This Starbucks barista called out white customers for problematic responses to racial bias training

Starbucks has been in the eye of a media storm over the last few weeks.

Just over a week ago, the company found itself embroiled in a race row when a manager called police on two black men for the apparent crime of asking to use the toilet while waiting for a friend. In response, the company announced all U.S. stores would be closed on 29 May for racial bias training.

But apparently the news hasn’t gone down well with all customers, so a barista, known only as Ty, decided to share all on Twitter. In a now-viral thread, he wrote:

His words imply that employees and customers alike see the training as an inconvenience, not a much-needed attempt to challenge deeply-rooted racism.

Unsurprisingly, his Twitter mentions gradually swelled with angry users as his posts continued to be shared. Quoting Nicki Minaj, he simply stated:

He later stated that his tweet was now floating around Facebook for his coworkers to see, a fact which, unfortunately, could cost him his job.

Ty also revealed that responses had veered away from the issue. Instead, users began insulting his appearance and engaging in homophobia in order to distract from his point.

Still, he did manage to point out the salient fact that reverse racism doesn't exist (racism and prejudice are two different things) and encourage followers to consistently read up on the nuances of racism.

Despite the looming threat of being formally reprimanded - or worse - he stands by his words:

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