Some people can be pretty dramatic. Leave it to an Oscar nominee to bring the drama in spades, when he protests, at Starbucks, his concern about vegan versus cow milk.
James Cromwell recently superglued himself to the counter at a Starbucks in New York City. In case you don’t recognize the name, Cromwell is an 82 year old actor, best known for his appearances in Babe, Star Trek: First Contact, L.A. Confidential, The Green Mile, Space Cowboys, Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron and more.
The Daily Wire reported, “Cromwell, who can be seen wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with the words “free the animals,” argued that vegan milk options were better for the environment. He also claimed that charging more for them was discriminatory — particularly because minorities suffer from lactose intolerance at a higher rate than white Americans do — but also because he felt that those who chose vegan options as a matter of conscience were being penalized for making a moral choice.”
Cromwell asked, “When will you stop raking in huge profits while customers, animals and the environment suffer?” and “When will you stop penalizing people for their ethnicities, their morals?”
You can hear other protestors chanting “Save the planet, save the cows. Stop the vegan upcharge now!”
A more well-known celebrity chose a more civil way to ask Starbucks to stop its practice of charging more for plant-based milk. Former member of the Beatles, Paul McCartney, wrote a letter to the coffee chain in which he said this: “It recently came to my attention that Starbucks in the USA has an extra charge for plant-based milks as opposed to cow’s milk,” McCartney wrote earlier this year. “I must say this surprised me as I understand that in other countries like U.K. and India, there is the same charge for both types of milk and I would like to politely request that you consider this policy also in Starbucks USA. My friends at PETA are campaigning for this to happen … I sincerely hope that for the future of the planet and animal welfare you are able to implement this policy.”
It’s quite possible that Starbucks charges more for plant-based milk than cow’s milk simply because it costs them more. That is usually how businesses operate. It’s nothing at all personal. Do you think Starbucks will change its ways?
