PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — There’s another Starbucks cup controversy. This time, some believe the company is trying to influence voters in this final week before the election.
Starbucks says it’s a “Unity Cup” and is supposed to show we’re all connected with more than 100 people drawn with one continuous line on the side of the cup.
But some don’t think the cup is very unifying, claiming it shows a Liberal bias.
One person tweeted: “My coffee should not (and does not) come with political brainwashing. I dropped @starbucks like a hot rock.”
Another wrote: “All Republicans boycott Starbucks.”
However, people we showed the cup to didn’t have a problem with it.
“What kind of person is angry that a company wants our people and our country to come together?” asked Odin Hansen from East Liberty.
Ian Hughes from Stanton Heights said: “I don’t have any problem with that. I don’t know how you could say that’s Liberal or Conservative.”
Another man told us: “I’m not seeing a Hillary or Donald impression on this cup. I’m seeing a bunch of people in picture holding hands.”
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Starbucks came out with the cups on Tuesday, one week before Election Day.
CEO Howard Schultz said in a statement: “During a divisive time in our country, Starbucks wanted to create a symbol of unity as a reminder of our shared values, and the need to be good to each other.”
Some criticized the cup, thinking it was the new holiday cup, but photos have leaked out on social media that show another cup to debut later.
It was last year, when Starbucks faced criticism for its plain red cup not being festive enough. A former pastor in Arizona called for a boycott, and Donald Trump weighed in, too: “Maybe we should boycott Starbucks? I don’t know.”
Starbucks cups also made the news last year when they wrote “race together” on cups to encourage a discussion of racial issues.
As for the unity cups, Starbucks says they’re not pushing a political agenda, just promoting peace.
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You may have seen David at the anchor desk or reporting in the field, but he actually began behind the scenes at KDKA. David got his start at KDKA as a writer in 1991 before being promoted to a newscast producer. It wasn’t long, though, before he...