Pumpkin spice lattes — and the backlash, and the backlash to the backlash — explained

An anthropomorphized Pumpkin Spice Latte with a spooky black cat. | @TheRealPSL/Twitter Editor’s note, August 25, 10:15 am ET: This article was originally published in 2018 and has been updated for the start of the new PSL season. August 25 is not a day that is particularly known for feeling especially crisp or autumnal in most parts of North America. And yet it’s the day this year — the earliest release date ever — that Starbucks, contending with a slowdown in sales, will unleash its annual…