By David G. Firestone
Ok, this week, no series sponsor or TV ratings talk. I’m going to write about something much more important. One of the best pieces of advice one needs to learn is: Just because you CAN does not mean that you SHOULD. I say this because the internet, especially YouTube has done a lot to dissuade people from following this rule. For example, I recently watched a guy drink six beers through a pair of goggles, without using his mouth. Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should
Anyone who follows me on YouTube knows that I do a beer review series. For fun, I try different kinds of beer, and give them grades. I decided to do a spring beer video last weekend, and one of the beers I tired was a gose with coriander, salt, and lactobacillus. According to Wikipedia: Lactobacillus is a genus of Gram-positive, facultative anaerobic or microaerophilic, rod-shaped, non-spore-forming bacteria.” It was the worst beer I have tried for that video series. I’m not saying the name of the brewery, I’m not giving them any promotion, nobody should drink this beer. But the rule here, again, is just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.
Now there are some ideas that seemed good at the time, but in retrospect, were terrible ideas. For example, the McDLT from McDonald’s. The premise of the McDLT is that it was sold in a unique package, which separated the meat and bottom bun from the lettuce, tomato, cheese, pickles, sauces, and top bun. The McDLT wasn’t exactly a hit, and was discontinued, in favor of the McLean Deluxe. Once that happened, the McDLT wasn’t such a bad idea, and was reintroduced as the Big N’ Tasty, and was part of the menu for many years.
One of the most infamous moments that falls in this cateogry was New Coke. Coca Cola spent years, and millions of dollars adapting their classice Coca Cola recipe for a new generation. The release was heavily promoted, and the result was a product that was so badly panned, Coke switched back to the original formula after less than three months.
There are hundreds of cautionary tales that just because you can doesn’t mean you should, and they stand as reminders that not all ideas are good.
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