Absolut Redraws USA – Mexico Border

Absolut Vodka has got some ‘splainin’ to do:

Laura Marti­nez found the ad in the print edition of Quién magazine in Mexico City and it’s going viral. Jim Hoft has picked it up, calling it an “Absolut-ly Outrageous Ad,” Pierre Legrand profanely calls for a boycott, and Brian Ledbetter goes with “Absolut-ly Insulting.” Michelle Malkin cranks it up a notch, with “Absolut Reconquista.”

Patrick Ishmael fights fire with fire:

What I haven’t been able to determine is the context. Is this a joke? Does Absolut have similar campaigns around the world playing up other nationalist sympathies?

UPDATE: Cernig points out in the comments that Absolut is known for its highly targeted niche advertising. As the linked page notes:

The Absolut campaign effectively addresses a range of niche markets by adjusting the referents to suit its particular audiences. Many times one can be looking through a specialty magazine and an Absolut ad that was obviously, specifically created for this magazine, even though the ad never deviates from its original format.

[…]

Absolut, along with many other advertisements, has been able to turn their campaign from mainstream images, such as Marilyn Monroe (left), Houdini, L.A. and the meaning associated with every other major city in the world, to niche market images, such as homosexual icons, obscure artists, etc. As they appropriate these images, the success of the niche images becomes comparable to the mainstream images, however, they maintain the aura of a niche image. For example, “Absolut Spada”(left) represents an artist popular in the gay world. His art is all encompassing of homosexual images. There are freedom rings flying above him. His feet are “flaming.” He is “coming out” of the Absolut bottle. The ad is directly hailing the gay niche market. Here the have taken signs -gay signs- and turned them into commodity signs which sell their product in the same way as the mainstream images which Absolut audiences understand.

Presumably, they’re figuring that straights aren’t reading gay magazines and that gringos aren’t reading Quién. That’s generally a pretty safe assumption. In the Internet age, though, it’s increasingly difficult to keep targeted messages from spreading beyond their intended audience. Indeed, there’s a whole website dedicated to nothing but cataloging Absolut ads. Which, incidentally, featured the Mexico ad almost a month ago. The comments section didn’t catch fire until this morning, however.

FILED UNDER: Borders and Immigration, Economics and Business, Latin America, LGBTQ Issues, , , , , , ,
James Joyner
About James Joyner
James Joyner is Professor and Department Head of Security Studies at Marine Corps University's Command and Staff College. He's a former Army officer and Desert Storm veteran. Views expressed here are his own. Follow James on Twitter @DrJJoyner.

Comments

  1. Michael says:

    It looks like just an old map, when most of that land belonged to Mexico. The only exception is that the map shows Oregon and Washington as being part of the US, when it was still a part of Britain at that time, but that is probably just the artist being lazy and not bothering to check maps of the USA at that time.

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  2. davod says:

    Boycott.

  3. Or, perhaps the message is: drink enough Absolut Vodka and your wildest geopolitical fantasies can come true?

    1
  4. Cernig says:

    It’s just an ad, from a company known for its provocative advertising, not a foreign policy program. Sheesh, talk about an over-reaction.

    Regards, C

    1
  5. Anderson says:

    Given that we redrew the map for real in the 1840s, in a pretty blatant land grab, I fail to see why Mexico shouldn’t harbor some wistful resentment.

    Would it have been outrageous for a French ad in 1888 to show France with Alsace and Lorraine restored?

    Not only do we grab their territory, we have to act all self-righteous about it in 2008?

  6. “We” grabbed their territory, Anderson? Who is “we”?

    Seems to me I remember Texans (or “Texians” back then) fought for their independence against the dictator Santa Ana. Texas then became an independent republic, and only later did it decide to join the U.S.

    So saying that Texas was a “grab” is like saying the American War of Independence was a “grab” from Britain. But you probably do think that.

  7. Michael says:

    Boycott.

    I’ll drink to that!

    Oh, oh wait, probably not the response you were looking for.

  8. Michael says:

    Seems to me I remember Texans (or “Texians” back then) fought for their independence against the dictator Santa Ana. Texas then became an independent republic, and only later did it decide to join the U.S.

    But most of the Texans were not Mexican, or even Spanish, were they? He’s also likely referring to the fact that when Texas was annexed, the US actually claimed more land than was actually a part of the Republic of Texas.

  9. Tlaloc says:

    I’m trying to think of a group of people more Pavlovian, more ridiculously easy to manipulate, more incapable of interjecting editorial control between stimulus and response then the new nativist (read racist) movement.

    Nope not coming up with any.

    God bless tancredo for giving them face time and an undeserved, but completely hilarious, sense of self importance.

    Salud!

  10. Anderson says:

    He’s also likely referring to the fact that when Texas was annexed, the US actually claimed more land than was actually a part of the Republic of Texas.

    Bingo. We paid $18M for it, but it wasn’t like Mexico had the option to decline the offer.

  11. Monica says:

    So long Absolut. I’d rather drink Tito’s vodka anyway.

  12. Michael says:

    Bingo. We paid $18M for it, but it wasn’t like Mexico had the option to decline the offer.

    Well that was the terms of ending the US-Mexico war, which isn’t what I was talking about. When ending a war, the losing side usually ends of conceding territory, so I don’t consider that a “land grab”, especially since the US didn’t really have to pay for it if they didn’t want to. I was talking about the fact that the border of Mexican Texas was not the Rio Grande, but the Nueces.

  13. Anderson says:

    And what I was talking about, Michael, was that U.S. participation in the Mexican war was bogus and a transparent effort to seize a goodly chunk of Mexico. Mission accomplished, as they say. Though the Mexicans continue to infiltrate ….

  14. Michael says:

    And what I was talking about, Michael, was that U.S. participation in the Mexican war was bogus and a transparent effort to seize a goodly chunk of Mexico.

    The US entered into a war with Mexico because the Mexican army attacked Texas, which was a at that time a US State. While there were those who wanted the war as a means of acquiring more land, many efforts were made before hand to purchase the land, it was the attack itself that caused a majority in Congress to declare war on Mexico.

  15. Steve says:

    One picture, clearly, is worth a thousand words.
    What’s next from this pandering corporation’s perspective: a Confederate map of the U.S. prior to the start of the Civil War? Both illustrate a backward-focused reluctance to let go of the past.

  16. Zelsdorf Ragshaft III says:

    The land that Mexico consists of and consisted of prior to the U.S. annexing of territory was established by a European Nation. Spain established Mexico, which did not exist as a unified nation prior to Cortez. Aztecs controlled the land around what is now Mexico City, but their reach did not go as far as Arizona. The Apache’s would have killed them, They did not reach Texas as the Commanche would have killed them. The native language of Mexico is that of a European nation. those that live south of our border have no legitimate claim to any land that was once Spanish territory. By the way, what great industries have been established in Mexico by Mexicans? I am not judging, I am just saying.

  17. Okay, people, no one obviously knows history:

    > But most of the Texans were not Mexican, or
    > even Spanish, were they?

    Soooo…what’s your point? Most of the settlers in Texas were German. Can only certain ethnic groups can fight for indepedence? Or maybe that the few Mexican missionaries converting Indians in the Texas territory meant they somehow owned it in perpetuity?

    > He’s also likely referring to the fact that
    > when Texas was annexed, the US actually claimed
    > more land than was actually a part of the
    > Republic of Texas.

    Wrong. The Republic of Texas was larger than the State that was annexed and included parts of Colorado, etc. (go look at an old Texas map). The U.S. was worried about having such a large state, so chopped in down. It also gave Texas the option to slit into four states.

    What would be the reaction if Absolut did a Confederate States of America to market in the South?

  18. Michael says:

    Soooo…what’s your point? Most of the settlers in Texas were German. Can only certain ethnic groups can fight for indepedence?

    My point was that immigrants from the USA made up the majority of those fighting for an independent Texas. This wasn’t a Mexican rebellion.

    Wrong. The Republic of Texas was larger than the State that was annexed and included parts of Colorado, etc. (go look at an old Texas map).

    All of the Republic of Texas was annexed. My claim was that the annexed territory included land that was not a part of the Mexican state of Texas. Particularly, the land between the Rio Grande and the Nueces was not a part of Texas while Texas was a part of Mexico, and it was still disputed when the USA annexed the Republic.

  19. mannning says:

    Whatever the history, the territory is now US, and it will stay that way. Absolut nonsense.

  20. Michael says:

    Whatever the history, the territory is now US, and it will stay that way.

    Borders are never absolute, if you’d stop disregarding history you’d know that.

  21. >immigrants from the USA made up the majority of
    > those fighting for an independent Texas.

    So immigrants can’t fight for independence? Or maybe white people can’t? I still don’t get your point.

    As noted, most of Texas was settled by Germans. Like they came from Germany. On boats. Across the Atlantic. So most Texans were not not “Americans”.

    True the leadership of the Texas Republic were largely ex-Americans. Houston, Austin, Crocket. But then somehow we get names in there like like Seguin and de Zavala.

  22. MNTB says:

    This was a April Fools joke that is making the rounds.. it was debunked yesterday.

  23. Nate says:

    Although borders have been redrawn throughout history, they’ve not been moved without strife and turmoil as a precedent.
    Borders are demarcations of language and culture; for that reason alone this map is appalling.

  24. James Joyner says:

    This was a April Fools joke that is making the rounds.. it was debunked yesterday.

    Uh…no. As noted above, this has been around since at least early March.

  25. Sen. Juan McCain says:

    Looks good to me.

  26. mannning says:

    THIS border WILL remain fixed for the next century, or I misjudge the American people’s willingness to defend it. To suggest that some of our states would be assimilated by Mexico because of the infiltration of illegals there is to misread the seriousness of such a situation and our people’s reaction to it. To suggest that some politician would support such a move is to say that we have elected politicians that are not American, in which case, once they show their stripes, they should be banished to Antarctica.

  27. freemanrebel says:

    This is one of the most misrepresented events in history. So much revisionist history. Look virtually no one lived in Texas so Mexico started what was called the “emprisario” program to bring in people for a tax base. Mexico invited them in! The only thing this illustrates is that contrary to suicidal white liberal thinking when enough folks of a completely different culture come in they dont contribute or assimilate, they take over! Which is precicely why you should be against the Mexicans doing it now. As far as the mexican war typically when you get bent over and reamed in every major engagement the winners can decide whatever terms they want and Mexico luckily(or unluckily) got to keep what they have now because there was actually a national debate as to whether to keep the entire country at the time. This war was more one sided than US vs. Iraq because of poor leadership and neopotism on the part of the Mexican military leadership. Mexico sucks then and it sucks now so its understandable why their rears are still so soar. They are a failed state and people and the US is the best thing that ever happened to them. We give them jobs.

  28. boozy says:

    I like french vodka better anyhow…wonder how much this little “miss judgement” in marketing is going to cost them…..in fact..own a big time bar…absolute will not be on the menu tonight….

  29. Wrong. The Republic of Texas was larger than the State that was annexed and included parts of Colorado, etc. (go look at an old Texas map). The U.S. was worried about having such a large state, so chopped in down. It also gave Texas the option to
    split into four states.

    Look, I am a very proud Texan, and I love the map of which you speak. However, it represented a historically distorted view of what Texas, even post-independence Texas, had a legit claim to have. The Republic really consisted more of what is now central and east Texas.

    Beyond that, it is silly to argue that the US had a legitimate claim (apart from simply being militarily superior) to take as much land as it did after the Mexican-American War is ridiculous. And I say that with no sympathies towards the reconquista idea.

    All one has to do is look at what we paid for tha Gadsden Purchase to see what a literal “steal” it was for us to acquire, basically, the western US (and I am not even talking here of Texas, which is a different story, even if it was the catalyst of the whole thing).

  30. And above all else, let’s not forget: this is vodka ad, not a poster produced by the Mexican government.

  31. Super Nintendo says:

    I wont be drinking Absolut, but I will be helping to rid our sacred land of illegal hispanic immigrants. Its time to round them up, and our government should formally address Mexicos government about their intent to take over the USA. If it means going to war, then I say lets militarize the border, and hey while were at it KICK THEM ALL OUT OF OUR COUNTRY!! I would be dancing and singing if our government would begin to rid our country of these slimey low lives who only come here to break laws and do harm to our sacred land and people. Go here to help make a difference and FIGHT for FREEDOM, FIGHT FOR RIGHT! FIGHT FOR AMERICA! FIGHT TO PROTECT OUR LAND! http://www.noinvaders.org/home.shtml
    http://www.numbersusa.com/index

  32. Antonio says:

    Yup, time to boycott

  33. mark says:

    THis poster may not have been produced by the Mexican government but it wouldn’t have been produced if it didn’t mimic a popular sentiment. It vailidates a history and a future Mexicans feel is theirs. The name for they give the US Southwest is Aztlan. Youtube and google that word. Absolut is whoring themselves out in a way that could find them in a ditch. It is dangerous to be a whore.

  34. Michael says:

    THIS border WILL remain fixed for the next century, or I misjudge the American people’s willingness to defend it.

    Borders move both ways manning. It’s not like we haven’t occupied Mexico City before.

  35. Frank says:

    OK… “Super Nintendo”… why use the name of a japanese-designed game console? that’s… ridiculous for you to come in such an outrage of red-neck nationalism…

    Be things like you want… the USA abused their power to “own” California, Arizona, New Mexico, and so on… David Crocket died in that war too… and he became a “hero”… doesn’t he? Santa Ana was as idiot… and is one of the most-hated characters in mexican history… he’s seen as corrupt, thief, etc… at that time Mexico had a completely centralist government model that promoted the weakening of inter-state relations and gave the US the opportunity to grab, yes _to grab_ those lands.

    Many of those americans, americans because they where inhabitants in those lands at that time, have spaniard and mexican roots… just look at your maps… you’ll see a lot of spanish there… one things many -not generalizing- US-citizens don’t really get is that you can’t deny your heritage… it’s not optional to have mexican, spaniard, or whatever roots you have… it’s part of the history.

    And no, I won’t boycott Absolut… it’s marketing… it’s designed to provoke reactions like Mr. Super Nintendo’s… I don’t doubt this ad will be more successful than many many others because of all the fire it’s causing 🙂

  36. Frank says:

    Boozy… Absolut was recently acquired by a french company…

  37. stanger says:

    Some Mexicans are so full of shit.

    America stole California eh?

    Well you stole it from the Spanish who stole it from the Indians.

  38. Bill says:

    C’mon, of course Mexico is complaining now…the United States actually did something with the land, actually turned it into productive land, now Mexico whines about it being stolen and wants it back to increase their wealth. In actuality, Texas was the only former Mexico territory that had any type of a legitimate population. California had less than 5,000 Mexican citizens there. Mexicans were terrified of the native tribes in North America. Actually Mexico requested in the contract transferring their northern territories to the United States was that the U.S. would take full responsibility to ensure that the native tribes would not attack Mexico, the U.S. took them up on the condition.

    So many people use the racist word so much now, it has lost any credibility to me, but I can tell you all this much. Mexico is the most racist country in the world. Their native people, Oaxacans, Tlaxcalans, etc. are treated so disgustingly, it is awful. These people are uneducated and not cared about one bit by the small middle class and even smaller wealthy class that runs the country. The wealthy’s solution to having to share space with these peons? Send them to America and maybe we can steal the wealth up there and not have to smell our natives….If anybody calls us on it? We’ll call Americans racists so we can get away with it…disgusting.

  39. A. Zarkov says:

    “Borders are never absolute, if you’d stop disregarding history you’d know that.”

    Fine, then the US can invade Mexico and take the oil fields, while driving the Mexicans further south. If you outrageous I’ll give it you.

  40. R Taylor says:

    The map is pretty close but Mexico should go a little further east and north. I live in Houston and it looks more like Juarez everyday…thousands of illegals come here every day and nothing is done to stop it. Just go to any Home Depot (especially SW Houston) and you will get swarmed by illegal immigrant day workers???? Literally a hundred or so gather there every day!

    4 out of 7 classes in my daughters graduation last year were completely Mexican and Spanish was spoken through the entire 4 class sessions with English for the other three segregated classes of everyone else. McRoberts Elementary Katy TX, 5 years ago their was one small group, now better than 50% are all on free lunches and draining our school budget catering to an illegal immigrant population. Why???? Anyone else out their care??? I am sure other schools are even worse…come here speak English and pay taxes legally. We are loosing the battle without a shot being fired.

  41. anthony says:

    Who cares, its ours and their too weak to ever get it back. Just like when we kicked their little butts to get it.

  42. floyd says:

    Anthony;
    The real question is…. Is the American government so weak [minded] as to give it to them, along with the rest of the country?

  43. Don Juan Martinez Baby Daddy Ran Off Unwed Mutha says:

    How much is the USA government paying bounty hunters for bringing in illegal aliens, per head? A bounty plan would still be cheaper than a fence, and 100% effective… a fence… 0% effective and a waste of money.

  44. Doug says:

    I think they should redo this map and make Mexico a lake that would be cool!

  45. Jose John Hilton says:

    Maybe the truckers on strike could earn a decent living hunting illegal aliens.

    VIVA BOUNTY HUNTERS!!

  46. Jack says:

    It would make more sense if they labeled mexico as SPAIN, after all, mexico was conquered like the pussies they are!!

  47. Paul says:

    God help us! Even if this is a joke, this is a serious matter all the same. There is certainly an initiative for a North American Union, so perhaps the map won’t look quite like the one you see, but perhaps one giant blotch with some Spanish/English name. Stand tall against any communist front group or sellout who will sell this ideal as something grand!

  48. Carson says:

    If I remember my family history right Mexico once welcomed people to settle in their northern territories. Many did. Mexicans and Americans alike. Then there were stories of rules of what you could plant and raids and theft on some of the homesteads and pack trains
    .
    The United States came to help put a stop to the lawlessness. We ended up owning Mexico down to around Mexico City. We ended up with the treaty of Hidalgo. We returned much of the land we held and BOUGHT the disputed territory. They also agreed to not interfere any longer. They have violated that agreement. Their intervention into our affairs once again could set off a re-conquest of territory like they would never suspect.

    First we will need a government on our side.

    The Revolutionaries in the government have made it impossible to enforce the very laws they had agreed upon, enacted, and turned into law.

    We are going to have to restore law and order in our government before we can restore law and order in our streets.

  49. scott jones says:

    You can include western Kansas in the “New Mexico Map”, because Dodge City and Garden City are predominately Hispanic….. yes even the famed old western town where Wyatt Earp worked as sheriff is now Mexician! The Mexicians have told everone “to get out of Dodge” and they have.

  50. mannning says:

    Why Michael, are you suggesting that we invade Mexico? Maybe Canada is next, huh? NAFTA by force!
    How unliberal of you!

    Yes, you are merely pointing out that borders can change over time, which is just a tad too obvious, but, somehow, I do not believe the US has aggressive tendencies towards its neighbors today, do you?

    Ignoring history has both plusses and minuses. We know the penalties of ignoring the true lessons that history teaches, but seldom does anyone show how it can be a plus as well. It can be.

  51. frank says:

    It really all relates back to the reckless birth rate that is tipical south of the border. From 40 million to 80 million in the last 20 years and now they are around 107 million not including the illegals that have flooded into the U.S. Our great Fathers in d.c.dont seem to give a damm whith all of the problems and diseases being brought upon us.California has been bankrupted due to this dilema and we seem to be too stupid to do some corections that are needed.

  52. Webz says:

    Has anyone forgotten that there is a movement within the USA itself by certain latinos to return California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas to Mexico?

    This movement is not just filled with illegal immigrants, but stupid liberal US citizens such as the former California Lt. Governor Bustamante.

    We need more than just a fence. We need a fence with armed patrols willing to shoot to kill anyone trying to sneak into this country. Also, anyone found hiring illegal immigrants should be fined $250,000 and jailed for 2 years, mandatory. That would stop the flow right then and there. If there is no jobs, and no benefits, the illegals would be forced back to their own countries, and if they want a better life for themselves, they can start a revolution in their country and build it themselves. The USA didn’t just magically appear, it took the hard work of LEGAL immigrants.

  53. Michael says:

    Yes, you are merely pointing out that borders can change over time, which is just a tad too obvious, but, somehow, I do not believe the US has aggressive tendencies towards its neighbors today, do you?

    The last time our border with Mexico changes, there was no aggression involved. Please stop disregarding history.

    Ignoring history has both plusses and minuses. We know the penalties of ignoring the true lessons that history teaches, but seldom does anyone show how it can be a plus as well. It can be.

    Please, give me an example where ignorance of history was a good thing.

  54. Moreno says:

    Absolut can do this because there will be no real reaction from the U.S. nor should there be. But if you drew Tibet as its own country in an Absolut ad, you would probably see an official denouncement from Beijing, a visit from a short guy named Li and probably a ban on Absolut sales in China.

  55. jfz says:

    Regardless of any “blatant land grab”, California, governor Schwarzenegger, and relocated New Haven, Connecticut’s Bush are well along in returning our ill-gotten gains back to Mexico.

  56. Juicealot says:

    What would Captain Kirk and the Starship Enterprise do in a case like this? Maybe have a new Star Trek Mug with the old North American Absolut map, and then have the Enterprise doing a fly by.

  57. Absolute sucks says:

    Well this is just one more example why Absolute vodka is complete crap!
    That is why I drink SZAMBELAN Vodka it is the best vodka I have ever had.

  58. Kareem Barak Antichrist Abdul Chewbacca says:

    They took our yobbs

  59. Corona is Soylent Urine says:

    Firstly, the map is incorrect, should have all the Democrap states as Spicish, that is where you find most of them.

    Secondly, In the first Spanish American war, America should of forced the Mexicant’s back all the way into Colombia. Turn the entire area of Central America into a nuclear garbage dump.

    Mexican got their asses whipped many many times in military history. Mexico exists only because USA allows it to do so.

  60. Webz says:

    The map is rather accurate, if you take illegal immigration into account… we might as well not have a southern border.

  61. Jeff says:

    To me this is a highly inappropriate ad because it aggravates an already tense political situation for profit. In doing so, it deliberately lends legitimacy in the eyes of its target audience to the idea of Mexican rights to what has long been American territory. It is immoral and unacceptable for any company to inflame an international situation for the sake of making money.

  62. Webz says:

    BRILLIANT IDEA!!!!!! round up all the illegal immigrants and ship them off to fight and rebuild Iraq… two birds with one stone!

    Problem solved… Damn, I need to be elected president.

    PS… Michael Savage, get well soon!

  63. Michael says:

    I like the idea of the border fence WITH shoot to kill orders. As far as i’m concerned, if you win a war against another country, you do with it what you wish, YOU WON! How is that stealing?

  64. Spoonbender says:

    How about we do “Absolut Judaism” and show an image from Auschwitz? Or maybe “Absolut Iraq” and show a picture of a Blackwater contractor being decapitated? Here’s one: “Absolut Berkeley” – we could show Code Pink burning the CONSTITUTION!

    Are these people so cold, stupid and calloused that they think this is funny?

    Good luck Absolut, I will exercise MY Constitutional right to never purchase your product again.

    PS: All you who are arguing about the accuracy of the map need to rethink what is important to you.

  65. Jim says:

    I contacted their sales agent via e-mail and let them know I will not be buying their product any longer. I have one word, BOYCOTT!!!!!!!!!!!

  66. Michael says:

    Spoonbender,
    You’re kind of missing their point, the ads are targetting to make the audience feel better, not worse.

    So, in your example, “Absolut Judaism” would show ancient Israel, possibly before the north/south split. “Absolut Iraq” would show Iraq as it was when the early Caliph reigned in Baghdad, and “Absolut Berkeley” would probably have something to do with the early computer pioneers*.

    PS: All you who are arguing about the accuracy of the map need to rethink what is important to you.

    Why should being angry about Mexicans, longing for a time when they were a larger nation, be a priority for anybody?

    (*) At least that’s the only thing I could think of on the subject of Berkeley.

  67. Spoonbender says:

    Michael, I do get your point. I don’t normally make two posts to anything, but to set the record straight – I said what I said because on April 4th, 2008 America has borders that are recognized by the world. When I saw this ad, it said to me “Hey Mexicans, doesn’t it piss you off that somebody took your land?”. It almost seems to say, “Don’t you long for the good old days before those American bastards robbed you? It’s time to go get what’s rightfully yours!” It is inflammatory language that serves no purpose other than to pit one culture against another. And you missed my point about Iraq and Berkleley for the same reasons. YOU CANNOT CHANGE THE PAST! All you can do is try to EMPOWER the future. Spewing nationalist rhetoric like this serves nobody. Wouldn’t it be more EMPOWERING to do something like “Absolut Brotherhood” and have people of all races, religions and politics all enjoying a toast together – rather than further splintering our political and religious ideologies?Heck, even a meat-eating White Atheist Republican like myself might respond to that!

  68. CMAN says:

    Please email je***************@ab*****.com to explain how upset you are with this insane ad.

  69. Rob H. says:
  70. ONELOVE2 says:

    If Mexico still owned this land you all are crying about, CA, AZ, NM, OR, WA, ETC. would all be hellholes like the rest of Mexico. And all the migrants would still be coming to Estados Unidos to flee their corrupt Gov. and to get better jobs.
    I cant beleive how much guilt all of you have for what has happened in the past. Did I invade mexico and take their land? No!
    Its like me saying I am part russian, so I want the whole soviet block back under the control of mother Russia…simply ridiculous. All of you have this great guilt for being American. It is quite funny that you all ahte yourselves that much…why dont you go jump off the grand canyon or something?

  71. Stephen says:

    This was an anti-American ad that was targeted to racist, Nationalist anti-American Mexicans who for some perplexing reason have a lust (or is it “envy”) of America’s Southwest and yearn for the 1840s when it was a largely unpopulated desert – which was, nonetheless, “owned” by Mexico, for what it was worth.

    Absolut will deservedly lose mega business in the United States over this, not because (as some idiots above are implying) some stereotypical knuckle-dragging nativists will boycott a drink they never drank anyway, but because honest, hard-working Americans who genuinely, and rightly, fear the radical Reconquista agenda being touted by pro-illegal groups and taught as a “moral good” in our universities.

    As nicely put above by another poster: Pandering to Mexican Nationalists is about as stupid as pandering to neo-Confederates with a map with the South colored gray and the North colored blue. That would be unacceptable, and so is this racist nonsense.

    And for a history lesson: Only America (big-hearted, naive, fair-minded America) would decisively fight a war rather than pay $30 million for territory, then win the territory through warfare, PAY the losers $15 million for the territory, then a few years later pay ANOTHER $15 million for a tiny sliver more (Gadsden Purchase.) Let’s have no more talk about “stealing” land, okay? Silly Leftists.

  72. Mike From Texas says:

    First of all, I’ve never seen a Mexican drink Vodka, and if they did they wouldn’t buy Absolute because they couldn’t afford it!!!! Secondly, any time they feel froggy, let em’ jump, and we’ll blast them all the way back to the southern most tip of South America!!! They should be careful not to bite the hand that feeds them. Ungrateful bunch of degenerates!

  73. CBGB says:
  74. Bob Way says:

    It is just a way to persuade somebody to hurt themselves by dangling something they will never get in front of them. It’s only in the dreams of the drunken or foolish, the belief that they will regain land that was never really theirs.
    One day soon the page will turn and things around here are going back to the way things were before the invasion.

    Go Home hombre and take your crime with you!!!

  75. LeBain says:

    I will never buy Absolut again, no question.

    Would the Norwegians like to see ads showing Sweden back in their land in a vodka ad under “Absolut Svenska”?

    Would blacks like to see the Confederate States of America resurrected with the battle flag in a vodka ad under “Absolut Rebel”?

    Would the French like to see themselves back under Nazi control in a vodka ad “Absolute Vichy”?

    Would the only recently freed countries of Eastern Europe like to see their map back under Soviet control in an “Absolut Hammer and Sickle”?

    This is disgusting.

  76. CBGB says:

    Better version!

    Absolut map of Nazi Germany, Sweden included. 😎

    Link

  77. poor mexico says:

    Actually in an absolute world, we should have just taken over Mexico completely and assimilated the people as Americans. Think of how much better off all of them would be today. Instead of the millions of Mexicans that want to come here Illegally, they would all ready be here. Currently what have Mexicans done to make Mexico a better place?……………………….almost nothing……except associated itself with the USA and our businesses.

  78. Glenn says:

    This ad has brought out an even uglier side of US jingoism. Get over yourselves, Americans! It’s just an ad. You should be more offended about the REALITY of US Imperialism and Republican terrorism than the fantasy represented in a liquor ad. Grow a brain!

  79. Oyegi Thamu says:

    Hilarious! While a few people with no sense of humor (or brains, some may argue) will be switching to “Freedom Vodka”, I’ll continue to drink my Absolut.

    Cheers!

  80. mannning says:

    While it is easy to cite cases where ignoring history is bad, it is not easy to discover its opposite: where ignoring history is beneficial.

    One instance is rather dramatic. Alexander faced Darius at Issus. He had about 70,000 men and Darius had over 600,000. A prudent leader would have heeded the historic lessons of warfare, that to attack you need a superiority of 3 to 1, whereas Alexander was outnumbered by almost ten to one. Yet Alexander managed by superior tactics to rout Darius.

    There was no historic precedent for this. Had Alexander heeded the lesson of military history, he would not have defeated Darius and the Persian Empire would have lasted far longer.

  81. Kevin says:

    Yep, Cernig, you are absolut-ly right, it’s just an ad; the companies right to place. Yet you call my right to never buy Absolut Vodka ever again an over reaction? Just wait till Absolut sales fall through the floor, they’ll regret using the advertiser that created this ad. Whether you try to belittle us by calling us names, we’ve still the right to see the ad for what it is, a slap in the face to U.S. citizens who are currently being overrun by illegals who can’t for whatever reason can’t make it in their own country, they have to come up here and abuse a system that was set up for the poor among “us”, not for the poor of the world! COBRA and EMTALA was designed for poor U.S. citizens who couldn’t afford medical treatment, and now our whole medical system and welfare system is being destroyed by illegals. You are ignorant if you think it’s an over reaction or a humorous ad!!!!

  82. Kevin says:

    Glen, you’re a moron! “U.S. Imperialism”? Did we take over Europe in WW1? Did we take over Germany or Japan, in WW2? Our goal is to spread Democracy not create an Empire. The claim of US Imperialism is just rhetoric from Socialist Liberals who haven’t a clue that Socialism has not and will never work!!!!

  83. Stephen says:

    I see the Eurotrash and other Lefties are weighing in, amused and befuddled that Americans are so upset that our borders are ridiculed as meaningless in an ad run in a nation that doesn’t respect borders.

    I would simply say that Europeans get incensed about things, too. Holocaust denial, for one example. I believe it’s even ILLEGAL to even express that (admittedly foolish) view publicly in Europe.

    I suspect, as others have said here, that if Absolut pandered to the “yearnings” of elderly Germans and drew a map that was “sensitive” to their feelings of the wistful past (say, in 1942 or so), you would be outraged. And of course, so would we Americans. So “grow a brain” and think this through.

  84. Gus says:

    Damn, I see Ishmael beat me to a re-draw of the Swedish map for a mock ad. He clearly knows that, of all Sweden’s neighbors, it is Finland that the Swedes have the most disdain for.

    Look, this is a global brand with sales–I would imagine–much larger in the U.S. than in Mexico. That said, why piss anyone off just to sell some vodka?

  85. Jack says:

    HAHAHA you retards sure do get riled up about absolutely nothing. Please kill yourselves now or soon 🙂

  86. priophea says:

    guess the majority of people posting about this topic are as sensitive about the map of their country as the islamic world is about the caricatures of mohammed.

    the islamic world gave up their boycott of our products in less than two years. let’s see how long you will last.

    oh and by the way, you better print out a list of all the brands owned by pernod ricard because you’re going to need it if you are serious about boycotting them, considering absolut is owned by pernod ricard, they will not really lose anything if you buy any of their other brands instead.

    so far i’m counting a 107 succesful and common brands, among them stolichnaya and wild turkey. V&S, the group that absolut was part of that was bought by pernod ricard have 400 different brands all by itself so good luck with that boycott.

  87. mannning says:

    It occurred to me that ignoring history to achieve success is nowhere better illustrated than in the game of chess. In professional chess the first fifteen or twenty moves are straight out of the “book.” That is, the collective wisdom of hundreds of masters, which represents the lessons of history. It is the exceptional master that turns his back on the “book” at a certain point and takes the game “off book” to his advantage. This is a quite standard tactic at all levels of play, if only because of ignorance of the book, but it is the master that makes it work for him to win.

  88. dave says:

    (Please excuse the inevitable type-os).

    Those who have posted here about the sometimes mentioned (though very rarely understood) “land-grab,” or “conquest” of “Mexican” territory in the Mexican-American war, are being as foolish as humanly possible. That is, they are spouting flippantly about events which they know NOTHING about.
    When I was doing my Masters in American History (which, BTW, believe me, was NOT in an atmosphere where tradititional American historical perspectives were encouraged), I chose the Mexican-American War as my forte.
    I read hundreds-maybe thousands of original texts; books, diaries, journals, official documents-by Mexicans and Americans of every station and stripe. I dug deep into the grand and the minute details of all that surrounded that war, it’s antecedents, it’s conduct, it’s military aspects, it’s social impacts, etc., etc.
    This is not textbook crap, or junk you’d peruse in TIME, or your average newspaper. You see, I looked for some TRUTH…without an angle.
    OK, holier than-thou-or blaze’ detractors of American & Western (read: white male) culture;

    Mexico was barely a nation at all at the time of the war. Wracked by incessant, chaotic and extremely bloody civil war (fought by illegitimate dictators settling personal scores against eachother, and committing henious acts of barbarity in doing so (sounds like modern-day Mexico read: Nuevo Laredo, or the numerous other hotbeds of Mexican drug cartel mayhem).
    The lands north of our present-day border were loosely held-make that sparsely populated and barely governed at all, except on paper, by that entity known as Mexico…which barely extended beyond Mexico City, as far as uniform government, community identity, or loyalty was concerned. The Mexicans, Spaniards, and other Europeans who moved north into what is present-day USA territory did so, precisely because they wanted to get the hell away from the nightmare that was Mexico (sounds like the present day, eh?).
    There were millions of essentially ungoverned land, barely populated by essentially dissident Mexicans who wanted to live apart from Mexico, which held claim to “El Norte” with the mere force of a scroll of paper. That might as well have been Spanish land.
    I give no contest whatever to the fact that Many in the US government-and a few of her subjects-wanted that land out west. Everybody saw it as a no-brainer, and easy to justify. I do not support wars of conquest, but, hey, I’m a product of the late 20th century. Wake up folks, we have a different value system now (especialy folks living cushy lives in San Francisco-oh, the irony).
    Furthermore, the events leading up to our invasion of the lands held (on paper, but not in legitimate rule) by Mexico, were complex, and involved quite a lot of military incursions by Mexican forces onto US soil (again, like today).
    We pushed, they pushed, and both sides were spoiling for war. It was dirty, as wars usually are. The US government lied, in part, and told the truth, in part. The Mexicans and the US volunteers and regulars fought hard, often gallantly. The whole world believed the US was in for a grand defeat at the hands of Mexico. We solidly trounced them, taking Mexico city itself. It was the first modern war, and despite all it’s ragged edges (volunteers were lousy soldiers EXEPT when they were in battle), the US incursion was a smashing victory that is sadly under-recognized in military study.
    After the war, the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo purchased the siezed territories for what could rightly be called a song. But when, pray tell, thou experts, did a conquering nation actually PURCHASE lands it stripped from it’s enemy? I’m waiting…
    The “Mexican” population of the utterly vast American West was incredibly sparse. There was outright violent dissent against Mexican rule there. Mexican claims to the American West were a hair better than US claims to the moon.
    Was it conquest? Yes. Was it robbery? Maybe, maybe not. Would it be ok by present mores? no.
    You who dismiss America’s claim to lands Americans have cultivated for over 150 years, based on the notion that we stole those lands from Mexico, are either just bashing what you see as the status quo, self-absorbed in your own little bubbles, or you have some sort of grudge to act out against the culture that helped make you rich.
    Every speck of land on earth now inhabited by someone, once belonged to someone else. GET OVER IT. Now, that said, we need to get the hell out of Iraq, forget Iran, the Mideast, and drop our wars of corporate dominion. Our poor Army fights for the Bildabergers, the Enrons, The Haliburtons, et. al. That’s sick. But we are not to blame for the moral ambiguities and wrongs of generations past, and we would be fools to judge our forebears so harshly for shedding blood to give us such prosperity.
    Wake up. We are losing our culture, our country, our heritage, our environment, and the whole shebang, due to insanely high levels of immigration, legal and illegal. Legality has little importance when there are TENS OF MILLIONS of Latin Americans occupying the USA, sending wages through the floor (with the blessing and at the behest of our greedy businesses and unforgiveable governmental profiteers). That so very many of these Mexican immigrants are fully loyal to Mexican culture and race-yes, LA RAZA, is a disaster for America.
    You’d better be ready for hard choices, and looking like the bad guy (or girl), if you want to save any shred of what keeps you here in the USA. Afterall, You’re not moving to Nicaragua or Zimbabwe, are you? I didn’t think so. You like it HERE, because of what WE have made it…warts and all.
    Stop dismissing the obvious. Don’t be fools. Rrconquista, whether in the mind of a fired-up Mexican Brown Beret, or on the sharp edge of an MS-13 gang murderer’s machete, or held on the forked toung of a spokesperson of the appallingly racist “La Raza,” is real. You don’t take in 30 or 40 MILLION foreign nationals, fail miserably to assimilate them, encourage their further mass migraton, ignore your own borders, laws and well being, and survive as a nation, let alone a culture.
    Americans have been lulled half to sleep by Liberal ideology gone astray, by crass materialism, and by greed. That leads to people blowing off an insanely aggresive ad like this trash from Absolut. Maybe the following analogy will help wake up the brain-dead among you:

    Here’s a map of your street. I live two doors down. I just put your house on MY map. I’m moving in. In fact, I’m already in your living room. I’m bringing a LOT of friends and family. You’d better not say a word, or I’ll accuse you of being some kind of HATER. That will get you ostracized. You may even be sued, or jailed if I can prove you HATE me. What’s yours is mine. You have no claim to this land, or this house. Somebody else lived here before you. I’m gonna’ get a lawyer! I’m calling the feds! You’re a racist! I’m just here for a better life! So you just better see things our way. We’re gonna’ make life uncomfortable for you. You should just go back where you came from.
    Get it now? You wouldn’t stand for someone taking over your house, would you. Not for a SECOND. This nation IS YOUR HOUSE-AND MINE. Even if you feel cozy with the idea of picking up and moving every five years to find a place that is familiar to you (read: no ghettos, less crime, cleaner streets, a language you can understand, less violence, more social cohesion, standards of gender relations, egality, reciprocity and general social norms you’re comfortable with, more-or less), you have no right to abandon your responsibility to your fellow Americans, who may just not want to be displacesd out of Miami, Orlando, Tampa, Dallas, El Paso, Houston, Los Angeles, Chicago, Phoenix, rural Iowa, or smalltown USA.

    You may rationalize your flight from the third world as some vague aspiration to find greener pastures, when the numbers get too crushing, but you haven’t the right to make other Americans flee with you because you just couldn’t be bothered to take a stand. Stop dismissing the destruction of this country. It’s not a sin to firmly, honestly, lay claim to what is yours, your forbears’, and your descendant’s land. It’s not racism, or hatred, to demand a balance and a sensible cap to growth. It’s no sleight against the good human beings of Latin America, to say: “we need to keep our nation intact. We can’t take any more, and most of you need to go home soon.” I for one, would gladly pay to help Latin Americans in their own countries. I’m An American with a good heart. I don’t want us meddling in their affairs, and I justifiably don’t want them meddling in ours.I want them-and us-to live free, able to develop our cultures as we see best, unburdened by the strife of multiculturalism gone awry, and unshackled from the corporate greed that makes workers into slaves. I don’t want this tremendous racial strife we now have. I denounce the greed and the stupidity that made it possible. I am also against anybody from any other country laying claim to US soil, or seeking to peacefully annex it by sheer numbers. In TODAY’S world, THAT’S WRONG, and we know it.
    Wake up.

  89. aztecmex says:


    Dave its great that you studied “Mexican American” history, but why at that era? I like to study the same history, but before there were any Mexicans and Spaniards around. When the Aztec population was 20 to 25 million in number. Do you believe that Apaches and/or Comanches would have killed us. They may kill the few Mexicans that were starting to populate the region, but not the Aztec Empire. Did you not see Mel Gibson’s movie, Aztec Indians would go around (like to the North) and captured other smaller natives, unless they paid the tax. The Aztec Empire was like any other empire it need tax money.
    Did you ever wonder why our pyramids had such a steep incline? So that heads would roll better and not clog the steps. Yep we believed that a young virgin had to be sacrificed everyday so that our SUN would rise everyday.
    There are some Mexicans (like me) that detest the Spaniard blood in us, but that is the way it is.
    But my studies have brought me to a different conclusion from yours.
    My theory is that all nations should go back to their origins. Why? Because science demands it. Just like we don’t allow the importation of plants or animals to other parts of the world, not because we oppose it but because they disrupt the balance of Nature in our earth. Yes we can travel to each others origins and learn from each others nationalities and culture. But to interbreed, I don’t think so. Perhaps 200 or five hundred thousand years from now. Mankind needs to evolve a lot more before interbreeding may occur. We are too damn wild right now. Its not that long that we’ve come out of the cave mentality.
    Until that wildness is weaned out in the human race we will always be like cats and dogs.
    But we rather put our faith in politicians who “want us to believe they would truly bring CHANGE.” What a joke. Its the rotten apples in the barrel that bring instant decay to any new Senator. We need to dump the barrel and clean it out so that we can start a fresh. Until this is done forget about change.

  90. Peter says:

    The “Greater Finland” map is actually an accurate map of Sweden before Russia attacked Sweden in the war of 1808-1809 and lost this one third of its territory to Russia. This lost part of Sweden became a country in 1921 under the name “Finland”, when it became independent from the Soviet Union. (The word “Finland” is actually the Swedish name for this former Swedish region.)

    Thus, the map is historically correct, just like Absolut Vodka’s map of Mexico before the U.S.-Meican war of 1848. The only difference is that the Absolut Vodka depicts an historically correct map WITHOUT having to try to be insulting by changing the name of the country.

  91. George says:

    Thanks to Swedish, I am not a drinker but I will buy a bottle to support it.

    If this calls provocative or insult, how come a American Military person last year in Rome at NATO;s summit opened a map of Turkey shows 1/3 of Turkey in Kurdistan (there are no such country in the world) **

    Thanks to Swedish. **

  92. Peter says:

    Since when did it became insulting to depict historically correct maps? Grow up!

    By the way, it’s a Mexican ad agency who came up with the idea of showing a historically correct map of Mexico in the Absolut ads.

    Oh, one more thing… Absolut has just been bought by a French company. Are Americans now going to try to insult French people also?

  93. Tony says:

    The Swedes that ran that ad new what they were doing and they are laughing their butts off. Europeans laugh at us. I teach international students and they always ask me why we the US is continually allowing so many mexicans into the country and why we allow them to speak spanish. They are surprised when they come here and find spanish used everywhere. They get angrier than americans. Koreans and Japanese really dislike mexicans and I have heard them say it. So, the swedes figure they can boost sales and get a laugh at our expense. The swedes, as are the danish, are notorious for their blatant racism. Anyone with dark hair in their country is identified and made fun of. Irregardless of what anyone thinks illegal immigration from south of the border is no longer funny or cute. It is a serious problem with long term ramifications. I lived in a neighborhood that was 90% mexican and it was only mexican flags and spanish. They don’t care about america or its traditions. And, as for a land grab, listen, if you get into a fight and you lose fair and square don’t whine about it. Mexicans are living in the past that is why they have the highest drop out rates, lowest percentage of college graduates, and highest rates of teenage pregnancy. They’re a mess. Abosolut vodka sucks and we need to make fun of the swedes for this one.

  94. BEV says:

    Don’t just boycott Absolut. The company that owns them, V&S, also sells Penfolds wines and other products. Check out their site.
    The disgraceful marketing firm Teran/TBWA also does ads for Adidas, Pedigree Dog Food, Nextel, FujiFilm and others.

  95. Michael says:

    One instance is rather dramatic. Alexander faced Darius at Issus. He had about 70,000 men and Darius had over 600,000. A prudent leader would have heeded the historic lessons of warfare, that to attack you need a superiority of 3 to 1, whereas Alexander was outnumbered by almost ten to one. Yet Alexander managed by superior tactics to rout Darius.

    You’re an idiot.

  96. Paul Reveere - one if by land says:

    The Absolut ad sparks strong response because it is a symbol of legitimate public concern about the invasion of the U.S. by millions of foreign aliens. When millions of illegal aliens are openly invading the U.S. the issue of illegal immigration has grown into an issue of invasion, a National security issue. The scale of the problem (millions of aliens overwhelming U.S.) means that the aliens are not only “illegal immigrants” but also invaders.

    Citizens are justifiably outraged that the federal government has refused to stop this invasion of millions of aliens. The primary duty of the President and the federal government is to protect the homeland from invasion. Someone needs to bring a lawsuit compelling the President and the federal government to perform its duty and defend our borders from invasion (not just “illegal immigration”).

    Because of the scale of the problem (millions of invaders) and the nature of the problem (invasion), the U.S. armed forces need to replace the border patrol (ICE) as the primary defender of the border.

    The invasion of the U.S. by millions of Mexicans is an act of war by the government of Mexico. The U.S. needs to issue an ultimatum to the government of Mexico to stop the invasion within 90 days, or face the consequences of its continuing act of war against the U.S.

  97. Peter says:

    Tony has obviously never been to Sweden… The minister of integration, youth and gender equality is black (born in Burundi, Africa). As such, she is one of the most powerful and influential women in Sweden. In fact, even the prime minister himself is partly black (however little – 1/32). The former black U.N. secretary general’s wife is Swedish, as is the wife of the partly black world-famous golf player Tiger Woods.

    Sweden has fostered and produced world-class talent of various ethnicities. Dr. Alban (musician born in Africa) comes to mind, but there a whole generation of musicians with obviously “black hair” (as Tony so “eloquently” put it) who thrive on the Swedish music export scene. Sweden has produced some of the world’s best football/soccer players – Henrik ‘Henke’ Larsson (half Swedish, half Cap Verdian) and Zlatan Ibrahimovic (of Yugoslavian descent, grown up in Sweden) comes to mind. Sweden has top-notch, world class researchers, artists, sport stars, movie stars, authors, politicians, etc. with obvious “black hair” and with backgrounds from more countries than would be worthwhile listing. In Stockholm alone, there are people from more than 200 nations.

    Yea, we Swedes are so racist… That’s why one single city (Södertälje) takes more Iraqi refugees than the entire United States. The distorted view of Sweden that Tony has is mind-boggling!

    Having said that, yes, there are racist people in Sweden, as there are in the U.S. However, problems for early-arrived foreigners in Sweden has more to do with language problems and therefore associated disadvantages on the employment market, housing segregation (partly self-imposed, partly due to low incomes), and having to catch up with how Swedish culture works than it has anything to do with the color of your skin or hair.

    By the way, I have lived for many years in both Sweden and in the United States.

    To boycott Absolut because they have used a historically correct map of the U.S. in a humorous advertisement not even appearing in the U.S. is just too ridiculous to even comment on.
    Absolut is not responsible for how the map of the U.S. looked like before 1848. Please, grow up!

  98. Peter says:

    By the way, an historical map from the 1630s of what was later to become the United States, would say “New Sweden” approximately where Delaware and western New Jersey is today (later taken over by the Dutch). What if Absolut had used that map? Would that have offended as much?

    The United States is partly built by Swedes (among many others, of course) – constitutionally, since one of the “founding fathers” was of Swedish descent, and literally, for example in the design and building of Chicago buildings.

    Chicago around year 1900 had more Swedes than any other city in the world except Stockholm. Today, everyday commercial names like “Nordstrom” or “Wahlgreen’s” are reminders of countless last names of people of Swedish descent (with specific meanings in Swedish). So, keep a little perspective and pride in your past and in your friends overseas in the countries from where your forefather came, whether that be Europe, Africa, or anywhere else.

    Mexicans are just yet another group of immigrants, and yes, they have owned part of what’s today’s United States, just like Sweden, France, Spain, Holland, or England has. Those are historical facts and nothing to be offended by.

    Still, I have all respect for the problems of illegal immigration, and it is a valid and interesting point that when signs, newspapers, and customer service are in Spanish alongside English, the United States may have made a big mistake, causing divisions. One day, there may be no need to learn English.

    Luckily for the stability of today’s U.S., Swedes and just about everyone else who weren’t from the British Islands HAD to sooner or later learn English in order to succeed in this New World when they came in great numbers in the 1800s. Sweden today faces the same dilemma. As more and more public information is in, e.g. Arabic (thanks to the massive number of refugees from your war in Iraq), then the easier it becomes to survive without knowing Swedish. It’s a good example of kindness and service on an individual level which in the long run may (?) be harmful for the stability and common understanding within the greater society.

  99. Margarita says:

    I think that’s excellent. Just bought a case of Absolut to support it (expensive but worth it). Si se puede

  100. Carson says:

    Peter,

    Here in the United States the government launched a program in the public schools to brainwash us as children that the children we were about to have were unwanted because the population was rising so fast. They said they would stress the natural resources for things like water and crowding on the highways. They told us about Zero Population Growth, Birth Control Pills, and Family Planning.

    Did you also have those programs in the seventies? They sort of turned into safe sex programs in the mid eighties but the results are the same.

    Some estimates of the children lost to these programs equal the room that was taken over by the Revolutionaries in the government’s illegal labor for their criminals in business. Is it the same around where you’re at in Europe with illegal invaders displacing natural citizens out of their jobs?

    Do you also have Revolutionaries that refuse to uphold the very immigration laws that they themselves had debated and passed into law?

    Carson

  101. mannning says:

    The first one to resort to name calling loses. You lose, Michael.

  102. Peter says:

    Carson,

    What you write surprises me. Highly developed countries (like the U.S. or Sweden) don’t have problems with populations rising too fast, not in the 70s and not today. They do, however, have a continuous issue with deciding who to let in to their countries, because a lot of people in the third world are prepared to risk their lives just to get a chance to get in (and if everyone were allowed to enter, then there would indeed be a problem with the population growing too fast, along with problems so severe that society would break down). That’s why I can enter the U.S. any time I want, without a visa, while a person from a third world country like Mexico cannot.

    I don’t know what “program”, “brainwashing”, or “revolutionaries” you are talking about. The only programs I can think of in this area is sex education in school. I know that for some unexplainable reason Americans tend to believe that learning about the human body is harmful to children (when, in fact, the opposite is true – knowledge empowers). As long as this strange idea flourishes in the U.S., the U.S. will keep having unusually large problems with unwanted teen pregnancies and the like, compared to western Europe, Japan, or Australia.

    OK, I think we’re both off topic here…

  103. Michael says:

    The first one to resort to name calling loses. You lose, Michael.

    Fine, I forfeit the argument. But don’t think for a minute that your argument won, because you’re still wrong, you’re still ignoring history, and you’re still an idiot.

  104. mannning says:

    If you cannot refute my arguments that there are situations where ignoring history is fruitful, but instead call me names, you are the one that looks foolish, Michael. I gave you two examples where it is quite clearly the case. No intelligent response from you has been forthcoming. How sad.

  105. mannning says:

    My cases show that ignoring history, as opposed to ignorance of history, can be successful. Certainly Alexander had access to the history of warfare up to that point.

    And, it is certain that a grandmaster of chess has studied the history of chess openings thoroughly before setting that history aside, ignoring it, in favor of his own variation.

    It is also true that in a set position it is the superior intellect that discovers the winning moves, often with total disregard of history.

    Inventive minds can turn history and its lessons upside down. Slaves to history can miss golden opportunities in the present–the NOW. What history can do is inform, but not dictate, the possible course of future events.

  106. Michael says:

    Michael. I gave you two examples where it is quite clearly the case.

    I say you’re an idiot because you assume that Alexander was ignoring history by attacking Darius, instead of using his knowledge of military history to pick a battle field that negated his enemy’s superior numbers.

    The chess example is wrong for the same reasons. Grand Masters don’t ignore history, they are relying on their knowledge of historical moves, strategies and patterns to be able to predict their opponents future moves, and either pre-preemptively counter them or throw off inexperienced opponents because _they_ are the ones ignoring history.

    In both situations, you equate following tradition with knowledge of history, and think that doing something non-traditional means one is ignoring history. More often the opposite is true, those that follow tradition because it is tradition are usually ignorant of the history of it.

  107. Steve says:

    It’s not a stretch to believe the folks at Absolut are smart enough to know that it’s never wise to use a sensitive political issue to further an ad campaign. Illegal immigration to the U.S. from Mexico is an enormous problem and a sore point for most Americans. Throw in the idea of “reconquista,” frequently mentioned by pro-Mexican, anti-American ideologues, and the seriousness of the problem can be grasped.
    It matters not that the ad was intended for a Mexican audience. To suggest that concerns with the portrayal are unfounded because the map shows historically accurate boundaries is to oversimplify and underestimate the significance of the problem and the power of an image to convey a message. How about an historically accurate map of the U.S. before the Civil War that panders to long-held resentments by descendants of pro-Confederate forces? A picture is, indeed, worth a thousand words.

  108. mannning says:

    As you may have noted by now, your latest post came after I stated again that inventive minds, perhaps with ample knowledge of history, can and do ignore what history tells them in order to pursue their own ideas.

    You seem to turn the leaf over to agree with me! And then attempt to say that any new departure from historical precedent is actually following history, just that the history is unknown! You have me there! Unknown history! This I cannot deal with!

    In chess there is something called an original line of attack when it is first sprung on an opponent with no precedent in the literature. Alekhine and Fischer were well-known for their original lines. That these lines were dubbed original later on by other grandmasters means that there was no history of such a line in the chess literature reaching far back.

    Thus chess history was not a factor in their decision to play their line. Their opponents had no recourse to history either, and had to rely on over-the-board analysis of a position before making a counter move. That the players had historical knowledge of advantageous and disadvantageous positions that could arise is a given, but the tactical responses NOW dominated the game.

    So there was no tradition to follow, and no history to follow either at that point. It is really a simple concept, Michael. After the original, new move, the history of that line went out the window and made new chess history!

    It is similar in the case of Alexander, but with the terrible admonition of military history that going up against a 10 to 1 numerical disadvantage is folly.

    His usual anvil and hammer tactic had to be modified to fit the circumstances, and it worked, despite the teachings of military history up until then. But I repeat myself. He made an original move with his cavalry, and history was rewritten.

  109. Michael says:

    I stated again that inventive minds, perhaps with ample knowledge of history, can and do ignore what history tells them in order to pursue their own ideas.

    History doesn’t tell you what to do, it tells you what others have done. Saying you are ignoring history means you’re ignoring what others have done. This is completely different from simply not doing what others have done.

    You seem to turn the leaf over to agree with me! And then attempt to say that any new departure from historical precedent is actually following history, just that the history is unknown! You have me there! Unknown history! This I cannot deal with!

    Again it seems we’re using different meanings for the same terms. I see history as a repository of information, not an instruction manual. You can use the information about what someone else has done in the past to decide _not_ to do the same thing in the future. In my book, Knowledge!=Following and Ignorance!=Diverging, that either action can come from knowledge or ignorance, the only difference is that actions coming from knowledge are generally more successful than actions coming from ignorance.

    So there was no tradition to follow, and no history to follow either at that point. It is really a simple concept, Michael. After the original, new move, the history of that line went out the window and made new chess history!

    If chess games could be played where the entire sequence from start to finish was known before hand, there would be no sense in playing, whomever got the first move would pick the sequence of events that leads to his victory. Instead chess is based on strategies and patterns which are rooted in history. Even your “new lines” are just attempts to create a favored pattern when one isn’t readily available. But these “new lines” are not random moves, they are calculated based on a player’s history in the game. Again, knowledge of history leads to better actions, even if those actions are the opposite of what has historically been done.

    It is similar in the case of Alexander, but with the terrible admonition of military history that going up against a 10 to 1 numerical disadvantage is folly.

    Only it wasn’t 10 to 1 by any modern estimates. Even still, Alexander’s moves were not ignoring history, but rather based on the knowledge that in picking a narrow field of battle he could negate any advantage Darius had. Everything Alexander did strategically had historical precedence.

    His usual anvil and hammer tactic had to be modified to fit the circumstances, and it worked, despite the teachings of military history up until then. But I repeat myself. He made an original move with his cavalry, and history was rewritten.

    Alexander narrowed Darius’s line, used geography to keep from being out-flanked, used a decoy attack to lure the main forces into attacking his defensive position, broke through an opening in the line, and out-flanked Darius. Tell me what part of that was novel.

  110. mannning says:

    The novel part came with the numbers, which in the Discovery channel’s showing stated that Darius had 600,000 men on line, and Alexander had only 70,000. I find it incredible that Alex. would attack such a formation as Darius had.

    I used the words “history tells them”, not tells them what to do, very deliberately, since what is learned can go either way.

    Your knowledge of chess seems to be minimal. A new departure move breaks away entirely from the record (or history) of the line, and creates a new game, as it were, with new positions and new moves to consider, and it usually alters both the tactical and strategic situation.

    In most cases, the new move has nothing at all to do with the previous moves except to advance the move count. It isn’t a groping for a pattern that isn’t there, it is a well-planned new sequence of moves that confers an advantage to the one that discovered it (unless the new move is refuted over the board–and not by history!).

    To me, history is several things: it is someone’s snapshots of a time period; it is someone’s opinion as to what was going on; it is a record of facts, at least as seen by someone; and, it is a record of outcomes from various kinds of efforts, be it war or economic uphevals, etc.

    The problem I have with history is historians; those who would interpret the past through their filters of NOW to reach a preplanned conclusion.
    One can spend oceans of time trying to find an analogous situation in the past to what is facing us in the NOW, and then trying to use that information to guide one’s efforts. Using that time to better analyze the situation to come up with a vaild plan might well be more profitable.

    That is no more obvious than in chess. All of the historical move and positional information you have will do you absolutely no good when faced with a new positional situation. You must analyze it going forward.

    I think this is a dead horse issue now, don’t you?

  111. Bern says:

    Boo hooo

    the bad mexicans wants his territories back 🙁

    bola de gringos putos llorones jajaja

  112. dave says:

    Greeting AZTECMEX:

    It sounds like you and I mostly agree, amigo.
    These multiculturally brainwashed idiots think everybody is going to magically get along, some dreamy day. They ignore the glaring fact that tribes, and nations formed because like-minded peoople got together, interbred, and became more closely related. Thus they solidified their ways, and their bonds to eachother.
    Then there are the bloodthirsty moneygrubbers…the sort that want more cash or power than they could wield in a lifetime. They are the epitome of greed.
    And both the cultural marxists, and the neocon, one-world super rich are stupid. They will kill the world.
    Meanwhile, people like you and I-whom are probably in the majority, just want to live our lives in peace, free to enjoy our cultures, free from manipulation, outside dominance, race war, enforced, artificial, ultimately faccist political correctness, and all the other horrors of the new world order.
    Well, the greedy and the unwise always collapse from their own megalomania eventually.
    Hopefully, amigo, you and I will be around when the idiots of the world are forced to give up their plans for all us normal people, and just let us be.
    I hope your culture survives. That’s all I ever wanted for my people.
    Peace.

  113. Here are the holding Pernod who owns Absolut. I believe Cruzan Rum was part of the purchase as well.

    Stick it to them.

    Agros Holding SA
    ALLIED DOMECQ (HOLDINGS) LTD
    ALLIED DOMECQ (US) FINANCE
    ALLIED DOMECQ ATLANTIC FINANCE LTD
    ALLIED DOMECQ CANADA FINANCING CO
    Allied Domecq Canada Ltd
    ALLIED DOMECQ EUROPEAN INVESTMENTS LTD
    ALLIED DOMECQ FINANCIAL SERVICES LTD
    Allied Domecq International Holdings B.V.
    ALLIED DOMECQ INVESTMENT HOLDINGS LTD
    ALLIED DOMECQ INVESTMENTS LTD
    ALLIED DOMECQ INVESTMENTS UK LTD
    ALLIED DOMECQ MEDICAL EXPENSES TRUST LTD
    ALLIED DOMECQ OVERSEAS (CANADA) LTD
    ALLIED DOMECQ OVERSEAS (EUROPE) LTD
    ALLIED DOMECQ OVERSEAS LTD
    Allied Domecq PLC
    Allied Domecq Spirits & Wine (Europe) B.V.
    ALLIED DOMECQ SPIRITS & WINE (INVESTMENTS) LTD
    Allied Domecq Spirits & Wine Estonia A S
    ALLIED DOMECQ SPIRITS & WINE HOLDINGS LTD
    Allied Domecq Spirits & Wine Latvia Sia
    Ambrosio Velasco Sa
    Austin Nichols & Co. Incorporated
    AUSTIN NICHOLS AND CO
    BECHER SP (KARLOVY VARY)
    BEEFEATER GIN LTD
    CAMPBELL DISTILLERS LTD
    CASELLA
    CAXTON TOWER WINES
    CHIVAS BROTHERS (AMERICAS) LTD
    CHIVAS BROTHERS (EUROPE) LTD
    CHIVAS BROTHERS (HOLDINGS) LTD
    CHIVAS BROTHERS (JAPAN) LTD
    Chivas Brothers Ltd
    CHIVAS BROTHERS PERNOD RICARD LTD
    CIDRERIES ET SOPAGLY REUNIES
    Compagnie Des Jus De Marmande
    Courvoisier Sa
    Cusenier Sa
    DILLON WINES AND SPIRITS
    Distillerie Charentaise Jubert Sa
    Domecq Bodegas S.L.
    Domecq Wines Espana Sa
    FOULON
    G H Mumm Et Cie
    GLENLIVET HOLDINGS LTD
    HILL, THOMSON & CO., LTD
    Hiram Walker & Sons Limited
    Hiram Walker-Gooderham & Worts Limited
    HOUSE OF CAMPBELL LTD
    IRISH DISTILLERS GROUP PLC
    Jan Becher – Karlovarska Becherovka A.S.
    Joseph E Seagram & Sons Ltd
    L. De Salignac Et Compagnie
    LARIOS
    MACNAB DISTILLERIES LTD
    Malibu-Kahlua International
    MARTELL
    Martell & Co
    MILLSTREAM (HOLDINGS) LTD
    Mumm Perrier Jouet Vignobles & Recherche
    OPTISURE LTD
    Orlando Wyndham
    Pernod
    Pernod Ricard
    Pernod Ricard (Thailand) Limited
    Pernod Ricard Argentina S.A.
    Pernod Ricard Austria Gmbh
    Pernod Ricard Belgium Nv
    Pernod Ricard Brasil Indústria E Comércio Ltda.
    Pernod Ricard Canada Ltee
    Pernod Ricard Canarias S.L.
    Pernod Ricard Denmark Aktieselskab
    Pernod Ricard Deutschland GmbH
    Pernod Ricard Espana SA
    Pernod Ricard Estonia Ou
    Pernod Ricard Europe
    Pernod Ricard Finland Oy
    Pernod Ricard Hong Kong Limited
    Pernod Ricard Italia Spa
    Pernod Ricard Japan K.K.
    Pernod Ricard Latvia Sia
    Pernod Ricard Pacific Holding Pty Ltd
    Pernod Ricard Pacific Pty Ltd
    Pernod Ricard Portugal – Somagnum DistribuiÇÃo S.A.
    Pernod Ricard Singapore Pte Ltd
    Pernod Ricard Sweden Ab
    Pernod Ricard Swiss Sa
    Pernod Ricard UK Ltd
    Pernod Ricard Usa Llc
    Pernod Ricard Venezuela C.A.
    Pernod Rikard Private Joint Stock Company
    Pr Hungary Import Szeszesital Kereskedelmi Korlatolt Felelossegu Tarsasag
    PR NEWCO 3 LTD
    PR NEWCO 4
    RAMAZZOTTI
    Renault-Bisquit Sa
    Ruavieja Sa
    Sa Ricard
    Seagram Distilleries Private Limited
    Seagram India Private Limited
    Spirits Partners
    Ste Des Domaines Renault Bisquit
    Ste Des Produits D Armagnac
    THE GLENLIVET DISTILLERIES LTD
    THE GLENLIVET DISTILLERS LTD
    THE GLENLIVET DISTILLERS LTD
    TIA MARIA INTERNATIONAL LTD
    TIA MARIA LTD
    TWO DOGS ALCOHOLIC LEMONADE
    Vista Buena Winery Inc
    WHITE HEATHER DISTILLERS LTD
    WORLD BRANDS DUTY FREE LTD
    Wyborowa SA
    WYNDHAM ESTATE WINES
    Wyndham Estate Wines (Australia) Pty Limited
    YEREVAN COGNAC FACTORY
    YOO HOO CHOCOLATE BEVERAGE CORP

  114. gissim0 says:

    Hahahaha the funniest part is that by law, Vodka can only be ethanol and water. Which is better in absolute vodka than in winners cup vodka? is it better ethanol? No, its the same. is it the water? no. You have been duped into buying expensive vodka that is exactly the same. What a joke. You belong to the group of people that drink corona too. All hype, no substance

  115. fernando says:

    The funny part (besides the silly rage inspired by a simple, accurate map from the 1800s) is those very smart people that “boycott” Absolut by “pouring down the drain” product they already paid for… by the way, didn’t you invade Iraq in the 90’s because Saddam invaded and annexed a neighboring nation? hmm, did you not do the same 150 years ago… hmmm.

  116. Michael says:

    besides the silly rage inspired by a simple, accurate map from the 1800s

    It’s not accurate, the British controlled the Washington/Oregon area until after Texas was annexed.

  117. Miguel Miranda says:

    Watch out americans!!! Today America, Tomorrow The White House!!!

  118. leo says:

    LOL poor people!!!!

    We are AMERICAN too

    why the people in USA is american only?

    They stole the word America, but that word is for all of us who live across the continent.

    sorry AMERICANS you are Thieves

  119. Mr. O says:

    Well we’ve come to this as “Americans”. We can make fun of other countries all we want, opposing Iran, Venezuela, North Korea, Russia…blah blah blah. But whenever somebody makes a little pun on our God given idea of “Manifest Destiny” we go Ape S**t!!! I’m an American, and I belive that we took all the land that we currently have by unnecessary force. We’re just as bad as the fundamentalist Muslims in the Middle East who make fun of Western ideals but can’t take a joke whenever a picture of Mohammed circulates in a foreign country far, far away!!! What happened to free speech? Went out the window whenever Political Correctness became our new King of our lives.

    We might as well make a Jack Daniels ad that has a picture of the entire North American continent with a big American flag flowing from Canada to Mexico and the words “United States of North America” shown proudly proclaiming our status as the new world empire!

    Shut up and laugh America…we’re not on this earth long enough to gripe and complain!

  120. Michael says:

    I’m an American, and I belive that we took all the land that we currently have by unnecessary force.

    Including all that land we purchased from France, Britain and Russia without the use of force?

  121. DDOG says:

    bunch of rednecks. go back to Europe where you belong.