Limbaugh on Ice
Snapple iced tea; Snapple Beverage Corp.
No, there never really was a Snapple boycott. After a brief scare in 1992, the company quelled false rumors that it was giving money to anti-abortion groups like Operation Rescue, as well as the Ku Klux Klan and anti-gay groups. Not true. But Snapple did advertise for years on Rush Limbaugh’s radio show, only dropping the bloated bigot when staid Quaker Oats Co. bought the beverage company. Quaker also canned Howard Stern, an early Snapple pitchman. Now that Quaker has sold Snapple to Triarc Cos., Limbaugh and Stern remain “on hold,” according to published reports.
Just Not Cool
Arizona iced tea; G. Heileman Brewing Co. and Hornell Brewing Co.
The two companies distribute a 40-ounce malt liquor called Crazy Horse, which critics say disgraces the memory of the legendary Oglala Sioux chief and spiritual leader. When the brew hit the market in 1992 with the image of a Native American on the bottle, American Indian leaders were irate. Congress even passed a law against it (which was overturned in 1993), and several states including Minnesota and South Dakota banned the sale of the malt liquor. In 1995 a coalition of activists called the Crazy Horse Defense Project organized a boycott of the two companies; meanwhile, the Crazy Horse family is seeking a share of the profits (suing for $100 million) to restore the honor and defamed name of the great warrior.
A Friendly Frosty?
Labor Day weekend is just around the corner, and you’ve got company. Your choices: Coors, Budweiser, or Kirin. Which beer will set well on your palate and your conscience?
