Cracker Barrel Being Forced to Change Name to “Caucasian Barrel”-Fiction!
Summary of eRumor:
An online petition is forcing Cracker Barrel to change its name to “Caucasian Barrel” in the spirit of political correctness.
The Truth:
An online petition was launched to change the name of Cracker Barrel, but it’s a satirical petition.
A Des Moines man named Ryan Koch launched the “Change the Name of Cracker Barrel to Caucasian Barrel” petition on Change.org in July 2015. The petition, which had been signed by about 15,000 supporters, said:
I say all of us European Americans start protesting C****er Barrel. It uses an offensive slur and it is deeply offensive and mocks our long and proud heritage.
The name is offensive, their logo stereotypes European Americans as people who sit on chairs and lean against what appears to be a bourbon barrel, claiming we are all a bunch of alcoholics. Sure, they’ll SAY it’s a “cracker” barrel but everyone knows crackers don’t come in barrels, they come in bags and boxes!
Change the name C****er Barrel to Caucasian Barrel. After all, white people should have something to be offended by, too!
The Cracker Barrel name change petition isn’t clearly labeled as satire, which tricked some people into believing that there was a genuine effort underway to rebrand the restaurant chain as “Caucasian Barrel.”
But Ryan Koch told an ABC affiliate that the petition “is strictly for satirical and comedic purposes” and “to show how ridiculous political correctness is getting in America.”
For its part, Cracker Barrel acknowledged the “satirical petition” and said “individuals have the right to express their opinion all types of things”:
At Cracker Barrel, our mission is Pleasing People. While we respect the opinions of these individuals, our brand is well-known as a home away from home so we have no plans to change our name as it is synonymous with great food and great service.
So, while it’s true that a satirical petition was launched to change the name of Cracker Barrel, the story mislead many into believing that it was a serious effort.