Brickbat: A Whiter Shade of Pale

Maryland Zoo

In Canada, Earl's Restaurants has agreed to drop its Albino Rhino brand beer following a complaint to the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal. The brand name is a reference to the white rhinoceros. But Ikponwosa Ero, an immigrant from Nigeria who suffers from albinism, filed a complaint saying the name discriminates against albinos.

Comments

[Francisco d Anconia]

Just. Fucking. Stop.

[Live Free or Diet]

I think he should be much more offended by Clown Poison.

[GroverinCA]

I'm trying to figure out how a name of a beer discriminated against the idiot, but my brain just ends up hurting.

[WTF]

Because if the 'victim' feels that they've been discriminated against, then they have. Objective reality has nothing to do with it.

[Floridian]

I tought everyone choose mascots they personally hate to be the face of their product. That's why I fly a flag with a hipster drinking fair trade sustainable coffee at an occupy protest at my house.

[GroverinCA]

You one-upped me. My flag is merely of a hipster being dunked into a pot of boiling rhino horn oil.

[some guy]

I think the brewery should now file a complaint against Ikponwosa Ero saying they were offended by the fact that he thought they were being offensive.

[Res Publica Americana]

What a self-entitled little shit. The brewer should have just told him where to shove it. Seriously. How much more ridiculous can this politically correct horseshit become?

And does the BCHRT actually have the power to compel the brewer to change the beer's name?

[nrob]

The human right's boards are the biggest jokes Canada has to offer. Reason could have an entire Brickbat section outlining its historical f***ups.

[Ted S.]

They're also sending the message that if you don't like something, it's OK to use the power of the state to bully others into acting in a way you like.

[Bardas Phocas]

Well duh.
Bulling and free shit are the State's most chief weapon ... it's two weapons are fear and fee shit and ruthless efficiency.

[Brian D]

I'd propose just changing the name of the beer to the Preposterous Rhinoceros, but that would apparently discriminate against idiots.

[some guy]

Also rhinos. From now on all beers must be named something like "beer recipe number 34".

[Rebekah]

I knew albinism caused a lack of melanin. I didn't know it also caused the sufferer's skin to only grow a single dermal layer thick - and the even more dire affliction of taking oneself far, far too seriously.

The More You Know
??????????

[Fist of Etiquette]

Having super thin skin is a real medical condition. All you people making fun of this should be prosecuted.

[Ted S.]

Fisty is just pissed that he wasn't first.

[nrob]

I had no idea rhinoceros was synonymous with Nigerian.

[Ted S.]

I get 419 emails from rhinoceroses all the time.

[RBS]

It did not occur to us that the name would be associated with albinism, neither did it occur to us it would offend. We have learned from participating in the human rights complaint process, however, that many persons with albinism are genuinely offended and feel that their dignity is negatively impacted by the use of the word 'albino' in our marketing

[RBS]

Also, the immigrant in question is 31 and Earl's has been using the name for 25 years.

[RBS]

Ero called Earls' decision "responsible" and said she has formally withdrawn her complaint.

[RBS]

Extortion FTW!

[JohnD]

How can they have any dignity? They look funny.

[SugarFree]

Go forth, vile brewer, and rhyme no longer!

[Heroic Mulatto]

Why didn't you mention the other albino in the lawsuit?

[PS]

From their own website listing the complaint

"Below is a statement by Ikponwosa Ero, the representative complainant in the human rights complaint against Earl's Restaurants"

[Acosmist]

This week on "Not From The Onion"...

[DJF]

This is why the Onion is going to go out of business, they won't be able to match the increasing craziness of reality.

[Suthenboy]

This is not about being offended or having thin skin. This is over the line into wacko territory.

If someone voiced this complaint to me I would probably respond with "Take your meds, it will be ok."

[Scruffy Nerfherder]

I have no words for this, primarily because they may offend someone. Was someone offended by my comment? Please let me know via your bureaucrat of choice

[Rich]

I was offended by STEVE SMITH's lack of a comment. I believe that offense falls under the purview of the Commerce Clause.

[Ted S.]

Feel free to offend Warty.

[Rich]

"Words cannot express what it means," Ero said of Earls' decision Friday.

Exactly. The stupidity is beyond human ability to portray.

Earl's should have changed the name to "Dignity-Vindicating Albino Rhino." 8-(

[Ted S.]

Extortionary Human Rights Tribunal Wednesdays. Discounts to anybody wearing a T-shirt saying that the HRTs are evil.

[some guy]

These would be proper responses in a sane world. Also, Earl's next beer should be named "Nigerian's Lament".

[sarcasmic]

This just goes to show that there is no such thing as peak derp.

[robc]

Hmmmm.....this gives me an idea. To celebrate the inbred residents of the UofLouisville campus, maybe I should brew an Albino Squirrel.

[robc]

Apparently the University calls them "White Squirrels", but whatever.

[Ted S.]

White squirrels = Caucasian squirrels.
Gray squirrels = Mulatto squirrels.
Red squirrels = Native American squirrels.

I don't know about the Reason server squirrels. Those<?i are the real freaks.

[some guy]

Black squirrels = Black squirrels?

Server squirrels aren't really squirrels. That's simply the demons' manifestation in our 4D universe.

[KDN]

Those<?i are the real freaks.

I'm sure this tag was closed correctly on Submit. Those rodents become more dastardly by the day!

[sarcasmic]

Flying squirrels.

[BigT]

There go Black Label, Newcastle Brown Ale, and Whitbier.

[Rich]

Not to mention "Pink Squirrels".

[SugarFree]

HonkieBrau!

[some guy]

Hell, there go half the micro brews on the market.

[BakedPenguin]

But what about the Albino Wino?

[Ornithorhynchus]

It's hard to tell from this angle, but the picture looks like black rhinos to me. The main difference is the shape of the mouths.

[Brandybuck]

A little shit like this once threatened to sue me for not having vegetarian pizza. I was working in a pizza-by-the-slice joint in college, where we had pepperoni or cheese pizza by the slice ready to go. Or you could order anything else by the slice, we just had to cook it first. That wasn't good enough for this jerk. Apparently cheese pizza wasn't vegetarian enough, he wanted actual vegetables on top of the cheese. He was a law student too, and let us know that repeatedly.

This was thirty years ago, so both the manager and I laughed in his face. Today we would probably be given ten years hard labor at a sensitivity camp.