Did Starbucks CEO Really Say, ‘We Don’t Want Your Business’?

In response to a question at the recent Starbucks corporation shareholders  meeting, CEO Howard Schultz reiterated his and the company’s support for  workplace diversity. This includes support for same-sex marriage.

As sure as night follows day a blatantly false meme began circulating on  Facebook. The primary one is from Joe Miller’s Liberty Watch. His opening sentence reads:

“At the Starbucks annual shareholders meeting on Wednesday, CEO Howard  Schultz sent a clear message to anyone who supports traditional marriage over  gay marriage: we don’t want your business.”

Not to put too fine a point on it, that information is a complete  fabrication.

Miller sourced his story through Examiner.com’s also deceptively entitled  article, Starbucks CEO: No tolerance for traditional marriage  supporters. The author, Victor Medina, opens with this:

“At the Starbucks annual shareholders meeting on Wednesday, CEO Howard  Schultz sent a clear message to anyone who supports traditional marriage over  gay marriage: we don’t want your business.”

Look familiar?

This article points to yet another article, this one from Forbes. Finally  arriving at the truth, we see Schultz was never speaking to customers of  Starbucks, but in response to a shareholder’s question. The article, “Howard Schultz to Anti-Gay-Marriage Starbucks  Shareholder: ‘You Can Sell Your Shares,” accurately reflects the context and  statement.

In response to a shareholder’s question, Starbucks’ CEO responded:

“If you feel, respectfully, that you can get a higher return than the 38%  you got last year, it’s a free country. You can sell your shares in Starbucks  and buy shares in another company. Thank you very much.”

This was the statement, and the only statement. Schultz never said or implied  people who support traditional marriage should take their business  elsewhere.

The fact is Starbucks and Schultz are unsurprisingly, supporting  of same-sex marriage. It is also a fact that you can boycott, or get your  caffeine fix elsewhere as many have chosen to do. You can also oppose same-sex  marriage and continue to buy coffee from Starbucks…I do.

To be fair, each of the first two articles includes the shareholder further  into the story, but the erroneous early statements are more than enough to  mislead the average reader. What Christians should avoid, however, is  sloppiness. Disagreement is fine. Strong disagreement is fine. But, at least,  let us strive for accuracy.

C’mon, followers of Jesus. We can do better.

Read more at http://www.christianpost.com/news/did-starbucks-ceo-really-say-we-dont-want-your-business-92588/#OwEBiMuZzzrqHfRY.99

Now… reading this article, I would like to point out a couple things. Switching to different subject, when someone speaks of a dirty joke or curses and then you laugh with that person, you are agreeing with them and it’s just like you actually said it yourself. So don’t laugh when people curse or make dirty jokes. Secondly, When you find out someone supports something and you give them business, you’re supporting them and their decision. Now it’s different if you’re supporting a business and don’t know what they support (example: gay marriage), but when you find out, that’s your turning point.

Born-again Christians, do you drink Starbucks? Will you stop? I drink Starbucks during the winter season (peppermint hot chocolate) but no more me.  What about you?

Now Christians, it’s not just that you know Starbucks support gay marriage, but the CEO is telling each and everyone of you that he does NOT want your business. I understand that, do you? That includes coffee at the grocery store that has Starbucks on it.