Feminists attack Starbucks for promoting white supremacism — and it involves Trump

Apparently, Starbucks’ famed pumpkin spice latte drinks are funding racism in the White House.

But how?

According to Ultraviolet, a feminist nonprofit that works to “fight sexism and create a more inclusive world that accurately represents all women," the drinks help fund racism because Starbucks has stores in President Donald Trump’s Manhattan skyscraper and Washington, D.C., hotel.

And by having locations in properties that Trump owns, Starbucks is helping the president fund a “platform” that “spews hate."

"Starbucks spends millions on leases in Trump properties, putting money directly into the pockets of a racist, misogynistic bigot,” the group said in a statement. "Pumpkin spice just doesn’t taste as good when you add a shot of racism."

Take action

The organization has called on its supporters to take action and sign a petition to pressure Starbucks and athletic wear company Nike to sever all ties with Trump's businesses.

"If there's a line where everyone should agree that business cannot go on as usual, it's when Trump starts propping up white supremacists and Nazis,” the petition says.

As of Wednesday, more than 73,000 people have signed the petition.

False equivalencies

Ultraviolet believes it is helping a worthy cause — ending the injustice of racism — by highlighting what it believes is a problem. But in reality, the group is doing more hurting than healing.

Equating consumers of Starbucks coffee with people who actually fund Nazism and white supremacism undermines genuine efforts to eradicate racism. Lumping a mass of people together just to make a point becomes counterproductive, and in the end, looks only like a snarky PR stunt.