Woke culture has struck again — this time in the form of a Starbucks worker who thought it was funny to insult a grieving nation and smear a conservative hero. An Ohio woman who ordered Charlie Kirk’s favorite Starbucks drink was shocked to find “racist’s fav drink” scrawled on her cup — a vile jab at Kirk, the Turning Point USA founder recently assassinated.
The incident took place at a Kroger-operated Starbucks in Middletown, Ohio. Once the hateful message came to light, the worker admitted responsibility and was promptly fired. But for Autumn Perkins, the customer at the center of the incident, the damage was already done.
“It’s time for people to stop this nonsense,” Perkins told reporters. She emphasized that actions have consequences and vowed to hit Starbucks where it hurts — in their bottom line. “I don’t intend to spend another penny at Starbucks — and as far as I’m concerned, neither will my children or anybody else in my family who will listen to me.”
Perkins’s boycott is about more than just one nasty employee. It’s about respect, something Kirk himself championed. “I feel like Charlie stood for respect — we don’t have to agree on everything. We can disagree on a lot of things, but we respect each other,” she said. “We can’t communicate and grow if we’re disrespecting each other. Charlie stood for respect. We can disagree but still respect each other.”
Her words highlight exactly what the left doesn’t understand. Conservatives like Kirk — and the Americans who admired him — don’t demand ideological conformity. They demand basic decency. And yet, woke activists in corporate America, Hollywood, and the media can’t seem to resist mocking, smearing, and vilifying conservatives even in death.
Starbucks, for its part, scrambled to clean up the PR mess. In a statement, the company said: “Writing this on a cup is unacceptable, and we have clear policies that prohibit negative messages to help preserve a welcoming environment. This Starbucks location is licensed and operated by Kroger. We understand that this associate was terminated by Kroger.”
But the apology rings hollow. For years, Starbucks has cultivated an image of trendy liberal activism, from pushing “progressive” campaigns onto its customers to signaling support for radical causes. It’s no wonder employees feel emboldened to lash out at conservatives.
This latest controversy comes as the left continues to melt down over the fallout from Charlie Kirk’s murder. MSNBC personality Matthew Dowd was recently fired after grotesquely suggesting Kirk’s own views led to his assassination. Dowd later whined about his termination, claiming his words were “misconstrued.” But the truth was clear: he openly blamed a victim of political violence, and his network finally had no choice but to cut him loose.
Ironically, Dowd compared his firing to that of disgraced comedian Jimmy Kimmel, who was suspended indefinitely after joking about Kirk’s assassination. The left, Dowd complained, defended Kimmel but ignored his own case.
That hypocrisy tells the real story: when conservatives are mocked, the left calls it “comedy” or “commentary.” When consequences finally come, they cry censorship. Meanwhile, ordinary Americans like Autumn Perkins are standing up and saying enough is enough.
Starbucks may have hoped to end this scandal with a press release. But the boycott brewing in Ohio proves something bigger: Americans are tired of corporate woke culture spitting in their faces.
