During the first weekend of October, Austinites were greeted with a sign that read, “I like my beer like I like my violence: domestic,” in front of a local bar called Minibar. This sign gained national attention, circling around the internet, and was even mentioned on the Huffington Post. Although this sign was uncalled for and made a cheap shot, especially during the conveniently timed Domestic Violence Awareness month, Minibar took all the right actions to maintain their credibility as an establishment in Austin.

The decision to fire the employee who wrote the sign was a fair one. The employee’s low brow joke made fun of a very serious issue. Most signs in front of bars in Austin use catchy sayings to attract people to come in; this sign not only makes the establishment seem less credible, but it also makes it look like Minibar does not respect the issue of domestic violence. If the employee was serious about maintaining the reputation of the bar and keeping his or her job, then he or she would not have written a careless joke for all of Austin to see.

Despite the carelessness of the employee, the whole bar’s reputation should not go down in flames because of one poorly timed sign. The owner did an interview with local Austin news station KVUE, where he explained the situation and now the bar is donating $1 to a domestic violence organization for every domestic beer sold. The owner was at the Austin City Limits Festival when the employee wrote the sign, he is not at fault for the employee’s careless actions. He should not be punished for something that he could not control. He is obviously taking every step necessary to keep the respect of his bar.

Some people may argue the bar should be boycotted, or even shut down. However, this is taking it too far; sometimes, people have to learn to let things go. The owner has fired the employee and is now donating money to a domestic violence organization. Obviously, he is remorseful of his employee’s actions and does not hold the same viewpoints. His employee made the mistake of making an inappropriate joke that he or she can never take back. This is something many people can relate to. Normally, when someone says something inappropriate, it does not affect their job or offend a whole nation. The ex-employee now has to deal with the ramifications of their own actions: losing his or her job and being known as the writer of a nasty joke.

It is time for Austin to move on from the incident because it seems Minibar and its owner has. Domestic violence is an extremely serious issue that should never be made fun of; it affects many people on a regular basis. But since the sign has since been taken down, it is time for Austinites to lay it to rest.