Hightower Lowdown

Days after the Bushites and their henchmen began to demonize French fries, French toast, and the like in a stunningly stupid outburst of knuckle-dragging jingoism, the maker of French’s yellow mustard put out a nativist press release declaring: “The only thing French about French’s Mustard is the name!”
The corporation spoke of founder Robert French’s “all-American dream” and about the mustard’s iconic connection to hot dogs at baseball games. What the PR effort did not mention is that French’s Mustard is no longer American—it’s owned by British conglomerate Reckitt Benckiser PLC.
While French’s was waving Old Glory here, it also was concerned lest it actually offend the French. After all, Reckitt Benckiser does more business in Europe than in the U.S., so it released its “all-American” boast only in the U.S.—taking care to keep it off the corporate website.
Meanwhile, such brand names as Coca-Cola, Pepsi, and McDonald’s are suddenly trying to veil their Americanism. For example in India, with its large Muslim population, Coke is trying to fend off anti-American protests by emphasizing its Indianness: “We are primarily Indian, employing Indians,” insisted a top exec of the subsidiary there.
The true color of corporate America isn’t red, white, and blue—but the color of money.