Brew Ha-Ha

J.J. Wainwright’s Evil Eye Honey Brown was a brown ale beer brewed by the Pittsburgh Brewing Company ⇒ (“PB Co.”). The beverage was presented as a microbrew despite being brewed by a corporation. This flavor is no longer produced by the successor brewer, Iron City Brewery ⇒.

Abstaining from alcohol prevented me from having a taste of this beverage. Donor Aunt Barb* was unaware that this shirt was a logo for a beer. Actually, no one that I interacted with informed me of their knowledge as to the taste or the existence of J.J. Wainwright’s Evil Eye Honey Brown. I can only wonder as to the quality of the drink or to why no one that I know was aware of this product.

For years, I had no idea that this shirt was alcohol-related. Now that I do, I still do not care. My enjoyment of this shirt was in part its mystery. Now that the mystery is solved, I can enjoy how ineffective this shirt was at raising awareness of the beverage.

An Evil Eye For An Evil Eye Leaves Us Doubly Evil

All who see this shirt are warned of, and the guy on the front of this shirt is drawn as if he were capable of of giving, the “evil eye”. What is the meaning behind the manufactured outrage? There are secular and religious definitions of the evil eye. The secular interpretation describes a look clearly communicating displeasure. The religious interpretation describes the act of envy and/or jealousy and wishing misfortune.

Merely wearing the shirt does not imply the same failure of character as actually giving the evil eye. Indeed, consumption is not the same thing as meaningful expression. In order to give the evil eye, there has to be a living eye with intent.

Likewise, this shirt should not construed as to protect anyone from the evil eye. Instead, different superstitions prescribe using either a nazar ⇒, a hamsa ⇒, or pointing the sign of the horns ⇒.

No Sale

A gas station attendant once offered me $30 for this shirt. I refused then, would refuse now, and will refuse in the future. I enjoy this shirt too much to ever sell.

My enjoyment of free shirts is based upon the contextual merit of each shirt. I enjoy the interpretation process. I am grateful for every donor thinking that I am worthy of a gift. I disagree with the decision that the attendant made to allow the marketplace to determine the value of a shirt.

Being that the only conversation that I ever had with this guy was when I was just trying to pay for gasoline, I do not know him well enough to know how he arrived at the $30 bid. I have not seen this shirt for sale online in the years since the negotiation with which to compare. Who knows, he might have been low-balling me. Perhaps he was aware of a group of people that would pay top dollar for scarce PB Co. memorabilia. Alternatively, the attendant could have been a sucker pre-born and unwrapped.