Absolut vodka pulls ad showing California in Mexico Mon Apr 7,
In this image released by the Mexican advertising firm of Teran/TBWA on Monday April 7, 2008, an advertisement created for Swedish Absolut Vodka which ran in Mexico, shows a map of the border of Mexico and the United States where it stood before the Mexican-American War of 1848. The Absolut vodka company apologized for the ad campaign amid angry calls for a boycott by U.S. consumers.
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - The distillers of Sweden's Absolut vodka have withdrawn an advertisement run in Mexico that angered many U.S. citizens by idealizing an early 19th century map showing chunks of the United States as Mexican.
The billboard ad has the slogan "In an Absolut World" slapped over a pre-1848 map showing California, Arizona and other U.S. states as Mexican territory. Those states were carved out of what had been Mexican lands until that year.
Although it was not shown in the United States, U.S. media outlets picked up on the ad, and after a barrage of complaints, Absolut's maker said on Sunday the ad campaign would cease.
Defending the campaign last week, Absolut maker Vin & Spirit said the ad was created "with a Mexican sensibility" and was not meant for the U.S. market.
"In no way was this meant to offend or disparage, nor does it advocate an altering of borders, nor does it lend support to any anti-American sentiment, nor does it reflect immigration issues," a spokeswoman wrote on Absolut's Web site.
"Instead, it hearkens to a time which the population of Mexico may feel was more ideal," she wrote.
Absolut's blog cite has received more than a thousand comments since the ad campaign was launched a few weeks ago, with many calling for boycotts of the Swedish company.
"I have poured the remainder of my Absolut bottles down the sink," one blogger wrote.
A war between Mexico and the United States from 1846 to 1848 started with Mexico's refusal to recognize the U.S. annexation of Texas and ended with the occupation of Mexico City by U.S. troops.
At the end, Mexico ceded nearly half of its territory to the United States, forming the states of California, Nevada, Utah and parts of Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico and Wyoming.
Mexicans remain sensitive about the loss and the location of the border. At the same time, the United States is fortifying barriers to keep out undocumented Mexican migrants.
Some Mexicans use the term "Reconquista" (reconquest) to refer to the growing presence in California of Mexican migrants and their descendants.
France's Pernod Ricard is taking over Absolut vodka, one of the world's top-selling spirit brands, after buying Vin & Spirit from the Swedish government at the end of March.
(Reporting by Noel Randewich, editing by Philip Barbara)
I received an e-mail from Alipac (Americans for Legal Immigration PAC) on this, as follows...
Quoted Text
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Stop Global Corporations from Sponsoring Illegal Immigration!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Friends of ALIPAC:
Americans for Legal Immigration PAC administers the NIIBC (National Illegal Immigration Boycott Coalition) which we built last year to boycott Bank of America for giving credit cards to illegal aliens (www.bankofamericaboycott.com).
ALIPAC is proud to have set the bar with the largest coalition efforts to date in our movement.
After consulting with our friends and allies that represent the approximately 100 organizations in the NIIBC, we have launched a national boycott of Absolut Vodka products.
Please support our efforts today by taking the following simple steps.
1. Please visit http://www.boycottabsolut.com and join the boycott, make a supportive post on the site, and distribute news of the website to all of your e-mail contacts.
2. Please use the contact information to contact those responsible for this offensive ad and share your anger.
3. Please post links and invitations to the site at http://www.boycottabsolut.com on other websites and Discussion boards on the Internet.
4. Please read our press release below and send copies of it to all of your favorite national and local media contacts. It will also help if you can mention the site on the air on talk radio shows!
Getting worked up over an old map ? I guess Im missing something-
It's not the fact that it's an old map. Fact is, that's how they see America and at the moment, it is their goal to take back the western U.S. to become part of Mexico again. We are being invaded one Mexican at a time and they are taking over our country.
It's not the fact that it's an old map. Fact is, that's how they see America and at the moment, it is their goal to take back the western U.S. to become part of Mexico again. We are being invaded one Mexican at a time and they are taking over our country.
You got all that from the Map ? " Being INVADED " - Really!
Evidentally there were tons of people that were offended by this map. So many, that this 'Swedish' company had to pull the ad.
And let's not forget...
Quoted Text
Mexicans remain sensitive about the loss and the location of the border. At the same time, the United States is fortifying barriers to keep out undocumented Mexican migrants.
Some Mexicans use the term "Reconquista" (reconquest) to refer to the growing presence in California of Mexican migrants and their descendants.
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
You got all that from the Map ? " Being INVADED " - Really!
No, I didn't get it just from the map. I got it from the fact that I pay attention and listen very closely every day...to many different things. Good try, but it's because of the fact that I don't stay ignorant that I realize this. I make it a point to know what's going on by speaking to many people and reviewing what the current situation is.
...and if you checked into other things, you would realize that I didn't get that all from the map.
This story is emerging from Athens Texas where 13 year old Melanie Bowers was choked and had her face slammed into a brick wall for bringing in a class assignment that read "If you love your nation, stop illegal immigration"
She was surrounded by a mob of Latino students that either were illegal aliens, in illegal alien families, or supportive of illegal immigration and attacked.
The attackers also threatened to drag her into the bathroom, rape her, and stab her to death.
If you are relying on the Associated Press out of Dallas, TX to feed this news to you across the nation, they describe the incident as a "scuffle" where "Verbal insults" were used.
ALIPAC will be demanding that the school suspends all students involved in this attack, that local police file charges against all involved in the attack, and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement determine the legal status of the assailants and their parental guardians in order to enforce immigration laws applicable to any involved.
This is the United States of America. This is not Mexico. In our nation, we do not use terror tactics to suppress free speech and violate the civil rights of American citizens by attacking children as a mob!
You can help us by taking action.
Please use the FORWARD feature at the bottom of this email to distribute this news.
Please review the news articles, including the biased Associated Press article.
Please watch the news coverage, vote five stars, make a comment (No foul language or violent posts allowed) and ad this video to your favorites to help ALIPAC spread the word and demand justice!
If anyone decides to contact the school system, Athens police department, ICE, or the Associated Press about this case then please keep your cool.
Any communications that use foul language or threatening language will help Melanie's attackers. If you are too angry after reviewing this material, wait until your are cool and calm before taking any actions or making any attempts to communicate.
The whole incident will most likely be buried as the subject is a very hot topic and the powers to be will view the story as inflammatory and not politically correct. I say if they are illegals and did in fact do what was said in the article they should be deported. We have enough thugs, bully's, and murderers here already.
No, I didn't get it just from the map. I got it from the fact that I pay attention and listen very closely every day...to many different things. Good try, but it's because of the fact that I don't stay ignorant that I realize this. I make it a point to know what's going on by speaking to many people and reviewing what the current situation is.
...and if you checked into other things, you would realize that I didn't get that all from the map.
Thirty years ago you could not find a Taco in Schenectady- Have you ever seen a real live Mexican ? What could anyone from the Northeast really know about Mexico ?
As long as AMERICANS can get an economic edge by using the much harder working Mexican labor they will remain here - whcih will essentially be for ever-
Logged
