Tragically, Friday morning’s Facebook sidebar of recent events caught my eye. I’m not a huge fan of the feature, especially because it often unveils my more vapid Internet usage a la Kardashian news or something dumb Ben Carson said. #Merrychristmasstarbucks was the tag line this time, and I thought Starbucks was unveiling some sort of bargain for Christmas or the infamous red cup was starring Buddy the Elf. Upon further investigation, the hashtag is actually a sarcastic customer based remark towards Starbucks for “attacking Christianity” by keeping their cup design simple. I thought this was a joke, until I saw a tweet about boycotting, the biggest middle finger you can give “Capitalism-rules-all” America. I realized this Christian population was real, and they were genuinely mad.
In an announcement on their website, Starbucks’ vice president of design and content, Jeffrey Fields, explained that the cup’s color “Starbucks holiday red” is here to establish “a distinctive dimension, fluidity, and weightedness.”
“This year we wanted to usher in the holidays with a purity of design that welcomes all of our stories” Fields said. In other words, some designer somewhere wanted to go for minimalistic aesthetic and set the cup apart from previous years. The brand wanted to open opportunity to an inclusive society. No kitsch drawings needed, Starbucks wanted to allow customers to imagine their own stories. So just as the red cup and holiday spirit comes about a month too soon, the “war on Christmas” mentality begins.
Apparently, there is a war on Christmas and Christians. Wearing Santa hats in an airport leads to being strip searched — oh wait, that’s actually the flying-while-Muslim problem the TSA has. Local communities protest churches for existing — oh wait, that’s townspeople protesting a Phoenix mosque. Kids in school are bullied for wearing Christmas sweaters — oh no, that’s the kid wearing a yarmulke. Santa wish lists are burned in protest? No, that’s the Quran, the most sacred text for the Muslim people. So really, none of those other things are happening. There is no real war on Christmas, while other religious minorities feel these aggressions on a daily basis, no matter the season.
As America becomes more mindful and more inclusive, Christians feel that they are being persecuted for their beliefs. In reality, their beliefs just take up less of the public sphere. Starbucks’ distribution of a plain red cup, a color already deeply associated with Christmas anyway, is just a way the company aims to reach all parties instead of those who don’t celebrate Christmas. Removing Christmas from the more recognizable public spaces is not a persecution. It just means Christians no longer impose their beliefs or holidays on anyone else.
If you are Christian, imagine, just for a second, that Christmas isn’t the center of attention. Imagine some other holiday, National Pie Day, if you will, is the holiday of the winter season. Pies are on everything from shopping mall directions to cups at local coffee shops to town centers, and people wish you a Happy Pie Day. You feel left out because you don’t celebrate. Pie feels like it’s the only thing on people’s minds. Every place you turn its apple pie, key lime pie, pecan pie. You cannot escape the pie. You just want to celebrate Christmas. Your kids are asking you why can’t they celebrate the pie day. If you aren’t Christian you probably understand this already and don’t need a metaphor.
Christmas in the public sphere is an imposition of the Christian belief system on other people. Just like the fictitious pie day, Christmas is a bombarding presence from Nov. 1 to the New Year. In a country that values separation of church and state, Christmas has taken on a new life. The holiday is ingrained in every aspect of life. This is most likely due to the amount of money it brings businesses, but regardless, it leads to a general expectation that celebrating Christmas is the status quo. And that is an incredibly narrow mindset. This leads to a sense of entitlement — Christmas has to be the holiday celebrated. The absence of this Christmas in every day life, or even in Starbucks, leads this Christian majority to believe they are being persecuted. In reality, those who believe in the war on Christmas have no idea what persecution means.
The great thing about America, no matter how crazy this country may be, is that you can do whatever you want within reason. You can decorate your house, you can go Christmas caroling, you can participate in the gift giving and you can even wish someone a merry Christmas. No one is stopping you, no one is harassing you and no one is burning religious texts in forms of protest against you. Companies are just adopting more inclusive holiday themes.
I’m no scrooge — I love Christmas. It’s my second favorite holiday. I love looking at the lights and buying gifts and hanging out with my family. I just recognize the idea that maybe someone else doesn’t hold my beliefs and that making someone uncomfortable on purpose is the opposite of the Christmas spirit.
Also, this argument is over the cup that holds your overpriced coffee. Who cares?
