
Starbucks to encourage baristas to discuss race relations with customers - beardless_sysad
http://fortune.com/2015/03/16/starbucks-baristas-race-talk/
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seivan
Although I suspect we're blowing this out of proportion and certain parts are
not direct quotes but interpretations I don't want identity politics with my
coffee. I used to be left, but with the current identity-politics and left-
wing extremism growing in Sweden I've becoming increasingly conservative, and
I'm only 26. Didn't expect it so soon.

~~~
frandroid
If you were expecting it eventually, maybe it was there all along...

~~~
cicero
Many people become conservative as they get older, so maybe he is just
comparing himself to the norm.

~~~
Involute
Winston Churchill once said, "If a man isn't a liberal in his twenties, has
has no heart. And, if he isn't a conservative in his forties, he has no
brain."

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vezzy-fnord
I can't imagine this working for the simple reason that an interaction with a
Starbucks barista (or really any person providing service for a major food and
drink chain) is entirely passive, mechanical and strictly limited to the
transaction being made. I'm sure you could throw in a few seconds of smalltalk
out of courtesy, but nothing remotely resembling a profound conversation in
race relations.

Now, this definitely could work in small coffee shops, which often serve as
informal gathering places for certain groups in a given municipality or social
circle. But then you wouldn't need to set up any particular campaign to
encourage racial conversations - you already discuss everything to your
heart's desire to begin with.

The highly blunt way this is being presented and the inappropriate setting is
bound for awkward situations galore.

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s3cur3
I'm... not sure what they hope to accomplish with this. What would it mean to
discuss "race relations" with your barista?

Barista: "Would you like to talk about race relations?"

Me: "Sure. Um... racism exists, and it fucking sucks."

Barista: "...Yep."

Me: "..."

On the one hand, I applaud them for doing _something_. On the other, I'm not
sure what effect this could have.

~~~
bbcbasic
> I'm... not sure what they hope to accomplish with this.

A good PR campaign? They are in the news. People may go to Starbucks to see
this in action etc.

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DanBC
It'll backfire if white people are over-represented in management and black
people are over represented in low wage barista level.

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IgorPartola
I don't know if it will bring them more or less business, but it's certain to
bring on change. I see the "national conversation about race" mentioned quite
a bit. What that means is talking heads on TV preaching their message from
either side of the issue (racism is prevalent vs racism is dead). Racism is a
real issue that affects people every day, and the powerful do not have a
monopoly on it. When a company or a government discriminates against a
minority, that is racism that is much easier to spot than the subtle racism
you see elsewhere. It is imperative to reach these people, to highlight it on
a personal level. I guess discussing this issue over coffee is as good a way
to do that as any.

~~~
kuni-toko-tachi
No it's not. If I go to Chic Fila I don't need a church sermon. If I fill up
my tank at Exxon, I don't need a lecture on why I'm not driving an electric
vehicle. If I buy a book at Barnes and Noble, I don't need to be questioned on
why my selection doesn't vibe with the cashiers political opinion.

It is not your job at any of these places to gauge whether I need a dose of
your political nonsense. You don't know me, you don't know who I've hired, who
my friends are, my roommates, my past relationships, my religion, my
orientation. And it's none of your damn business either.

During the nonsense in NYC over Michael Brown there were a handful of rabble
rousers whipped up into a frenzy by an irresponsible media and irresponsible
political leaders. The vast majority of the city were on the subway, black and
white together friends and coworkers, living their lives in harmony, talking,
laughing, and being a community.

~~~
IgorPartola
So when they ask if you'd like to discuss their new initiative, you can't say
"No, thanks"? How is any of this different from the "Would you like to donate
a dollar to the X foundation?" Here they aren't even asking for money.

~~~
tomjen3
Maybe it is not so different from that: I would get annoyed at such a thing
too.

I just want my item with as little human contact as possible, please.

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jarin
You know what, I think this will still be less awkward than that singing at
Coldstone Creamery.

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blhack
I cannot even imagine a way that this could possibly go well.

~~~
anigbrowl
I could see it going OK, but I'm not sure about what sort of follow-through is
possible in the context of a coffee purchase. I do think Schulze is ultimately
trying to move away from the notion of Starbucks as a place where people make
simple transactions for coffee (that could be fulfilled just as well by an
industrial robot) and more like small community centers, in line with the
historical role of coffee shops. He's onto something, and he's iterating.

~~~
eqdw
> and more like small community centers, in line with the historical role of
> coffee shops.

People have been talking about this recently, and I've even gone to a handful
of local cafes that explicitly state this as their purpose, but I've _never_
felt that this was achieved. I've _never_ been to a cafe where I felt
comfortable chatting up strangers. If this is what Starbucks is doing, and
they do it successfully, I'll go out of my way just to go to their cafes.

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robert_nsu
Will it get me my coffee any faster?

Will it make me feel better about an incident in elementary school.

Will Starbucks pay their baristas hazard pay when someone inevitably gets
offended?

No. So, can someone explain why this would be a good idea?

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VLM
Anyone know how much an ad "article" like this costs?

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tomjen3
Great. Now he is going to get flack from the left for not doing enough and
from the right for doing too much. In addition he will be annoying customers
and slowing down his service lines.

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mathgeek
Amazing what you can do when your brand is synonymous with a chemical that so
many people are addicted to (either chemically or mentally). That's not a
knock on Starbucks or on the campaign... just an observation.

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theorique
Here's the perfect conversation with my barista:

Barista: What can I get you?

Me: I'd like a tall iced americano please.

Barista: OK, that's $2.75

Me: Here you go <hands card>

Barista: Thanks.

<wait 1 minute>

Barista: Tall iced americano for theorique.

Me: Thanks.

Barista: Have a good one.

Me: You too.

The lack of race relations discussion is not a bug but a feature.

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lafar6502
How nice, baristas will now have an option to discuss race relations with
their customers. How come they didn't have such an option before?

~~~
bentcorner
I'll have a tall drip coffee with room, a toasted bagel and some awkward
conversation please.

~~~
kps
Cream in that? Yes, make it a III on the Fitzpatrick scale.

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mindslight
Unfortunate. Framing these recent events as "race relations" just works to
divide us on the issue of unaccountable police.

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kuni-toko-tachi
So to get a cup of coffee you need to nod in stupefied agreement to whatever
some jackass barista is spouting of whatever left wing indoctrination is the
theme of the week, while making sure that you nods are sincere enough in case
some social justice warrior isn't Youtubing you so you don't lose your job?
Why not just ask people to put a picture of Lenin on their wall and in their
cubicle?

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balabaster
Now if they can only get on the right page about GMO labeling and ditch their
quasi-association with Monsanto and they'll be back in my good graces.

~~~
josephpmay
GMOs are perfectly safe. Stop believing the scare tactics and read the actual
science.

~~~
balabaster
It's got nothing to do with the scare tactics and "actual science," the fact
is, GMO crops are showered with pesticides that are finding its way into our
food. Those pesticide laden crops are then classified as "generally considered
safe," bypassing all further independent scientific testing, allowing us to
consume them unabated. Food allergies and intolerance has increased
exponentially since this started. This may or may not be related. I'm sorry,
but I can't get behind "generally considered safe" until proven so - and it
hasn't been, and in fact there's plenty of anecdotal evidence that draws
healthy skepticism.

Beyond that, I've got my own internal debate about whether or not GMO crops
are safe without the pesticides... I mean, they may be... I've read the
science and I've read the skepticism regarding the science. They're both about
as conclusive to me as the argument that says that science negates all
possibility of divine intervention and I can't honestly say, all things
considered, that either negates any possibility of the other.

Until someone can conclusively prove to me that GMO is 100% safe, I will
continue to consider that they may be unsafe and will, where possible, avoid
them.

Anyway, that has nothing to do with my argument. My argument is that people
have a right to know what they are consuming so they can make informed
decisions. Starbucks are standing with Monsanto and protesting against GMO
labeling. I will stand against anyone that argues against my right to know
what I am eating. It's your choice to eat GMO and I respect that, completely.
It's my choice to avoid eating GMO. Either way, you have a right _to know_
what you're eating.

~~~
mathgeek
> the fact is, GMO crops are showered with pesticides that are finding its way
> into our food.

You're confusing pesticide usage with intentional genetic modification. Non-
GMO food is also commonly treated with pesticidal products. Heck, even some
GMO food is pesticide-free.

One of the key selling points of many GMO products is that you don't need
pesticides (or at least as many of them).

Edit: For anyone wondering what this poster is referring to, here Starbucks'
page regarding the allegedly false accusations.
[http://news.starbucks.com/views/starbucks-response-to-
questi...](http://news.starbucks.com/views/starbucks-response-to-questions-
and-litigation-regarding-gmo-labeling)

~~~
balabaster
And you're confusing an argument about my right to know about what I'm eating
with my understanding of genetic modification and pesticides.

My argument is about where Starbucks stands with their labeling policy, not
with their policy regarding GMOs - I have a right to know what I'm consuming
and make informed decisions. Their label policy is completely counter to that.

~~~
gtaylor
> And you're confusing an argument about my right to know about what I'm
> eating

Honestly, you don't necessarily know what you're eating with non-GMO crops,
either. As a previous poster mentioned, we've been selecting for certain
characteristics for hundreds of years, which is just a slower way to modify
genetics. If the innovators in this sector would have avoided using the word
"genetic", nobody would care. But just like "Nuclear" there are certain words
that the uneducated Fox News-consuming public froths at.

Being someone with no shortage of empathy (despite my obvious abundance of
sarcasm), I like to try to understand people that I disagree with. But what's
all this about pesticides? That's a separate matter entirely, and isn't
specific to GMO crops. You are wanting to specifically avoid GMOs, which is
your right to do, but you shouldn't expect everyone to add a warning label for
something that science has conclusively stated is fine. Hell, some GMOs are
engineered such that _less_ pesticides are necessary. That's a big win to me,
personally.

It'd be like asking for warning labels on faucets because some people think
the government puts mind controlling agents in the water supply. Some fringe
nutjobs have 100% unfounded theories, therefore everyone else should have to
humor them? Nah. You can avoid GMOs and stick to products that are clearly
labeled, but that's not a realistic expectation for everyone else. Those non-
GMO labels are just taking advantage of this poorly informed minority, kind of
like the Gluten-free craze.

