It needs to be accepted — we live in an era where EVERYthing is now politicized. It either has gotten so pervasive as to be draining, or you have to step back and just laugh at how easily people become unhinged. (This latter option is vastly preferred.)
Our entertainment is polluted with commentary, our sports have become radicalized, and every family member on social media is now seemingly a lobbyist for some group or another.
It has become so bad now even our food choices are laden with political import. It is a minefield, from the hate-chicken at Chick-Fil-A, or the racist Papa Johns pizza. Even trying to drown out the pain with alcohol can be problematic — as Scotch can even descend into the activism.
Well, one story out of Great Britain may help a little. It will not ease the oppression of political involvement, but at least it shows this is not a problem restricted to America. There one tea company has come under social fire over the weekend, and nobody from the company ever said a thing politically tinged.
So it's been a rough weekend.
On Friday, the Chancellor shared a photo of our tea. Politicians do that sometimes (Jeremy Corbyn did it in 2017). We weren't asked or involved – and we said so the same day. Lots of people got angry with us all the same. pic.twitter.com/7uVmKDf7Jd
— Yorkshire Tea (@YorkshireTea) February 24, 2020
As a result of this innocuous post people in England rose up in anger. Over tea.
We've spent the last three days answering furious accusations and boycott calls. For some, our tea just being drunk by someone they don't like means it's forever tainted, and they've made sure we know it.
— Yorkshire Tea (@YorkshireTea) February 24, 2020
Just to reiterate — Yorkshire had no hand in the post that was made. A politician sent out a tweet of him making tea and people became furious. Amazingly, even after this explanation and the establishing of no political stance there were those STILL looking at this is purely political intolerance.
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I won't use Yorkshire Tea as advertised by @RishiSunak.
— Sheila Ennis (@sheilatester) February 24, 2020
I feel so sorry for you. Every thing representatives of that party touches turns to sh…..!
— Chrissie Grech (v) ?? ?? (@ChrissieGrech) February 24, 2020
Being endorsed by the @Conservatives is not a good look.
Thankfully, other teas are available.#AvoidYorkshireTea#BoycottYorkshireTea
— Am I the only one? (@aitoo001) February 24, 2020
The use of Yorkshire Tea was clearly deliberate. The Tories are desperate to keep their newly found northern voters sweet and what better than use some ee-by-gum Yorkshire Tea in this staged photo. I hope you’ve complained formally? #ToryBritain
— James Harrison #FBPE (@jmshrrsn) February 24, 2020
Here in the States, the particulars of this tweet are a mystery — yet the tinfoil hat mindset translates just perfectly, all the same.
At least we can learn how myopic those complaining about a teabag endorsement can become.
Yorkshire MP shares image of a Yorkshire product from a firm which employs 1,500 people in Yorkshire and the so called ‘party of the workers’ has a hissy fit.
— Yvette Henson (@YvetteHenson) February 24, 2020
The best example might be this one, where they seem utterly buggered about politics and launch into a lecture on policy positions…to the account of a tea company.
Tories are shamelessly trying to offer fig leaves to the North, like having the Red Wall ex-Labour voter in the flat cap in their promotional video. Now they’re talking about moving treasury offices up. The North needs massive investment & flood defences not tacky empty gestures!
— Rose Shillito #RLB4Leader #Richard4Deputy (@rozzleberry) February 24, 2020
What do you suppose is the British version of ”Okay, Karen…”?
Thankfully we have shrugged off all of this tea controversy after we dumped crates of the stuff in the harbor hundreds of years ago. We are a coffee-drinking nation, one that wants strong brew that actually powers you and motivates you to work even more.
And best of all, nobody is politicizing coffee. Here in America you will never see someone getting outraged in activist fashion over…–
It always feels like people yelling at the at the military and Service Members for U.S. foreign policy failings are like the people who were yelling at Starbucks employees over corporate policy. You're yelling at the wrong folks. pic.twitter.com/xRNhxTbw9n
— Doug Partridge, Army Esq. ?? (@Tsunami_Doug) September 25, 2019
Oh FFS…
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