This country has a huge problem with its inability to agree to disagree. There is I am Right and you are Wrong but no in between,
In one of my rare forays onto Twitter where this tendency is amplified the ultra-defensive Good Beer Hunting account presented an argument that was disheartening to me. They alleged that they have had contributors to their SABInBev backed October blog ask for their names to be not listed on their photos or words that appear on that blog.
From my adjective in the above paragraph, I sense a “doth protest too much” vibe from GBH and an editorial voice shift that is uncomfortably anti Brewers Association. But, anyone who wants to write for them despite the Bud ties should be free to write what they want for who they want. And I am free to adjust that person’s authority or standing in the beer world accordingly.
I don’t get the latter though without granting the former. You can troll Good Beer Hunting all you want. You can boycott beer from Golden Road but you don’t get to stop either from writing about beer or making beer. Both may well be compromised by their associations but they have a right to their opinions and beer recipes.
Now neither you, I or them can present untruths. And anyone that presents an untruth as fact can be should be taken to task. But don’t shame someone for a choice. How often does that work out? If I told you that I wouldn’t do that and followed up with I told you so, I doubt I would be asked my opinion much after that.
If someone writes for October or (God forbid) Beer Necessities, more likely than not, I wouldn’t read it because I don’t like the forum of expression. I figure that if the piece is good or influential, it will come up and I can read it then.
That is a choice. I am comfortable with (most) of my choices and the defensive or downright hostile among us should take note that they can’t bully opinions away.
Peel the Label is an occasional series where I opine about the big picture of craft beer and blogging without photos, videos or links.
