Absolut Vodka Commercial

evawhite on April 11th, 2008

It is a Vodka advertisement that has recently raised American hackles, prompting the ultimate withdrawal of the advert and an apology from the Vodka Company to boot! If you look at the Yahoo questions on this issue, you will see just how many hackles! Lots of people pissed off enough to say they will boycott the drink until an apology is published etc, etc. The American sensibility is so important that the ad has been pulled and not a trace of it can be found anywhere except a Brisbane news site which is where I got the photo from! The ad, which says “In an Absolut world” goes on to show a map with the entire mid western area of the US including California shown to be part of Mexico.

This incident has brought back into focus some long forgotten bit of history, that states such as Texas and California which are now almost symbolic of the United States of America were actually part of Mexico in the past. In the mid nineteenth century, the United States annexed Texas and thereafter hatched a plan to purchase the areas that form present day California and New Mexico for the sum of $30 million! Such unabashedly imperialistic action would shock the world today. In fact it was just such an attempt at invading and annexing of Kuwait by Iraq that caused the Gulf War. The war that resulted from this annexation was the Mexican War (1846–48). At the end of the war and as a result of a treaty, Mexico ceded to the U.S. nearly all of present New Mexico, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, California, Texas, and Colorado for princely sum of $15,000,000!

In light of this I don’t think it is unreasonable for many Mexicans to think about these south western American areas as an erstwhile part of Mexico or feel some territorial kinship. Further the Americans are at pains to keep Mexicans out of areas which Mexicans have some reason to believe should have been theirs. And if a company decided to gain some advertising mileage for their product from this historical perception, so be it I say! This commercial meant to target the Mexican consumer audience, and anyone taking umbrage at this I do understand, but have no sympathy for! Take it with a pinch of salt and a dash of humor for heaven’s sake! What do you all think?

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Tags: absolut, absolut vodka, absolut vodka commercial, alcohol, America, banned, commercial, mexico, texas, vodka
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