The latest idiocy to hit the American consciousness is the kerfuffle over Starbucks’ plain red cup for the “holiday season” which, in its simplicity, apparently is contributing to the “war on Christmas.” Some are referring to this as “CupGate.”
This ridiculous idea is just one of a number of feints perpetrated by ultra conservative rightwingers in an attempt to get us all to stop thinking about the real issues. That’s all it is. In this case, CupGate can be traced to just one, conservative guy who calls himself a Christian and is famous for his outrage-and hate-filled videos that tend to go viral. I won’t even name him because he doesn’t deserve one more microsecond of acknowledgement. The internet just loves those kinds of videos; hate and controversy sell online. And, unfortunately, it’s much easier for people to talk about a cup than to tackle the real issues. Plus a red cup makes a nice picture for social media, no? Ellen DeGeneres nailed the insanity of this one in a bit she did on her TV show.
How about for the holiday season – and beyond – everyone stops promoting these awful and, ultimately, stupid “controversies” and sticks to discussions about the real issues: immigration, poverty, workers’ rights, climate, change…the list goes on. No, these matters cannot be summarized easily or made into a slogan that fits on a red cup. But we can try harder to keep our focus where it belongs.