Aztlan Will Rise Again?

Thanks to Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz and my brother for sending me this information. Richard Griego

Absolut-ly sorry about ad's map of Mexico, firm says.

Mark Stevenson, Associated Press
Sunday, April 6, 2008, Mexico City --

The Absolut vodka company apologized Saturday for an ad campaign 
depicting the southwestern United States as part of Mexico amid angry 
calls for a boycott by U.S. consumers.

The campaign, which promotes ideal scenarios under the slogan "In an 
Absolut World," showed a 1830s-era map when Mexico included 
California, Texas and other southwestern states. Mexico still resents 
losing that territory in the 1848 Mexican-American War and the fight 
for Texas independence.

But the ads, which ran only in Mexico and have since ended, were less 
than ideal for Americans undergoing a border buildup and embroiled in 
an emotional debate over illegal immigration from their southern 
neighbor.

More than a dozen calls to boycott Absolut were posted on 
michellemalkin.com, a Web site operated by conservative columnist 
Michelle Malkin. The ads sparked heated comment on a half-dozen other 
Internet sites and blogs.

"In no way was it 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," Absolut said in a 
statement left on its consumer inquiry phone line.

Some fringe U.S. groups also claim the land is rightfully part of 
Mexico, while extreme immigration foes argue parts of the United 
States already are being overtaken by Mexico.

"In an Absolut world, a company that produces vodka fires its entire 
marketing department in a desperate attempt to win back enraged North 
American customers after a disastrous ad campaign backfires," a 
person using the moniker "SalsaNChips" wrote on Malkin's Web site.

A plan for comprehensive immigration reform designed to deal with an 
estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants in the United States - 
the vast majority from Mexico - collapsed last summer under the 
emotional weight of the debate.

Absolut said the ad was designed for a Mexican audience and intended 
to recall "a time which the population of Mexico might feel was more 
ideal."

Comments

[Michelle Meaders]

What if this ad had run in Europe or Russia and showed a map of the country with its former empire? Would that be considered as offensive by people in the former colonies?