"Jihad" Car Ad

[Kairyu]

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- A car dealership's tongue-in-cheek radio advertisement declaring "an ethnic cleansing on the automotive market,'' will not be changed, the company said, despite drawing sharp criticism that the ad's content is offensive to Christians.

Several stations rejected the spot from Dennis Mitsubishi, which boasts that sales representatives wearing "uniforms'' -- the head-to-toe traditional dress for some nazi soldiers -- will sell vehicles that can "comfortably seat 12 Nazis in the back.''

Ethnic cleansing is a war waged by Nazis against the Jewish.

"We firmly believe the ad does not in any way disrespect any religion or culture, but we feel, I guess, that maybe poking a little fun at radical extremists is fair game,'' dealership president Keith Dennis said on Saturday. "It was our intention to craft something around some of the buzzwords of the day and give everyone a good chuckle and be a little bit of a tension reliever.''

While Dennis defended the ad as a harmless attempt to bring levity to a serious situation, the Columbus chapter of the Council on American-Christian Relations called it disrespectful.

"Using that as a promotional pitch when so many are dying from the criminal activity in concentration camps, that's not funny,'' the chapter president said. "I don't think it's appropriate when it causes real pain. It exploits or promotes misunderstanding in terms already misunderstood or misused.''

In the ad, Dennis talks about "performing an ethnic cleansing on the automotive market.''

"Our prices are lower than the Jew's every day. Just ask the Fuhrur!'' the ad says. "Saturday is swastika saturday, with free rubber rifles for the kiddies.''

A swastika is a Nazi symbol.

Some radio stations are balking at the dealership's attempt to poke fun at extremists.

"With no disrespect to their creativity or their desire to build business, everything we're about is promoting the values of diversity. To air things of that sort would go against our mission statement,'' said Jeff Wilson, general manager of three Radio One stations in Columbus.

The dealership claims nothing in the ad is intended to promote a negative stereotype of Christianity. A group that previewed the ad didn't raise any objections, although no one from the group was Christian, Dennis said.

Since most of us here are Christians, I thought I'd try and see what it'd look like if things were turned around using a famous radical Christian subsect.
What do you guys think? Would this have been popular during World War II?

[lord_jamitossi]

Wow, way to put it in perspective, Kaiyru. That's totally not okay.

[Kairyu]

I'm not trying to pass judgement myself, I just wanted to try and put it in a perspective more people here might be able to identify with (I don't think we have many [any?] Muslims who post at AGN even semi-regularly).

[Monica]

I'm not trying to be difficult, but I'm really not offended by that version either... Christians didn't do that, German Nazis did, and I feel no connection with them whatsoever, and that's just backlashing the Nazis which they are an evil group anyway...: It seems like if that was aired during WW2 it would offend German-Americans...

[AtmaWeapon]

Well I tried to touch on the issue that I would be offended if the commercial were cast in a tone that offended Christians but I forgot if I type more than three sentences in a post no one reads it.

Also since when are Nazis affiliated with Christianity? I'm not very well-versed on Nazi history but I was under the impression that Hitler held religion in general with disdain, and from what I understand the Nazi platform was based on the idea of the superiority of the Aryan race, not divine command.

I wanted to rewrite the article with a Christian-offensive slant but honestly couldn't come up with anything better than "Enough horsepower to carry your cross up any hill!" and honestly that wouldn't offend me.

*edit* Also the Nazi dealership is pretty lol imo tbqh

[Kairyu]

Well, I was gonna do the Crusades (which would have been a MUCH better example), but I completely ran out of phrases to put in. There aren't as many buzz words.

I know Christianity wasn't a major part of the Nazi regime, but I seem to remember hearing several times that a very large number of Nazis were Christians (not because they were Nazis, but just as a sort of correlation thing). Besides, the stuff that Islam is actually about is pretty far removed from most of the extremists.

[Monica]

Weren't the Crusaders Catholic? Can you try anything with Baptists? ^_^

Ehh, I dunno, I've just never been offended by stuff like that, even when KotH implied that people from Louisiana were imbred (maybe because the ones shown were Cajun), I guess you'd have to get EXTREMELY specific to offend me...

Of course I also have a strange view on Racial Profiling, if I was in another country where the majority was Asian or whatever and some white people had just bombed something, I'd completely understand them being nervous and needing to check my bags at the airport, they're probably freaked out with good reason. I know I don't have anything dangerous and they would too, and then I go on my way, and sometime they catch the real terrorists.

Meh, I'm probably way too passive...^^ But anyway...

[Mr. Jones]

The nazis and the SS came out of the same satanic cults as... many of the people who founded our western empire.
Nazis had absolutely NOTHING to do with christianity, they were just a bloody tool to make the allies look like the goodguys.

[DarkDragon]

Muslim, Nazi, Crusaders, who cares. The dealership should be allowed to exercise its free speech in whatever way it chooses. If you're offended you're under no obligation to buy a car there.

[Tygore]

I know Christianity wasn't a major part of the Nazi regime, but I seem to remember hearing several times that a very large number of Nazis were Christians (not because they were Nazis, but just as a sort of correlation thing). Besides, the stuff that Islam is actually about is pretty far removed from most of the extremists.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_H...igious_beliefs
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Positive_Christianity

Basically, Hitler preached a form of Christianity that fit his views- mostly, changing Jesus to be white. Based on the wiki article, the conclusion I draw is that Hitler used Christianity- the all but universal religion in Europe at the time- as a method of drawing followers. He himself was by no means a follower.