Is this billboard really there?
It’s late…I’m tired…
This should have been in GQ.
But perhaps a debate will erupt.
If it’s real I think the billboard is BS and Clear Channel should be smacked down.
…I dunno… that sky behind the billboard looks a little, well, blue for it to be anywhere in LA…
The 605 is at least 25 miles long. I don’t recall seeing that billboard on the sections I’ve driven recently, but there are plenty of spots on the 605 where the smart money is on keeping your eyes on the vehicles around you instead of the ads.
I can’t recall seeing the billboard or not the last time I drove on the 605, but offhand it doesn’t seem particularly unusual. While the “Mexico” bit could be interpreted as an anti-immigration slur, I suspect it was just the network’s ad department trying to be clever – it doesn’t seem particularly unusual from the other Hispanic TV billboards I’ve seen.
Channel 62 in L.A. is pretty much all infomercials with the exception of the news broadcasts. I would imagine that it gets pretty small ratings for it news. Two other Spanish language stations likely do a lot better.
If the photo was taken recently the cloudy skies behind it would be expected.
Moderator’s Note: Well, without getting bogged down in some huge philsophical discussion, either the billboard exists, or it doesn’t, so off to GQ this goes.
(And I also renamed the thread.)
It’s absolutely real (LA Times, subscription required).
The advertiser is unapologetic. He’s playing to the widespread, openly expressed feeling of Mexican triumphalism among recent immigrants and their radical activist enablers. This triumphalism, patriotism, nationalism, whatever you want to call it, is entirely justified. Los Angeles has been turned into a Mexican city; the mayor says so. When Vicente Fox says jump, local politicians say, “How high?” (Note: It’s un-American to complain about this. After all, we are a nation of immigrants :rolleyes: .)
The truth can come out in interesting forums sometimes, can’t it?
Yeah, El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Angeles de Porciuncula has always been an American city. I pity those first Spaniards in 1977, and later Mexicans, who arrived into the United States, only to find work as menial laborers. Where do they get off with these treasonous billboards?
Sometimes you come to the United States; sometimes the United States comes to you.
In an interesting update to your post, I have recently received a message via the tele-graph announcing that Mexico has, after a valiant struggle, lost the Mexican War.
As a hijack, a billboard on the east 10 freeway advertises visiting Mexico and says “Colorful pinatas, only in Mexico.”
Perhaps they should come to, oh, San Pedro for a backyard barbeque…
What’s offensive about mentioning that there’s lots of Mexicans in LA?
or
How is the billboard a slur against immigration, deserving of a smackdown?
– . -…- … -.-. — / … .- … --…-- / .- …-. - . .-. / .- / …- .- .-… … .- -. - / … - .-. …- --. --. .-… . --…-- / .-… — … - / - … . / – . -…- … -.-. .- -. / .-- .- .-. .-.-.-
…-. …- -.-. -.- … -. / .- / .-- . .-… .-… / - — .-… -… / --…-- / / -… …- -… -… .-
Color me confused, as well. I’m not sure what I’m supposed to be offended by here.
Me too. Where’s the problem? Do you mean this billboard offenses Mexicans living in L.A. by alluding that there are so many - too many - Mexicans in that city? Or does it offense Americans by implying a Mexican triumph over U.S. born citizen (“Hey, we took over the city! It’s not American any more!”)? When I saw the picture the first time, I simply sat here thinking “So what?”
Just regard it as what it is - an advertising joke and nothing more (and, Reeder: An example of someone exercising freedom of speech, so no reason for any action against the author of the billboard).
I read the billboard as a sort of “for Mexicans, by Mexicans” advertisement for a Mexican news program–yout know, a news program that focuses on local Los Angelean news, but with an emphasis on issues that would interest their Mexican viewership.
There are a lot of Americans who believe that Mexican immigrants are part of a non-military “army” that is “invading” with the ultimate goal of destroying American culture and perhaps annexing America’s land in to Mexico. They tend to see signs of established Mexican culture in America as evidence of that invasion.
They cannot comprehend the idea of a living Mexican culture that is within America and entirely American-- in their mind there is one America, and it doesn’t speak Spanish-- even in areas where Spanish was spoken for years before the first English speaking folks showed up. They can’t really grok the idea that having a Mexican-American culture is a valid option and that Mexican culture is native to here.
So they take this billboard to be a sort of secret communique (after all, if they wern’t talking about us behind our back, they’d use English, right?) that the Mexicans have destroyed part of America and claimed Los Angeles for their own. They may also see it as a call to arms, along the lines of “Berlin, Judenfrei” or “America, the Islamic Republic.”
Of course, I think it’s no more offensive than a sign for a station playing Italian love songs saying “San Francisco, Italy” or a Hindi Music stations saying “Houston, India.”
From you linked article, here’s all material representing quotes by the station who put up the ads
Not only do I read the word “sorry” in there, contrary to your claims, but nowhere do read any of this triumphalism in what they say.
Did it ever occur to you that at least some of the Mexicans in LA are, in fact, here legally? You know, I’ve only been out here 8 years, but it sure wouldn’t surprise me to find families of Mexican descent who’ve been here longer :rolleyes: . Some of them may even have members who are natural born American citizens! :eek:
As such, are trying to say they have no right to be proud of their cultural heritage, or that no local broadcaster should dream of creating programming that appeals to that pride, or that they have no right to market such programming in a way that addresses that pride?
What sort of bullshit fascism is this?