WaPo: ‘Breitbart Wasn’t Buying It’ as Starbucks Attempts to Justify Red Cups

From Justin Wm. Moyer writing at the Washington Post:

Starbucks certainly didn’t seem to anticipate this furor when it released its holiday-themed cups last week — cups that, as the company made clear in a press release, are not really Christmas cups. No crosses. No Mary and Joseph. And definitely no Jesus. In many ways, the cups seemed designed to be unremarkable — unlike, say, the “Race Together” cups the company tried to push in the wake of unrest in Ferguson, Mo., earlier this year.

“Creating a culture of belonging, inclusion and diversity is one of the core values of Starbucks, and each year during the holidays the company aims to bring customers an experience that inspires the spirit of the season,” the company wrote in a press release. “Starbucks will continue to embrace and welcome customers from all backgrounds and religions in our stores around the world.”

Indeed, save for the shade, the cups looked pretty much like regular Starbucks cups. Well, if you got technical, as the company did, the cups were “a bright poppy color on top that shades into a darker cranberry below.”

…

“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,” the company said. Fields added: “This year we wanted to usher in the holidays with a purity of design that welcomes all of our stories.”

Or maybe the story is sort of a silent story. Kind of like “Silent Night.” But definitely, definitely not “Silent Night.”

“We’re embracing the simplicity and the quietness of it,” Fields said. “It’s more open way to usher in the holiday.”

Breitbart wasn’t buying it.

Read the rest of the story at the Washington Post.