Beer Drinkers Everywhere Torch ‘Pathetic’ Anheuser-Busch Statement: ‘Literally Multiple Paragraphs of NOTHING’
In response to a transphobic uproar by conservatives over a Bud Light ad campaign with trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney earlier this month, Anheuser-Busch CEO Brendan Whitworth released a statement on Friday that attempted to calm things down a bit.
But Whitworth’s statement, released via the company’s twitter account, contained no specific acknowledgement of the uproar, and expressed no position one way or the other on the complaints right wingers had about the campaign, or the issues of trans rights and bigotry against the LGBTQ community. It did however contain vague paeans to national unity and public service — and a sentimental tribute to the uniting power of the company’s libations.
“We never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people. We are in the business of bringing people together over a beer,” Whitworth said in part.
Well, he succeeded in that goal — albeit not in the way he planned. People on both sides of the political divide did indeed come together, but only to criticize the statement. Conservatives remained outraged that the company didn’t apologize. Supporters of trans rights called out Anheuser-Busch for appearing to distance itself from the LGBTQ community it courted with the original campaign. And pretty much everyone made fun of the statement’s neutrality, as well as what many, many, many of them dismissed as substance-free “word salad.”
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“Pathetic statement from @AnheuserBusch CEO,” Democratic commentator Kaivan Schroff wrote. “To be clear they sent a trans influencer personalized cans of Budlight. [sic] That’s not “dividing” people. Caving to these hateful bigots is what divides our country. Shame on you, Brendan Whitworth. Epic leadership fail.”
“Referring to specific people’s right to exist as a “discussion that divides people” is fucking reprehensible,” another user said.
“If you didnt already know what this was referring to, you would have no idea what they were talking about. if you DID know what it was referring to, you already had an opinion that wouldn’t be changed by this statement. whats the point,” wrote journalist Libby Watson.
From the Republican side of things, commentator Matt Walsh, who has unsurprisingly been one of the most vocal opponents of the Bud Light campaign, called the statement “just as clumsy and stupid as the marketing stunt that got them into this mess in the first place.”
Another conservative critic wrote, “Damn @AnheuserBusch you must have been drunk when you wrote this apology. You still are clueless and this does NOTHING!”
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You can check out more criticisms of the statement below. Note that we have not included responses that contain transphobic hate speech.
Pathetic statement from @AnheuserBusch CEO.
To be clear they sent a trans influencer personalized cans of Budlight. That’s not “dividing” people. Caving to these hateful bigots is what divides our country.
Shame on you, Brendan Whitworth. Epic leadership fail. pic.twitter.com/Jvi2hHi5c8— Kaivan Shroff (@KaivanShroff) April 14, 2023
Anheuser Busch has finally released a statement, and it’s just as clumsy and stupid as the marketing stunt that got them into this mess in the first place. pic.twitter.com/XUndM2b6qh
— Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) April 14, 2023
Bud light shouldn’t apologize for a sponsored post with a trans individual.
Why don’t we hear about these same homophobic and transphobic assholes losing their mind whenever brands run sponsored advertisements every day with other LGBTQ people all the time? pic.twitter.com/YkrbDmEr9O— David Leavitt (@David_Leavitt) April 14, 2023
Damn @AnheuserBusch you must have been drunk when you wrote this apology. You still are clueless and this does NOTHING! You all must be ran by a bunch of liberals because that’s an indoctrinated reply. We don’t give AF, just make beer and you couldn’t even do that!
—
KC
(@KCPayTreeIt) April 14, 2023
This is not an apology. This is a very well written pile of bullshit.
Anheuser-Busch customers, they are mocking you. pic.twitter.com/Qilbbw7lYD— Gonzalo Lira (@GonzaloLira1968) April 14, 2023
This is NOT an apology, this is @AnheuserBusch trying to weasel out of giving you one. The complete lunacy of the @budlight controversy is a bigger issue than this solves, and we should all #BoycottAnheuserBusch until we get a REAL apology. https://t.co/kAqGgM7PgT
— American Sanity (@sanity_american) April 14, 2023
When companies try to please everyone https://t.co/naGxAa6eVp pic.twitter.com/luOP6Zh9Hk
— Lulu Cheng Meservey (@lulumeservey) April 14, 2023
This is literally multiple paragraphs of NOTHING lmao https://t.co/7XBB9b1nG2
— Hypnotic (@RealHypnotic1) April 14, 2023
trying to find anything meaningful at all in these 500 words https://t.co/Zvu2f6LE4x pic.twitter.com/5CBmSb4v2C
— Anthony Oliveira (@meakoopa) April 14, 2023
Referring to specific people's right to exist as a "discussion that divides people" is fucking reprehensible. https://t.co/fRoAhIK0Ug
— Chris Franklin (@Campster) April 14, 2023
Maybe there really is value to AI because several people in multiple corporate departments had to waste time workshopping this when a computer could've done better in 5 seconds https://t.co/vbIDAou3YT
— Mr. Bedtime (@InternetHippo) April 14, 2023
if you didnt already know what this was referring to, you would have no idea what they were talking about. if you DID know what it was referring to, you already had an opinion that wouldn't be changed by this statement. whats the point https://t.co/sL2uk60F3R
— libby watson (@libbycwatson) April 14, 2023
If they’re going to say nothing, it would have been a hell of a lot less embarrassing to literally say nothing. https://t.co/Xl7O4D2zxX
— @normative@mastodon.social (@normative) April 14, 2023
Word salad. Says absolutely nothing. Doesn’t apologize. Doesn’t placate the crybabies having their stupid little boycotts. Just says, “We’re going to keep doing what we’re doing.” How mad do you think the transphobes are now? https://t.co/2t2HHljde5
— Kateration (@Katerationopia) April 14, 2023
Congrats to Anheuser-Busch for a 6 paragraph nonsensical word salad.
My God, this is pitiful.— Neale (@AbeFroman) April 14, 2023