It’s that time of year again and businesses around the world are getting ready for the winter holiday season. Tis the season for sparkly lights, tinsel, endless reruns of Christmas carols, and…battles over Starbucks coffee cups.When Starbucks unveiled its special holiday cup this year, many were expecting a design similar to 2014’s holiday cup, bedazzled with poinsettias, tree ornaments, and snowflakes. But this year, Starbucks opted for a simpler design—an elegant red color gradient. Sure, maybe it’s not as cute, but is it something to start a huge controversy about? However, we’re talking about America. There’s always something to be offended about. And instead of getting upset about Donald Trump’s bigotry toward Mexicans and Muslims, or protesting on behalf of the thousands of Syrian refugees fleeing unimaginable violence, this year’s crop of Christmas-do-gooders turned to Starbucks. Because there just weren’t enough Christmassy designs on the cups for these beacons of holiday cheer. Spearheaded by hotheaded former pastor Joshua Feuerstein, people who actually had the time to get mad about patterns on cups were encouraged to “go into Starbucks and take their own coffee selfie” with the words “Merry Christmas” on the cup in a confusing effort to get Starbucks to recognize Christianity. Many students don’t understand why the red cup issue is even an issue. “That’s a common holiday color to put on their cups. There’s nothing to it. Why are people making such a big deal?” said freshman Andre' Lucas. “People are always getting offended about something, whether it be race, religion, or gender—and now holiday colors?” Some students viewed the controversy through the lens of psychology—what factor could motivate hundreds of people to get angry at a seemingly insignificant issue? “This is just another classic example of confirmation bias. These people are ignoring the more likely possibilities to confirm their own beliefs,” explained freshman Gelila Getahun. Seriously though, christmas is a Christian holiday, at least in origins. However, it’s become more of a commercialized celebration of family, presents, and fat men from the North Pole in common culture. Not all of the people who celebrate Christmas are Christians, and there are many more holidays around the winter season to take note of—the Jewish holiday Hanukkah is one of the most well-known, and other religious/cultural groups observe the winter solstice, Kwanzaa, or simply no holiday at all. In an effort to promote tolerance for all beliefs (or non-beliefs), many businesses have moved toward more neutral “winter” decorations and products, and Starbucks is merely the latest to follow this trend in an effort to “create a culture of belonging, inclusion and diversity” (according to a statement Starbucks released in response to Feuerstein’s accusations.)There are some who are looking even deeper into the mystery of a few red paper cups—is it all just a clever marketing ploy? After all, there all sorts of people are now flocking to Starbucks—from the curious, who just want to see a really exciting red cup, to the zealots, who will draw crosses and Christmas trees on their cups in defense of a holiday that’s actually been shoved down consumers throats since Halloween. Lately Starbucks has flooded the internet and social media, and as more than just super-filtered photos. They’re reaping the economic benefits in the form of huge profits and free publicity, and have actually become something of a business model for other companies to follow.Still, it’s depressing to live in a world where red cups are front page news and viewed as the start of a war against Christmas and Christianity. If you really want to get upset about war on Christians, turn to countries like Nigeria, where terrorist group Boko Haram sees churches and Christian men and women (as well as those of other faiths) as targets of destruction and violence. Don’t turn to Starbucks. All they’re doing is trying to do is spell your name right on their perfectly normal, acceptable, unremarkable red paper cups. This article was written by Savannah Bilman. Please send an email to [email protected] to get in touch. Photo Credit: Brett Neilson via Flickr