Starbucks recently created a massive faux pas by using these posters of women in traditional Armenian costumes with the crescent and star of the Turkish flag in the background. Duhhh....Can you spell G-E-N-O-C-I-D-E?
Read the story from Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
From the story (19 February 2015):
An attempt by U.S. coffee giant Starbucks to appeal to Los Angeles' sizable Armenian population has backfired after its coffee shops displayed posters depicting women dressed in traditional Armenian garb under the crescent and star of the Turkish flag.
The posters were spotted this week in Los Angeles-area Starbucks locations, infuriating activists and social media users who called the image offensive in light of what Armenians refer to as the "genocide" of their people by Turkish Ottoman forces in the early 20th century.
"Why is Starbucks selling coffee using an image of women, dressed in traditional Armenian costumes, celebrating a Turkish state that systematically victimized Armenian women during the Armenian Genocide, and that still denies this crime against all humanity?" the Armenian National Committee Of America (ANCA) wrote in a February 18 post on its Facebook page.
Starbucks quickly apologized and pulled the posters.
'Turkey has the moon and a star on its flag. Are they in Turkey?' - Armenian official, responding to a Turkish official who complained that the Armenian flag has an image of Mt. Ararat, which is in Turkey, not Armenia (but is easily visible from Armenia and just across the border)
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