August 21, 2000
Stone doesn't see humor in beer
___DURHAM, N.C.--Alcohol abuse isn't funny, and Ted Stone thinks the nation's largest brewer should stop using humor to entice young people to drink beer.
___Stone has gained notoriety for his Walking and Talking Across America tours in 1996, 1998 and 2000. Each time, he utilized his feat to draw attention to the dangers of drug and alcohol addiction.
___This year, he trekked 1,700 miles from the Mexican border at Laredo to the Canadian border at Detroit.
___And this year, he particularly focused attention on the Anheuser-Busch Co., brewer of Budweiser beer. Its cartoon-inspired commercials--which feature croaking frogs and talking lizards--are geared specifically to entice children and teenagers to drink, Stone charged.
___"We must be extremely careful on the influence we have on other people," he said. "The beer industry has a great influence on people's lives."
___In St. Louis, he hand-delivered a letter with that message to Anheuser-Busch executives. His letter pointed out the abuse of alcohol comprises a major part of the nation's drug tragedy and asked Anheuser-Busch to "set an example for other beer manufacturers by adopting more responsible advertising practices," he said.
___"Far too many of our teenagers are falling prey to the enticement of not only beer products, but also a wide range of other alcoholic beverages," his letter stated. "If Anheuser-Busch would delete the advertising bearing specific appeals to our young, then other beer industries would soon follow suit."
___In response, a letter from the company told Stone: "We believe our ads are responsible and in good taste. And the public seems to agree. A survey by USA Today identified our ad campaign as the public's favorite."
___Still, Stone is determined to continue his campaign.
___"I pray for the days that all Americans will embrace sobriety and self-control as the best road to happiness, success and inner peace. If we adopt such a national policy, then God will truly bless America."
___During his journeys, he has collected about 500,000 written pledges of sobriety from government leaders and ordinary citizens.
Send this story to a friend
Contents/ Masthead / Why We're Here / Links / Archive / E-mail us/ SUBSCRIBE!