Posted on 04/20/2006 7:29:35 PM PDT by blam
Black and Tan ice cream causes a chill in Ireland
By Tom Peterkin, Ireland Correspondent
(Filed: 21/04/2006)
An American ice cream maker has launched a brand that evokes the British militia that terrorised the Irish during the 1920s.
Ben and Jerry's began promoting its Black and Tan flavour - cream stout with a whirl of chocolate - this month, but said it was unaware of the connotations that the name has in Ireland.
The offending ice cream
The company, whose mission statement promotes "deep respect" for individuals, has apologised for any offence their latest product has caused to the Irish.
The Black and Tan ice cream is based on the alcoholic drink of the same name, which is made by mixing stout with pale ale.
But the phrase originates from the 8,000 ex-servicemen who went to Ireland to keep order as Britain attempted to control republican rebels.
The Black and Tans were recruited to support the Royal Irish Constabulary and their name came from the mixture of police uniforms and khaki that they wore.
In November 1920 they massacred 12 people at a Gaelic football match in Croke Park, Dublin. The killings were in response to the IRA murdering 14 undercover detectives.
Yesterday Michael Laffan, the head of history at University College Dublin, said: "The very name Black and Tan still has a resonance.
"This is something that would provoke a response and make hackles rise in some quarters, because they were a nasty group. They did carry out a lot of killings."
The ice cream is available in the United States but has yet to be launched internationally.
A spokesman for the Vermont-based ice cream maker, which is owned by Unilever, said: "We have had a small amount of contact from people letting us know how Black and Tan originated. We were not aware of that.
"It was named because it's a very popular drink in the US. It was released in the United States before being promoted for international use. That's now being discussed."
They thought they were making something that sounded like a beer, and insulted a nation instead. Couldn't happen to a nicer group of leftists.
Ah, like the Nova. Very nice. Always pays to do your research before releasing a product internationally.
The SOB's ought to be castrated - if they have any to start with - Obviously have no brains.
And adding more satisfaction to the embarrassment, Ben and Jerry's is owned by the frogs!
Do people in Ireland really get offended at this or is this the permanent offense crowd at it again?
Ben & Jerry are black & blue from their Black & Tan.
Is B&J's gonna introduce "Brownshirt" in Israel???
Let's face it ... if the name of the drink isn't a problem why should the name of the ice cream?
I was thinking "Coon hound" as in Black and tan coon hound.
Idiots. How could they not know what black & tan would mean to the Irish?
Oh brother...
They should change their name from Ben & Jerry's to Dumb & Dumber's.
The latter.
Yup. Idiots for sure.
LOL! Great post blam. As the other fellow said: couldn't happen to a nicer bunch of leftists!
They should change their name from Ben & Jerry's to Dumb & Dumber's. Fidel & Che's
I figured as much. I know Irish who use "Black and Tan" with respect to beer and there's no flinching.
But I can still enjoy the Schadenfraude at B&J's expense.
Oh, and it doesn't seem to have been released in Ireland anyway.
Oh, I don't buy B&J's - haven't for years, but I'm astounded by such crass stupidity.
No matter what you do, someone will always get offended.
It's the permanent offense crowd.
If Ireland was truly offended, you'd get your ass kicked the second you ordered a black and tan in a pub.
Which I can tell you from experience, doesn't happen. It's a standard drink.
You obviously have no clue what the Black and Tans were or of their role in Irish history.
Poor Ben&Jerry, so PC as to have a Rain Forrest flavor and then to do this [Smile]! Also though for NZerFromHK, I think Unilever is Dutch not French. Actually, it is a big multinational but I think that its world HQ is in the Netherlands.
I thought immediately of the beer version when I saw Black and Tan. I thought everyone would have that same impression.
Agreed. I saw it on many a chalk board in the pubs in Cork and Killarney.
"In November 1920 they massacred 12 people at a Gaelic football match in Croke Park, Dublin. The killings were in response to the IRA murdering 14 undercover detectives."
Well, who exactly has the right to be pissed?
Thanks for the correction - in fact Unilever is a company jointly owned by Dutch and British. I remember someone said it was French during the 2003 "Freedom fries" period. Apparently the insult is even deeper this time: the Dutch are famous for the multiculti sensitivity, while Britain is, of course, to put it mildly one of the central players in the Irish history.
Next Ben and Jerry's - Long Kesh Wall Fudge.
I heard about a company that tried to market a telephone, which they dubbed the "Chat Box," in France. For some strange reason, it didn't sell.
In fact I do. And in my survey of Irish born people living in my house, that makes it a majority.
This ice cream does not validate the thuggery of Britain in recent or remote history.
The terminology is commonplace in Ireland for beer.
However, if I was in marketing at Ben and Jerry's, I would probably still change the name.
The name of the drink IS a problem. Catholics call it a half and half.
Heh. That would smart.
One of the offended Irishman had the roast duck with the mango salsa. The other offended Irishman didn't have much of an appetite.
Ben & Jerry's SS - A creamy mixture of strawberries and shortcake.
"Ah, like the Nova. Very nice. Always pays to do your research before releasing a product internationally."
An urban legend. I suspected as much the first time I went to Mexico, twenty years ago, and noticed that Petroleos Mexicanos [Pemex] sells a brand of gasoline called "Nova". If you can't sell a car because its name means "doesn't go", how can you sell a brand of gasoline to put in a car that means "doesn't go"? Of course Pemex had a monopoly, but I still don't see them naming one of their grades of gasoline their gasoline "doesn't go" if that is how it would be interpreted.
Of course Pemex had a monopoly, but I still don't see them naming one of their grades of gasoline their gasoline "doesn't go" if that is how it would be interpreted.
The Soviets used to sell canned meat called "Meat" and canned fish called "Fish".
I don't think marketing genius is a forte of government owned companies.
Really? Ok, but let's face it ... that is not mentioned in the article. Black and Tan has been around for along time. And I don't hear anyone becoming whacked out about it.
'Bout time for one ...
Ping.
I was sitting here trying to remember what they called it.
Never heard it referred to in Ireland as "Black and Tan" when I was there. But if it were insulting to other people, buildings would be burned and people killed. Only groups like the Irish are supposed to forget the past.
"Cast your mind on other days
That we in coming years may be
Still the indomitable Irishry."
I drink them.
Oh please! These were a bunch of marketing wankers. Like most Americans who were "educated" in our public schools, they probably have little to no knowledge of AMERICAN history, much less Irish history.
My wife's late father was Irish and when I just asked her what the Black and Tans were, she thought they were a soccer team and then thought they were the New Zealand Rugby Team that does the dance ("No honey, those are the All Blacks).
Anyway, I don't believe that Ireland really cares what some ice cream company calls their product that isn't even exported to Dublin. The Irish these days are too busy making money. Anyone upset about this story is the type of person looking for an excuse to be upset.
My wife loves Dublin Mudslide, redheaded Irish lass that she is. She calls it her "medicine".
Now your talkin'!
Didn't Chevrolet have problems trying to sell the Nova to Hispanics?
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