Some prominent conspiracy theorists seem to be guided by a desire for fame, money and influence. Others are apparently sincere. The belief that Monster energy drink is a tool for promoting Satanism has its roots in someone who seems to be sincere.
Christine Weick is a Christian activist whose explanation of Monster’s hidden messages have been seen by millions.
There are three key points in the video: that there is a cross which is inverted when the drink is consumed; that the slogan, “unleash the beast”, refers to Satan; and that the logo is secretly comprised of three Hebrew “Vav”s, or #6’s, which would render the logo as “666”.
The cross is found in the “O” in their name. There are two obvious problems with her argument about the inversion, though. The first is that it’s difficult to agree that a portion of a design has individual meaning when it is not kept distinct. There are tiny owls to be found on the dollar bill, for example, which are kept distinct. A tic-tac-toe diagram, however, is not viewed by most as comprising a set of crosses. It’s four crossed lines. The same should be assumed for a letter in a font designed to look “edgy”… particularly as the struck-through circle is fairly common in everything from the Greek letter phi through digital-age zeros. The second, greater problem is that the only way a canned drink becomes inverted is when an abnormally thirsty drinker wants to shake the last few drops free. Typically drinks are consumed with the can at a slight angle off of the 90 degree tilt, so as to let fluid flow into the mouth in a controlled fashion.
Then there’s the “unleash the beast”. At issue here is the company’s clear effort to provide the imagery of a savage animal with pent-up energy lurking inside people. This is nothing new, especially to advertising. People have for decades been compared to strong and fast animals in an effort to sell products. Vehicles have had those comparisons, too, as anyone who’s heard of a truck being “Ram Tough” could explain. Weick’s explanation is possible, but there is no evidence to back it up.
Lastly, there is the biggest indicator, the three Vavs. Considering the company’s attempt to create a striking font for their product name, it’s reasonable to assume they would want a similarly recognizable logo. That does not, however, negate Wieck’s claim.
What does negate her claim is twofold: the three slashes, when taken individually, do not share more than a passing similarity to “Vav”; and she’s getting her interpretation wrong.
The image similarity ends when you see they are both long, thin strokes with a leftward stroke at the top. The size and shape of the leftward stroke is dramatically different between “Vav” and one of the Monster “M” lines; and the widening and tapering segments of the long, thin portion of the stroke are different. They are not “Vav”s.
Even if they were, though, the interpretation would still be problematic. The Number of the Beast, in Biblical prophecy, is translated not as “6.6.6” but as “666”. Ignoring the arguments over whether it should really be six hundred and sixty-six or six hundred and sixteen, it’s important to note that the Hebrew inscription she is claiming exists would be “Six. Six. Six.” Six hundred and sixty-six would be written differently.
In other words, nearly every supposition she makes in the video is deeply flawed. One thing she does get correct is her comment about the packaging promoting the product’s appeal to “MILFs”.
Even if they’re not trying to secretly promote Satanism, they are a company willing to embrace the tacky and tasteless.
And even if she’s well-intentioned, that doesn’t prevent Christine Wieck from being aggressive. Outside of her earnest concern about Monster she has also made headlines for interrupting Muslim prayer services, complaining about Freedom of Religion and protesting at Easter egg hunts.
