# Hoaxing Social Justice Warrior - Gay Austin Pastor Jordan Brown

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hoaxing-social-justice-warrior-gay-austin-pastor-jordan-brown/755007>\
**Category:** The BBQ Pit\
**Created:** [May 17, 2016, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hoaxing-social-justice-warrior-gay-austin-pastor-jordan-brown/755007 "2016-05-17T16:13:16Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 20\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\
**Post date:** [May 17, 2016, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hoaxing-social-justice-warrior-gay-austin-pastor-jordan-brown/755007/1 "2016-05-17T16:13:16Z")

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So last month, an openly gay pastor of a non-denominational church in Austin TX, went to his local Whole Foods and ordered a custom cake with the words _LOVE WINS_ on the top of the cake. After he picked up the cake, he claims that when he got home he noticed that in addition to the phrase _LOVE WINS_, that the word _FAG_ had been added. He filmed the cake and the box, continuously saying that the box was still sealed, etc. He then hires an attorney to file a discrimination lawsuit against Whole Foods.

[http://austin.blog.statesman.com/2016/04/18/austin-pastor-accuses-whole-foods-of-writing-gay-slur-on-cake/](http://austin.blog.statesman.com/2016/04/18/austin-pastor-accuses-whole-foods-of-writing-gay-slur-on-cake/)

Whole Foods, stands by its employee and claims that they did nothing wrong, and would not have altered the cake. Brown continues with his lawsuit.

But Whole Foods continues to investigate. Turns out they found the security footage video of Brown purchasing the cake, showing the bar code sticker on the top of the box so that the clerk can scan it at the register. Brown’s earlier youtube video where he claims that nothing has been done to the cake, has the bar code sticker on the bottom and side of the box. Whole Foods files a countersuit against Brown.

[http://www.statesman.com/news/business/whole-foods-taking-legal-action-against-cake-accus/nq7qt/](http://www.statesman.com/news/business/whole-foods-taking-legal-action-against-cake-accus/nq7qt/)

So finally yesterday, the Pastor drops his lawsuit against Whole Foods:

[http://www.fox7austin.com/news/local-news/141926681-story](http://www.fox7austin.com/news/local-news/141926681-story)

> [@Jordan Brown](#):
>
> Today I am dismissing my lawsuit against Whole Foods Market. The company did nothing wrong. I was wrong to pursue this matter and use the media to perpetuate this story. I want to apologize to Whole Foods and its team members for questioning the company’s commitment to its values, and especially the bakery associate who I understand was put in a terrible position because of my actions. I apologize to the LGBT community for diverting attention from real issues. I also want to apologize to my partner, my family, my church family, and my attorney.

Turns out the Whole Foods employee accused of making the gay slur on his cake, was also a member of the LGBT community. Whole Foods subsequently dropped its counter suit.

So what motivates these social justice warriors to carry out hoax cases like these?

[Spray painting your own home with racist graffiti](http://thefederalist.com/2014/02/03/will-piers-morgan-apologize-for-spreading-a-racist-hoax/)  
[Gay waitress lying about false notes on a receipt](http://thefederalist.com/2013/12/30/six-infuriating-hoaxes-2013/)

Pastor Brown, to the Pit you go!

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**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\
**Post date:** [May 17, 2016, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hoaxing-social-justice-warrior-gay-austin-pastor-jordan-brown/755007/2 "2016-05-17T16:17:08Z")

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Is “social justice warrior” a good thing or a bad thing to be? It sounds like a good thing, but what this guy did was not a good thing. Very confusing.

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**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\
**Post date:** [May 17, 2016, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hoaxing-social-justice-warrior-gay-austin-pastor-jordan-brown/755007/3 "2016-05-17T16:21:19Z")

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A Parable for the sign outside of his Church:

“You Can’t Have Your Cake & Cheat It Too”

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**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\
**Post date:** [May 17, 2016, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hoaxing-social-justice-warrior-gay-austin-pastor-jordan-brown/755007/4 "2016-05-17T16:23:27Z")

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That’s fucked up. People working for equality have enough problems without attention whores pulling shit like this. And what the hell has Whole Foods ever done to anybody? (Aside from being overpriced.)

> [@Omar\_Little](#):
>
> So what motivates these social justice warriors to carry out hoax cases like these?
> 
> [Spray painting your own home with racist graffiti](http://thefederalist.com/2014/02/03/will-piers-morgan-apologize-for-spreading-a-racist-hoax/)  
> [Gay waitress lying about false notes on a receipt](http://thefederalist.com/2013/12/30/six-infuriating-hoaxes-2013/)

Leaving aside the assholery of the term “social justice warrior,” I suspect these people have some pretty malignant personality disorders and thrive on attention. It’s like Munchausen syndrome but with social issues instead of poisoning their relatives.

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**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\
**Post date:** [May 17, 2016, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hoaxing-social-justice-warrior-gay-austin-pastor-jordan-brown/755007/5 "2016-05-17T16:25:33Z")

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> [@Procrustus](#):
>
> Is “social justice warrior” a good thing or a bad thing to be? It sounds like a good thing, but what this guy did was not a good thing. Very confusing.

It started as a term of derision for radical activists who everyone hates, but has sadly been adopted by MRAs and other regressive homunculi to refer to pretty much anybody with a progressive social agenda.

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**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\
**Post date:** [May 17, 2016, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hoaxing-social-justice-warrior-gay-austin-pastor-jordan-brown/755007/6 "2016-05-17T16:40:40Z")

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One of those receipt stories (where a waiter uploads the image of a customer who writes something racist/homophobic et al) seems to pop up monthly these days. I pretty much assume that it’s a hoax, unfortunately. And, as someone who has always left the “tip” portion blank due to cash tipping, I’ve started writing the word “cash” in there to make sure.

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**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\
**Post date:** [May 17, 2016, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hoaxing-social-justice-warrior-gay-austin-pastor-jordan-brown/755007/7 "2016-05-17T16:56:30Z")

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More stupid human tricks like the baby bison in a car. People have to stop justifying their actions with moral outrage.

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**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\
**Post date:** [May 17, 2016, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hoaxing-social-justice-warrior-gay-austin-pastor-jordan-brown/755007/8 "2016-05-17T16:57:47Z")

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Some of these hoaxers may simply crave attention, and need some counselling to figure out what’s wrong with them.

Until they do, I think it’s fair to call them assholes though.

We often treat those who levy false accusations too kindly I think. Perhaps an example needs to be made to discourage others.

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**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\
**Post date:** [May 17, 2016, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hoaxing-social-justice-warrior-gay-austin-pastor-jordan-brown/755007/9 "2016-05-17T17:13:09Z")

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Jordan Brown perhaps felt he was telling a higher truth. After all, the mere fact that this particular incident was false doesn’t erase the thousands of actual discriminatory acts perpetuated against the LGBT community.

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**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\
**Post date:** [May 17, 2016, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hoaxing-social-justice-warrior-gay-austin-pastor-jordan-brown/755007/10 "2016-05-17T17:23:02Z")

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> [@Bricker](#):
>
> Jordan Brown perhaps felt he was telling a higher truth. After all, the mere fact that this particular incident was false doesn’t erase the thousands of actual discriminatory acts perpetuated against the LGBT community.

But every one of these frauds does make it more difficult for actual victims and their advocates to work for what’s right. I don’t think these things are cases of good intentions gone awry; they are motivated by vanity and attention-seeking. This guy never considered (or didn’t care) what might have happened to the bakery people whom he falsely accused of vandalizing his cake, for example. They’re lucky that their employer decided to investigate rather than just fire them immediately. He could have potentially fucked a lot of people over for the purpose of his little stunt.

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**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\
**Post date:** [May 17, 2016, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hoaxing-social-justice-warrior-gay-austin-pastor-jordan-brown/755007/11 "2016-05-17T17:25:25Z")

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From one of the articles:

> [@](#):
>
> Brown, who promotes himself as a preacher, no longer holds church services at a Southeast Austin apartment complex, in a community room. His mailing address turns out to be a postal drop on Riverside Dr.

The dude wasn’t exactly a rising star in the preaching community. A stunt like this is a quick and dirty way to notoriety and fame and, maybe, a spot in an actual church rather than a spot next to the laundry room.

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**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\
**Post date:** [May 17, 2016, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hoaxing-social-justice-warrior-gay-austin-pastor-jordan-brown/755007/12 "2016-05-17T17:26:04Z")

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> [@Procrustus](#):
>
> Is “social justice warrior” a good thing or a bad thing to be? It sounds like a good thing, but what this guy did was not a good thing. Very confusing.

it depends on what you mean by “social justice warrior.” what I’d consider “real” ones are pretty rare, but I’d put the guy being discussed in the OP as one. It’s one thing to be an advocate for your (or others’) rights, but when you have to fabricate something and defame someone, you’ve crossed the line.

But in most cases, “SJW” is tossed around too liberally. when someone throws that accusation at another, it usually means one of two things:

1. “How dare you tell me I shouldn’t say something?” or

2. “I refuse to admit the reason I can’t get laid is because of my shitty attitudes towards women.”

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**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\
**Post date:** [May 17, 2016, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hoaxing-social-justice-warrior-gay-austin-pastor-jordan-brown/755007/13 "2016-05-17T17:32:20Z")

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> [@Bricker](#):
>
> Jordan Brown perhaps felt he was telling a higher truth. After all, the mere fact that this particular incident was false doesn’t erase the thousands of actual discriminatory acts perpetuated against the LGBT community.

The black lives matter organization is able to produce videos on a pretty regular basis of cops shooting unarmed black men DEAD without manufacturing too much of the outrage.

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**Author:** ![Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Living_Well_Is_Best_Revenge)\
**Post date:** [May 17, 2016, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hoaxing-social-justice-warrior-gay-austin-pastor-jordan-brown/755007/14 "2016-05-17T17:41:10Z")

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What this guy did was despicable, but he is not a social justice warrior. He is a lying asshole.

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**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\
**Post date:** [May 17, 2016, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hoaxing-social-justice-warrior-gay-austin-pastor-jordan-brown/755007/15 "2016-05-17T18:03:17Z")

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Of all the stores to target with something like this, whey on earth would someone pick Whole Foods???

Oh, wait a minute. Is the CEO some sort of self-styled Libertarian?

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**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\
**Post date:** [May 17, 2016, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hoaxing-social-justice-warrior-gay-austin-pastor-jordan-brown/755007/16 "2016-05-17T18:19:29Z")

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> [@Damuri\_Ajashi](#):
>
> The black lives matter organization is able to produce videos on a pretty regular basis of cops shooting unarmed black men DEAD without manufacturing too much of the outrage.

The organization can do it, but not any individual black guy.

If you yourself need the glory of being a persecuted gay guy (or black guy or whatever), then it’s not always easy to come up with legitimate incidents.

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**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\
**Post date:** [May 17, 2016, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hoaxing-social-justice-warrior-gay-austin-pastor-jordan-brown/755007/17 "2016-05-17T18:26:53Z")

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> [@Bricker](#):
>
> Jordan Brown perhaps felt he was telling a higher truth. After all, the mere fact that this particular incident was false doesn’t erase the thousands of actual discriminatory acts perpetuated against the LGBT community.

Yea just can’t help yourself.

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**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\
**Post date:** [May 17, 2016, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hoaxing-social-justice-warrior-gay-austin-pastor-jordan-brown/755007/18 "2016-05-17T18:31:15Z")

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> [@Bricker](#):
>
> Jordan Brown perhaps felt he was telling a higher truth. After all, the mere fact that this particular incident was false doesn’t erase the thousands of actual discriminatory acts perpetuated against the LGBT community.

Seriously? A “higher truth”? That is supposed to excuse him?

No. Dude was an asshole, who should have known that this stunt would actually make things WORSE for the LGBT community. He did not care.

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**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\
**Post date:** [May 17, 2016, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hoaxing-social-justice-warrior-gay-austin-pastor-jordan-brown/755007/19 "2016-05-17T18:36:38Z")

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Can’t find the link - but apparently a cash grab to pay off student loans? I’m guessing he picked Whole Foods because they would be more likely to settle quietly to make him go away. When they didn’t settle, it spiraled on him.

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**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\
**Post date:** [May 17, 2016, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hoaxing-social-justice-warrior-gay-austin-pastor-jordan-brown/755007/20 "2016-05-17T18:40:14Z")

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> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#):
>
> Seriously? A “higher truth”? That is supposed to excuse him?

Bricker’s criticism of the left may be more or less oblique, but the good money is on any individual political post of his involving some sort of broad-brush criticism of the left. Sometimes it’s a hidden picture puzzle, though, as in the post you’re responding to.

[Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hoaxing-social-justice-warrior-gay-austin-pastor-jordan-brown/755007.md?page=2)
