By Miles Layton

Random thoughts…

Butter Beer Latte triggers a backlash in college town…

Perhaps because of God’s sense of humor — if you know me — I lived for many years in a very liberal college town, Athens, Ohio, home of Ohio University, where student protests over the issue of the day are a form of worship. When students protested in favor of women not having to wear shirts so as to stick it to the male-dominated patriarchy who don’t have to wear shirts in the summer, aggrieved women organized a semi-nude protest in front of the county courthouse. In more recent years, the Israeli-Palestine war in Gaza has inspired signs and protests, same as “No Kings” rallies.

Around the corner from the courthouse is one of my all-time favorite coffee shops — Donkey Coffee, an eclectic place with a unique mix of customers, perhaps typical of any college town.

I confess – I miss having a cup of coffee, maybe having a bagel or cookie, and people-watching or talking to friends at Donkey. Interesting fun fact for the Athens crowd: Donkey is where the Athens Messenger was published many, many years ago.

Anyway, inspired by Harry Potter and the fact that it’s October — Halloween is big in Athens — Donkey offered a Butter Beer Latte.

However, that drink sparked an uproar recently and was removed from the menu, and Donkey apologized.

“We especially apologize to the trans community,” the coffee shop said in a post. “It was never our intention to offend — thanks for pointing this out to us.”

Why apologize?

Answer: Because the author of the Potter series, J.K. Rowling, is considered by some to oppose transgender rights.

Some folks say the coffee shop is pandering, while others say Donkey has long been known for its slogan — Coffee with a conscience.

Me – whether you think the coffee shop is right, woke or wrong, I think some folks need to get a grip on life because there are bigger things to be pissed off about than the name of a sugary drink from a fantasy novel.

That said, if a local coffee shop in Eastern NC offered a beverage called the Honkey Special — unsweetened tea that’s served with unsalted crazy Crackers — then perhaps I’d be triggered too.

Flip side, some folks from up North might get triggered by a drink named after Confederate General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson called the Stonewall, a strongly caffeinated beverage that will make you stand like a “stonewall” when bravely battling the day’s events; maybe served in mugs engraved with how the South will rise again.

Well, maybe the South has already risen again since everyone from the North seems to be moving here, voting with their feet and leaving their failed policies, higher taxes and public safety issues behind. That said, let’s hope fewer Democratic Socialists are elected on Tuesday because the South is full-up with fleeing transplants and we’ve got enough of our own locally brewed crazies down here.

Butter Beer Latte or Stonewall aside, let’s get back to protesting what matters, then working toward solutions that reduce the impact of data centers, challenge the rise of Artificial Intelligence, fight poverty in rural America, restore crumbling infrastructure and reform school funding in areas of critical need.

On second thought, it’s probably easier to virtue-signal a drink’s name than to work toward a better future.