Going to Hell in a coffee cup?
by Krauze
Two phenomenon in particular fascinate me in the intelligent design debate: One is how otherwise very intelligent persons with solid educations can nevertheless make singularly stupid arguments. The other is how people who are each other's sworn enemies end up looking like each other. As an example of the latter, consider coffee cups. More precisely, the coffee cups at Starbucks. The coffee company is printing "thoughts, opinions and expressions provided by notable figures" on their cups, as part of their "The Way I See It" campaign.
Some of these quotes have caused controversy, as when the Christians group "Concerned Women for America" accused Starbucks of promoting homosexuality because of a quote from author Armistead Maupin, in which he said that the only thing he regretted about being gay was that he had supressed it for so long. And now, some people are angry over another quote. On his blog, Secondhand Smoke, biotethicist Wesley Smith announced that Starbucks had used one of his statements as "The Way I See It #127":
The morality of the 21st century will depend on how we respond to this simple but profound question: Does every human life have equal moral value simply and merely because it is human? Answer yes, and we have a chance of achieving universal human rights. Answer no, and it means that we are merely another animal in the forest.
- Wesley J. Smith
Bioethicist and senior fellow with the Discovery Institute.
You just knew the crowd over at Pharyngula would go ape over it, right? To be fair, some of the outrage directed at Starbucks seems merely to be over the fact that they're a big corporation. But those opposed to the quote really let it rip:
I have no need or tolerance for Starbucks attempt to get me engaged in a talk about religion
Putting idiotic vapid quotes on your company's cups for the mere act of appeasement is spineless. Tell the dim-wits (i.e. religionists) that their quotes are a waste of ink and neural transmitter.
If a large corporation can't muster enough fortitude to stand up to the intimidation of the religious chauvinists, then who will?
Adding a preachy message about morality to their cups certainly shows the hypocricy of this corporate machine.
Look, it's just a quote. You don't have to agree with it, and if you turn the cup 180°, you don't even have to read it. If you want to boycott Starbucks over this, that's your choice as a consumer in a free society. Probably better for your blood pressure than to get agitated while trying to relax with a venti size breakfast blend. But if you think this means that Starbucks wants to outlaw abortions and that they have a guy in the back room with a crooked coat hanger, think again.
Update: Wesley J. Smith responds to those who hate the quote. Mike Dunford notes that "the only real reasons to object to [the quote] involve a pre-existing knowledge of Wesley Smith's background and positions on various issues."
September 1st, 2006 at 6:32 pm
Hey, do I or Rob Crowther get a Hat Tip from anyone for starting this. I was the first to post the picture of the cup.
How'd you figure out the word "Bioethecist" Man, I spent 15 minutes trying to figure that out!
Salvador
Comment by Salvador T. Cordova — September 1, 2006 @ 6:32 pm
September 1st, 2006 at 6:48 pm
Starbucks creating controversy over its cups is probably a marketing stroke of genius. They're getting all this free publicity.
I think there is a spectrum. I think the ID crowd tends to be more centerist than people give them credit for. Even in my circles I'm considered a bit to much of a liberal compromiser because of my associations with ID, etc.
I think certainly the Telic Thoughts is emblematic of fairly temperate positions and discourse.
UD is fairly polemic, but we're certainly not hell-fire preachers…..
When Matzke, Bottaro, Inlay and others show up, they don't get treated the same way when IDers show up at PT.
In other words, I really feel PZ's gang is doing a lot of mouth frothing. I don't think ID weblogs make anywhere near such incoherent rants as we find on Pharyngula.
Salvador
Comment by Salvador T. Cordova — September 1, 2006 @ 6:48 pm
September 1st, 2006 at 6:57 pm
Again, you people are really underestimating the threatiness of ID if you don't see the need to boycott a restaraunt that puts a quote that is tangentally related to ID on its cups. I, for one, applaud our worried friends.
I also boycott In-N-Out Burger for their blatant promotion of theocracy. In fact, I've had In-N-Out Burger on notice for a long time. Perhaps its time to put Starbucks on the list.
Comment by macht — September 1, 2006 @ 6:57 pm
September 2nd, 2006 at 9:07 am
And I thought tolerance was the number one virtue of our day. Not so for our first commenter quoted here.
Comment by TomG — September 2, 2006 @ 9:07 am
September 2nd, 2006 at 9:16 am
I knew there would be a valid reason for my hatred of coffee. (Though I like the Wesley Smith quote on the cup.)
Comment by Douglas — September 2, 2006 @ 9:16 am
September 2nd, 2006 at 11:12 am
It looks like there is a significant segment of the critics who don't think there is anything special about being human. No wonder they have such a hard time condemning the animal rights terrorists.
Comment by MikeGene — September 2, 2006 @ 11:12 am
September 2nd, 2006 at 11:37 am
I wouldn't put too much into the knee-jerk reactions of the critics. Wesley Smith could have said that torturing babies for fun is wrong, and they'd still be slamming Starbucks for "caving in to the oppression from the religionists".
Comment by Krauze — September 2, 2006 @ 11:37 am
September 3rd, 2006 at 1:13 pm
Let's take a look at the larger picture here. Does anyone really care what's printed on the side of throw away coffee cups? Granted, if what was printed was outright foul language, or sexually explicit words or pictures, then sure, folks would be rightfully offended. But quoting someone's opinion? WHO CARES!!!???
Sal's right…its all about marketing. Its no different than T-shirt or bumpersticker philosophy. Fun to read, but does it really have an impact? I don't know about any of you, but my worldview has not been formed by anything I've ever read on a bumper sticker, T-shirt or coffee cup.
Getting all in a dither about it is just plain silly. Drink the coffee and move on! "The way I see it" #33 is just around the corner anyway.
I believe the correct response is: Get a life!
Comment by DonaldM — September 3, 2006 @ 1:13 pm
September 5th, 2006 at 7:07 pm
I would never buy Starbuck's coffee — it's WAY too expensive, and it's not even fair trade.
Comment by Bilbo — September 5, 2006 @ 7:07 pm