Casey Gilfillan

Hey everyone, I’ve come to do a little hearty shaming today. It’s overdue, it’s more than warranted, and just baffling that anyone needs to speak the sentiments that I am about to – the obsession with acute consumerist trends, such as the infamous Starbucks “Bearista” cup, is freak behavior. It’s not normal and it’s weird in the worst, most brain-dead way to allow your personal interests and financial decisions to be guided by companies that seek nothing more than a vacuum-esq emptying of your wallet, irrespective of the effect on popular culture, and of the environmental impact of creating another line of poorly-made cups that will make their way to the landfill once the fad dissipates. The switch-up is abrupt; for a few weeks (months at most, depending on the product) everyone has to have it, and then suddenly nobody cares and moves on to the next source of dopamine, like feeble moths to a brighter flame.

So you might say, you’re not as vehemently opposed to capitalist slop consumption, you might say you don’t care about the longevity of the environment, both of which are shallow and despicable opinions to hold by my analysis. However, those potential objections acknowledged, have you considered how cringe it is to know no desire beyond that of what Big Starbucks, Big Walmart, Big Stanley mold it to be? Have you considered how detached you must be from your personal identity and sense of self if your life is characterized by consumerist fads and fleeting trends, working yourself to death for the privilege of feeding the machine, to acquire these frivolous items that you would otherwise disregard if not told you need them? Because suddenly, everyone is obsessed with a bear-shaped cup and had this original idea and desire simultaneously, I’m sure…This general design existed before, and is now available with other big retailers (Amazon, Walmart) at cheaper rates due to the popularity, but that need, that demand, that objective value of the notion of a “bear cup” did not matter in the slightest until Starbucks told you it did. Even if you think the cup is cute, that should really unsettle you. Mind you, this is shameful behavior without even considering the ongoing boycott of Starbucks (on account of various ethical concerns relating to worker’s rights and international issues), but I think we know the people participating in capitalist mob culture are not those mindfully wielding their dollar.

The phenomenon of being influenced into copying others’ purchasing history is odd to me – not to pretend as though I am perfectly intentional with my spending, nor as though I have never been “influenced” into a purchase, because I surely have been, and I surely am not. I would posit that there is an objective difference, however, in being personally targeted – whether through advertisements cultivated by your specific Algorithm or the surveying technology in your phone – and simply witnessing mass consumption of a particular product or brand, and being motivated to engage merely on account of that mass consumption. To be attracted, lured in because everyone else is doing it, buying it, lusting after whatever is currently touted as the ‘must-have,’ hot-commodity is kind of sad. I have to be honest, I’m not even trying to be mean. But ask yourself, why do you want the bear cup – so you can match with people you were shoving elbows with to try to beat out for that very cup? Massive corporations create a sense of competition and othering within these fleeting, small-supply and limited-edition item launches; they create a vortex of online hype and unleash the ugly beast of insatiable, grubby-handed consumer greed upon us all. Their profits soar, the environment suffers, and we all hate each other a little more. 

Starbucks is not the only culprit in this marketing scheme, and there have been other crazed, product-obsession centric trends over the years. The severity has worsened with the rise of the Influencer, the peak of Tiktok culture and virality, as one trending video alone is enough to inspire a spiraling frenzy of a mob, marked by the lust of consumption and the scourge of instant gratification. I’ve seen multiple videos of packed Starbucks lobbies, lines of people wrapped around the block hoping to get their hands on a piece of glass they will later disregard with the rest of their meaningless junk purchases. In many of these stores, there have been documented accounts of belligerent customers mistreating staff and shoving other customers; the local police were dispatched to a store in Harris County, Texas to resolve a physical altercation over the bear cup. You might recall a similar response to the launch of the limited-edition Valentine’s Day cup between Stanley and Target. People waiting outside of the store in a mob, mindless zombies waiting for the barrier (a locked door) to be moved from their path, the only thing delaying their hunt and capture of as many of the coveted pink and red cups as they can carry. One video focuses on the display and shows the endless swarm of people that clear it within 2 minutes, shameless and pigeon-holed in the objective to want what they are told to. You might also recall the swarms that sought to sell out the Trader Joe’s mini tote bag, the TJ Maxx ceramic Halloween Hello Kitty and the videos of petty, in-store squabbling over these items that ensued. If watching grown people behave that way for things, objects that hold no real value and offer no enhancement to quality of life, does not make you feel even the slightest bit uncomfortable, we likely hold a different set of values.

The baseline sentiment that I’m trying to convey here is not very complex, though it may come across harsh. It is abnormal to let your personal desires, choices, and motivations be in any way guided by these massive, conglomerate companies that rely on the short attention span, materialistic culture to leech off of us financially. They are parasites, and we have become the halfwitted, easily-tricked host that invites the parasite on for perpetual dinner. Think and want for yourself, and if it happens to be something produced by a massive company, so be it – but think critically beyond the mere command, the call to action by mass consumption. Do not fall into line, especially when the line is as stupid as buying a fragile cup because a multi-million dollar company said you have to have it. Imagine what other stupid things you might fall for, what other unintentional and ignorant actions you might be led to committing simply because someone tells you to. Use your brain, before you forget how.