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Monday, August 07, 2006

Email I received from a co-worker today...Actually, most of the pharmacists in the building received the email:

Subject: BOYCOTT STARBUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

No more STARBUCKS!
Next time you feel like getting your latte, know that its contributing to the killings of many innocent civilians....BOYCOTT STARBUCKS UNTIL ISRAEL STOPS CARPET BOMBING LEBANON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Israel may say they are only hitting the muslim areas but their recent attack was to a strictly Christian Beach Resort. They are basically demolishing a beautiful city and killing thousands....Stand against violence....the world we live in has becoming appalling...

Lebanese Lobby ::: Lebanon


So where to begin?

If you were reading diligently, you would have noticed that the first link (from the lebanese lobby link) admits that the letter is a "parody", but that all the views expressed are true.

Starbucks hoaxes are, of course, nothing new. Here's one about how the company does not support the war in Iraq. And an interesting one about Starbucks closing all its stores in Israel. Don't get me wrong, as part owner of Diedrich Coffee, I am not opposed to a Starbucks boycott...still, I could do without the anti-Israel crap sent to my work address. I get enough of that from CNN.

What is with all this talk of Zionism?

I used to share an office with a Palestinian guy. Commenting on a water bottle that one our colleagues was drinking out of (it said something like: "Women's Zionism Day"), he said, "I knew she was Jewish, but I had no idea she was a Zionist". Hey, it was 2001, and I'm all for a state of Israel, so I replied, "Dude, we all are". I did not understand then, and I do not understand now what the term means to the Muslim world. Does "Unionist" still carry a negative connotation in the South?

I was planning on a light and lively post about the origin of my site's name. Maybe tomorrow.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm just wondering...almost all the pharmacists in our building know of your blogspot...are you courting controversy?

Michael Lasko said...

Courting controversy? I did not send the email, and I did not reply to the email. Anybody browsing my page is doing so of their own free will. Also, I in no way disagreed with the premise of the email which was: Boycott Starbucks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

I intend to do so tomorrow and frequent your place of business (Diedrich's). I am craving a mayan mocha. You're welcome.

Anonymous said...

Is it possible to boycott boycotts? I want to rally around that cause.

As for the connotation back East, Zionism is assuredly a loaded term, and wouldn't be discussed on the job or in casual conversation. It's just the sort of combination of politics and religion that conversation mavens warn about. Bring it up over dinner and either you're stuck talking about it the whole night or your dinner guest will walk out on you...