The Bud Light Boycott

[Eric]

What upsets you the most about the Bud Light boycott?

First, I’ll congratulate you on the fact that you and all the other homophobes have been given a stage by MAGA. You seem pretty proud.

You guys used to hide your racism and bigotry under a rock, now it’s center stage. It’s become fashionable to hate people who are different than you.

As far as Bud Light goes, its primary consumers are white rednecks. AB may as well have had a black woman rolling around in welfare checks as their spokesperson.

Hope that clears things up.

 

[Yoused]

What upsets you the most about the Bud Light boycott?

Upsets? Me? Huh. It is not even on my radar. I could give a flying never-you-mind about it, had I one to spare, but they are all earmarked for things that matter.

Like, there was this guy wearing what I think was a tour shirt. It had a prism with a white line on the left, a rainbow spread on the right, captioned "Wish You Were Here". I had to tell him his shirt was broken: what, "wish you were on the dark side of the moon"? Come on, people, get your symbology right.

That ranks above "Bud Light boycott", that is how much I care (now, if you are talking about a bud light, that is a whole nother animal).

 

[Edd]

Is it because you think it is transphobic or because it is actually working ( which in some ways show where the country is on the issue)?

I think mostly it indicates where people who drink shitty beer are on the issue.

 

[Chew Toy McCoy]

Is it because you think it is transphobic or because it is actually working ( which in some ways show where the country is on the issue)?

I think this follows the “half the country” fallacy that is usually associated with voting. A big percentage of people don’t vote and probably a bigger percentage of people aren’t bud light enthusiasts.

I’m not a beer guy. So forgive my oversimplification here. Microbreweries have exploded over the past decade and the beer isle at the big chain grocery store has probably at least doubled. There’s a big difference in being the top beer out of 20 and the top beer out of 400. With those competition numbers you can still be #1 while also having a decline in sales.

Lastly, no matter which side you are on they screwed up from both angles. First there were those mad about the promotion. Then they responded with no direct support for that decision which killed any opportunity for a counter-protest bump in sales. Instead of standing up for supporting the transgender community as their promotion insinuated they hid behind not meaning to offend anyone. So they lost sales from the left too as a result.

 

[Yoused]

… people who drink shitty beer …

I think this touches on the issue. I can go to the local guy and get shitty beer, or he also brews some darn fine ales, but either way, at least I know the local guy is getting my money, which feels preferable to me. Even if he is a Republican (but not a foaming MAGAt), I am still ok buying his beer.

I think that seems to be the more leftward perspective. Fewer billionaires and megacorps is a good thing. From what I can tell, the R/RW position supports billionaires and megacorps and their unalienable right to shit on the rest of us – it is not explicit or platformed, and some RWers might well take an anti-hierarchical stance, but if you support and vote for Rs or Ls, that is what you are getting. Which, to me, defines the major source of problems we have, not just in US.

 

[MEJHarrison]

What upsets you the most about the Bud Light boycott?

I can't say anything bothers me about it. I'm not a share holder. I don't drink that beer or any other brand, or any other alcohol on a routine basis. I care as much about this as I care about what the family three doors down is having for dinner tonight.

I will say when this news first broke, the two thoughts in my head were "what the hell were they thinking doing this?" and "Good for them!"

The first comment is just looking at the situation from a practical point of view. Given who uses that product, it seemed really dumb to make that step. How did they not see this coming? It seems, to me, an incredibly dumb thing to do from a business point of view. That's not rocking the boat, it's flipping it over, sawing it in half and burning the pieces.

But I also think Good for them! Personally I don't see why people in group A are so upset that an entirely different group of people might enjoy the beverage they enjoy so much. My enjoyment of a thing isn't improved or worsened based who else out there might also enjoy that thing. That seems super immature. A gay person enjoying a Bud Light isn't going to make them gay. A trans person enjoying one isn't going to affect them or those they care about at all. If Bud Light wants to expand their business into new markets, that's fine with me.

I suppose if Coke went into prisons and started getting their product endorsed by convicted rapists, I might have a similar reaction. And I suppose some probably do see supporting trans people as something equally bad. But that just makes me sad for those people. And it makes me want to cheer on Bud Light for rising above such things. Not that I care, but I'd encourage Bed Light to attract better customers and dump the redneck baboons. But even if they did that, I'm still never, ever, ever going to order a Bud Light. If I'm getting a beer, it's going to be a stout. If Bud Light went bankrupt tomorrow, I'd have forgotten about it 5 minutes later.

 

[Herdfan]

I will say when this news first broke, the two thoughts in my head were "what the hell were they thinking doing this?" and "Good for them!"

It was a marketing blunder on the level of New Coke.

I guess my biggest question is why this particular brand. As has been pointed out numerous times here and in other media, AB has many brands that are still being drank by those boycotting Bud Light.

So why not do a “Good for them” with one of their craft beer brands?

If there had been pushback, it would not have affected the company on the level the current one has.

 

[MEJHarrison]

I guess my biggest question is why this particular brand. As has been pointed out numerous times here and in other media, AB has many brands that are still being drank by those boycotting Bud Light.

So why not do a “Good for them” with one of their craft beer brands?

I can come up with three theories.

1. The obvious. Someone did something stupid with their brand and it backfired.
2. There was a bigger agenda before everything went sideways.
3. There still is a bigger agenda we don't know about.

I'm leaning towards #1 to be honest. But don't know enough to do any more than guess.

And again, from a personal point of view, I admire what they did. I don't think they should be the Beer of Knuckle Draggers, and if this is an attempt to change that image, my hat is off to them. I don't think that's the case, but it would be funny if it was. On the other hand, if I were a shareholder, I'd be a little pissed. It was a majorly bad business decision (or appears to be not knowing their agenda here). But I'm not a shareholder, so none of this upsets me one way or the other. I'm curious to see if they sink or swim from here. But either outcome is fine with me.

The only thing I like about Budweiser is the horses. I've seen them in person and they're magnificent.

 

[Herdfan]

I agree with #1.

But disagree with Bud Light not being the beer of knuckle draggers. That is what they are. Or were. Goes hand in hand with Dodge Ram drivers. Even the marketing person who got fired said she wanted to make the brand “less fratty”. She simply didn’t understand her market.

As for shareholders, I fully expect there to be lawsuits. Target just got hit with its first one. But shareholder suits happen every day for a myriad of reasons so I don’t expect them to gain traction.

 

[rdrr]

I agree with #1.

But disagree with Bud Light not being the beer of knuckle draggers. That is what they are. Or were. Goes hand in hand with Dodge Ram drivers. Even the marketing person who got fired said she wanted to make the brand “less fratty”. She simply didn’t understand her market.

As for shareholders, I fully expect there to be lawsuits. Target just got hit with its first one. But shareholder suits happen every day for a myriad of reasons so I don’t expect them to gain traction.

My issue with the boycott, is that it shouldn't be a problem with who people love as long as they are in a legal consensual adult relationship. (have to qualify the obvious with you)

I get that they were offending the majority of their users beliefs, but I thought we were beyond that as a society. 2016 and maybe before that really made people who are small minded, bigots feel secure in acting out their beliefs.

You keep on harping about protecting the children, but yet support the most insane gun laws where children have been harmed time after time.

I don't have a problem with Bud Light going away as a brand, but I do have a problem on why it is such a big deal. Especially the view points of the people who think it is their right to discriminate against someone who is different than being or acting as an alpha white male in America.