Will everyone boycotting Yuengling beer because its owners support Donald Trump also boycott Apple and Facebook due to their unethical business practices?
Apple has a long history of human rights violations, including reportedly using child slave labor to make iPhones. Just this week, Facebook was exposed for allowing advertisers to exclude — a patently illegal and racist policy.
I won’t hold my breath for those tech companies to be boycotted, though. The Yuengling boycott isn’t about a principle, which requires consistently following rules. It’s about virtue signaling and will likely lead to unintended consequences.
“Virtue signaling,” a neologism coined by British author James Bartholomew, is the increasingly popular social media practice of indicating one has virtue merely by expressing disgust or approval for certain political ideas or cultural events.
Not only is it obnoxious, but it’s often a lazy way of thinking.
For example, one angry Yuengling customer stated in a much circulated tweet: “I just found out the owner of [Yuengling_Beer] is a Trump supporter and I’m devastated I have to throw out the 6 pack in my fridge now.”
What a ridiculous response! Throwing out beer that’s already been paid for is a thoughtlessly wasteful and meaningless “protest.”
Refraining from future purchases isn’t necessarily principled, either. Who do Yuengling critics think will be most hurt by a boycott? Probably not billionaire owner Richard Yuengling. But some, if not many, of the brewery’s 250 employees might get laid off if sales drop — some may even be minorities and Hillary Clinton voters.
I don’t support Trump, but I do support a marketplace of ideas. As our nation becomes more pluralistic, it’s imperative we strive to tolerate a wide range of contrarian, unconventional and sometimes offensive viewpoints.
On the other hand, given our country’s diverse demographics and divided politics, businesses like Yuengling are wise to remain apolitical rather than risk alienating customers. But the United States has long been a place where its citizens can have totally opposite political views and still cooperate.
For example, Yuengling can sell me a beer and I can enjoy the heck out of it. Meanwhile, many Trump supporters continue to drink beer brewed by Anheuser-Busch, even though it donated $10,000 to Clinton’s campaign.
Let’s stick with that principle.
Mark Grabowski is an Internet law professor at Adelphi University in Garden City, N.Y. Thinking of submitting an op-ed to the Washington Examiner? Be sure to read our guidelines on submissions.
