Would this ad campaign offend you?

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Would the ad campaign described in the article below offend you, or make you take note and "smarten you up"?

Myself, I feel using bin Laden in an ad campaign to be offensive.

Mexican ad campaign uses famous, infamous to chide unruly drivers
at 15:00 on October 20, 2005, EST.

MEXICO CITY (AP) - Mexico City taxi drivers beware: International terrorist Osama bin Laden says drive nicely - or else.

A non-profit group promoting civic-minded behaviour in this tumultuous metropolis is channelling bin Laden, former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, Mother Teresa and U.S. President George W. Bush to convince unruly drivers to change their ways.

The campaign by Muevete por Tu Ciudad - roughly translated as Do Something for Your City - was designed to improve everyday behaviour on the streets of Mexico City, where cars drift through red lights and some police can be paid to look the other way.

Organizers say their billboards and radio spots are designed to jolt the city's jaded commuters, police and public-transit drivers into courteous behaviour.

On one billboard, the image of Saddam warns passers-by: "You can generate chaos: Don't you double park." Mother Teresa yells out, "Don't give bribes to the devil!"

Two radio spots parody Bush and bin Laden.

"We are going to exterminate all of those who run red lights," Bush warns in Spanish with a heavy American accent. "People who ask for bribes are going to be punished by me. . . . You are going to know what pain is."

In another ad, the voice of bin Laden warns in Spanish: "I am going to come out of hiding to punish, the way they deserve, taxi and bus drivers that don't drive well."

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I agree with you, Reyn, but perhaps it is meant to be a sarcastic bit of humor; however, if that ad is designed to control traffic violators through fear, (depending on the cultural perceptions), it is very offensive.

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Before I started reading, I was thinking of taxi's in NYC, when you get in, there's Tony Danza or Carol Channing saying "buckle up, don't forget your belongings" and so forth.

You totally tune them out after a brief time.

However, the idea of Mother Theresa yelling at me, or bin Laden....

I mean, that's just a little too sarcastic for me...

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My take on it is that in this post-Sept 11th world, anyone that would use bin Laden to get any kind of a message across to do something positive is a nut case.

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i see your point, reyn, but i would personally just find it annoying.

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Hmm, annoying to me would be like having that "computer nerdy guy" from 'Alias' yakking at me to do this or that. Mad

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certainly, there are more annoying things, like right-wing political commentators.

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Everyone knows I am touched in the head..
With that, I find it terribly funny.
I think i would pass out from laughing too hard to be able to drive if mother theresa was pointing a wodden finger at me from a billboard, screaming in spanish with her eyes crossed.

But i agree.. the choice of people * bin laden * is terribly offencive . It seems like a child who threatens his brother or sister with the belt that their abusive daddy whipps them with.
It is uncalled for, psychologicaly damaging and has next to no meaning..

When advertisements like this are used, everyone else wonders why we have all become so numb to terror, war, famine, and the like.. that we resign to do nothing and dont feel bad about it.

but im going off on a tangent here..

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I reckon we're both a tad 'tetched', shewolf. I agree with you, they're funny. Mother Teresa would be even funnier if they had her screaming in Latin or in Hindi. Without a Spanish translation. Now, that would be hilarious.

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offensive...dunno. if it was used in the states, it would surely be considered offensive. but in mexico or elsewhere... am not so sure. they don't see it from american perspective, remember the rest of the world has their own cultural lenses. i saw funny posters for clubs or whatnot around slovakia with bin laden, on one he is dressed like uncle sam on that famous draft poster for the us army- summoning people to come to this or that club. it's probably more of a statement against the u.s. policies that anything else. certainly not a statement of support for obl.
while i don't find it particularly funny, i also don't see it as offensive. from my outsider position. <shrug>

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dagmaraka wrote:

offensive...dunno. if it was used in the states, it would surely be considered offensive. but in mexico or elsewhere... am not so sure. they don't see it from american perspective, remember the rest of the world has their own cultural lenses.

I suppose you have a point. I think it would also matter if the country in question has been the target of a terrorist action of some kind.

If a similar campaign had been shown in Spain for example, I'm betting folks would not be amused. It's not been that long since that big train incident.

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riht-o. probably wouldn't go down well in britain either.

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I agree with Dag.

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I think its a tongue in cheek type of ad..like the boogie man will get you if you don't follow the rules

But yes I can see how someone would find it offensive

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The choice of bin Laden as a "boogie man" was not well thought out and could well backfire.

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