I used to drink a lot of Rockstar Energy Drinks. I can't stand the taste of coffee and I used to be a total caffiend, so energy drinks were my fix and Rockstar was my drink.
That was until the day I found out it was created by (and operated by the family of) Michael Weiner, racist, sexist, homophobic bigot talk-show host known as Michael Savage.
That was over a year ago and I have not had one since.
Whenever I happen upon someone drinking or buying Rockstar, I take a moment to let them in on the info.* Sometimes the person will look a bit surprised, either by the info or by the fact that a complete stranger is telling them something they never thought was important. The encounters have never been really satisfying for me until a couple of days ago.
That was until the day I found out it was created by (and operated by the family of) Michael Weiner, racist, sexist, homophobic bigot talk-show host known as Michael Savage.
That was over a year ago and I have not had one since.
Whenever I happen upon someone drinking or buying Rockstar, I take a moment to let them in on the info.* Sometimes the person will look a bit surprised, either by the info or by the fact that a complete stranger is telling them something they never thought was important. The encounters have never been really satisfying for me until a couple of days ago.
I'm at a park by Lake Merritt with Malachi and we've fed the birds and he's going through his hundredth pass through his self-imposed slide circuit: UP the side, ACROSS the walkway, TIGHTROPE across the squiggly purple shapes, BETWEEN the supports, ONTO the platform, and DOWN the slide.
So, I'm watching Mal go through this pattern and I'm watching this young couple and their 2 kids. When I say "young couple", I mean neither of them were 20 yet at best. Dad's watching and talking to the boy and Mom's watching the girl. The kids are 18 months, thereabouts.
Anyway, I notice the girl trying to get her Mom's attention, so I turn to see where Mom is and I see that she's pulled out and started drinking a Rockstar. I make a calculation* and call out for her attention.
"Hey, I'm nobody to tell you what to do, but the main guy behind Rockstar is a total racist bigot."
"Really?"
"The creator of Rockstar is the talk-show host Michael Savage and his wife and kid run the company."
Her face drops and she lowers the can, shoulders slumping. Her head turns, her body follows, she walks to the closest trashcan, and she drops the can in.
"Well, I'm never buying that ever again."
(Dad watching) "Did you just throw away a full can?"
"I can't stand racist people."
Nice. Now that was satisfying.
*A bit of self-observation on this subject. I noticed a while back that have shown my own prejudice when I've decided who to mention Rockstar's heinous creator to. I'd look a person over, see what else they were buying, check out their clothes and decide if I thought they would care or not. I finally noticed this after the family and I were in a Mar-Val in Valley Springs, a small town on the way to places people want to be. I didn't say anything to the woman behind me in the checkout line, and later thought, "That was fucked up of you, Jerry. Just because she was buying a six-pack of double size Rockstar, two bottles of some type of clear alcohol, had ratty Tanya Harding hair, a threadbare white t-shirt and looked like a meth-head, it doesn't mean she supports racist, sexist, homophobic, bigotry."
So, I'm working on that. Nobody's perfect.
So, I'm watching Mal go through this pattern and I'm watching this young couple and their 2 kids. When I say "young couple", I mean neither of them were 20 yet at best. Dad's watching and talking to the boy and Mom's watching the girl. The kids are 18 months, thereabouts.
Anyway, I notice the girl trying to get her Mom's attention, so I turn to see where Mom is and I see that she's pulled out and started drinking a Rockstar. I make a calculation* and call out for her attention.
"Hey, I'm nobody to tell you what to do, but the main guy behind Rockstar is a total racist bigot."
"Really?"
"The creator of Rockstar is the talk-show host Michael Savage and his wife and kid run the company."
Her face drops and she lowers the can, shoulders slumping. Her head turns, her body follows, she walks to the closest trashcan, and she drops the can in.
"Well, I'm never buying that ever again."
(Dad watching) "Did you just throw away a full can?"
"I can't stand racist people."
Nice. Now that was satisfying.
*A bit of self-observation on this subject. I noticed a while back that have shown my own prejudice when I've decided who to mention Rockstar's heinous creator to. I'd look a person over, see what else they were buying, check out their clothes and decide if I thought they would care or not. I finally noticed this after the family and I were in a Mar-Val in Valley Springs, a small town on the way to places people want to be. I didn't say anything to the woman behind me in the checkout line, and later thought, "That was fucked up of you, Jerry. Just because she was buying a six-pack of double size Rockstar, two bottles of some type of clear alcohol, had ratty Tanya Harding hair, a threadbare white t-shirt and looked like a meth-head, it doesn't mean she supports racist, sexist, homophobic, bigotry."
So, I'm working on that. Nobody's perfect.
Rockstar sucks