Partly Cloudy / 37° FPlease, say it ain't so, Starbucks …
By Staff
If consumerism is a religion -Starbucks is my Jerusalem.
And nobody gonna break my Jerusalem.
I rolled my eyes when the big three automakers had to be told -literally – that rolling into Washington on private planes to beg for money, when half the nation is facing the unemployment line, is a bad idea. Poor choice of transportation, to say the least.
I thanked my lucky stars that I don't have much of a 401k to lose. And I didn't even really stop to focus on the fact that those in power at the big conglomerate banks continued to pay more for washcloths for the private bathrooms of their CEOs – than I spend in rent for an entire year.
Yes, it all made me angry – but all I could do was stand and watch as America all but circled the drain. Much like everybody else.
But now – NOW – my beloved Starbucks is being affected and well – now I'm ticked off.
The company announced that close to 7,000 jobs would have to be cut, as well as the amount of new stores planned for 2009.
Pop culture commentators and even business analysts have long since noted Starbucks as a sort of gateway to the idea of the 'third place.' That place between home and work that feels like home and is a comfortable place to work. As one Starbucks manager described it in an article for Fast Company Magazine, "We want to provide all the comforts of your home and office. You can sit in a nice chair, talk on your phone, look out the window, surf the web… oh, and drink coffee too…"
I have a severe emotional attachment to Starbucks – and I've been addicted to the legally addictive stimulant that is caffeine for as long as I can remember.
Don't get me wrong, I love discovering small coffeehouses with interesting roasts and unique ways of presenting their versions of lattes, cappuccinos, machiattos, americanos and espressos. But in any city, airport or deserted island – I seek out that green little emblem, step through the front door and immediately feel at home. Starbucks conquered more than just coffee – it conquered familiarity.
Now, as Americans have seen their first places (home) threatened and even foreclosed and their second places (work) eliminated – we are about to see our cherished third places socked in the gut.
Sure, the company had been taking a hit just like everybody else in this mess of an economy. It is rather hard to rationalize a $4 latte when it's hard to pay the bills or even keep gas in the tanks. But it's just another annoying byproduct of this mess we're in.
And speaking of this mess we're in…
In my very short career as an eligible voter for this country – I am proud to say that I have supported BOTH political parties at one time or another. That's right, I actually understand bi-partisanship, which is more than I can say for some of our "leaders" in Washington.
And so let me just say that the fact that not a single Republican voted for the stimulus package pitched by President Obama, came off as less a political stand and more of an annoying temper tantrum. A purposeful move on behalf of an entire party to stick a thorn in the majority of American's hopefulness for the current administration.
I get it, guys. You want America to realize that liberalism is not the answer, not even in these tough times. I've even agreed with you plenty of times.
But the fact of the matter is – unfortunately your party was our poster boy when the times got tough. So the majority of the people are going to blame you for the fact that they don't have a job right now. It might not be fair. But it's life.
We've lost our luxuries and now we're losing our necessities. Our jobs, our homes and even our families as stress takes it toll on relationships and even lives. People are figuratively and even literally killing themselves out here.
Now is not the time.
Call it a stand, call it an argument, or call it a calculated political move against the opposing party. Whatever it is. Now is not the time for it.
Criticism isn't enough anymore. You have to have back up. You need to be able to say more than just that you think it's bad idea. You need to care more than just care about proving a President wrong. Because that President did not get there on his own. He got there on the backs of Americans who didn't vote for your party's candidate.
You don't want to tick them off. You want to change their minds. You can't do that simply by collectively kicking and screaming.
When the Republican Party lost the election in November, I'd made a comment that now was the time for them to rise to the challenge. To find their own identity again. This is not the identity you want, fellas.
As I think about this – my mind races. I want to tell stories about the machine shops I've visited and the conversations I've had on how anyone in business these days is going to survive. But if I did that, I'd fill this whole page. So I'll save that for next week.
Until then – all I ask of those who are more apt to cross their arms and turn their backs than face their adversaries and try to work together, to compromise is … maybe you should stop at Starbucks on the way home. Get a cup of coffee. And wake up.
