For those of you who are on social media, you may know it has been overtaken by the "
Starbucks red cup controversy". This "campaign" or outcry of social media users, including Donald Trump himself, consists of people ranting and raving that Starbucks is killing the Christmas spirit by making their cups plain red. Starbucks insisted their red cups were more inclusive and gave people freedom to design their own cups, which I think is a positive thing as not everyone celebrates Christmas. However, many people encourage hegemony and cannot fathom a world of inclusivity and diversity. This also shows how people create their identities and confirm their ideologies with the products they consume, and they want to consume companies who share similar ideologies. It is interesting to note how one's self is shaped by their consumption and their material values.
As discussed by Fuchs in
Culture and Economy in the Age of Social Media, "ideology is a semiotic level of domination and exploitation" (Fuchs, 2015: 81).
The people who are against Starbucks' red cups, clearly view the cup as a material which acts as a semiotic form of their dominant ideology, being Christianity. By refusing to solicit the holiday themed cups, Starbucks is also resisting and challenging the dominant ideology.
What do you think about Starbucks changing their cup to solid red?
Here is a link to Ellen's video mocking the people who are outraged by the red cup, as she herself challenges dominant ideology in our society which aims to subordinate others.
I can’t lie; I thought the non-decorated red cups were a disappointment! I look forward to the fun red and white designs every year. For me however, the red cups not only symbolize the Christmas spirit, but just the holidays in general. I am reminded that time with friends and family is near. I think that the idea behind using the solid red cups is great thinking for Starbucks to show they are inclusive, but I also believe that there are some flaws behind this thinking. First of all, I have never personally purchased a Starbucks drink and then taken time to decorate the cup myself. For Starbucks to say that this is why they decided to leave the cups blank seems a little suspicious. Additionally, red is typically the colour associated with Christmas. Starbucks says that by leaving the cups without designs on them is their way of being inclusive to everyone, however I associate red with Christmas more than I would snowmen and snowflake designs on the cups. If Starbucks was really trying to be inclusive they should have selected a colour for the cups that people associate with winter, rather than Christmas, like blue or something.
ReplyDeleteI have actually heard some rumours among peers that Starbucks is behind this outrage. Apparently this is all a marketing ploy on their part. If it is, it’s working as they are gaining recognition from various sources and celebrities as you mentioned in your post. I have posted an article below that explains this opinion in greater detail.
http://www.motherhoodthetruth.com/starbucks-red-cup/
I do not see the big deal with Starbucks releasing plain red cups this holiday season. Starbucks is not legally obligated to promote Christmas or to release festive coffee cups. The thing people are forgetting too is that Starbucks promotes equality and diversity. These cups are 'holiday' cups, not Christmas cups. The colour red is not only synonymous with Christmas either. The Canadian flag is red and white and we are a multicultural country. The fact that people are getting so upset about this is quite entertaining because it is a prime example of a first world problem. You're coffee cup doesn't have a little snowman or a reindeer on it this season? What's the big deal? If you can still afford to go to Starbucks every day then your life can't be that bad. This whole controversy over the 'red cups' is an example of how people in Western societies take things for granted and find issue in things that are meant to be luxuries, not necessities of life.
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ReplyDeleteWith all this in consideration, I think that this is a bold, inclusive choice by Starbucks to go with solid red colours instead of “Holiday” themed cups. However, red is still a dominant colour over the winter holidays since various religious holidays favour red like Christmas, Chinese New Year, and Kwanza. Therefore I believe that Starbucks made a calculated decision to choose a solid red for their cups since it includes various holidays during the winter season. It seems obvious to think that during the cold weather or winter, Startbucks as a company majorly profits from their sales of hot drinks. So ofcourse this is a smart decision to associate positive, happy-holiday thoughts with the purchase of their products. Choosing a plain red designed cup may appear to lack design and festive allure however it can include many memories of holiday times, therefore broadening their appeal to those who celebrate a variety of holidays over the winter months. This in the long run benefits the company. This may seem pessimistic but I believe that Starbucks made this decision not to include other holidays than just Christmas but for a large, monetary gain for the corporation. It is the reality of our capitalist society overall. I could be wrong, and maybe the major decision makers of Starbucks truly want to be more inclusive in their decorative, holiday cups…or I could be on the right track. We’ll never know.
ReplyDeleteAs Jenna mentioned in her comment, even if it is true, all publicity is generally thought of as good publicity.
ReplyDeleteBut to be fair, the controversy is because one guy (Joshua Feuerstein) said that "Starbucks REMOVED CHRISTMAS from their cups because they hate Jesus." The cups never had any association to Catholic symbols. Contemporary Christmas has become less about religion and more about commodities and practices. I have many Jewish friends who celebrate Christmas.
Furthermore, the cup being red and there logo being green, is still Christmas colors...I really don't understand the problem.
When Christmas comes around, Starbucks is just like any other company trying to maximize their sales. When we buy into this idea that of decorated cups and speciality drinks that can only be drank at Christmas we are doing nothing more than re-affirming the consumerism associated with the holiday season. Yes, perhaps it is nice to enjoy these drinks at this time of the year. But, really, the cup itself is merely a consumerist symbol.
ReplyDeleteI heard on the radio recently of someone who was on a flight where they changed the movie title "four christmases" to "four holidays". I think is something more worth being upset about than Starbucks taking ornaments off their holiday cups. The removal of the word Christmas from a Christmas movie is explicitly to spare the feelings of non-Christmas celebrators at the expense of compromising those who do celebrate Christmas. While, Starbucks in and of itself is not ONLY devoted to celebrating Christmas during the holiday season, and so we should be more open to their choices. Moreover, Starbucks is a company that celebrates multiculturalism as one of their core values. Since diversity and multiculturalism are at the heart of what Starbucks believes in, I think this red cup as a symbol of inclusion makes sense.