Discrimination at Coors' core

[kweerwolf]

If you've been watching the NFL lately, I'm sure you've noticed that Coors Light is now its official beer sponsor. But I wonder how many of you realize what else the Coors company sponsors. If Coors Light, Zima, Killian's Irish Red and or Masters Beer are favorites of yours, I would strongly recommend finding new ones. The Coors Company has built an empire by selling relatively cheap beer to the working and middle class, and then using their profits to fund right wing extremist groups, fundamentalists and causes.

In a book called "The Coors Connection," author Russ Bellant provides evidence linking the Coors family to the Ku Klux Klan, the Neo Nazi's and many right wing think tanks. One such think tank is the Heritage foundation, which was founded by Joe Coors in the 1970's, and whose main purpose is to help push the neo conservative agenda into the American mainstream. The Coors family also funds the Free Congress Foundation, which produces materials speaking out against abortion amongst other things. And on top of being anti-Semitic, racist, sexist and anti-union, The Coors Company has a history of discriminating against gay and lesbian employees. I guess you could say that The Coors Company is an equal opportunity discriminator.

Luckily during the 1980's a major nationwide boycott was initiated, sinking profits and forcing the company to change its image. In more recent years, The Coors Company has offered money to minority organizations, and gives marriage benefits to employees in same sex relationships. Today, you could argue that The Coors Company genuinely cares about equality and minorities; however, that argument is thinner than their beer.

<snip>

It's ironic how many advertisements for Coors Light reach out to minorities, gay and lesbian communities and women, even though their money and power is used to bring down those exact people. Their advertising campaigns have been extremely successful because when you hear Coors Light, I'm sure no one thinks of Bill Coors telling a group of African American businessmen that they don't succeed because they "lack the intellectual capacity." And I'm positive no one thinks of Coors using polygraph operators to make sure their employees were not homosexuals (which was stated in sworn testimony before the senate in 1977.) Instead you're probably picturing giant people playing volleyball in the snowcapped Rocky Mountains or hearing the catchy slogan "Tap the Rockies, Coors Light."

http://www.dailycollegian.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2005/09/19/432e07d506052

[whatever4]

1. The kkk?

Well, that just shows how bad it is to be uninformed. Friggin Coors, how can anyone THINK such things anymore, supporting racism. Have to tell my dad about this. I think he'll stop buying it too.

Lordy. Only in America.

[kweerwolf]

3. There's a big difference betwee ...

the KKK and right-wing think tanks. But I wonder where the groups are linked that closely in the book or if that's just in the article.

Also, the article mentions "neoconservative think tanks" like the Heritage Foundation beginning in the 1970s. I know from reading David Brock's "The Republican Noise Machine" that many of the conservative think tanks began during that time, but the neo-con movement is a much later development. ... Again, I don't know if that's an error made by the author of the book or the writer of the article.

[Racenut20]

2. "scab beer"

[zoids]

4. I found this at Snopes...

http://www.snopes.com/business/alliance/coors.asp

[Sandpiper]

5. Snopes really goes out of its way to avoid the real issue

It hardly matters that the money going to far right causes comes from the Coors Foundation rather than the Coors Brewing Company.

The bottom line is, if you buy Coors products, you are helping to enrich the Coors family, who turn around and funnel that money into far right PACs, Think Tanks, etc.

[closeupready]

7. The Coors' Corporation did some gay outreach

several years' back, sending its representatives into the community to work on burnishing its image among gays and lesbians. And some people say that there are openly gay members of the Coors family itself.

So I don't think bashing the whole family is fair.

[mitchtv]

8. Mary Cheney was recently a shill for Coors

If there are any out Coors family members, step foward and denounce the foundation, otherwise shut up and take your medicine you are more than fair game

[closeupready]

11. I disagree.

The Coors have been around a long time, with several generations. By what right do you hold accountable someone gay who is born into the family today for what transpired long ago? Or even, for that matter, what is happening now, if he/she disagrees with it but has a private life in the private sector? Should Ted Kennedy condemn bootlegging, and every subsequent child, grandchild, etc.? If you are calling to the mat (as they say) those members who ARE actively working to restrict the rights of gays and lesbians, that's one thing. But to condemn the entire family, as though it's a monolithic dynasty or something, that's unfair.

The difference with Mary Cheney is that she was held out to the gay community as an out lesbian who would be a kind of gay ombusdwoman between the administration and the gay community if gays would vote for the Bush/Cheney ticket in 2000. That obviously just didn't work.

[DURHAM D]

6. One does not need

to go far back in history to find other reasons to boycott Coors. James Watt - Reagan's Sec. of Interior hated trees and moutains. He was from the Coors corp. and the choice of the Coors family and Reagan appointed him because he owed the Coors family big time. His legacy lives on in Repug administrations that have continued to appointment folks associated with Watt and Coors to guard our environment (not).

I have not consumed any Coors products for almost 30 years. Thank you for your post, it gets harder and harder to convince young people (including gays and lesbians) that they should not support this family, etc.

[Dark]

9. Eh, I drank Coors once. It tasted watered down. Then again, I

hadn't had much experience drinking beer when I was 18

[TaleWgnDg]

10. Thank you, kweerwolf, for this reminder of who and what the Coors Family

.
Thank you, kweerwolf, for this reminder of who and what the Coors Family was and remains . . . a "money laundering" corporation who has contributed millions (billions?) to rightwing extremists that demean, divide, exclude, keep-poverty-struck, bash, demoralize, and negate the middle and lower classes across America including minorities as well as finance anti-environmental organizations.

In addition the Coors Family, historically, has singled-out GLBTs for the brunt of their hate and discontent.

Much of this information is well-known public information; however, it needs constant reminders for us over-30-somethings and beyond, and to tweak 20-somethings.

Indeed, the Coors Family is everything that is antithesis to the Democratic Party, liberalism, progressivism, and moderation.

BOYCOTT ALL THAT IS COORS!!

.

[closeupready]

12. Again, see my post above.

thanks.

[Maat]

13. The Heritage Foundation has, in my humble opinion,

done incaluable damage to this nation, supporting many disgusting writers, such as Coulter, coming up with the Rethuglican talking points, and spreading vile philosophy through townhall.com (who recently parted ways with the Heritage Foundation - only recently).

It continues to do so.

I quit patronizing them entirely after reading Brock's books.