Alan Bersten’s Starbucks Dance Sparks Unexpected Political Firestorm

Instagram/@alanbersten

The light-hearted video clip which Dancing With The Stars leading dancer Alan Bersten posted on social media of him dancing carefree at Starbucks unintentionally sparked a heated debate about the political and moral stances of Starbucks. The silly post, comprising of a famous dancer going on with his fun coffee time, soon got replies that mainly focused on labor strikes and the Israel-Palestine conflict; hence, the dispute shifted from fun to argument. The whole incident points out how a small celebrity endorsement could turn into a war ground for social issues beyond the scope of the initial situation.

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The star of ‘Dancing With The Stars’ just wanted to enjoy a carefree moment. The dancer, whose performances are always full of energy and passion, posted a video on Instagram of him rehearsing on Broadway. The text was ‘Once more you have me dancing in the streets! 🕺🏼’ He tagged Starbucks and used the company’s hashtag as well. This was nothing but a typical laid-back social media content—a celebrity having a nice cup of coffee and enjoying life for a while.

Users of the interactive platform had other ideas. The comments started to come in and the situation was instantly transformed to one of political and moral complaints. One of the first famous comments was very direct when it said, ‘Sad to see this during the union strike at Starbucks led by the workers!’ This comment highlighted not only the current labor disputes but also the establishment of picketing at many Starbucks locations around the country. Besides, it served as a reminder that many consumers perceive the brand in light of the negative corporate practices that they do not want to associate with.

The criticism kept on getting more and more severe very quickly. Another user attacked the professional dancer saying, ‘No Alan! Do not support kids’ murders and genocide backers!’ This alarming and strong accusation suggested that Starbucks was siding with Israel in the Gaza conflict and that it had a great role in the ongoing atrocities, including genocides and other horrible acts in the region. This led instantaneously to a very long and bitter dialogue and the original user even indicated that their animosity was towards Israel, stating, ‘What Israel does does not represent the Jewish community! I see them as two different entities.’

At this point, the user who had previously criticized the Starbucks’ position now came up with a challenge and a defense at the same time. ‘THANK YOU @alanbersten for not shying away and representing the Jewish community and being such a great person,’ they wrote, while they were also trying to detach the brand’s political facet from Bersten’s individual personality. The replier then proceeded to list the reasons that countered the claim. They argued that Starbucks had no presence in Israel, nor did it make any donations to the Israeli government, lobby for any political causes, or even have an official political stance. The replier then added, ‘The confusion stemmed from a past Starbucks CEO publicly naming his personal support for Israel,’ implying the narrative was built around the blurring of individual opinion and corporate policy.

In the heat of the political discussion, there were some comments trying to redirect the talk back to the post’s original light-heartedness. ‘I like your style and fun side,’ one user simply said. Another interaction with the same aim was between actress Emma Slater, Bersten’s fiancé. ‘Raw footage of my baby getting me coffee in the morning 😍,’ she teased, and Bersten replied asking what she wanted. It was a very brief but typical moment in the otherwise very agitated comments section.

The striking disparity in the reactions speaks volumes. One the one hand, the spectators are getting the intended fun with a just a simple pleasure—dancing while having coffee. On the other hand, people are caught in a very complex and nuanced modern consumer activism where every transaction and every post is scrutinized for its ideological alignment. Bersten probably thought he was only having fun with the brand and art. There was no way he could have anticipated to become a temporary battleground for conflicting debates over labor rights and international conflict.

In the past, there have been cases where a celebrity endorsement has had a negative impact on the brand and this will not be the last time that such a thing happens. It makes one wonder how celebrities view their power of the hashtag. Do they think it is a simple post? Or a statement? An endorsement? Or a possible liability? Ultimately, they are supposed to be public relations tools, but somehow the audience has become so ethical-impact-sensitive that they will only accept the brands they deem right.

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Alan Bersten’s short video, which was meant to be a blissful moment of simple fun, ended up reflecting a culture that is heavily divided by the political issues of the time. Also, it pointed out that the happiness and commerce flow is now inseparable from politics and protests, regardless of the participant’s intention. The spot where he danced was suddenly buzzing with a wide range of opinions. His partner Elaine Hendrix has also experienced the intense spotlight of the competition, much like when Elaine and Alan delivered an apocalyptic Argentine tango. Fans celebrated Elaine’s shocking finale achievement on the dance competition.