Parkland father Fred Guttenberg lashed out at Kid Rock by sharing images of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting where his 14-year-old daughter Jamie died. The musician had posted a video of himself firing into beer cases on his social media.
Rock's violent clip came after Bud Light sent a commemorative can of beer to transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney. The TikTok star, who rose to fame with her Day 365 Of Girlhood video series, revealed on Sunday via Instagram that the beer company sent her a personalized can with her face on it. It was to celebrate the one-year anniversary of her gender transition.
The partnership divided social-media users, with some calling for a boycott of Bud Light and its parent company, Anheuser-Busch.
Rock—given name Robert James Ritchie—posted a video to his social-media accounts on Tuesday where he wore a MAGA (Make America Great Again) cap.
"Grandpa is feeling a little frisky today. Let me tell you as clear and concise as possible," the 52-year-old rapper said to the camera before revealing he was holding an assault rifle.
Rock then began shooting a rapid fire of bullets at the cases of Bud Light, which sat atop a table. When they burst open, Rock turned back around and gave the middle finger.
"F*** Bud Light and f*** Anheuser-Busch," the musician shouted.
However, Guttenberg was less than impressed with Rock's stunt. His daughter Jaime died in the 2018 mass shooting at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida. His son Jesse managed to escape and met him at a store near the school. Since the tragedy, Guttenberg has been a vocal campaigner for gun-control reforms.
He responded to Rock's video by sharing a photo of CCTV footage from the Parkland shooting. It showed his daughter's dead body on the ground as other students jumped over her to run to safety.
"Hey @KidRock, this dad is "feeling a little frisky today." Let me be "as clear and concise" as I can with you. This is my daughter Jaime (under the black oval) and these are the students running over her for safety to avoid getting shot by the AR 15 that killed her. F*** YOU!!!" Guttenberg tweeted.
Rock never mentioned Mulvaney by name in his viral video. However, transgender advocates criticized the rapper's response, with one saying it made her feel "sick" and "heartbroken."
"It felt violent and threatening, and made my fear for the people I love who are trans come to the fore yet again as hate is celebrated. What are we becoming as human beings that this kind of behavior is tolerated?" Susie Green, community director of GenderGP, a transgender health provider, told Newsweek.
A spokesperson for Anheuser-Busch told Newsweek that it sent Mulvaney the can as "a gift to celebrate a personal milestone and [it] is not for sale to the general public." The company added that it "works with hundreds of influencers across our brands as one of many ways to authentically connect with audiences across various demographics.
"From time to time, we produce unique commemorative cans for fans and for brand influencers, like Dylan Mulvaney," said the company spokesperson.
In March, chocolate company Hershey faced a similar response to Bud Light's after its International Women's Day ad campaign in Canada included a transgender woman.
The row over transgender brand ambassadors is part of the recent debate of the inclusion of trans women in cis-gendered female issues and spaces. Some say transgender women are women, while others state that they are different and that hard-won women's rights must be protected.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Shannon Power is a Greek-Australian reporter, but now calls London home. They have worked as across three continents in print, ... Read more
