All press is good press, right? That’s what many think when they find themselves in the midst of an unexpected controversy. It’s a natural rationalization of a shitstorm over which you have no control. When thousands of people across the country are talking about your brand, it’s hard to see that as a failure, regardless of the topic of conversation. But that’s also the mentality of people who think that attention matters quantitatively more than qualitatively. A few million “impressions,” as SEO experts and PR agencies call it when a person simply sees your logo or name, are far less important than the lasting emotional impression you make when your brand is associated with being an asshole.

This is a short-term vs. long-term thing. Sure, you might suddenly have the whole craft beer industry paying attention to you for your ignorance, but that’s not how beer moves off a shelf. We have so many options for nearly every style of beer these days, why am I going to opt for the one made by a bunch of sexist or racist dorks? That’s not how beer sells. That’s how it gathers dust.

In your home market, people know who the brewer is, they know that brewer's personality and whether they’re a good person who made a mistake, or a person with a pattern of misogyny and racism. Far from home, half a country away, you don’t get to stand next to your sexist beer label and explain how you’re “actually a good guy” and that it’s “just a joke.” That beer has to speak for itself, and will likely say things you never expected on your behalf.