday cheer along the way, simply by placing rules on everything? Aren’t we ruining the mood of the season by our offence?

Regarding Starbucks and their cups, it’s simply a cup, people. Get over it. Can’t we all just be happy for little red cups? If you’re letting the stress of a little red cup get you down, then it’s time to really start looking at yourself. You are part of the problem. You are waging a war on Christmas just as much as you think Starbucks is. When it all comes down to it, isn’t the holiday season about being close to your loved ones and neighbours and remembering to be grateful for the things you have? Becoming angry with Starbucks over a little red cup, seems to create animosity and quite frankly, is petty. Complaining about the Starbucks cup is quite the opposite of what the holiday season is about.

As for me, I could care less. I’m just tired of everyone being offended by everything. The old adage, “you’re damned if you do and you’re damned if you don’t” has never been more true of our society as it is today.