Wake up and smell the hops, Budweiser: ‘no’ does not mean ‘up for whatever’

Beer company seem to be promoting rape culture.

By Raif Karerat

WASHINGTON, DC: Budweiser has courted a storm of social media condemnation after a Reddit user posted a photo of a Bud Light bottle with a tagline that read, “The perfect beer for removing ‘no’ from your vocabulary for the night #UpForWhatever.”

Many are castigating the company for using a slogan that promotes rape culture.

The controversy has even reached the upper echelons of American politics, with Congresswoman Nita Lowey of New York weighing in on Twitter: “[Retweet] if you agree @budlight #UpForWhatever campaign should promote responsible – not reckless – drinking. #NoMeansNo.”

At least half of sexual assaults involve the consumption of alcohol by either the perpetrator, victim, or both, according to the National Institutes of Health.

“That makes alcohol, by far, the most common date-rape drug,” blogged the Washington Post.

In an emailed statement Alexander Lambrecht, Vice-President for Bud Light of Anheuser-Busch, said, “It’s clear that this message missed the mark, and we regret it. We would never condone disrespectful or irresponsible behavior.”

The #UpForWhatever campaign has attracted the wrong kind of publicity for Budweiser and Anheuser-Busch once before when the brand sent out a tweet letting followers know that you can “pinch people who aren’t #UpForWhatever,” according to the Washington Post.

Regardless of Budweiser’s retrospective “regret,” it seem preposterous that an advertising campaign would be allowed to perpetuate the same notion of dangerous aloofness a second time around.

At this point, Budweiser is very much a repeat offender, and the macro-beer company should realize that the court of public opinion has said no to their nonsense once already — twice is an instance too many.