Starbucks, in their yearning to be politically correct, has probably irrevocably degraded their brand, at least in the urban markets. The policy of restricting restroom use to paying customers is standard procedure in large urban areas. A white middle class woman told me that she was denied use of the restroom for not being a paying patron at the same Philadelphia Starbucks at the center of the controversy.
Apparently, it is a Starbucks CEO tradition to let PC race ahead of common sense. Last year they promised to hire 8,000 immigrants. While nobody is waiting for the immigrants before they buy their latte, the homeless will start availing themselves of the restrooms. While my liberal readers, all six of them, will welcome the better restroom facilities for the homeless, their tune may change next time they use the bathroom in a Philadelphia Starbucks.
If Starbucks' corporate reaction to the incident wasn't enough, now the Philadelphia Police Commissioner is walking back his previous support of the arresting officers. He has apologized to the two men arrested, who refused to leave as instructed by the responding officers. While only reinforcing victim mentality, I don't see anything productive in these reactions.
photocredit: Bryant/Philadelphia Inquirer
If Starbucks' corporate reaction to the incident wasn't enough, now the Philadelphia Police Commissioner is walking back his previous support of the arresting officers. He has apologized to the two men arrested, who refused to leave as instructed by the responding officers. While only reinforcing victim mentality, I don't see anything productive in these reactions.
photocredit: Bryant/Philadelphia Inquirer
Mike, Mike, Mike...clearly everyone involved here is a racist...some clearly know they are and some don't, but they are, and why? Because they are white and other people aren't. THERE! That is the evidence of blatant, rampant racism! Case closed! The fact that you question this brings you under suspicion. Time to own up to your privilege Mike and realize your whiteness/Jews included, makes you part of the guilty party. You/fellow whites/Jews included have what you have because you stole it from those who aren't white, not just you, but every white person/Jews included who ever lived, they were all racist too, even if they were abolitionists, like my ancestors.
ReplyDeleteSadly, this nonsense is mainstream thinking on many college and university campuses. The media at least pretends to believe it. It is a very sad step backwards towards racial harmony. It it itself racist.
scott@7:09, although up less than an hour, this post has already been called racist on facebook. people of color are served all day long in Philadelphia Starbucks, often by employees and managers of color. people likewise are denied use of the restroom and asked to leave if they do not make a purchase.
ReplyDeleteIt takes a victim mentality to preceive an intercity Starbucks as racist. They are inadvertently setting themselves up as a homeless shelter, which will become uncomfortable for all their patrons, including those of color.
Mike,
ReplyDeleteWait till the liberal employees have to go through the "diversity training" where they will be informed of the "truth" I mentioned above. Might be a wake up call for some.
Putting aside all the hoopla which preceded the actions of the police, I find the Commissioner's back tracking without merit. First, the police were called by management to ask these two individuals to leave. The police did and they refused. That is defiant trespass! Because they were non-compliant, they were placed into custody without incident. They were taken in for processing and release. Standard police procedure. But now the PC, who first supported these officers, back-tracks because of the racial sensitivity this has generated. What a gutless, spineless police leader. Nothing could've been cleaner in this arrest. We now know that any arrest made under questionable circumstances will be swiftly adjudicated guilty and the officers will have to depend on the union for backup; not him.
ReplyDeleteIf the two Afro-American gentlemen would have been compliant and left, they could have taken up their grievances within the proper channels. But they don't have to comply, they are black and all they have to do is yell racism.
Wow, I took a look at the Facebook comments. I see it's OK to be an ageist, but it's bad to be a racist. Hmmm....
ReplyDeleteIn terms of the whole "bathroom for customers only" controversy, I'm a white woman, and I've been told I cannot use a restroom at a Philadelphia restaurant unless I've bought something there. (So, I bought a coke.) It is legal to restrict bathrooms to paying customers.
I know many people have said that you can sit at a Starbucks all day without buying anything, but I've never seen that happen, and I'm in these cafes all the time. I've never seen anyone park it at a table without ordering a drink. It's legal to restrict tables for paying customers.
So, I'll be curious to see if Starbucks changes their policies after all this. If anything, I believe this will lead to a tightening of policies. Perhaps restroom keys will be behind the counter now. The day of racial sensitivity training is a great response from a truly caring CEO - we could probably all use a day of this type of training - and I don't really see what other choice could have been made, in light of public opinion on this matter. At the end of the day, it's good for business to help staff understand customers better, and this is an authentic attempt to respond to criticism.
We are in the midst of a 4th Turning (if you don't know about it - Google Fourth Turning)
ReplyDeleteThis current 4th Turning started in 2008 - the Great Recession, and it won't be over until about 2028
As Strauss & Howe predicted (1985) in their book "The Fourth Turning"
“The very survival of the nation will feel at stake. Sometime before the year 2025, America will pass through a great gate in history, commensurate with the American Revolution, Civil War, and twin emergencies of the Great Depression and World War II.
The risk of catastrophe will be very high. The nation could erupt into insurrection or civil violence, crack up geographically, or succumb to authoritarian rule. If there is a war, it is likely to be one of maximum risk and effort–in other words, a total war…
History’s howling storms can bring out the worst and best in people. The next Fourth Turning can literally destroy us as a nation and people, leaving us cursed in the histories of those who endure and remember. Alternatively, it can ennoble our lives, elevate us as a community, and inspire acts of consummate heroism–deeds that will grow into mythlike legends recited by our heirs far into the future.” – Strauss & Howe – The Fourth Turning
"Turning tables" is a critical element in the restaurant business. It seems some think their entitlement and victim status has a priority over a stores policies and profits. I can't wait to see the size of the lawsuit this girl files. Defamation case against her employer as well as the city of Philadelphia for calling her a racist, a label she'll live with forever. This might be better than a slip 'n fall.
ReplyDeleteSo the police arrested these 2 guys for basically sitting in a public restaurant.The officers should have known they were put in a delicate situation.I was disappointed this could not been settled w/o all the hoopla.
ReplyDeletebill@10:41, they refused to buy anything or leave when told by management that was a requirement to occupy a table. when the police came, they refused to obey the officers instructions to leave. only then were they arrested.
ReplyDelete