Ice Cream and Idiots
Last night my wife, a.k.a. Cranky's Wife, wanted some Ben & Jerry's Rocky Road ice cream. There is a Ben & Jerry's in our suburb so we drove there after dinner. It was closed. And not just closed for the night, gone. (We've gone out to dinner more than once only to find the restaurant is suddenly out of business.) Around the corner Baskin-Robbins 31 Flavors closed months ago and the only other ice cream shop, Cold Stone Creamery was closed, I'm assuming just for the night. After Cranky's Wife told me "they don't sell Ben & Jerry's Rocky Road in the grocery store" she settled for some other Ben & Jerry's store bought selection. Chunky Monkey? Cherry Garcia? Mofo Tofu? No idea. I didn't really pay attention at that point.
Whatever she ended up getting it wasn't a political faux pas like one of the new flavors from Ben & Jerry's. The company has apologized for calling a new flavor "Black & Tan" -- the nickname of a notoriously violent British militia that operated during Ireland's war of independence. The Black and Tans, so-called because of their two-tone uniforms, were recruited in the early 1920s to bolster the ranks of the police force in Ireland as anti-British sentiment grew. They quickly gained a reputation for brutality and mention of the militia still arouses strong feelings in Ireland.
The ice cream, available only in the United States, is based on an ale and stout drink of the same name. "Any reference on our part to the British Army unit was absolutely unintentional and no ill-will was ever intended," said a Ben & Jerry's spokesman. "Ben & Jerry's was built on the philosophies of peace and love," he added. When asked about rumors of a new flavor thought to be called Al Qaeda Gelaeda the spokesman had no comment.
I wonder if the genius who didn't do basic research on the name of "Black & Tan" was the same idiot who, when introducing the national anthem of China on the lawn of the White House for the China's visiting President Hu Jintao announced, "Ladies and gentlemen, the national anthem of the Republic of China." Of course, China is called the People's Republic of China. Taiwan is called the Republic of China. Bet when W goes to Beijing they announce the national anthem for the Confederate States of Americas.
With all these idiots running things is there little wonder my wife can't get a scoop of ice cream on a Sunday night?
Whatever she ended up getting it wasn't a political faux pas like one of the new flavors from Ben & Jerry's. The company has apologized for calling a new flavor "Black & Tan" -- the nickname of a notoriously violent British militia that operated during Ireland's war of independence. The Black and Tans, so-called because of their two-tone uniforms, were recruited in the early 1920s to bolster the ranks of the police force in Ireland as anti-British sentiment grew. They quickly gained a reputation for brutality and mention of the militia still arouses strong feelings in Ireland.
The ice cream, available only in the United States, is based on an ale and stout drink of the same name. "Any reference on our part to the British Army unit was absolutely unintentional and no ill-will was ever intended," said a Ben & Jerry's spokesman. "Ben & Jerry's was built on the philosophies of peace and love," he added. When asked about rumors of a new flavor thought to be called Al Qaeda Gelaeda the spokesman had no comment.
I wonder if the genius who didn't do basic research on the name of "Black & Tan" was the same idiot who, when introducing the national anthem of China on the lawn of the White House for the China's visiting President Hu Jintao announced, "Ladies and gentlemen, the national anthem of the Republic of China." Of course, China is called the People's Republic of China. Taiwan is called the Republic of China. Bet when W goes to Beijing they announce the national anthem for the Confederate States of Americas.
With all these idiots running things is there little wonder my wife can't get a scoop of ice cream on a Sunday night?
posted by Crankyboy at 10:43 AM
3 Comments:
Ah - the ignorance of ad men.
You probably don't remember the Camel cigarette "Young Turk" ads that had the Armenians in an uproar, or the "Rich fulsome aroma" coffee ads that had me in stitches or the Chevrolet Nova ads that were so funny to spanish speakers (no va = no go)
Remember Sambo's restaurants? What were these people thinking?
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I bought Edy's Grand Rocky Road - which was OK but not as good as Ben & Jerry's. I also bought Ben & Jerry's "The Gobfather" - which they call "the flavor you can't refuse." It's yummy. So what if the mafia are a bunch of murderers.....
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