Working for a certain Coffee place has its perks (a ton of coffee for one) and it is always a good place to start a conversation or to see what is going on in the neighborhood. But when a person complains over what is quoted on their cup of coffee, why don't you just ask for a different cup.
A woman in Ohio is complaining about one of Starbuck's "The Way I See It" cups as it contains a quote questioning why people ask god when things go wrong:
"Why
in moments of crisis do we ask God for strength and help? As cognitive
beings, why would we ask something that may well be a figment of our
imaginations for guidance? Why not search inside ourselves for the
power to overcome? After all, we are strong enough to cause most of the
catastrophes we need to endure."
I see nothing wrong with this quote, if Michelle Icanno came in for a different cup of coffee the next day I'm sure she would get a different cup with a quote that talks about how having a religious belief is important. Just because Mrs. Icanno experienced a difference of opinion on a cup of coffee doesn't mean she should tell everyone that they are wrong. Maybe she needs to take a lesson from this quote:
People don’t read enough. And what reading we do is cursory, without absorbing the subtleties and nuances that lie deep within – Wow, you’ve stopped paying attention, haven’t you? People can’t even read a coffee cup without drifting off. - David Shore
Creator and executive producer of the television drama House.
But this recent episode over the "Way I See It" quotes leads me to believe in the following quote as what has occurred with the polarization of American politics:
A very bad (and all too common) way to misread a newspaper: To see whatever supports your point of view as fact, and anything that contradicts your point of view as bias. -- Daniel Okrent
First ombudsman of The New York Times and author of Public Editor #1.
The point of these quotes is to spark a discussion among the coffee going public. Just as Mrs. Icanno disagreed with one quote, there is a number of quotes I have seen on the cups that I would disagree with, but unlike Mrs. Icanno who would want to see a cup removed (thus censored) I value all different points of views, whether I agree with them or not.
To Starbucks, keep up the quotes. It has made my cup of coffee a lot more fun every time I get a new cup and it also leads to some good open-minded discussions with my fellow coffee drinkers.
