Online Trolls Set Their Sights On Starbucks After Latest Controversy
Image Credit: The Wall Street Journal
If you haven't heard already, Starbucks is in hot water after two black men were arrested for trespassing last week at one of their Philadelphia stores. The store manager said they were sitting down for a lengthy period of time without purchasing any food or drinks. The men stated they were simply waiting for another friend to arrive; that person actually did show up while they were being taken into custody.
Starbucks announced they will close 8,000 of its U.S. stores on May 29th for "racial-bias training." Approximately 175,000 of its employees will attend this training:
Just recently, an online troll campaign started by various anonymous users is taking advantage of the outrage being voiced across the nation.
An ad, which is obviously a hoax, is currently circulating on social media. The ad itself looks professional and was presumably created by someone that is experienced in graphic design.
It says the following:
We're Sorry
We know we can do better. Starbucks® values all people of color and we are working on employee sensitivity training.
The best dialogue starts over a cup of coffee and we'd like to buy you one.
Near the bottom is a 'Let's Talk Coupon' which is "valid" from 4/18/2018 - 5/18/2018. It includes a QR Code next to a message that says "Print this coupon or show it on your mobile device at a STARBUCKS® near you!"
Below the code is another message:
Valid for one beverage per customer per visit only at participating locations. Limited to persons of African American heritage and/or identity at time of exchange. See website for details. Barista please ring as discount code 1488.
Note: Fake coupon. Do not use.
Upon scanning the QR code, it takes the user to the following URL:
If you visit the link, it says "We're sorry - we can't find the page you're looking for," which is essentially a 404 error.
Next, you may have noticed the coupon only applies to those of "African American heritage," which could seem somewhat reasonable considering the context of the company's latest shenanigans, but might also trigger yet another controversy.
And finally, the last sentence in the message below the QR code, which says "Barista please ring as discount code 1488," alludes to a neo-nazi meme oftentimes used by the alt-right.
According to Urban Dictionary:
"1488: 14 stands for the 14 words, 'We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children.' A phrase coined by David Lane, not George Rockwell, who instead started the term white power. 88 Can refer to HH (the 8th letter of the alphabet), Heil Hitler, or to another of David Lane's works 'The 88 Precepts'"
UPDATE (4/19/2018 at 6:43 PM Pacific):
Here are some more ads/coupons. Keep in mind they are fake, so do not use them.
And finally, here is a fake message from Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson, which was shared by Mark Dice on Twitter:
