#sbucks

Bullets embedded in brick walls. Bombed out store fronts. Blood on the streets and sidewalks. Such a simple difference in perspective resulted in unspeakable destruction. The division had always been there, but no one predicted how quickly it would grow to violent extremism. At least—not until it was too late.

The establishment was affluent and powerful, and for so long they had dictated their will flippantly, concerned only with their own aggrandizement. The opposition, meanwhile, was a motley aggregation of the disaffected and disenfranchised found in every city and town across the country. The middle ground disappeared, and even the unaffiliated were forced to choose a side. Communities split. Friends, families, even spouses turned against each other. There were rallies and manifestos, and the caffeine fueled mobs were easily whipped into a frenzy. Both sides lashed out in violence, and both sides suffered brutal retributions.

Beneath their verdant ensign, the establishment forces gathered. “The cup!” they chanted, “The cup is tall!”

Meanwhile, the opposition mustered in cafés, diners and coffee shops, declaring “The cup! The cup is small!