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Blonde Dalai Lama in beer add

personperson Don't believe everything you thinkThe liminal space Veteran
edited March 2012 in General Banter
Earlier this week Finnegan's put up a billboard with HHDL with blonde hair in an add for their new blonde ale. Finnegan's is a non profit beer maker who donates all their profits to food shelters. When the local Tibetan population, the second largest in the US here in Minneapolis, found out they started a facebook campaign. It was an electronic billboard and it came down about 8 hours after it came up so I can't seem to find any image of it. I was shown a picture by one Tibetan on his phone, it was a standard photo of HHDL with blonde hair photo shopped on him and a Finnegan's beer in the forefront with the phrase "Doing good, now in blonde." When the CEO of Finnegan's met with Tibetan's this afternoon apparently she was very sorry and apologized with tears in her eyes.

Local news video: http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2012/03/01/finnegans-apologizes-for-dalai-lama-ad/

Longer written story: http://www.startribune.com/local/minneapolis/140976093.html

Comments

  • ZaylZayl Veteran
    Why'd they complain to have it taken down? if HHDL didn't want it up, he would have asked for it to be taken down. You know, when word got to him (which I'm sure eventually it would... eventually)
  • personperson Don't believe everything you think The liminal space Veteran
    Why'd they complain to have it taken down? if HHDL didn't want it up, he would have asked for it to be taken down. You know, when word got to him (which I'm sure eventually it would... eventually)
    What if it had been a sign with Jesus on the cross, arms spread wide and said something like "At the dollar den, we save you this much."

    Is this a free speech thing or do you honestly wonder why they'd be offended and want it down?
  • compassionate_warriorcompassionate_warrior Veteran
    Why did they complain?

    My guess: There could be legal repercussions from using his image, plus the small matter of the precept against indulging in intoxicants. Or they thought the image offensive, as if it were a cartoon of HHDL.

  • personperson Don't believe everything you think The liminal space Veteran
    Why did they complain?

    My guess: There could be legal repercussions from using his image, plus the small matter of the precept against indulging in intoxicants. Or they thought the image offensive, as if it were a cartoon of HHDL.

    Here's a little excerpt from the story.
    "It appalled a lot of people," said Jigme Ugen, a local Tibetan activist who said he was offended by the image of his spiritual leader used to promote alcohol. He compared it to using Gandhi's picture to sell guns or the pope's image to promote condoms.

    Equally disturbing, he said, was the fact that the ad used what appeared to be an altered photo of the Dalai Lama, replacing his shaven head, as is customary for monks, with blond hair.
  • compassionate_warriorcompassionate_warrior Veteran
    edited March 2012

    Here's a little excerpt from the story.
    "It appalled a lot of people," said Jigme Ugen,
    the ad used what appeared to be an altered photo of the Dalai Lama, replacing his shaven head, as is customary for monks, with blond hair.
    The crux of it is, IMHO, the fact that a non-profit organization couldn't afford to pay for the image of a famous blonde, since those images would be under copyright. Marilyn Monroe, for example. They assumed HHDL's image wasn't under copyright. Let's have some fun. What famous blondes can we think of, who may not have their image under copyright? Or who might agree, if approached, to allowing use of their image for a charitable cause? I'll start:

    Hilary Clinton :lol:

  • personperson Don't believe everything you think The liminal space Veteran
    @compassionate_warrior The story isn't that long and it covers most of the who's and why's of it.
  • compassionate_warriorcompassionate_warrior Veteran
    We can't have fun? :confused: "St. Ashlee, the patron saint of blonds" doesn't have much of a kick to it. No copyright issues in that case, though.

    They wanted a peacemaker (that would let Hilary out)... Bishop Desmond Tutu, in blond? :lol:
  • justsheajustshea Explorer
    If you meet the Buddha, kill him.
    --Linji
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