The contours of the billboard map of Mexico and its neighbors may have been familiar, but not its political boundaries: California, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico and Texas were shaded in the green of a Mexico that stretched from close to Canada to the jungles of Guatemala. "In an Absolut World!" the billboard proclaimed, alongside the image of a bottle of Absolut vodka.
Ruminating over the loss to the U.S. of what had been Mexican territories before the Mexican-American war of 1846-1848 may have been an ad maker's idea of a good way to sell hard liquor and get a chuckle south of the Rio Grande, but some up north didn't find it so funny. After a barrage of complaints on its Internet site and threats to boycott the Swedish-made brand in the U.S., Absolut announced it was withdrawing the advert. "In no way was this meant to offend or disparage, nor does it advocate an altering of borders, nor does it lend support to any anti-American sentiment, nor does it reflect immigration issues," wrote Absolut spokeswoman Paula Eriksson on the company website. "Instead, it hearkens to a time which the population of Mexico may feel was more ideal."
That may be overstating it, somewhat: It's unlikely that most Mexicans really feel that mid-19th century life was exactly "ideal." But the heat generated online by the ad does reveal that the war and resultant redrawing of the map 160 years ago can still spark a furor on both sides of the border. Thousands of critics accused the ad of being anti-American and took pains to defend the inclusion of the southwestern states into the union. "It is absurd to believe that the U.S. stole Texas and California since most inhabitants of the Southwest considered the 19th century Mexican government a totalitarian regime and wanted independence, and rightfully so, from Mexico," wrote a blogger who signed in as CPTLOU on the Absolut forum.
Importance: This is hilarious.
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