No Sense of Alcohol Induced Humor

Most people believe that after a few drinks they and everyone around them are the funniest people in the world. I'm sure you've experienced it at one time or another. You drink way too much and suddenly you're sitting next to contenders for 'best comedian of the decade' awards. This same humor at times of sobriety is not quite so hilarious and it just proves the point that without alcohol, nothing is quite the same. So I guess that's part of the reason so many people are steaming mad at an ad that the Absolut Vodka company released in Mexico. The ad, shown here, is pretty self explanatory. It shows the state of the nation as it was in 1848 just before the Mexican-American War began.

Now I'm sure the ad wizards who came up with that one didn't expect that it would generate the type of ire and hype that it has. Apparently word spread that this ad was making the rounds in Mexico and that the implication was that Mexico was privy to the land that it lost prior to the American Civil War nearly 150 years ago. Then somehow the message got warped again and people thought that this was a call for immigration reform and a call to arms for people to rise up against immigration reform in the United States. Still others assumed that this was an indication that it was a statement on the number of illegal immigrants flowing into the United States and that part of the country from Mexico so it was implying that we may as well consider it a part of Mexico. In an Absolut world anyways.

I don't see the big deal about it. Honestly I think people need to get off of their moral high ground (which isn't really so high) and think for a moment before reacting so strongly. As far as I know, Absolut Vodka has absolutely (pun intended) no influence over the course of either Mexico or the United States. I don't think it's an inflammatory ad and I don't think it is making any implication that the citizens of Mexico should rise up and reclaim land lost to them in the 1840's. I think it's just a simple statement that in a perfect world, knowing what we know now, things probably wouldn't have changed and the status quo from the 1840's would still be the status quo for Mexico in the 21st Century as well. After all, whether you agree with the ad or not, there's no denying that Mexico probably thinks about the loss of all that land with some disappointment. California and the other Western states beyond the land of the Louisiana Purchase is some of the most important land in the country.

Much of the gold that has been mined in the United States was found out in California and the area in question. Mexican citizens had settled that land and worked there and continue to work there. Though some may be illegally in our country, I don't think they are leading an underground revolution to sieze back the country. This is not a Tom Clancy novel. This is simply an ad for vodka. As I said, typically alcohol makes things a bit funnier. I guess the people raising a stink about this ad are probably teetotaling souls that would rather drink water than to ever contemplate partaking in alcoholic drinks. Perhaps they should have a drink once in a while. They may find their outlook to be a little less angry and a bit more humorous as this ad originally implied.