A lot of things bring out passion and emotion in people. Topics like gun control, abortion, immigration, the legalization of marijuana, etc. always bring upon spirited debates, and now you can apparently add Starbucks cups to that list.

Since 1997 Starbucks has sold their holiday beverages in a unique cup, most of the time containing something related to the holiday season. Until a few weeks ago, when this years holiday cups were released and, GASP, they’re just plain red!

Many people have drawn a lot of attention to their plain red cups and are having heated debates over them leading to national media attention. People argue that Starbucks is waging a war on Christmas by removing the holiday-themed elements and replacing them with a red color.

Josua Fuerstein, an evangelist from Arizona, posted a video on Facebook that stated they removed the holiday elements because the company “hates Jesus.”

I’ve seen and heard some pretty strange things in my 22 years on this earth, but this one lands near the tip of the iceberg.

“In the past, we have told stories with our holiday cups designs,” Starbucks Vice President of Design and Content Jeffrey Fields said. “This year we wanted to usher in the holidays with a purity of design that welcomes all of our stories.”

Take his words for whatever you may wish them to be, but no matter what way you take them, if you’re up in arms over a cup, you need to get your priorities straight.

People who were opposed to the red cups still took time out of their day to head to Starbucks. They would order a drink, and when asked for their name so it could be written on the cup, they would say “Merry Christmas.”

I wonder if they realized by doing that, they’re still paying for the drink that goes into the cup, which is all Starbucks could really care about, making money.

I’ll be the first to say it too, Starbucks is pretty expensive, I don’t normally buy any drinks there so I have no real dog in this fight. The thing that bothers me most about it though, is that people don’t have their priorities straight. This is becoming national news and it should not be at all.

You know what should be national news that sparks debate all across the country?

The conflict that is taking placed in Syria that has caused around 12 million Syrians to flee their homes and the children affected by the conflicts that are at risk of being malnourished, exploited and abused.

The attacks that took place in Paris over the weekend, over 100 people have been killed and it is being called “France’s 9/11.” Yet, as I scrolled through my Twitter timeline, I saw a tweet about an updated death toll, followed by a tweet about a Starbucks cup.

The racial issues that continue to plague this country day after day, week after week.

I could keep going on, but you get the point. There are things that are far more important in this world to be talking about.

Next time you’re ready to take to social media to blast Starbucks for the color of their cups, maybe you should stop and think about how thankful you should be.

Be thankful that you can walk out of your house and head to a Starbucks without fear.

Be thankful that you know where your next meal is coming from and you can just throw $5 on a drink.

Be thankful that you live in a country that allows you to voice your opinion on a topic you feel strongly about, but also just remember to put those feelings into perspective.

At the end of the day, no matter what color it is or what it is believed to stand for, remember: it’s just a cup.

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