This summer, before the election, Budweiser will be named "America." The label in the front, the fancy label for the unfancy beer, will feature "America" instead of "Budweiser." According to USA Today, this aim is to “to inspire drinkers to celebrate America and Budweiser's shared values of freedom and authenticity." Yeah, I call BS on that.
In the winter of 2015, "American Sniper," the semi-realistic portrayal of Navy Seal sniper Chris Kyle based off of his best-selling book of the same name, had raked in over $350 million, making it the second-highest grossing R-rated movie of all time behind Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ," according to IMDb.com. Since then, "Deadpool" has knocked "American Sniper" down to third. This surprise onslaught of fans has forced much of the media to conclude that it was in the name of patriotism. And it makes sense, too. America is often dubbed the most patriotic country in the nation, and to see people coming out for a movie for the sake of patriotism is no surprise. And do you know what marketers see in this? Oh yeah. Patriotism is marketable, and it's no surprise that just over a year later, Budweiser has announced this ode to patriotism.
Before I go on, I wanted to analyze the classification of patriotism because I think that the true definition of it is static. Patriotism can easily be defined as "the love of one's country," but I think that on a more personal level, it's more than that. Let me give you an example:
Patriotism, in a large part, is about the love of your country. Words like "freedom" and "independence" often get thrown around, and even on a cultural level, the virtues of America, beer and pickup trucks are often celebrated, usually in the form of stadium country. However, as seen in the comic above, patriotism is also seen as the love of people who defend your country, which I see as very beautiful.
If patriotism is simply loving your country, I wouldn't have a problem with Budweiser in this case. However, given this alternate meaning, it's sadistic. Budweiser is using soldiers to get Americans to buy their beer. These are people who may have never seen a second of battle but think that they're qualified to rename their beer "America," while every time "America" is bought, it's not America that gets money; it's Budweiser.
I'll address it upfront that Budweiser has helped the veterans over the years, but many of these programs aren't breaking new ground, as many other corporations have been part of the same contributions that Budweiser has. Also, it says that since 1987, $13 million have been donated to military charities, whereas, according to foodbeast.com, Budweiser had received $2 billion off of sales in 2012 alone. If you divide it, that's just a little over $448 thousand a year, .000224 percent of money given from profits. Despite this minuscule aid, Budweiser thought this was enough, that it would change 100 percent of its name to America.
Donald Trump has spoken out about veterans during speeches, debates, and the "Make America Great Again" camo hat.
This has worked to great effect, too, as, according to a Military Times survey in March, saying that 27 percent of members of the military would vote for Trump if the election was the next day.
If you look above, Trump wins the plurality, and given that three Republicans dropped out since, one can imagine how much Trump's numbers have gone up. It's important to keep in mind, too, that with this and just with popular opinion, Trump has become the military's darling, and people who aren't affiliated with the military will also vote for Trump based on his stature in this regard.
But if you look at what he has really done for veterans, or in this case, hasn't done, one starts to question how justified his outspoken ways for members of the military really are. This fantastic Healthline article does so aptly: "Between 2009 and 2013, his foundation reportedly only gave $57,000 of $5.5 million in donations to veterans." It also describes how Trump urged New York City officials to remove veterans from Fifth Avenue who were peddling goods, and Veterans are allowed to get special vending licenses in thanks to their service. If you look elsewhere, Trump has called John McCain, a Vietnam War veteran "no war hero," according to the New York Times. “He’s not a war hero. He’s a war hero because he was captured. I like people who weren’t captured.” McCain was flying when he was shot down and was held prisoner for five years in a POW camp along with many of his fellow soldiers, and he refused to leave early because he wouldn't leave without them. Trump had also recently given $1 million to Veterans only four months after he would promise to do so, after the media started looking into why he hadn't done so yet, according to the Washington Post.
When you look at Trump's plans if elected, he really has not talked much about what he would do for Veterans. The only candidate who has truly spoken out for Veterans, surprisingly (to some), is Bernie Sanders. According to Healthline again, Sanders has been "sponsoring dozens of bills that addressed veteran issues." He has also spoken outwardly in speeches about expanding social security benefits. Not to mention, he has spoken out about wars, such as the ones in Iraq and Vietnam, and it's important to realize that if these wars wouldn't have happen, we would have less veterans and less casualties. Through all of this, he's done it without boasting, without bragging, because these benefits aren't a show; they're serious.
It's clear that Trump is "supporting" the military just to get votes, and it's clear that Budweiser is looking out for its own interests, not America's. It's clear that Budweiser and Trump are using both current and former members of the military. So, with Fourth of July coming up, as you celebrate this country in honor of the men and women defending it, also think about those who use this country in honor of much, much worse.
