Starbucks calls cops on raging English prof
August 17, 2010 by Jacob HawleyPosted in: In this week's e-newsletter, Latest News & Views
The coffee chain’s goofy vernacular finally drove an educator to one grande meltdown.
At a Starbucks in Manhattan, three police officers were called in to remove angry customer Lynne Rosenthal. The source of the college English professor’s rage: “linguistic stupidity.”
After ordering a multi-grain bagel, the barista asked, “Butter or cheese?”
Having to specify what items she didn’t want on her order was the last straw (no surprise: Rosenthal has started fights over using “venti” and “grande” as coffee sizes, too). She refused to answer.
The barista – who probably wanted to hurl the bagel at Rosenthal’s head at that point – refused to serve her if she didn’t cooperate. And that’s when Rosenthal called the barista an a–hole.
Things only got worse from there, and the manager called the cops, who ordered her to leave and threatened to arrest her if she went back inside.
And no, she didn’t get her bagel.
Was the educator’s bagel-rage justified? Sound off in the comments section.
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August 26th, 2010 at 12:14 pm
The rant was ridiculous. If the professor chooses to patronize the coffee-shop, she should just use their lingo and not let it get to her. Maybe she has something more going on in her life and this is the last straw.
August 26th, 2010 at 12:17 pm
The professor clearly has issues and needs to get into an anger management class.
August 26th, 2010 at 1:12 pm
I share Professor Rosethal’s disdain for Starbucks and the effete snobbery underlying the ludicrous terminology they use for their product line, but her actions were unconscionable. The solution is quite simple and effective: do not patronize Starbucks if you don’t like the way they do business. There are other — far more satisfying and less expensive — ways to get a cup of coffee and a pastry, so choose one of them instead. And allow those who enjoy Starbucks to get whatever it is they get out of that experience unmarred by your tantrums. There is no justification for taking your frustrations out on some poor kid who probably hates having to dress up as a “barista” and call it a “venti” while overcharging you for an overrated cup of coffee in order to work his or her way through college, just as much as you hate being on the receiving end … but if you keep paying them money to abuse you, they’ll gladly keep abusing you! It’s called freedom of choice.
September 1st, 2010 at 8:49 pm
Professor Rosenthal’s behavior was wrong. Working in the world of intelligencia and living in ivory towers represents only a minority of the country’s population. If her supervisor, say the dean of instruction, had made a similar linguistic error, would Rosenthal have hurled a profanity? No. This says more about Rosenthal than the employee at Starbucks. She apparently feels superior to the general public and operates in a bubble of arrogance. What she needs to learn is that blue collar employees deserve as much respect as white collar workers. That a blue collar worker gets up every morning to earn a meager living is admirable. That they tolerate authoritative employers and insolent customers is even more admirable. What goes around comes around. Just wait until Rosenthal gets older, becomes afflicted with dementia or other brain affictions, or suffers a stroke or brain damage….then, who will respect her and show her patience, understanding, and compassion? Ironically, it will be members of the general public, not her peers in ivory towers. We all need to have patienceand practice prudence and compassion for others regardless of their talents or shortcomings. One of the consequences of this professor’s outburst will be felt when she returns to her ivory tower peers. How embarrassing for her. Signed: a college professor teaching in the American Southwest.