Patterico's Pontifications

4/5/2008

The Good Things (Updated)

Filed under: International — DRJ @ 10:35 am



[Guest post by DRJ]

America is a land of abundance and generosity, but that doesn’t mean it’s free for the taking.

Example 1 – Michelle Malkin’s posts on the Absolut Reconquista Ad or those who want to take from America on a grand scale:

“The[advertising] company advocates overturning borders that get in the way of imagining new maps of North America that help Mexico create a larger share of the continent.”

Example 2 – The El Paso Times quotes a new citizen who is anxious to vote so she can change America, including make health care more affordable.

It seems to me the best way to change things is to do it yourself and not expect others to do it for you.

UPDATE 4/6/2008: The Absolut vodka company has apologized, although it sounds like Absolut is only sorry that Americans didn’t understand its ad:

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

“As a global company, we recognize that people in different parts of the world may lend different perspectives or interpret our ads in a different way than was intended in that market, and for that we apologize.”
***
“In no way was it meant to offend or disparage, nor does it advocate an altering of borders, nor does it lend support to any anti-American sentiment, nor does it reflect immigration issues,” Absolut said in a statement left on its consumer inquiry phone line.”

— DRJ

22 Responses to “The Good Things (Updated)”

  1. That Absolut ad is pretty disturbing. That the factions would say okay and pass that one through the channels for profit… is scary.

    Vermont Neighbor (e7ed47)

  2. QandO beat Michelle to the Absolut ad by a day, and even better, posted the response from Absolut to the “backlash” on the 4th…

    Scott Jacobs (d3a6ec)

  3. Scott – backlash? That’s encouraging!

    I haven’t read enough on this one yet.

    Vermont Neighbor (e7ed47)

  4. >>The best way to change things is to do it yourself and not expect others to do it for you.

    That statement doesn’t seem too insightful. What’s a representative democracy for if not to elect people to affect change?

    — and remember if she just became a citizen she’s up on the Constitution 🙂 —

    Temple Stark (b18952)

  5. The best way to change things is to do it yourself and not expect others to do it for you.

    Don’t get bossy, Veronica. Our health care system is known to be affordable and responsive.

    steve (93fe37)

  6. i assume she will vote republican since the best way to make healthcare more affordable would be to reduce the ridiculous amount of gov’t regulations driving the cost up.

    chas (536ceb)

  7. Regardless of who actually said it, this remains a great, and highly appropriate aphorism in this “neo-progressive” age:

    A Democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of Government. It can only exist until the voters discover they can vote themselves largess out of the public treasury. From that moment on the majority always votes for the candidate promising the most benefits from the public treasury with the result that Democracy always collapses over a loose fiscal policy, always to be followed by a Dictatorship.

    driver (faae10)

  8. Hey, at least she decided to become a citizen before voting.

    XBradTC (6a462e)

  9. #8,
    And at least she decided to become a citizen before driving to vote!

    Vermont Neighbor (e7ed47)

  10. I’m just happy she decided to become a freaking citizen…

    Scott Jacobs (d3a6ec)

  11. Temple Stark,

    Veronica, the new citizen, says she will vote to make health care more affordable. I was not aware the health care system costs as much as it does because we had voted to make it expensive. I think it has more to do with supply, demand, and the cost of government regulations.

    Perhaps Veronica was speaking in shorthand and she’s aware of economic issues in health care, but I suspect she believes we can vote for people that will actually make health care less expensive. I also suspect she means health care will be less expensive for her because of subsidies, welfare, or other assistance, but if so that means health care will be more expensive for someone else because they will be paying her share.

    What do you think?

    DRJ (a431ca)

  12. Veronica is probably also anxious to vote herself a large pay increase.

    perfectsense (aa60be)

  13. “I would like a lot of things to change”

    Is she Obama’s official speech writer? She should understand that the poor never benefit from government intervention, it’s just sold that way.

    Apogee (366e8b)

  14. Sigh. This is why Mexico has laws preventing naturalized citizens from participating in politics. There’s something really annoying about someone who moves to a new place and tries to change it immediately.

    Eric (884ea6)

  15. Eric, I recently moved to NC. Can I still vote? Please, please, pretty please?

    Xrlq (62cad4)

  16. the absolut ad doesn’t bother me in the slightest. i grew up in southern california and am familiar with the aztlan/reconquista vision, deem it unlikely to happen in my lifetime. remember that this ad was put out by a corporation and an ad agency. shame on anybody who would use this as a basis for attacking an entire country and its people.

    assistant devil's advocate (3c13ba)

  17. Absolut has been doing risque ads forever. Some even pornographic. From my point of view, vodka is for alcolics. If I feel like a white liquor, I drink grappa.

    nk (764292)

  18. The best way to change things is to do it yourself and not expect others to do it for you.

    Yes indeed, armed insurection IS the answer…

    Bob Loblaw (6d485c)

  19. Is the map in the absolut ad represent the borders before the US “conquista” ? I can see why this is provocative.

    ‘“I would like a lot of things to change,” she said, “and this (voting) is the best way to change things.”’

    What I enjoy about this is that its going to piss off just the right people.

    stef (9c4cb9)

  20. Perhaps we should re-draw the maps to reflect the status of power in 1848, abrogating the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo, absorbing Northern and Central Mexico into the U.S.A., and imposing the U.S. Constitution on a region of North America that has been woefully deficient in individual freedoms (of course, everyone would have to learn English – as if that would ever happen).

    Another Drew (8018ee)

  21. Xrlq,

    Not until you can passably imitate the accent. And develop a taste for grits.

    Eric (884ea6)

  22. nk, i like a good grappa too. pornographic vodka ads? got a link?

    your vodka is for alcolics reminded me of the classic a.a. joke:

    hi, my name is tom and i’m an alcoholic.

    hi, my name is mike and i’m an alcoholic.

    hi, my name is bruce and i’m **not** an alcoholic. i’m a presbyterian drunk!

    assistant devil's advocate (014ec2)


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