Dear Starbucks,
I have always been a Starbucks lover--I own mugs, love the coffee, love the fall drinks. Starbucks has always been like coming home to me. I love the scents, the friendly people, the chairs... everything. My friends and family have teased me for this. I even wrote a blog post where I longed for your PSL, last summer. http://lifeandacupoftea.blogspot.se/2012/08/fall-friends-home-and-pumpkin.html
But I am shocked, saddened, even OUTRAGED at the way that Starbucks has changed, to become a cowardly company refusing to simply take a stand against violence, by hanging "No Guns Allowed in Starbucks" signs. By "following local laws" and allowing guns in your stores, you actually take no ethical stand.
I have seen--and the word is SPREADING--that you are even allowing open gun rallies in your stores. Have you seen the image on the news, from a Starbucks, with a little baby in a stroller next to men in jeans, all carrying huge weapons? If you haven't, trust me--I have. I have shared it on Facebook and it is going viral! A little baby, in a stroller, suddenly met by such a show of violence.
What has become of my beloved Starbucks? :(
As a mother, as a citizen, as a person with a brain, I find this disgusting, and I am starting to wonder: how much is Starbucks being paid off by the NRA? Why else would you allow gun rallies in your company, a company where women, men, students, tourists, elderly, and children are also welcome?
Change! Change now! So I can go back to loving my Starbucks. :(
Sincerely,
Rachel Stenback
A few things...
ReplyDeleteYou said they don't take an ethical stand. Interesting. Who is setting this standard?
Also, were you at this event? If not, what information do you have that allows you to make an opinion on the matter?
Finally, your final comments about having a brain is illogical. You must be under the assumption that someone who is carrying a firearm does not have a brain. I hope you have a better attitude the next time you are pulled over by a police officer.
thank you for your reply, anonymous. Alas, my letter was not actually meant to be logical--it was meant to be heartfelt. I am "allowed" to have an opinion on matters of the law since I am an American citizen, and each is entitled to his or her opinion. The media obviously has covered this event. And finally, my comment about having a brain refers to those who would like to have guns in Starbucks. But you make an excellent point: I do feel safe with police officers, and my brother-in-law is one in fact. I feel safe when police officers or soldiers carry guns. Not everyone else, wherever they want, and not in Starbucks or any other café or restaurant where I want to be able to go and feel safe with my family--my little child included. Thank you for your comment.
DeleteExactly Rachel. My idea of relaxing with a cup of (um, very expensive) coffee DOES NOT include trusting some random non-uniformed stranger with a loaded gun sitting next to me.
ReplyDeleteWhy do these people think we should blindly trust them? The way the vast majority of them respond on line and in the media makes me very mistrustful of them. They are so angry, so vengeful, so....downright psycho. Yea, no thanks "good guy", keep your gun at home please.
Why does Starbucks cater to these gun nuts? What will they really lose if they disenfranchise them? Such a small weird group of people, let them go Starbucks. Hipsters don't carry guns.
Anonymous, if you're going to hold others to some standard of courtesy and intellectualism, you ought to start by doing so yourself.
DeleteName-calling does not fortify your viewpoint.
Hello, Rachel.
ReplyDeleteI respect your differing point of view regarding firearms, however I do find that your fear seems to manifest from ignorance.
As another individual already pointed out, I don't quite see the correlation between firearms and morality -- a firearm doesn't suddenly initiate violence and mental instability within a person.
I also noticed that you refer to the above AR-15 and Mossberg 500 as "huge guns/weapons", indicating a specific fear towards not "the gun", per se, but it's physical features; because it simply "looks scary".
I can assure you that the .223/5.56 and 12 GA cartridges these firearms are chambered for are NOWHERE NEAR as lethal as "conventional hunting" rifles that boast wooden stocks (the less scary rifles).
Reference this picture (disregard the .22):
http://cdn.firearmstalk.com/forums/attachments/f30/76888d1356755727-30-06-vs-223-picture-30-06-.223.jpg
The displayed .223 is the standard cartridge for AR-15s, AK-74s, etc., while the 30-06 (pronounced: "Thirty ot [as in pot] six) is just one of many large-caliber game loads. You'd also be surprised to find that AR-15s and hunting rifles function on the same principle -- they are the same, JUST AESTHETICALLY DIFFERENT.
I apologize for writing a book, though I'm genuinely interested in why and how peoples' fear of firearms are derived. Most have never fired one, but why should they? Their knowledge comes from Hollywood movies and media reports with "choice words" such as "imploding bullets", "assault weapons", "high-velocity clips", etc. -- words, terms, and features that don't even exist.
You should indeed have a natural *respect* for a gun, but not an irrational fear. I just turned 20 this past September, and currently possess over 13 firearms myself, consisting of rifles, shotguns, and handguns. No, I don't need them for "fear of the government", or anything silly like that. I don't subscribe to conspiracy theories. They are simply a passion of mine, much like cars, music, or collecting stamps for anyone else.
By the way, my firearms never sprout legs and start shooting people, much like I'm sure you've heard about in the media. ;)
I just hope you'll allow yourself to become more educated on them, rather than fear what you hear and see on the news, ANY news. They're all a crock.
Again, none of this was stated in animosity, as I'm simply sharing my thoughts, much like you have, just with some facts rolled in. ;)
Take care.
-Nick