Half Acre Brewery Changes Heyoka IPA's Name

Wow, this is getting out of hand. Gandhi Bot and now this? At this rate CBC Bodhi will need a new name

 

Long gone are the days where people didn't get upset about the smallest thing. I'm not sure why everyone immediately thinks a name of that kind, like Gandhi Bot, is being used in a negative way. The context that this word was being used in was not negative, at least I don't think. At what point are companies going to be forced to stop using words from other languages or cultures, because of a perceived negative use of the word?

 

I was always a bit suspicious of that name, because the truth of what BMC has taken advantage of and made a steady profit off of. Chronic unemployment and rampant alcoholism on the Pine Ridge; which is one of the main homelands of the Lakota people. It's not really getting out of hand to say, "hey. Please respect our language..." when about half of the Lakota people who live on the Pine Ridge reservation are alcoholics, and one of the more common ways of dying is in alcohol related traffic incidents.

 

This really is ridiculous. I can, to a certain extent, understand why people would be upset about the use of Gandhi's namesake, or why the Redskins name/logo is offensive. But this is just a word in another language. It apparently means "jester" or "clown".

How is it different than naming the beer "Spaßmacher" or "Bouffon"?

 

I have a lawsuit ready for Rogue for using the name John in their beers. Shit is about to get REAL.

 

Just the tip of the PC iceberg. Free speech is the Titanic. There has to hundreds of "offensive" beer names, just have to anger 1 person
Evil Twin- Even more Jesus. Offensive to atheist
Even less Jesus offensive to Christians
Blind Pig -blind people.. Etc.... Just saying.
Now I will pour myself a Gandhibot before its too late!

 

well not really, it's more of a spiritual thing: http://books.google.com/books?id=7p9VqRLiKqcC&pg=PA149#v=onepage&q&f=false

 

Maybe you all can have a chat with some Lakota people before you make your conclusions.

I wasn't offended by the name either---I also have no connection to the Lakota.

But anyway, not worth getting worked up about other people getting worked up. I bet it will taste just as great when labelled 'Senita'.

 

I hope you're a troll.

Are there any Lakota reservations in IL? I'm guessing not. Using alcoholism on a reservation in South Dakota to justify this asshattery is just plain dumb. Either way, kudos to HA for taking the high road!

 

The thing you have to understand is that to many native tribes the language itself is sacred and one of the few aspects of their culture they can pass onto their children that hasn't been tainted by modern influences. Half Acre did the right thing in renaming their IPA. And as a card carrying member of the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community and Ojibwa tribe as well as a fan of half acre I gladly support both the Lakota people and Half acre for reaching a solution that didn't involve the legal system.

 

Calling "Even More Jesus", calling "Even more Jesus!"

 

It is difficult (more then likely impossible) to discuss native issues without venturing into a discussion of politics and religion. As both those topics are taboo on this site (along with the implied colonization, domination and genocide) my guess is that this thread will not last long.

 

Who even cares what the name is? The beer is going to stay the same. If someone gets offended and the brewery decides to take the high road and keep a group of people happy who is that hurting? Bunch of cry babies on this site

 

It

Maybe because the US government tried to eradicate their language by shipping off their children to boarding schools where the kids were beaten and punished for speaking their language? And the word doesn't just mean jester or clown, the fact that you think so illustrates one reason why they don't want companies appropriating their words.

It's quite sad people get so angry over a company like Half Acre simply being respectful to a group of people who have been treated so horribly for so long. I applaud Half Acre.

 

I'm willing to acknowledge my ignorance here, and actually thought about this a bit before I posted. It still seems silly to me, but I can see why some may disagree. Was their contention that it was implied that drinking the beer turned you into a "Heyoka", or did they simply not want anyone co-opting their language?

 

Please see my response below your post. I'm not angry, but I am an advocate for free speech and less sensitivity to words. That said, I am willing to admit to not being very educated about Native American culture, and if language truly is more to them than just words, I can understand this.

 

Without knowing many of the tribe personally...probably both. I don't want to get into but native culture has been and continues to be co-opted and chipped away. The loose ends unravel slowly until there is almost nothing left. Almost every major tribe in the United States is struggling to preserve these values as best as they can and most are failing.

 

These are both (this one and Gandhi Bot) interesting cases, in that the names are being changed, not because of any suggestion of copyright infringement, but because a certain group of people finds them offensive.

It's not my place to say what is or isn't offensive to the Lakota. My initial reaction was "hey, it's just a word in a language--how can that be offensive?", but I think the posters who've pointed out the following are spot on:

1) The word doesn't just mean "clown" or "jester", as it has sacred implications, and
2) Using a word from a Native language is different than using a word from a commonly-used language like English, French, Spanish, German, etc. given how it relates to the continuation of Native culture and the systemic attempt to eradicate said culture in the 18th and 19th Centuries.

At the end of the day, it doesn't matter why they are offended. And if you aren't Lakota, you don't really have any right to say whether or not they "should" be offended or not.

 

Yeah, I can see that. And despite what my above responses may indicate, I am actually largely sympathetic to Native American causes. Agreed that this is not the place to have that discussion though.