The Busch Light guy and the Des Moines Register

That was my initial reaction and I think retroactive "cancel culture" has gone way too far to the point of an inquisition.

However, I'm also not likely to ever be the target of the racism/sexism that these old social media posts are almost always about.

Does someone who is in the racial/sexist crosshairs of these old tweets feel like the age of the offender matters? Frankly, their opinion is a lot more important than mine is.

 

Karma ...


This stuff is out of hand.

 

So, how many black people do you figure have signed the Change.org petition demanding the DMR apologize to the guy who says black women look like gorillas?

How much money do you have to raise before it's cool to be a racist asshole?

 

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The guy's a "racist asshole" because of something he posted in social media when he was 15, parroting something he saw on a comedy show on The Comedy Channel? He's the exact same person he was when he was 15? Nobody ever changes? You've never, ever done anything that you looked back on later and regretted?

 

I once again repeat my gratitude that my innermost thoughts and attempts to be "edgy" from 1984 are not permanently recorded somewhere in a public forum that is globally accessible.

 

There are certain times when the "cancel culture" is appropriate. I personally don't think that this is one of those times. I won't speak for all of Black America, but I do think that age and context matter.

If you were to tell me those tweets were off-the-cuff musings that were published a week ago by a 24-year-old Carson King, I would be disgusted. I wouldn't have my pitchfork out, because I honestly have more things to worry about than a potentially racist security guard in Iowa. But whatever fallout happens for the guy, happens for the guy.

But the tweets didn't happen yesterday. Any of us who have children or have covered high school sports in the 2010s should know that kids post some of the dumbest and vile things on social media. That behavior shouldn't be condoned. I also don't believe that it should be used as a character reference a half-decade later (especially if there hasn't been any subsequent and similar behavior). I am willing to believe that the guy who turned a beer plea into a million-dollar fundraiser for a children's hospital has matured and evolved in the six years since those posts.

I'm also willing to buy this story that he was poorly trying to riff off a Comedy Central show. I'm a black man who was in college during the apex of Chappelle's Show. You would not believe how many white college students thought they could quote some of those jokes verbatim just because they were aired on cable TV. Back then, that behavior was worth an eye roll and an occasional "Not cool, dude." But I certainly wouldn't be calling for any of my classmates' heads in 2019 had we been unlucky enough to have had Twitter at the time.

 

The balls on this reporter - and the DM Register - to sniff around and write about these tweets, when the reporter had worse stuff in his more-recent past, is insane. And for the editors to sign off on including that in the story, without doing a full audit themselves of this reporter's social media history or at least making damn sure he (and other staffers) take a good look at their own feeds to double-check, is borderline incomprehensible.

Saw some timeline on Twitter that lends credence to the theory that the reporter found the tweets, then alerted Anheuser-Busch about it, leading them to sever ties with the whole deal. That tells me it's more than a "routine" check, as the DMR insisted.

Can't believe this reporter wasn't vetted as part of the hiring process, either. Can't imagine he keeps his job, and I'm not sure the top editor there should, either.

 

Have I done stupid stuff? Sure.

Have I compared black people to gorillas online and then left it up on my twitter page for years? No.

 

The kid was a teenager. You think he’s the same person today that he was then? You don’t think people change? You’re willing to label someone you’ve never personally met a “racist asshole” because of a social media post from years ago? I suppose it’s your right to feel that way, but that seems like a miserable, miserable way to go through life. Good luck with that.

 

It does. Flies off the shelves in summer.

 

Busch Light seems to be a badge of honor among college students, from my experiences with it. Can't judge too harshly, I was the same way with Milwaukee's Best Light during my college days. $2.99 for a 12-pack was a quick and easy fix.