We are constantly responding to social cues within our immediate environment. This is a matter of survival. Moreover racism, a social condition built on conjecture is a development, to some extent, of a survival mechanism. Every nation has its own history; its pride and shame. For America, a nation funded and founded on principles of the global slave trade, who’s target was a black nation; to uphold racism was to denounce the humanity of a selected people for the protection of economic investments.

Roots of Racism

The social indoctrination, concurrent with the subjugation of a people installed pervasive fear and ignorance, false truths, fake news and superstition. To defy racism was to go against the tide. People, both black and white who defiantly fought against such extreme, established social norms were hazed, barred, disbarred, banned, burned and slaughtered. Their remains were ostentatiously laid out in the broad daylight of the public square, for careful consideration by a society in a state of shock, to weigh their own inherent value of compassion over personal survival. Those who struggled against the tide did so knowing the price for resignation was far more steep.

History, memories, past experiences become specters that don’t easily exit the conscious mind. They wrestle with us, sway our actions and reactions. They’re passed on to descendants, mingle and intermingle with impressions of social customs and cues of the moment.

Despite the evolution of collective social conduct, the imprint of racism is visible throughout the American landscape. Selective population exclusion from economic opportunities, economic disinvestment, poverty, disparities in representation based on race, in institutions, faculties and throughout the social hierarchy. Double standards are widespread in public policies. There are different sets of rules of conduct, spoken and unspoken. From the medical field to the legal system, to policing, to enactment of policy, and education systems. These double standards affect people’s behavior and conduct, down to personal choices such as where to shop, and what streets or cities to avoid. Choices are made on where to go and how to get there. Meanwhile, if articulation necessarily precedes progress, a wave of oppression continues to stifle public discussion of these inequities.

Recent Ruling on Known Carcinogen

With this in mind, the recent Starbucks controversy is not shocking, given the fact that Starbucks is a product of its environment. However, its timing is compelling. According to a March 28 decision by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Elihu Berle, 90 companies, including Starbucks failed to show there was not a significant health risk from a known carcinogen, (Acrylamide), produced in the coffee roasting process. According to the ruling, coffee companies must put cancer warning labels on coffee products sold in California. The Council for Education and Research on Toxics, (CERT) filed the lawsuit in 2010. Consequently, the litigation calls for fines as large as $2,500 per person for every exposure to the chemical since 2002 at the defendants’ shops in California. Civil penalties, not yet determined could be enormous, considering California’s population of almost 40 million people.

Employees at Coffee Roastery 4 Times More Likely to Experience Breathing Problems

Company employees are at the highest risk. Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, (CDC), studied workers at a mid-size coffee roastery in Madison, Wisconsin. They found employees were four times more likely to have upper respiratory disorders. The employees also experienced sinus complaints from breathing green coffee dust, chaff and roasted coffee dust. Additionally, prior studies have linked added flavorings to lung disease. In fact, Diacetyl, one of the chemicals found in flavorings was determined the cause of injury and several deaths in the microwave popcorn industry nearly 20 years ago. This toxic chemical occurs naturally through the roasting of coffee and released in larger quantity during the grinding process.

Concisely, Starbucks has not been reluctant to expand its menu of trendy items. Though, If the company desires to flourish well into this century, adopting progressive social policies that defy a still racially segregated society will make it a trend setter. While Introducing a new line of products that will not further contribute to the failing health of a progressively sick nation will give the company staying power as younger generations turn toward health-conscious lifestyles and natural, holistic solutions.

References:

Raymond, Nate. “Starbucks coffee in California must have cancer warning, judge says.” Reuters, 03/29/2018. www.reuters.com/article/us-california-lawsuit-coffee/starbucks-coffee-in-california-must-have-cancer-warning-judge-says-idUSKBN1H5399.

Rutledge, Raquel. “CDC finds workers at a coffee facility in Wisconsin with increased respiratory symptoms; abnormal breathing” Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. (USA Today Network). 09/26/2017. www.jsonline.com/story/news/investigations/2017/09/26/cdc-finds-workers-coffee-facility-wisconsin-increased-respiratory-symptoms-abnormal-breathing/699422001/.

Image Credits:

Dumlao, Nthan. Unsplash “Cup of Coffee”

Proskurovskiy, Vladimir. Unsplash, “Coffee Grinder”

Cohen, Eve. “Faces”. ink on paper.

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