An Italian restaurant in New Mexico has found a way to fight back against PC culture by capitalizing on social media outrage from social justice warriors. The family-owned Paisano’s Italian Restaurant recently faced massive media backlash for writing the phrase “Black olives matter” on a sign outside the Italian restaurant to promote a new tuna dish made with black olive tapenade.
Promotional sign placed outside Paisano’s Italian Restaurant in New Mexico.
Owner Rick Camuglia posted the pictures of the dish an sign to Facebook to advertise the new menu item to his company’s Facebook followers. Camuglia has stated that he wasn’t trying to make a political statement, he’s simply “trying to sell food.” He says that the slogan was crated by one of his chefs. He told Fox News:
“We’re currently offering a special seared ahi tuna with a black olive tapenade. My chef had prepared the topping and placed it in the fridge. He wrote ‘Black Olives Matter’ on the container and I thought it was hilarious. So we put it on the marquee.”
Within hours the small Italian restaurant’s Facebook page was flooded with both positive and negative responses. Social justice warriors came out in full force, calling Camuglia a racist, threatening him via incoming phone calls, and even calling people all over the planet, who could never visit the restaurant anyway, to boycott the establishment. The incident has caused the hashtag #blackolivesmatter to trend on Twitter. Supporters and social justice warriors engaged in a fierce meme war that is still going on to this day.
The sign garnered so much attention that even the president of the Albuquerque branch of the NAACP commented on the subject in a statement made to KRQE news:
“The posted sign at Paisano’s Restaurant that included the phrase ‘Black Olives Matter’ is a nice marketing idea. However, with all of the national uproar, demonstrations and marches, regarding the shooting of African American men and youth by police officers, the Albuquerque NAACP feels that it was in bad taste”
Camuglia, being the creative entrepreneur that he is, has decided to fight back by monetizing the “controversy.” The viral nature of the event has caused business to skyrocket, even bringing in visitors from out of state. Camuglia has decided to increase his revenue stream by creating T-shirts and hats that he is selling at the restaurant and online.
The items can be purchased from the restaurant’s online store. Camuglia states that, while the uptick in business has been beneficial, the whole debacle is an example of PC culture gone wrong. Camuglia has taken down the sign and thanked the community for their support and business. He has not yet apologized and does not plan to do so. He told Fox News:
“Our intention was never to offend or hurt anybody, but all of this just says a lot about the state of our society when you can’t even make a simple statement about a fruit without people attacking you. People may need to re-calibrate their politically correct meter.”
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