Che Alert
Bill McGurn ·
Jan 13 at 12:56pm
That was fast. Perhaps the folks at Mercedes-Benz took a gander at the comments section on Ricochet. Kudos to Mike Gonzalez for not letting this stinker pass! Headline and story courtesy of Fox News:
"Mercedes-Benz apologizes for use of Che Guevara photo to promote luxury cars"
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Comments :
Jun '10
Re: Che Alert
Nice apology (at least they didn't do the "we apologize to anyone we might have offended" non-apology), but one must ask the question: How could they have been so stupid to do it in the first place?
I am glad they apologized. In the event I get a legacy from some unknown rich relative, I'd like to buy a really nice Mercedes. Now I can put it back on my wish list.
Edited on Jan 13 at 1:02pmDec '10
Re: Che Alert
Did they apologize for glorifying a mass murderer, or for sullying the revered hero of the Left with an association with consumerist excess?
Re: Che Alert
Good questions. I'm surprised they apologized at all.
Cynicism tells me Stuart is right. Mike thinks it because of Che's overt racism.
May '10
Re: Che Alert
That's not an apology. The problem isn't anything so subjective as people being offended. The problem is that Che was a mass murderer and they used his image to signify the adjective "revolutionary" in the complimentary sense.
.
Stalin was a revolutionary, too, but somehow using an image of him in their slideshow didn't cross their minds.
.
That said, it's the fault of the marketing team. It doesn't suggest anything about the views of the company's owners or factory workers.
Jan '11
Re: Che Alert
I'd like to add that when we speak of Hollywood being such a negative influence in our culture, we don't include in that the marketing/advertising industry as part of the sewer.
We try to have the kids watch movies on a disk so that they don't see as many commercials.
May '10
Re: Che Alert
Why? The Germans have become very good at apologizing. Guilt is their new national legacy.
Angela Merkel is the first German Chancellor to be born postwar and free from any ties to the Nazis. (The fathers of her two immediate predecessors both served in the Wehrmacht. Her father was a Lutheran minister.)
It's a bit ironic that the nation that perfected guilt for bringing destruction to the continent 70 years ago is now being begged to prop up the hollow corpse of the postwar socialist experiment.
Jul '11
Re: Che Alert
Ironic indeed EJHill. I think they read our blog. Oh the power.
Jun '10
Re: Che Alert
tabula rasa: At least they didn't do the "we apologize to anyone we might have offended" non-apology . . . .
Edited on Jan 13 at 01:02 pm
Aaron Miller
That's not an apology. The problem isn't anything so subjective as people being offended. The problem is that Che was a mass murderer and they used his image to signify the adjective "revolutionary" in the complimentary sense.
Having read Aaron's post, I take it back. It was a non-apology apology. I mistook the headline for what they said. I'm very disappointed in myself, so disappointed that I hereby declare myself "unacceptable" for the remainder of the day.
Edited on Jan 13 at 3:22pmAug '11
Re: Che Alert
The "Che Love" phenomenon strikes me differently each time. Sometimes I see it as people just being ignorant of history, and sometimes I see the repulsive arrogance that statism and the belief in the perfectibility of man can bring.
Many people really don't know all the bad stuff Che has done. They see an iconic T-shirt being worn and go for it. He was some type of revolutionary and hey, "who are we to judge." But then some people really think his way was the right way but it "just got a little of track." These communist and socialist revolutions only ever go a little off track. And then people are lined up and shot every day for any reason.
If the right track and "a little off track" are so close, let's stay really far away.
May '10
Re: Che Alert
tabula rasa
I mistook the headline for what they said. I'm very disappointed in myself, so disappointed that I hereby declare myself "unacceptable" for the remainder of the day.
I often make the same mistake and feel bad for it, but really shouldn't. If I read every article linked to on Ricochet, I would be chained to my computer all day long.
Priorities. We investigate some things thoroughly, browse others, and avoid some debates entirely. There just isn't time (or stamina) for everything.
Sep '10
Re: Che Alert
Aaron Miller
That's not an apology. The problem isn't anything so subjective as people being offended. The problem is that Che was a mass murderer and they used his image to signify the adjective "revolutionary" in the complimentary sense.
.
Stalin was a revolutionary, too, but somehow using an image of him in their slideshow didn't cross their minds.
.
That said, it's the fault of the marketing team. It doesn't suggest anything about the views of the company's owners or factory workers. ·
Yeah, they are apologizing for being "thoughtless". In other words. "We don't think it's smart to offend lots of people."
These people, marketing departments and execs who give the "go-ahead" for such programs don't think. They are just trying to make money. This is global corporatism at work. We here love the free market and capitalism. They really don't. They love making money however they can. They will go along with anything as long as they themselves benefit.