Five wives vodka banned in Idaho because it is offensive to Mormons... but Polygamy Porter is still allowed
And it's OK in Utah! Another case of people getting "offended" on behalf of someone else
"Five Wives Vodka was named in bad taste and won't be stocked or special ordered at stores operated by the state of Idaho, regulators said.
The middle-shelf vodka is made by Ogden's Own Distillery in Utah, where the Mormon church is based. Its label carries the name and an image of five women, an apparent reference to polygamy, a practice abandoned by the church more than a century ago.
Idaho State Liquor Division administrator Jeff Anderson said the brand is offensive to Mormons who make up over a quarter of Idaho's population.
Ogden's Own Distillery is trying to make the most of the rejection with a media campaign and sale of 'Free the Five Wives' T-shirts.
It says the snub is unfair because a Utah beer named Polygamy Porter is available in Idaho. Anderson said Idaho doesn't decide what beer brands can be sold in grocery and convenience stores.
'We're a little dumbfounded by it all,' said Steve Conlin, a partner and marketing chief for Ogden's Own Distillery.
'The average person can look at our bottle and they don't find it offensive. It's certainly not obscene, which is what it would require for it to be banned.'
Five Wives Vodka has been approved for sale in Utah, a state dominated by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It's also available in Wyoming, another state that regulates liquor sales.
Nobody in Utah is raising a fuss over the brand, said Vickie Ashby, a spokeswoman for the Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control.
Source
18 comments:
Religion wrecks everything.
I thought the Mormons origionaly settled in UTAH
Wait, The Mormon faith forbids alcohol, right? So who's ox is being gored here?
I'm Mormon and I don't find it offensive at all and I don't know any other Mormons that find it offensive. Mormons don't drink alcohol anyway so why would they be offended?
And the Mormons did settle in the Utah territory and surrounding areas originally which was a large area basically encompassing a large chunk of the western U.S. Included was areas which are now in the states of Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, and California.
Perhaps, Mr. Conlin should realize it was a dumb move.
Today, as evidenced by the endless and limitless number of commercials we're forced to watch on TV, the advertising industry has invaded every last bit of privacy we have (or thought we had) left, from TV, print, digital communications, etc. And it's all in the name of insatiable greed. And, as this story shows, they couldn't care less about how anyone feels or thinks about it.
If the American people weren't so weak and dumb, they would see how much power they truly have. That power? BOYCOTT!
Polygamy is still practised unofficially by Mormons - and of course by Muslims, etc. - which just shows that marriage isn't just "traditionally" about "one man and one woman".
Wow, there is same-sex marriage too, which is now legal in some areas AND several countries.
Believe it or not, there is a bigger story here than the name of the vodka.
Idaho State Liquor Division administrator Jeff Anderson backed away somewhat from the "it's offensive" reasoning and went with a newer, even worse reason. Anderson claims Idaho has 106 brands of vodka, and Five Wives was not substantially different in price or quality to be "allowed" into Idaho. He went on to say the board turned down 350 applications from companies looking to sell alcohol in Idaho last year.
This means that the government of Idaho has taken on itself to restrict the marketplace on a legal product. Instead of letting competition within the market decide winners and losers of the same product, the government is doing it.
That is just as wrong as the label flap.
Since Mormons don't drink alcohol, how can they be offended if they don't go in the alcohol aisle of the grocery store?
That sound is BRINGAM YOUNG spinning in his grave
This means that the government of Idaho has taken on itself to restrict the marketplace on a legal product.
Next up: elections. You don't really need all those candidates when a single board-approved one will do.
As (another) Mormon on this site I can also say that I could not care less about the vodka's name and object to people being offended on my behalf.
Secondly, polygamy is not practised officially or unofficially by 'Mormons' (the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) - that sort of ignorant comment does you no credit Anon. 3:47. In fact, Mormons are not able to practice polygamy even in countries where it is legal. However, some relatively small sects which split from the 'Mormon'Church and claim
a shared heritage do practice the principle.
Lastly the notion of a state alcohol regulatory and sales body is a peculiar relic that is well past its use by date.
The Five Wives were not Mormons or polygamists. They were the five Barrison Sisters, a vaudevillian troupe of some notoriety.
Idaho has state run liquor stores. For liquor to be sold in Idaho it must pass muster with a state screening panel. According to several news accounts, no Mormons complained, rather several women on the screening board complained. The Mormon lie was cover for an entirely different political agenda.
There are two things going on here, each more foul than the other:
1 - Several politically correct female state screeners objected, these objections were entirely on political speech grounds. Apparently blame was shifted to the Mormon lie because someone understood how profoundly offensive the real reason was.
2 - Any time a government board gets to pick who gets to make money and who does not, graft is sure to follow. Clearly, Five Sisters did not cough up enough money to buy a place on Idaho shelves.
The Five Wives were not Mormons or polygamists. They were the five Barrison Sisters, a vaudevillian troupe of some notoriety.
Idaho has state run liquor stores. For liquor to be sold in Idaho it must pass muster with a state screening panel. According to several news accounts, no Mormons complained, rather several women on the screening board complained. The Mormon lie was cover for an entirely different political agenda.
There are two things going on here, each more foul than the other:
1 - Several politically correct female state screeners objected, these objections were entirely on political speech grounds. Apparently blame was shifted to the Mormon lie because someone understood how profoundly offensive the real reason was.
2 - Any time a government board gets to pick who gets to make money and who does not, graft is sure to follow. Clearly, Five Sisters did not cough up enough money to buy a place on Idaho shelves.
Who cares what you conservatards think. You are a bunch of alkies anyway.
Thanks Tidford. You called it. The classic "follow the money"
6:25 PM. Polygamy can of course be practised unofficially by any group, including Mormons, and how would you know in all cases. Of course it would not be legal or maybe not recognized by anyone or any "church" - hence "unofficial" - duh!.
Actually 3:11 if any 'Mormon' (again, using that term in the generally understood sense of member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints rather than the more obscure but possibly still legitimate sense of all those who claim the Book of Mormon as scripture and Joseph Smith as founding prophet) practices polygamy - officially or otherwise - they will no longer be 'Mormon'.
So the only way a Mormon can practise polygamy is 'secretly' (and active secrecy would be required) rather than 'unofficially'.
Me thinks the Mormon doth protest too much!
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