# 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:** 8
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2023, 5:40pm 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/986372/141 "2023-07-04T17:40:40Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > The first boycott of Gillette had nothing to do with any other group: it was just Gillette taking a swipe at men to please left wing feminist groups in the ‘me too’ era. They never expected Republicans to react like they’d touched a live wire, but they did. Gillette lost billions, and their market share has never recovered. The loss of market share that you claim does seem to be in question, this link goes into the affects 3 years later > **[Procter & Gamble: Three Years After Gillette’s “We Believe”](https://pguru12.medium.com/procter-gamble-three-year-after-gillettes-we-believe-ffa9c82d9772)** > > Torches were lit. Pitchforks were thrown. Minds were lost. And basically states things like they are glad the made that ad, then did not apologize for it, and it is questionable if they actually lost any money because of it, as they have an array of products including for women who may have bought more because of it. > [@Miller](#): > > No, this is entirely about conservatives bone-deep hatred of queer people. There’s no excuse or justification for this. They aren’t doing this because they’re “attacked.” I have to agree with this. And combined with Gillette, I think both unquestionably hit a nerve, it called a spotlight to issues that many on the right don’t want to acknowledge, and are guilty of being on the wrong side on. I think thats why they are not getting apologies. ---
**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 4, 2023, 5:46pm 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/986372/142 "2023-07-04T17:46:28Z")
I don’t think you guys appreciate the horror of having to see a Black mermaid, an interracial couple eating cereal with their kids, or that LGBTQ people exist in the same marketplace as straight white men. Those boycotting are basically the same as Rosa Parks. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2023, 5:57pm 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/986372/143 "2023-07-04T17:57:22Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > But forcing people to take DEI classes and sign DEI statements as a condition of employment certainly is, and people on the right see it all as part of the same big push by the left to subsume American life into the progressive world view. Nope, it is to avoid a big lawsuit when a bigoted employee thinks that they speak for the whole company when they do a bigoted thing that they mistakenly thought it was still ok to do to a minority. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2023, 6:01pm 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/986372/144 "2023-07-04T18:01:32Z")
If drag queens put out a few influencer commercials online supporting Smith And Wesson firearms, how would the Right react? ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2023, 6:21pm 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/986372/145 "2023-07-04T18:21:04Z")
> [@Chingon](#): > > I don’t think you guys appreciate the horror of having to see a Black mermaid, Did the black mermaid cause anything like the outrage and effect of Bud Light? I’ve heard some of it, but nothing that is to the extent of Bud? ---
**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 4, 2023, 6:27pm 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/986372/146 "2023-07-04T18:27:17Z")
They’d buy Glocks and Rugers. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2023, 6:28pm 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/986372/147 "2023-07-04T18:28:35Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > This is an example of “go woke, go broke” where business decisions are being made because they fit some Liberal agenda, not because they are good business decisions. > [@msmith537](#): > > Therefore, I don’t think they are messaging these things because it is right or just, it’s to manipulate people into buying beer or razors or whatever. Which one is it then? Are they pushing a liberal agenda or just trying to sell more beer? Or both? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2023, 6:32pm 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/986372/148 "2023-07-04T18:32:06Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > They’d buy Glocks and Rugers. They actually hate _that_ much? ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2023, 6:35pm 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/986372/149 "2023-07-04T18:35:55Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > That’s a reason to object to every ad and every advertising outreach by a big corporation ever (and probably by the small ones, also). Why pick specifically on this one? Why not be furious at them for doing a Fourth of July ad, and trying to co-opt patriotism in order to sell beer? Or for showing an apparently straight white family drinking beer at their reunion or picnic, and therefore trying to co-opt family ties in order to sell beer? I suppose the reason is that these things aren’t controversial with Bud Light’s target demographic. Bottom line is Bud Light’s customers weren’t ready yet to embrace “the gay”. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2023, 6:40pm 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/986372/150 "2023-07-04T18:40:02Z")
Don’t even try to imply that this was some grass roots movement from Bud drinkers. 🙄 ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2023, 6:48pm 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/986372/151 "2023-07-04T18:48:10Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > Let’s be clear. Budweiser made it political by creating a marketing campaign targeted towards a group that represents a [fraction of a percent of the population](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5227946/) and maybe a broader sympathetic audience who do not share cultural values with Budweiser’s core customer base. > > This is an example of “go woke, go broke” where business decisions are being made because they fit some Liberal agenda, not because they are good business decisions. I don’t need a focus group to tell me that the average Bud Light drinker probably won’t respond well to transgender imagery. This “marketing campaign” consisted of creating exactly one can with a trans persons face on it, which was shown exclusively on that trans person YouTube channel. None of the people protesting Bud Light would ever have seen this can, if it hadn’t been seized on by right wing cultural warriors looking for another club to attack queer people with. Bud Light didn’t stop advertising to their “normal demographic.” They didn’t change their marketing to that demographic one bit. Nobody was being forced to drink Bud out of rainbow cans. Nobody was being forced to see ads featuring Dylan Mulvaney’s face. This “marketing campaign” wasn’t about following any agenda other than, “find more markets to sell our beer.” It had zero effect on any of the people engaging in this boycott, it took nothing from them, it changed nothing in their lives. They are, very literally, just angry that trans people exist. That’s it. That’s all there is to this. > [@msmith537](#): > > I don’t want big corporations telling me what to do because I know on some level everything they do is designed to generate more profit. Therefore, I don’t think they are messaging these things because it is right or just, it’s to manipulate people into buying beer or razors or whatever. Well, there’s the insight of the century for you. Do you also have a sneaking suspicion that the Pope might be Catholic? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2023, 6:54pm 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/986372/152 "2023-07-04T18:54:30Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > Do you also have a sneaking suspicion that the Pope might be Catholic? Give me a break! Next thing you’ll be telling us is that bears shit in the woods. ---
**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 4, 2023, 7:04pm 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/986372/153 "2023-07-04T19:04:49Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > This “marketing campaign” consisted of creating exactly one can with a trans persons face on it, which was shown exclusively on that trans person YouTube channel. None of the people protesting Bud Light would ever have seen this can, if it hadn’t been seized on by right wing cultural warriors looking for another club to attack queer people with. Sending promotional goods to influencers so they will talk about it IS a marketing campaign. They do it so the influencer will talk up the product to all of their followers, which in Mulvaney’s case is over 10 million people. That’s 20 times the reach of CNN. And in fact it was going to be a much bigger campaign: > [@](#): > > Anheuser-Busch partnered with Mulvaney to boost their “Easy Carry Contest,” offering customers a chance at $15,000 for uploading videos of them carrying as many cans of beer as possible. To promote the contest, Mulvaney uploaded a [sponsored video](https://www.instagram.com/p/CqgTftujqZc) in which she appears in an Audrey Hepburn getup and goofs on March Madness; meanwhile, the company will release a special line of Pride-themed cans with various pronouns. > **[The Dylan Mulvaney and Bud Light Fiasco: Everything You Need to Know](https://www.them.us/story/dylan-mulvaney-bud-light-drama-explained)** > > Who knew that TikTok star Dylan Mulvaney and beer could ignite an internet firestorm? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2023, 7:10pm 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/986372/154 "2023-07-04T19:10:29Z")
So this was part of an ongoing harassment campaign, and not a reaction from Bud drinkers? From your link: “As Mulvaney’s social media star rose, the brand endorsements began rolling in; she has since worked with brands including Ulta Beauty, Instacart, and Kate Spade. But wherever Mulvaney goes, right-wingers follow to harass her, [mock her transition](https://www.them.us/story/dylan-mulvaney-transphobic-troll-tik-tok), and yell at whoever offers her support or sponsorships. In October last year, after Mulvaney interviewed President Biden for the online news publication _NowThis_ , Congressional Republicans including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (of course) and Sen. Marsha Blackburn singled Mulvaney out for transphobic harassment on a national scale, calling her a “fake woman” and labeling her gender expression as “absurdity.” Conservatives even jumped down her throat for [carrying tampons in her purse](https://www.them.us/story/dylan-mulvaney-tampons) in case someone else needed them.” ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2023, 7:13pm 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/986372/155 "2023-07-04T19:13:43Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > Let’s be clear. Budweiser made it political by creating a marketing campaign targeted towards a group that represents a [fraction of a percent of the population](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5227946/) and maybe a broader sympathetic audience who do not share cultural values with Budweiser’s core customer base. > > This is an example of “go woke, go broke” where business decisions are being made because they fit some Liberal agenda, not because they are good business decisions. I don’t need a focus group to tell me that the average Bud Light drinker probably won’t respond well to transgender imagery. This is just not true. They didn’t make a new marketing campaign, as others pointed out. It was just reaching out to a specific streamer. But let’s say they did. Appealing to trans people is not appealing to a tiny demographic. As I already pointed out, **75% of straight people** support marketing products to LGBT people. That’s a strong majority, even without taking the 10% or so of LGBT people into account. “Go woke, go broke” is not actually true. It’s a bit of rhetoric created by the right to try and manifest their desires into reality. They cherry pick the examples where an attempt to appeal to certain demographics backfire, but ignore the overall trend. The overall trend is clearly to go “woke.” Heck, it’s the only reason rainbow capitalism even exists. Corporations only respond to pride month because it make them money. Disney didn’t dare go against DeSantis for altruistic reasons. “Go woke, go broke” is just another part of the right wing culture war, the war they started because they are losing ground. The demographics are against the bigots. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2023, 7:14pm 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/986372/156 "2023-07-04T19:14:50Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > Sending promotional goods to influencers so they will talk about it IS a marketing campaign. They do it so the influencer will talk up the product to all of their followers, which in Mulvaney’s case is over 10 million people. That’s 20 times the reach of CNN. Yeah, 10 million people who voluntarily subscribe to her channel. The point, obviously, is that nobody was going to have to see a trans person shilling beer unless they were already a part of her viewing base. They weren’t stocking cans with her face in the Piggly-Wiggly. They weren’t running ads featuring her during the Super Bowl. None of the people involved in this boycott would ever have known this “marketing campaign” existed if they hadn’t been told about it and instructed to direct their hatred at it. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2023, 7:16pm 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/986372/157 "2023-07-04T19:16:01Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > I suppose the reason is that these things aren’t controversial with Bud Light’s target demographic. > > Bottom line is Bud Light’s customers weren’t ready yet to embrace “the gay”. That’s very likely the overall reason for this fuss, yes – that, and the people who funded this trying to manipulate political opinion by getting potential voters worked up about it. That wasn’t the reason you gave for making the post I was replying to, however; so I was wondering whether you had a different sort of answer to my question. Are you saying that the reason you, yourself, object to the TikTok outreach is because it involves someone trans? ---
**Author:** ![SuntanLotion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suntanlotion/32/16165_2.png) [@SuntanLotion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuntanLotion)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2023, 7:23pm 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/986372/158 "2023-07-04T19:23:17Z")
Do catholics shit in the woods?( hoping thats humor appropriate) ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2023, 9:11pm 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/986372/159 "2023-07-04T21:11:14Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > which was shown exclusively on that trans person YouTube channel Instagram, actually. I said TikTok upthread, but was mistaken. But yes, a 48 second video that was never seen outside this woman’s followers. I doubt anyone on the right has even seen it, they just know to be angry because a trans woman exists. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2023, 3:17am 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/986372/160 "2023-07-05T03:17:37Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > > [@msmith537](#): > > > > I suppose the reason is that these things aren’t controversial with Bud Light’s target demographic. > > > > Bottom line is Bud Light’s customers weren’t ready yet to embrace “the gay”. > > That’s very likely the overall reason for this fuss, yes – that, and the people who funded this trying to manipulate political opinion by getting potential voters worked up about it. > > That wasn’t the reason you gave for making the post I was replying to, however; so I was wondering whether you had a different sort of answer to my question. Are you saying that the reason you, yourself, object to the TikTok outreach is because it involves someone trans? I personally am indifferent. As I said, marketing isn’t my area of expertise. But I do occasionally follow a college buddy who is an expert in social medial and disruptive marketing. You know - TikTok videos and influencers and all that shit. I also get to listen to the incoherent racist rantings of some of my wife’s right wing relatives and posts of some of more douchey Wall Street tech-bro friends. But as I understand it, that’s how it works when something “goes viral”. This isn’t even “going viral”, this is “the news”. All you have to do is start telling a bunch of racist, close-minded people that the are putting transvestites on the can of their favorite beer and watch them lose their mind. Heck, I almost told my wife’s aunt the “summer shandy” I was drinking was Budweiser’s new brand of gender-fluid beer just to incite a rise out of her. [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=7) [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=9)