It's mad making when you place it in the modern context of the debate over illegal immigration and with various pro-open border groups justifying their position by saying things like California "belongs" to the Mexicans anyways so it's okay for them to sneak into our country and mooch off the system.

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Yeah. I didn't find it amusing. I'm glad it was pulled and I hope people start to get the message about how most Americans feel about ILLEGAL immigration.

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Hmmm... I wouldn't have seen the ad since I don't live in Mexico, but since it offended someone, now I've seen it.
Hasn't everyone figured out the Streisand Effect yet?

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I think if a map of America included part of Mexico in a similar Absolut ad appeared here, Mexicans would be more than a little pissed.

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I think people are way too sensitive and just itching to find a reason to be offended, all hail righteous indignation.

People need to chill out and grow up. No one has the right not to be offended.

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I live in Mexico and since the first time I saw this advertisement (about 1.5 months) I loved it!

It has nothing to do to the current inmigration woes and problems. It is just about the "sorry feeling" for losing that big chunk of territory. That is the whole idea of the ad (and the "In an Absolut World" campaign").

I am sorry that it offended people in the US, I am sure that was not the intention of the advertising company...

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People who are ignorant about both current affairs and history would usually find things to be causelessly amusing, wouldn't they? Do you really have trouble seeing how it is that some Americans would be offended by this long-suffering hot-button/topic/issue/crisis we have in dealing with illegal immigration? If you do, you're an imbecile, and shouldn't have a career in (journalistic) writing at all. Unless, of course, your work deals in satire...but it's painfully obvious that you truly mean exactly what you say. and that is very sad to me.

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As someone who worked hard to be able to hide the illegal workers on my staff, I don't give a rats ass about the ad. I am however insulted on behalf of what are some of the hardest working people in the world. The last thing they risk their lives for is to be mooches. They come here because they need the work, not to avoid it. DUH. The greatest percentage of those living on welfare are white Americans, and the greatest percentage of those on crack are white Americans. If I could have gotten locals to to the job for more than one day, I would have. Lord knows I tried. Too many locals who despite needing a job, told me they were above washing dishes and peelings carrots. Really? It seems to me they were the mooches. If I didn't pay them under the table, they wouldn't do it, because they wanted to hide their income so they wouldn't have to pay child support. Really? You better believe I made a call to DSS to tell them about that conversation. Real men. Real grown up men. Kiss my ass.

The Mexicans showed up every day, on time and when it was time to go back to their village, they brought their own replacement and trained them. We took out taxes and I don't know of any one of them who filed taxes and got a refund check. Some white junkie in Pennsylvania or South Dakota is living off that money. That's how they can afford to down a 12 pack every day.

You have been turned. Thats right. Just like Hitler used the Jews to blame the ills of the country on, those who have spent the last 7 years stripping the nation of its jobs, its value and its values have done a great job pf preying on American's latent racism to avoid having to deal with the truth. These illegals haven't stolen your jobs; your government sent them overseas to people who will do them for even less than the Mexican's will. I know many won't get that. Hating the brown man is just sooo much easier than thinking.

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california spends nearly 8 billion dollars educating the kids of illegal immigrants... california is currently 5 billion dollars in the red when it comes to the education budget... hmmm... hmmm... I wonder how to balance the budget?

And typical of the other side, let's start calling names. I don't hate the "brown man" nor do I hate immigrants. This isn't about a single ethnicity or country, this is about a group of people from various countries who think the rules don't apply to them, who think that they should not only be able to cheat to get into this country but that this country then has some sort of obligation to them that extends to educating their kids and providing them insurance and health care.

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Guys, I did some research, and it's worse than we thought. Turns out that Mexico really did rule much of the USA at one point. But that's not all. The USA also used to be ruled by the British! And the Spanish! And the FRENCH! I know that if any advertisement referred to these historical facts, I'd be absolutely filled with rage.

I will never buy any product from a company who brings up historical information that I dislike. Because I'm an American, dammit!

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Eugene and Creambunny:

I'm going to take a guess and say that, the two of you specifically, come from long lines of stupid people. God forbid either of you two have children because they, like you, are sure to be equally stupid. You have put way too much weight in a silly ad and applied it to an issue where it is irrelevant. You have corrupted a whimsical idea to vent your fears and frustrations about politics, specifically illegal immigration. Hopefully, this is the extent of your political involvement, every time the two of you go to the polls, America gets worse. Your analysis, is wrong for two primary reasons. First problem - this is a historical truth, Mexico did own much of that land until the mid 1800s. Secondly, and more importantly, this ad ran IN MEXICO. You getting up in arms about an ad ran in Mexico is like you getting mad about someone's political views because you read it in their diary. You have no right to get mad about something marketed somewhere else to other people. I would ask if you are renouncing your customerhood of Absolut in protest, but let's be honest, you're the type of people who make your own liquor in the bathtub and occasionally pick up a six-pack of Schlitz when you want to go "classy." Point of the story learn to read your history (after, of course, you learn to read) and don't corrupt the issue. Illegal immigration has nothing to do with this particular ad.

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It isn't about the history, you moron.

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The only thing I know for sure is that I'll be picking up a bottle of Absolut this weekend. =)

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As a campaign ad it certainly didn't make sense to use that map...."with a Mexican sensibility" and "Instead, it hearkens to a time which the population of Mexico may feel was more ideal," are lame reasons to get the Mexican population to buy the vodka....perhaps the idea was suggested to the Absolute marketing department by the "Reconquista" proponents! Anyway, a better vodka to drink is Hangar One folks....absolutely!

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Hey Reeba Reeba,
When Absolut puts out an ad for the Brits saying "in an Absolut world" which shows England stretching all the way to the Orkneys then we'll listen to you. Until then, please shut up!

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This is the Mexican dream, to take back the land that once belonged to them and that is what the Reconquista everyone is talking about is all about. I see this ad as a cheering the Mexican people on to get their land back. What America needs to do is do with Mexico what we're doing in Iraq. Show them how to run a successful Democracy in their own country. By doing that they could stay over there and make a decent living and be able to keep their language and culture, which they seem to not want to leave behind.Socialism obviously doesn't work and never has for them. Supporting them is not the answer! "Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him to fish and he will eat for a lifetime." It's time they learned how to run a country that will keep their people self-sufficient, which is something a large percentage of them have never been. If people who are able to take care of themselves financially were coming over here, noone would care, but we don't want to support Mexico and Central America's poor; that will only bring us all down!

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First of all, this ad was on billboards in the United States (duh, it's in English). 175 years ago, yes, California belonged to Mexico, before they got it from Spain, before they took it from the Native Americans, etc. True, Absolute was probably just trying to increase its market share with Latinos, but at what cost? No "Gringo" I know will even buy it anymore. The Swedes are real good at staying neutral, even against Hitler. Maybe they should stay that way and keep out of politics of which they know nothing of.

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This from a country that uses half the world's resources to sustain 5% of its population?

Unless you pour poison in his river or pay him such a low price for his fish that he can't support himself. Then again why pay him if you're the one with the gun?

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I am surprised that most americans can understand the map itself and find it unbelivable that the average Joe (or Jose) can recognise any map of anywhere, never mind a map that is incorrect.

Come on America,grow a sense of humour....and if you are looking to boycott Absolut Vodka and any other SWEDISH product, do your research: in America, it is jointly distributed by an amercican company, so make sure you avoid any US owned products.

Coming from Scotland I have encountered a basic level of ignorance (in the united states) when it comes to world geography. I have been complimented on how well I speak English (they assumed english was not my first language), asked if i have driven from Scotland (Atlantic ocean anyone!!) had a genuine enquiry if Scotland was close to Australia and encountered numerous occasions where, on learning I was Scotchish (?) asked if i knew their particular friend who was Scotchish or maybe Irish?

This is just a joke, are you really so sensitive that a Vodka add will set your fuse alight!! is America such a fragile democracy that a cartoon threatens you and forces you into attack mode?

And just a final thought.......Cartoons inflaming the extremists within a society and then a call for a boycott of a nations products....... anyone else see the parallels here?

(And for all the attack-dogs out there, my best friend is American, I lived in the States for 4 years and i travel back all the time to see all my friends so I am not a yankee hating Euro snob, I love america and americans!!)

laters haters!!

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