Coffee chain drops names over concerns it's an ethnic slur

[muntrv]

Check out the ignorant posts in response to this article.

September 15, 2007

By JEFF KAROUB


ASSOCIATED PRESS

DETROIT — A small but growing coffeehouse chain is changing its name amid concern that the moniker meant to celebrate the seed of its main product also is a disparaging term for Hispanics.

Beaner’s Coffee, based in East Lansing, on Friday informed franchisees and employees at its 77 stores in Michigan and eight other states that it would become Biggby Coffee, effective Jan. 31.

“That just doesn’t really fall within our mission to have a name that is derogatory,” Bob Fish, 44, Beaner’s chief executive, told the Associated Press in a telephone interview. “We felt it was important to do the right thing and change the name.”

Fish, who co-founded the company in 1995, said there hasn’t been any broad resistance or protests against the name, just people asking if the company knew about the connotation. And inquiries have grown as the company has — particularly in the southeast United States, where it has five locations.


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[frogcycle]

1. what, their coffee gives you gas?

:rofl:

[NaturalHigh]

2. Some people look for any opportunity to get pissed off.

If a coffee shop were named "Mick's Coffee", would people think it was an ethnic slur against Irish? It constantly amazes me how some people crave turmoil and go out of their way to create it.

[frogcycle]

3. Starbucks is going to have to change its name.

Denzel Washington, Sidney Poitier, and Will Smith are furious!

What, you didn't know that back in slave days a strong male slave was called a "buck?"

[tularetom]

4. All I could think of was the old Cheech & Chong bit

Where Cheech writes a "protest song" called "Mexican Americans" and Chong counters with his own version - "Beaners".

Hilarious - it's probably on You Tube somewhere. Think I'll go and try to find it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Eiq8z4cxLo

[melody]

5. I can understand why people would find that offensive

"Beaner" in southern California has a particular connotation that is on a level with the nastier
ethnic slurs.

[muntrv]

6. I agree with you. I find it interesting that the posts so far are saying that

Beaner's Coffee is not as offensive as Sambo's Restaurants.

[melody]

9. It may be a cultural thing -- southwesterners would understand how offensive it is

I don't know that a New Englander would have the same awareness.

[daninthemoon]

7. I'm with you. It's hard to believe the owners didn't know about the

dual meaning in their name, and yes, it is a VERY disparaging slur.

[melody]

10. Exactly. I've watched my Latina friend's daughters disparaged with this word

I've seen these intelligent, caring young girls shrink into a corner after being called it.
Words can be very harmful, especially words like this.

[BlueJazz]

8. Could have been worse...I mean the owners name is...

"Bob Fish"

Could you imagine "Care for some Fish Coffee"? :puke:

[notadmblnd]

11. If I recall correctly, the original name was Coffee Beanery

why they changed their names to Beaners in the first place is beyond me. I don't think their new name will do a thing for them.

[Ellen Forradalom]

12. I never heard the word 'beaner'

until a little while ago. I only moved to California from Illinois last year, and I'm in my mid-40s. I would never have caught the connotation.

[index555]

13. This is a hard one.

Having lived in so. CA my entire life , I am quite familiar with the negative connotations of the word "beaner".
Yet , in respect to a coffee house my first thought would have been "coffee beans" , (coffee beaners , people who live with, as ,for,etc. coffee beans) , not "mexicans".
If I lived in Mexico and the locals called me something like "stupido chingas Gringo" ( my spanish is terrible , but this is the closest I can come to "stupid effing American") , I would AGREE with them , as my knowledge of their society and their language , is at best, weak , and my feelings would not be hurt because it would be TRUE.
Yet here in the USA it is somehow expected that when a person comes here , ignorant of OUR customs , and (in many , but not all) cases weak in the spoken language here , WE are expected to lay down our customs , and language , and make all possible effort to make the outsider "feel at home".
Frankly , I truly think that "mandarin Chinese" is on the verge of becoming the next "international language of choice" throughout the world , solely from the idiocy of the current administration , and the fact that they are effectively eliminating the dollar as the investment currency of choice throughout the world.
That is beside the point however.

The point is , that as a multicultural based society , we absorb only those aspects of a foreign culture that the whole deems to be acceptable , any "unacceptable" elements are rejected.
but as a whole , by including new elements into our culture , we thrive as a whole.
Yes , American "culture" is not based upon any one culture , but is based upon the best of many cultures (ideally anyways) , that is what gives us our strength.

[spelman88]

14. Well Put

However, "We" is too powerful a word for those who only know the word "I". No one cares until they feel personally offended or financially threatened. "We" are dismissed by the cloak of invisibility until it is advantageous to be acknowledged by "them."

[ellenr]

15. "Kike" coffee?

I don't think offensive words should be used in commerce, and then justified by people who feel threatened.

[ellenr]

16. I have a strong suspicion

that all the people who find it so wrong to have regard for people who find words like "beaner" offensive - and it is offensive, whether you think it is or not - are white anglo-saxon men.

[Name removed]

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