# Is the real Bud Light problem that the right is now insulted because they have been identified as having 'the gay'? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 30, 2023, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-real-bud-light-problem-that-the-right-is-now-insulted-because-they-have-been-identified-as-having-the-gay/986372 "2023-06-30T19:34:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Jimmy\_Chitwood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jimmy\_Chitwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jimmy_Chitwood)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2023, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-real-bud-light-problem-that-the-right-is-now-insulted-because-they-have-been-identified-as-having-the-gay/986372/61 "2023-07-02T19:49:41Z")
Yeah, one of the things that engaging only in airy hypotheticals allows us to do is just not comment on the very important real world fact that what’s going on here is right wingers have made public punishment for acknowledging trans people their number one culture war. The leaders of this movement have publicly stated, in advance, that they’re going to try to run companies out of business if they try to be trans or queer friendly, and that they are going to try to be as focused as possible in order to make examples out of a few selected enemies. They have also stated quite clearly that the reason they’re fighting this war is so that there won’t be a normalization of trans and queer people. Then Bud Light sends one, single, non-retail beer can with one trans woman’s face on it, to that woman, who makes a single brief video, and every single one of us knows about it because the right wingers do the public punishment and outrage thing that they said they were going to do. That’s the real world situation: an entirely manufactured controversy purposely chosen to result in people being publicly shamed for thinking trans people are normal. And we can have a whole discussion about whether corporations should “take sides” as if there isn’t a single extremely bad actor requiring this conversation no matter who their, no pun intended, target might be. They’re out to get anybody who acknowledges trans people in any way. So however stimulating and interesting you think it is to imagine a world in which a company can merely not comment on “contentious issues,” you will have to excuse the rest of us for noticing that your position on this just happens to be the one that the right wing professional cultural warriors are carving out for you explicitly – to wit, that the default position is to just make “normal” ads, and to do anything at all to acknowledge a trans person is the act of war. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2023, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-real-bud-light-problem-that-the-right-is-now-insulted-because-they-have-been-identified-as-having-the-gay/986372/62 "2023-07-02T19:50:27Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > Your own link supports my contention that Bud Light is uniquely targeted: That just means it’s the most successful, and that’s largely because it’s the most recent example, and gets an additional push from all the other anti-trans crap that’s been pushed harder and harder the last several years. _Some_ boycott has to be the most successful, that’s just how things work. This year it was Bud Light’s turn, is all. If it was Coors Light getting hit, you’d be talking about how Coors was “uniquely targeted”, but you’d still be wrong. > [@thorny\_locust](#): > > So I suppose somebody was specifically hunting for something they could throw a fit about; because if one just didn’t want to see references to LGBTQ+ people, why else would one have been watching Mulvaney’s videos? Yes. To use the “Pushy Christians” analogy from above, this is the equivalent of someone going into a private church ceremony, and then loudly complaining about “All this Christianity being shoved down my throat!!!” > [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > Are you suggesting there is absolutely no commonality left between political factions? Do gay people not enjoy a cold beer on a hot day? Or barbecue? Or puppies? Politics should ideally be a very small part of life. Activists try to make everything about politics, but we shouldn’t listen to them. Yes, and a lot of those activists are on the right. [They freaked out when Cheerios showed a biracial family](https://www.today.com/news/cheerios-ad-mixed-race-family-draws-racist-responses-6c10169988). They freak out when Video games have female protagonists. They freak out when a cartoon M&M isn’t drawn sexy enough. There’s literally no level of inclusion in marketing (or society) that they will accept, other than zero. You could literally draw actors’ names out of a hat to cast your commercial, and if you (entirely randomly) drew a Gay Name, you’d be a target for complaints and boycotts. “Politics” having nothing to do with it. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2023, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-real-bud-light-problem-that-the-right-is-now-insulted-because-they-have-been-identified-as-having-the-gay/986372/63 "2023-07-02T19:52:47Z")
> [@Jimmy\_Chitwood](#): > > that the default position is to just make “normal” ads, and to do anything at all to acknowledge a trans person is the act of war. It doesn’t stop there, “African-American Mermaid, swapping male leads for female leads, woke messaging in the movies, major characters who are LGBTQ, etc.” ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2023, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-real-bud-light-problem-that-the-right-is-now-insulted-because-they-have-been-identified-as-having-the-gay/986372/64 "2023-07-02T19:55:37Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > That just means it’s the most successful, and that’s largely because it’s the most recent example, and gets an additional push from all the other anti-trans crap that’s been pushed harder and harder the last several years. > > _Some_ boycott has to be the most successful, that’s just how things work. While you may be mathematically correct, in that if you have numbers something has to be the largest, I have not seen any other boycott on the right that was anything like this, so I still take it as a unique boycott. ---
**Author:** ![Jimmy\_Chitwood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jimmy\_Chitwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jimmy_Chitwood)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2023, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-real-bud-light-problem-that-the-right-is-now-insulted-because-they-have-been-identified-as-having-the-gay/986372/65 "2023-07-02T19:56:43Z")
Bud Light and Target are the ones they chose. It’s not some spontaneous uprising. There are people spending all day drumming up outrage at Bud Light and Target. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2023, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-real-bud-light-problem-that-the-right-is-now-insulted-because-they-have-been-identified-as-having-the-gay/986372/66 "2023-07-02T19:57:32Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > Brands should market themselves exclusively to, and display in their advertising, straight white people. How’z that worked out for them for the last 180 years or so? 😁 ---
**Author:** ![Jimmy\_Chitwood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jimmy\_Chitwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jimmy_Chitwood)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2023, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-real-bud-light-problem-that-the-right-is-now-insulted-because-they-have-been-identified-as-having-the-gay/986372/67 "2023-07-02T19:58:59Z")
Great joke man. What was going on 180 years ago ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2023, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-real-bud-light-problem-that-the-right-is-now-insulted-because-they-have-been-identified-as-having-the-gay/986372/68 "2023-07-02T19:59:52Z")
> [@Jimmy\_Chitwood](#): > > Then Bud Light sends one, single, non-retail beer can with one trans woman’s face on it, to that woman, who makes a single brief video, and every single one of us knows about it because the right wingers doing the public punishment and outrage thing that they said they were going to do. That’s the real world situation: an entirely manufactured controversy purposely chosen to result in people being publicly shamed for thinking trans people are normal. But that’s why I don’t see this as all that much of an “airy hypothetical”: given the real-world situation, where, as you say, the public punishment and outrage thing is what “they said they were going to do” — then, if we’re talking about real people who accept a job that involves _making marketing decisions given this real-world situation,_ then what decisions are they to make? Yes, like you said, let’s figure an entirely manufactured controversy ensues if X is done. If it’s someone’s job to decide if X is to be done, then — what? ---
**Author:** ![Jimmy\_Chitwood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jimmy\_Chitwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jimmy_Chitwood)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2023, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-real-bud-light-problem-that-the-right-is-now-insulted-because-they-have-been-identified-as-having-the-gay/986372/69 "2023-07-02T20:05:18Z")
Then what, what? What is the relevance of what a marketing executive’s year over year performance is going to look like? ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2023, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-real-bud-light-problem-that-the-right-is-now-insulted-because-they-have-been-identified-as-having-the-gay/986372/70 "2023-07-02T20:07:29Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > if we’re talking about real people who accept a job that involves _making marketing decisions based on this real-world situation,_ then what decisions are they to make? And that’s my original point. The bigots have made it so that you _have to_ consider this, if you’re in marketing. Every brand out there is making a cost-benefit calculation over including representations from minority groups. And when push comes to shove, white heterosexuals still outnumber any one minority group, and probably has more money than them, as well. That’s what I meant by “weaponizing capitalism”. Very few companies will willingly take a hit to their bottom line, and so they “quiet quit” supporting inclusiveness. And the bigots win. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2023, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-real-bud-light-problem-that-the-right-is-now-insulted-because-they-have-been-identified-as-having-the-gay/986372/71 "2023-07-02T20:10:30Z")
> [@Jimmy\_Chitwood](#): > > Then what, what? What is the relevance of what a marketing executive’s year over year performance is going to look like If the marketing executive is hired to increase profits, and is deciding between a course of action that will increase profits and a course of action that will decrease profits — or, if you prefer, _one they reasonably believe will increase profits, and one they reasonably believe will decrease profits_ — are they, in light of the real-world situation you just mentioned, to choose the former or the latter? ---
**Author:** ![Chingon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chingon/32/17645_2.png) [@Chingon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chingon)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2023, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-real-bud-light-problem-that-the-right-is-now-insulted-because-they-have-been-identified-as-having-the-gay/986372/72 "2023-07-02T20:12:46Z")
This all goes back to the conservative position that the Christian white male is the real American. Any deviation away from that must have an anti Christian white male agenda behind it and therefore should be strongly discouraged. The end goal is a reclaim ultimate superiority in American culture. ---
**Author:** ![Jimmy\_Chitwood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jimmy\_Chitwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jimmy_Chitwood)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2023, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-real-bud-light-problem-that-the-right-is-now-insulted-because-they-have-been-identified-as-having-the-gay/986372/73 "2023-07-02T20:14:08Z")
Yes, I understand the thing you’re talking about. I’m not having difficulty understanding the idea that a boycott reduces corporate profits. If the right wing culture warrior psychos are allowed to merely win, Bud Light won’t lose so much money. The thing that is being missed here is that I don’t care about that question. It’s not important. Bud Light marketing executives are not the important thing here. ---
**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2023, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-real-bud-light-problem-that-the-right-is-now-insulted-because-they-have-been-identified-as-having-the-gay/986372/74 "2023-07-02T20:22:55Z")
It’s not just the marketing folks. Target pulled back over concerns about employee safety, at least publicly. I’m sure they’re not going to announce at CPAC that people should beat up Target employees, but they’re also throwing enough red meat out there that _everyone_ has to react. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2023, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-real-bud-light-problem-that-the-right-is-now-insulted-because-they-have-been-identified-as-having-the-gay/986372/75 "2023-07-02T20:24:36Z")
Yes, it’s absolutely a multi-front war. The bigots have learned that throwing tantrums, both online and in real life, _works_, because no one wants to risk their profits. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2023, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-real-bud-light-problem-that-the-right-is-now-insulted-because-they-have-been-identified-as-having-the-gay/986372/76 "2023-07-02T20:26:39Z")
The reason some things get ‘targeted’ and others don’t is purely because of virality. Activists on both sides are constantly throwing stuff out into the public, hoping to get a major response. The things that go viral are the ones that touch a nerve somewhere. Then you get a freakout. Happens on the left and right, all the time. What can you learn from that? Well, it’s useful to look at why some things go viral and some don’t. And I’m not sure we have the best handle on that. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2023, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-real-bud-light-problem-that-the-right-is-now-insulted-because-they-have-been-identified-as-having-the-gay/986372/77 "2023-07-02T20:30:47Z")
One can of beer, one can, made up for Dylan Mulvaney, and used by him in a TikTok short video, cost the Bud Lite brand aprox. 25 billion dollars, so far. One can, not even used in any sort of promotional ad. They should have just laughed it off. Like this. [Bud Light Rejected My Advertisement…(PARODY) - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpFZiwn-Ltg&t=2s) ---
**Author:** ![Jimmy\_Chitwood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jimmy\_Chitwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jimmy_Chitwood)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2023, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-real-bud-light-problem-that-the-right-is-now-insulted-because-they-have-been-identified-as-having-the-gay/986372/78 "2023-07-02T20:36:08Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > Well, it’s useful to look at why some things go viral and some don’t. And I’m not sure we have the best handle on that. I put it to you again that the hundreds of millions of dollars of political money being channeled to lunatics like the Daily Wire and Moms for Liberty who are churning out insane content 24/7 to prey on bigots is a rather easily grasped handle, especially when they tell you beforehand what they’re going to do. ---
**Author:** ![Chingon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chingon/32/17645_2.png) [@Chingon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chingon)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2023, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-real-bud-light-problem-that-the-right-is-now-insulted-because-they-have-been-identified-as-having-the-gay/986372/79 "2023-07-02T20:36:10Z")
I mean they wanted to send a message. The whole point is not to laugh it off. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2023, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-real-bud-light-problem-that-the-right-is-now-insulted-because-they-have-been-identified-as-having-the-gay/986372/80 "2023-07-02T20:47:51Z")
Who wanted to make a point and send a message? Not Budweiser. Billions and billions of dollars lost is not an effective plan for promoting your product sales. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-real-bud-light-problem-that-the-right-is-now-insulted-because-they-have-been-identified-as-having-the-gay/986372.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-real-bud-light-problem-that-the-right-is-now-insulted-because-they-have-been-identified-as-having-the-gay/986372.md?page=5)