Take Pride In Your Beer

Today, I posted an obviously unwelcome and conflict-inspiring comment on my Facebook page about the recent Ad Campaign by the Company which brews Samuel Adams Beer. It can be seen on the following Front Page of their Website:

Take Pride In Your Beer

Now, I am a believer in Free Speech and Free Enterprise as much as the next guy . . . actually, I am not . . . just pretend that I am, however, so I can make my convoluted point. But, after the responses I got to my criticisms of the Ad Campaign, I thought I should go a little further and anger a few more people by expanding them.

While I realize that I run the risk of my opinion getting me sued by Samuel Adams' Lawyers, I feel the overwhelming need to say something in rebuttal to this Ad Campaign. And, for those of you who consider Beer to be "Sacred," I honestly question both your priorities, and your sanity. And for the record, this is all just one very very poor person's opinion:

Samuel Adams Beer has produced a Commercial suggesting that individual consumers should "Take Pride in your Beer." It should be noted that, in my opinion, Samuel Adams makes a fairly good Beer, as Beers go. However, there is something quite disturbing in the Idea that ANYONE would consider the consumption of Beer, let alone a specific brand of Beer, to be something that one should express Pride in.

Our Society allows such surreal nonsense to be used in advertising on a regular basis, but we have no public discussion on the possible implications such language carries. Without going into the Citizens United Supreme Court Opinion, and my anti-elitist mentality, I will say that there are few legal restraints on what Advertisers can and cannot say. However, at best, Beer is a more mild Intoxicant, containing lots of calories with ZERO NUTRITIONAL VALUE. At worst, it is an Intoxicant, causing people to lose control of their faculties when it is over-consumed. While most Beers are not teeming with the grossest of ingredients, I doubt that anyone would assert that Beer is any sort of "Health Food."

Though Beer drinking is ancient, and innocuous enough as a practice, elevating it to something that people should be "Proud of," is kind of a slap in the face to Abject Reality. For all those who have actually accomplished extraordinary feats and created gifts to Humanity that we all feel pride in remembering, putting a Beer in the Museum next to them seems a bit vulgar. For example, Jonas Salk, the Developer of the Vaccine that eradicated Polio in the World, probably should not be compared to Jim Koch, the Founder and Chief Brewer of the Boston Beer Company in terms of relative achievements. And, with all deference to Mr. Koch as well, nobody should really be as excited about Beer as Jim Koch claims to be. We used to call people like that "Alcoholics." I guess we just call them "Entrepreneurs" anymore. I know I will be hated by some for saying this too, but it needed to be said.

From the responses I got on Facebook, I see that many people do not fully understand what the implications of are of this Ad Campaign. They see Beer as something that is simply consumed for pleasure, and something of a standard of Americana, related to our History and Social Structure. So, allow me to post a couple of pictures that show more accurately what there is to "take Pride in":

Here is a really uplifting report from the Centers for Disease Control on Obesity and Obesity related Deaths:

CDC Report on Obesity (PDF Format)

And here are some real Prideful Statistics on Drunk Driving:

Drunk Driving Statistics

Hopefully, I have offended the largest possible Beer Drinking and Beer Producing groups by now. If you are one of those offended, please understand that I am not indicting the idea of drinking Beer at all. I am simply suggesting that asinine Ad Campaigns like the "Take Pride In Your Beer" are just another part of the mindless orgy of Product Endorsements that sell dangerous lifestyles over actual quality products.

I should confess here that I do not consume Alcohol anymore. After suffering from the ravages of Alcoholism for many many many years of my Life, I gave it up years ago. However, I did have the pleasure of tasting Samuel Adams Beers before completely engaging in a personal prohibition on its consumption. It is an excellent tasting Beer, and I take no issue with the quality of the product at all. However, I would suggest that their Ad Managers might be consuming a little too much of their product, and should probably consider thinking a bit more about a socially responsible alternative to suggesting that people be proud of consuming Alcohol.

Just one Zen Ape's opinion!

Jeffrey