I am not about to take on the issue of class warfare at ten o'clock on a Tuesday night. Or, perhaps, any night. That's too much heavy lifting for a petite person. However, I do want to say a word or 1000 about an episode with wider implications that arose in my backyard yesterday. As I was ambling to Starbucks for a rather late latte last night, a friend of mine, Norman, greeted me with the question: "Did you hear about Starbucks getting bombed?" From there, the conversation went something like this.
J: You must be kidding.
N: No. I'm not. One in Southeast Portland was firebombed. Twice.
J: Seems rather excessive.
N: Hmmm.
J: This was the anti-corporate people, right?
N: Yeah. Anti-corporate like me.
Let it be known that Norman is a middle-aged, middle-class guy who would probably never do anything to endarger his home ownership or his retirement plan. Furthermore, he drops into Starbucks just about every night. I guess he likes imagining himself a young radical.
The Associated Press has the details of the attack on Starbucks.
PORTLAND, Ore. - Coffee giant Starbucks has been trying its best to promote socially responsible corporate policy on grower rights and environmental ethics, but it apparently fell on deaf ears in a neighborhood where devotion to social causes runs high.Arson investigators were called to a new Starbucks store after three windows were broken by some kind of incendiary device shortly before 11 p.m. Tuesday.
The flames were out by the time fire crews arrived and minor damage was estimated at about $500.
A Starbucks spokeswoman emphasized "this type of incident is extremely rare."
Similar acts have occurred here. One involved an effort by McDonald's to open a store in Hawthorne, a neighborhood where patchouli and tie dye are still current. The hostile reception drove the burgermeister away. You may also recall that the anarchists who have disrupted events such as the world trade talks hail from the Pacific Northwest, particularly Seattle, Portland and Eugene.
I am as opposed to exploitive behavior by corporations as any progressive, but I have serious doubts about the efficacy of firebombing a Starbucks. Doing so does not draw attention to any reprehensible acts the java giant may be involved in. Nor does it have any lasting impact economically since the buildings are insured. Furthermore, the persons who engage in such actions assume everyone agrees with them. What if some residents of that Southeast Portland neighborhood want a Starbucks there? They also seem to assume that people who frequent Starbucks are 'the enemy.' It is completely possible that a patron of Starbucks is someone with progressive views. I know that because I frequent the cafes. Many a blog entry has been written while sitting at a table, sipping a latte, listening to my iPod and accessing Blogger via T-Mobile's WiFi networks at Starbucks.
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