Politics and music stars wouldn’t normally factor into my beer choices, but when’s the last time things were normal? 1998?
Bud Light, as you probably know, is on the conservatives’ hit list because it partnered with a transgender TikTok star, “transgender” being the triggering offense.
As part of the predictable backlash, Travis Tritt announced the beer – and all other products from its maker, Anheuser-Busch – would no longer be among his requested beverages on tour. And Kid Rock and John Rich said the stuff was beer non grata in their bars.
Which, had they not announced it, I would never have known, since the chance of me patronizing their bars is exactly zero.
Garth Brooks has since entered the controversy, announcing he will definitely sell Bud Light at his soon-to-open Friends in Low Places Bar & Honky Tonk.
“Our thing is this, if you [are let] into this house, love one another,” he says. “If you’re an a**hole, there are plenty of other places on Lower Broadway.”
Like, for example, Kid Rock’s and John Rich’s joints. Which Garth did not mention, but …
My personal position on Bud Light has undergone no change. I do not consume it at home, as a rule, nor is it my go-to brew to accompany a meal out.
But when a pool table, a baseball game or a bar stool is providing the setting for sustained imbibing, my friend Ed and I have long settled on Bud Light as a prudent choice, owing to its lower alcohol content and inoffensive taste.
On those occasions, I am in accord with the late foodie sage Anthony Bourdain: “My favorite beer is a cold beer, served quickly with minimum fuss.”
As proof of this, I can point you to the good folks at the stadium bar along the third base line at First Horizon Park, who have been serving up reliably cold Bud Lights with minimum fuss to Ed and me for several seasons of Sounds games. Only recently has that exchange taken on larger cultural considerations.
About which, this: I’m more than happy to align with Garth and love rather than Travis, Kid and John. In addition to Garth’s occupying of the moral high ground, he’s also possessed of far more musical talent. And, I would suggest, class.
Bud Light is not the only object of ire for the easily offended right of late. Target is on the block, as well, for selling rainbow-themed goods this June in celebration of Pride Month. And Chick-fil-A has come under fire for its diversity initiatives, earning it a “woke” rating that the right so despises.
I’m very pleased to continue shopping at Target, wishing only that the nearest store could be closer to my house. Chick-fil-A poses a bit of a conundrum, though: It’s long been a favorite of the right for its founder’s evangelical Christian stances and anti-gay sentiments, and I’ve taken quiet pleasure in simply ignoring it as a crispy chicken option.
Now I almost feel obliged to buy sacks of their sandwiches and give them away to strangers.
Granted, it can be hard to keep up with who or what right-wingers are taking issue with at any given time. Luckily for me, thealmightyguru.com has an alphabetical list of what they have sought to cancel, from A: Amazon, because its founder also owns The Washington Post, which has been critical of the right’s cult figure of worship, Donald Trump, to Y: Yoga, because right-wing Christians believe it is a teaching tool – groomer? – for Hinduism.
Apparently, the right has been unable to find anything to hate that starts with a Z.
Some believe that boycotts do not go far enough. Consider this recent commentary from a fellow named S.A. McCarthy in the right-wing Tennessee Star:
“There is no reasoning with such a beast – there is only war,” he wrote of the left. “Mock, ridicule, and shame those who continue giving their money to Target. End friendships over this. Be that one crazy mom or dad bold enough to stand outside Target with signs saying, ‘Don’t buy from groomers,’ or, ‘Don’t support child sex abuse.’”
All of which makes me want to drive to Target, buy a case of Bud Light, take it home and drink every last drop.
Joe Rogers is a former writer for The Tennessean and editor for The New York Times. He is retired and living in Nashville.