Thursday, September 14, 2006

Wake Up And Smell The Coffee

Some over-caffeinated harridan is bringing a $114m lawsuit against Starbucks in the US because the company withdrew an offer, which it had originally intended only for friends and family of employees. This person clearly leads a full and profitable life. It pains me to take the side of the giant here, especially an avatar of conformism and homogenisation such as Starbucks but I wish the lawsuit embarrassing failure. For one, it damages the credibility of far more worthy class-action suits brought against large corporations that do lasting damage to communities, employees and the environment. (And under Bush, tort reform has attempted to block off these avenues as it is). Secondly, it is an indication of one's pathetic understanding of the world that litigation should hinge on such a ridiculous thing as consuming a cup of bad, charred coffee. The lady in question would be advised to do what any sensible person would: take their business elsewhere. No doubt, like most Americans she would not recognise decent coffee if she were force-fed it for six months on end but I am sure she will be able to find another outlet that will gladly honour her loyalty card. It is hard to champion the cause of Western civilization when faced with such childish solipsism as this.

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