I have to appreciate the feedback, and the mostly passionate responses to my Absolute posting. But por favor, dear readers, before you go on a Lou Dobbs-type of boycott against Absolut vodka, consider History for a second. This is actually what Mexico looked like before the infamous Treaty of Guadalupe, which marked the end of the Mexican-American war in 1848. The land you know now as Upper California and New Mexico were indeed part of Mexico before such a war.
It doesn’t really matter if we like it or not. Unfortunately, it is wars and invasions that make up our ever-changing world Geography. Consider the former Soviet Union, Eastern Europe and the Middle East.
Do we know what Iraq will look like in a few years?
As an absolute lover of Absolute, all I can say is: Keep on sipping!
MI BLOG ES TU BLOG 
The boycott against Absolut is already starting. William Gheen of ALIPAC already contacted me and a hundred other organizations, requesting our support for a boycott. And I answered that I will FULLY SUPPORT a boycott against Absolut, AND I forwarded his email on to all my contacts. Whether ALIPAC requests a formal boycott or not, it’s already starting. WE’RE SICK OF ILLEGAL ALIENS, TRAITORS AND GLOBALISTS. And your nonsense about changing borders only goes to show your stupidity. You will be stuck with only illegal aliens and the globalists they work for.
I’m not going to get overly upset over a vodka ad, but whoever came up with the ad knew that it would gain some degree of traction in Mexico and within those of Mexican descent living in the U.S. And, a ZogbyPoll showed that 58% of Mexicans think the U.S. southwest rightfully belongs to Mexico. A significant segment of those from Mexico that are being allowed to settle in the U.S. believe they’re resettling lands to which they have a right.
For another historical example, do a search for “Blut und Boden”.
While I support the boycott, something that would be more worthwhile would be to go to a HillaryClinton appearance and ask her about the recent reconquista-style comments of DoloresHuerta, one of her co-chairs. Then, upload Hillary’s response to Youtube and other video sharing sites.
Before “we” get confused “we” need to understand the “facts”? Please. You have proven the peter principle. I do not care about vodka, nor about you, but you have proven that you do not care about America. So, not knowing anythiing about you, nor caring, if you live in America, move to mexico (small ‘m’), if you don’t live in America, please stay where you are. If you are American, you are una Disgraciada. Please find yourself and attempt to identify what is really important. You are extremely confused.
This absolutely is a joke, right? Absolut can’t be this stupid can it? I’ve touched my last drop. From now on, good Russian Youri Dolgoruki Vodka.
If that area (California, Arizona, etc) had always been in Mexico’s hands they would not be the thriving like they are today. They’d probably still be fairly undeveloped as most of Mexico is underdeveloped and poor. For whatever reasons, Mexico has had a very bad history of government. It doesn’t serve its own people very well. I highly doubt even the Mexican illegals here in the States would enjoy the result if that map actually came true. Think about it.
While it may be a “joke” and have “historical precedence” (Mexico only had that land for 24 years, most of the rest of the history it was in Spanish control) I think it is disgraceful. I keep hoping this is all an April Fool’s joke gone on too long.
Don’t lecture us. This is an OLD map. Here in the year 2008, we know where one country ends and the other begins. There are people willing to fight, die, and kill to keep those borders right where they are.
The United States is a sovereign nation with EVERY right to protect its borders, no matter how much you love Mexico.
Just because you think Mexico is great, don’t expect the rest of the world to do so.
Ads are ads and some can be offensive so someone and others find them great. Point again is, this ad was intended for a completely different target and was probably a success. And although it stirs strong emotions within some of you I hope you cannot be so egocentric as to believe the advertising world can no longer make ads that involve the U.S. in one way shape or form because of fear of offending someone.
Know what…infamous or not…Treaty was signed Ceding the land. Build a bridge and Get on over it already.
I’ll second the notion that if Mexico still held the land…it would still be a backwards place like most of the REST of Mexico still is. American industriousness and ingenuity built up the American SW… Small wonder that the hardworking mexicans come here where they find opportunity. Cant blame them, but they SHOULD be trying to fix their OWN country FIRST.
To hell with that map used to look like.
What’s important is what the actual territory would look like, if the borders hadn’t changed. That entire area from California to Texas would be a shithole, just like the rest of Mexico, and Mexicans would still be flooding across the border to get away from the poverty-wracked kleptocracy of their country.
In short, that map would have meant that millions more human beings would have suffered and died, had it not changed. Do you really want to drink to that?
my reaction to this ad was it’s freaking hilarious! Im in no way offended… why? because it’s only an ad, that was directed to a certain demographic.
and to those of you who think mexico is a shithole… you are wrong! have you ever actually been to any place other than Tijuana or cancun?
My guess is that Absolut knows there is more Hispanic market to gain than a few angry nationalist americans to loose. Good vodka is bought because it is good vodka, not because of it’s advertising, specially when Absolut has a long history of creative and fascinating advertising campaigns.
And by the way, being born into a country by accident is no merit.
This silly little back-pedaling post doesn’t do much to save Absolut’s butt or to justify the idiotic, pandering ad. The pre-treaty of Quadalupe map doesn’t include Texas nor a whole lot of the areas the Absolut ad colored green. It is the lack of both common sense and historical accuracy that makes this kind of dim-witted media irritating and belies the stupid and corrupt nature of the reconquistas. If Mexico were home to such a wonderful, dynamic culture and economy, why is the immigration flow so dramatically one-sided. Does it really make sense for a company to suggest sedition against its largest market country, just to pander to a small, poor market that needs more alcohol less than it needs more colesterol? In a market crowded with equals, betters, and cheapers, this campaign by Absolut is nothing short of idiotic and could be suicidal.
Yeah, Tijuana.. Where getting robbed, raped and kidnapped for ransom by a drug cartel is on the house!
We all realize Mexico once streatched far into what is now the United States, but you must realize there is a huge distain for us in our own country filled with Mexicans who wish that Mexico still reached as far as is did, taking all the lands that WE have built up to the point where they are worth a crap. If 1/12 of the Mexicans who flood into the US stayed there and started a revolution they would easily topple the shitty government that has had it’s boot on the neck of the Mexican people for as long as it’s existed. But that would involve Mexicans standing up for themselves in MEXICO.
Take your country back and stop wishing you still had a few outpoasts in ours.
I wonder if you would be as cavalier about the ad if the shoe was on the other foot? http://www.flickr.com/photos/darkstream/2387786101/
Call the klan, the minutemen, the hell’s angels. All the gringos disgusted by the Absolut ad are nothing but a bunch of whitetrashy bastards. Read the polls about gringo popularity all over the world: they hate you motherfuckers. As for the so called reconquista: either you like it or not, it’s on. Mexamerica will be called what the clever ads people for Absolut have portrayed. If Mexico were the shithole these bunch of WASP-wannabes, we would’t have 1 million oldtimers living here. The only good thing coming from the USA is the thousands of gringuitas on springbreak. How many kids of Mexican heritage are born every year to sweet 16/17 year-old Sharons, Brookes and Stacys?
This post above me proves my point.
mexico with small m? No creo que tu explicación se merezca ese comentario tan racista de John. (que por cierto escribió su nombre con minúscula). Al contrario, lo que dices es que así es la historia y ya. Qué lástima que todavía haya quienes creen que si no piensas como ellos deberías dejar de vivir en America, que hasta donde yo sabía es la land of the free y home of the brave. Pero sí, qué racistas y llenos de odios estamos de ambos lados de la frontera.
This is the Mexican’s Confederate Flag. A long lost war and ideology that still manages to surface in only the stupidest of people. If Absolute had any real guts they would make an ad featuring the SE US (Texas included) as the CSA with the same mantra. Then let’s see how many people in the US would call that hatefull (my guess would be a lot). There would be the occasional redneck racist who would support it, but my guess is there would be an overwhelming further boycott of Absolut. GO ahead Absolut make that AD. In fact while you are at it make an Ad of the Republic of Texas and see how many more people that you will further alienate from your product of socialist produced Vodka.
Chill out people! It’s an ad. And a good one given its target audience. Tongue in cheek, smart, meant to sell vodka, not spark retarded anti-Mexican (anti-vodka?) or anti-gringo rhetoric. Get a life, for god’s sake- Have a drink, maybe that’d help you….
Please forgive any impatience in my reply, but it is frustrating having to repeat myself.
Someone else needs to learn some history. In 1947, United States marines were marching through the streets of Mexico City unmolested and victorious. They even mention it in the Marines’ Hymn. At the time, the southern states wanted to add Mexico to the United States. To repeat, the democratic party wanted to annex the whole of Mexico, with the explicit purpose of extending the territories that allowed slavery. President Polk signed a treaty with Mexico that made sure this did not happen, with the ultimate effect to the United States of accelerating us towards our own civil war.
For those not paying attention, more than 600,000 citizens of the United States died as a result of some citizens of the United States having the moral clarity to allow Mexico to continue to exist in order to prevent the possibly indefinite existence of slavery. We can’t know if the American civil war would have occurred anyway, but this act of fairness certainly accelerated it. Not to mention, according to treaty, The United States paid for the territory we gained with cold hard cash.
Looking at that map… Texas was a free republic in 1836, without the help of the United States. Even if Mexico did not want to accept that at the time… Or, now for that matter (judging from the ad). Minor point, but it should at least be mentioned.
As for the reconquista, what an agonizing failure. Especially the Aztlan believers. The Mexican What What What isn’t the answer (translate and think phonetically). I understand that the economy in Mexico is awful, but that’s not because Mexico is missing a few territories that don’t have enough water anyway. It’s the corrupt government, and the bad financial policy of that government. I can only manage a little sympathy, as the citizens of Mexico voted for it. 35 years ago, Mexico was keeping up with the rest of of Northamerica. Then Mexico voted badly, the government seized resources, and the economy died, a victim of corruption. Live with your bad decisions and learn. Improve for the future. No hard feelings though. The United States is about to learn a cold hard lesson of its own with our Social Security and Medicaid expenses. It happens to everyone, and every nation. The Romans had a better run than any of us can reasonably hope for, yet they still fell.
The history lesson is over.
As for the Absolut ad… I looked up all the brands owned by their parent company… I don’t drink any of that stuff anyway. I suppose if I wanted to boycott, it would have no effect. As a pure marketing decision, I would say that appealing to the La Raza segment of a relatively poor Mexican market at the possible expense of a large segment of the market of the wealthiest nation on the planet doesn’t seem like a careful business model.
It’s just an ad. An ad in a Mexican magazine. An ad to sell vodka. Regardless of history or politics or whatever sense of superiority or inferiority or stupidity people might have. It’s funny. Un-PC funny. Just like we like it south of the Río Bravo.
This is one of those “what if” ads. There’s a whole genre of them. Nothing very interesting actually, even for a blog.
But the nervous cacas of reportanddport, john, audry from beaverton, guncookie are PRICELESS! They can best be appreciated sipping some chilled Absolut vodka. (Damn! Almost out. I’ll have to buy some more tomorrow).
Thanks for the chuckles!
What relevance does the map of our continent back in a “coons age” have to do with anything? Vodka? This Wodka is’nt even made by a latin company.But I would’nt be surprised if the person in their ad dept that thought this one up was hispanic.Every product manufacturer from aspirin to zit cream thinks you’ll boost sales if you paint a sombrero on it,or play mariachi music in the background.There are some people out here that have had it with “meksicko this” and “meksicko that”. Including myself.I see cake mixes in the box that say on the package……”Now in espanol”…..Gimme a frikin break!!! Our country does not rely on meksicko……..We don’t need it…..or its underpriveleged and unemployed.We also do’nt need the arrogant ones that come over here in our stolen SUV’s,and think they own the farking place….I say “NUKE” meksicko,and turn it into a giant soybean farm….
No, Demonic, you’re right: our country does not “rely on meksicko” but we sure rely on Mexicans for cheap labor and, thus, cheaper foodstuffs. If all these “invading” Mexicans weren’t coming over to work we’d sure be paying $30 bucks for a head of lettuce, $50 for a pound of strawberries. Ask yourself if your shitty job is going to support that and then see who you’ll blame next. And really, with the way the economy is going, do you really want to support another unwarranted, endless war over an effing ad?
The responses here are yet another great example of our post-9/11 patriotism: we continue to fail to read our history and we keep making the same jingoistic cliches about the greatness of our sinking country. Thank you Laura for posting a more accurate map, unfortunately people will never to accept history; it’s too painful to accept and very much against what we’ve been taught! It’s easier to ignore!
Y’all know what? I hope these invading, anti-“American”, job-taking, taco-eating, tequila-drinking Mexicans in “America” do leave and go fix Mexico with all they’ve learned here. This way, when our ship goes down, we go down alone because of our own problems and we shouldn’t take them – or Iraqis, or Koreans, or Chinese, or whoever we’re invading next – with us.
Mexicans picking strawberries – Yes
Permanent underclass of people here illegally – No
Legal Immigration reform – Yes
If our ship goes down so does Mexico’s and the Mexicans here. As does Iraq’s. As does yours… As does… ding ding ding China’s… Remember who buys all their tainted toys and dog food… Good ol USA.
Invading Korea or China are not ever going to happen w/o huge world support.. Since you know your history so well any invasion of N Korea would prompt a war with China and any invasion of China would be a serious uphill battle for any group of nations w/o use of nuclear weapons. And since we all know about M.A.D that wont happen.
Endless war.. Now your overreacting and just as short sighted as the people you are railing against. 5 years is not endless nor is 10 and 4 thousand losses is nothing compared to 50,000 lost in Vietnam. It’s sad to loose people but it’s in the job description of a warrior. Just like picking up shit is in the job description of a janitor.
We need to stop using Mexican laborers as a crutch in the long run just as they need to stop using us as a crutch in the same way so that Mexico can thrive for all it’s people’s sake.
Dear Author:
You are a moron. That map hasn’t looked like that for more than 150 years, and it only looked like that for 20.
I wonder what the map looked like before Spain came to slaughter the natives? Perhaps they could use that map for an ad.
In addition, you haven’t reserached the fact that we’re their number one consumer. I’m guessing that you never took marketing class.
The fact that you excuse this either says you aren’t American or if you are, you view it as unimportant. That’s fine. Go live somewhere else, then. Go find a better country.
If our country was like that now, the entire part of the south west would be a thrid world cesspool. Just like Mexico already is!
Stoopid gringos, no wonder you’re losing your country. I bet most of you just realized what your slavist forefathers did: invade, war, buying Santa Anna off and then pretend a ‘gloriuos’ defeat in the Alamo. Well, what a bunch of lousy janitors you are. While you were jerking off and sipping macchiatos or whatever poison you drink at starbucks, you let millions in. Well motherfuckers, welcome to your nightmare. Mexico will continue sending you cheap labor while Big Co. will continue opening huge plants down Mexico way. In the meantime, rejoice in the confortability of you dens posting crap and having Chinese or chimichangas for lunch. Salud, bitches!
It doesn’t seem to bother anybody that the ad is written in English. I mean, it’s an ad, in a Mexican magazine, for a Mexican audience and it’s not written in Spanish. And they are happy with it. I am therefore forced to assume that all Mexicans do in fact speak English and the old “No hablo” trick will no longer work.
Hi Ms. Martinez,
Sorry to hear you lost your mom. My thoughts and prayers go toward your family.
I am not sure what the concerns are all about. This is not an issue of race, why all the truly ugly words, and personal attacks.
Its 2008. I wonder if some of you have friends from other ethnic segments, and do you express these types of statements to them?
This is a sad story…
Time to wake the strings to your hearts, learn to advance culture, and understanding.
Guess, that some of you even work in branding, how sad that you are globally exporting hate.
Ms. Martinez, we have a rather large event in Los Angeles Ca. We would embrace your sponsorship. We feel your brand is both forward thinking, and has a solid track record in the creative sector as a legacy pop culture brand.
I will try to locate you business email and contact info. However, if you use the email address provided, I will send you our sponsorship deck.
Wishing you peace.
William
Don’t forget that many many mexicans didn’t cross the border, THE BORDER CROSS MEXICO
Uyyy.. tanto alboroto y sólo por un anuncio… apoco hizieron este escándalo cuando united colors of benneton sacó sus campañas que abordaban temas de problemas sociales como el racismo, o con la chica anoréxica de hace poco en francia? (Creo que el fotógrafo es Toscani)… En particular este anuncio no ofende ningún símbolo estadounidense y si no pueden recordar que sólo es un anuncio que precisamente busca crear polémica y no pueden verlo con un poco de humor… pues bueno tal vez es hora de que se consiguan una vida, digo con todas las remamadas disque “en pro de la humanidad” que hacen y no estan contentos… pues que jodidos estan. Digo, con el merecido respeto.
For all you Mexican haters:
You belong in a country that are made of innmigrants, you all get ther from Europe and sistematically killed all of the natives.
You all live in constant fear that somebody takes “your” country a take it away from you; answer me this: wich one of you can tell taht yor family arrives to america before 1600???
Here in Mexico, we can!
Racists Morons!
Almost every drug thats made in the world you take it!!! We donn`t kill peoplesin schools or in restaurants, we are less fat than you! and if every illegal innmigrant leaves America (As you call it, not United States of America!) your economy will hit levels down below those during the 30`s finnancial breakdown, So, you think what you are doing!
It’s an ad folks. Those of you who are so upset obviously need to find a new hobby to occupy your time. It’s an ad showing an old map. Why you think this old map is trying to convince the world that Mexico is taking over their former territory is beyond anyone with a sense of reason and logic. It is just silly to talk about what the world would be like if that map were geographically accurate today. Live and let live.
once again this humble lesson show the stupidity of the great majority of whites,blacks and some asians,nobody like to read the history of this nation because you may find that your ancestors killed,raped and stole all the land and striped another humans from their mainland for example blacks,they don’t remember how they got here and asians were almost erase and don’t forget the irish ,everything is a cycle,sooner or later is going to come back at you and no matter what you write or do is not gonna work.. people is tire of this failed system! ciao mantenutos!!!