This Nativist 1980 Blitz-Weinhard Commercial Is Weirdly Intense

In the commercial, an Oregon border control officer tells a California developer that it's a felony to move here.

It turns out Portland has been nativist for a long time.

In an unintentionally culturally charged 1980s Blitz-Weinhard commercial advertising the Oregon beer company, an Oregon border control officer tells a California developer that it's a felony to move here.

Related: Alright—Enough With the Nativist, Anti-California Bullshit

Like any Nativist behavior, the hostility starts out subtle.

When the man first drives up, the "Welcome to Oregon" sign reads "A swell place to visit, but don't plan to stay." He then gets his car searched to make sure there's not any out-of state beer coming into Oregon, which might be full of artificial ingredients. It turns out there's some in the trunk, so the driver is issued a misdemeanor.

But then the driver tells the officer he's a developer moving up from…GULP…California. The officer issues him a felony charge.

In two separate commercials, a pair of drivers are told to leave the state when they try to bring non-Oregon beer into the state. The catch phrase: "We still have natural country and we still have natural beer" is used in almost every single commercial, expressing a pride over land that's untouched by newcomers.

The commercials are generally well-received and undoubtedly helped cement Oregon as Beervana, but it's impossible to ignore the blatant and bizarre Nativist messages.

Oh well.

Lots of people moved here from California despite the commercials. You couldn't really blame those folks if they shunned Blitz, could you?

Blitz-Weinhard is now defunct in Portland.

The brand is owned by a massive international conglomerate which uses the Weinhard label to market its hard sodas.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

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