Let’s make fun of Mao
Update: Brian Ledbetter and Bruce Kesler note that the “official” Mao portraits are actually fake themselves.
***
You know what the world needs more of? More mockery of Chairman Mao, not less. A French company is now apologizing to the government of China over an ad it created using an altered image of the Commie leader. If there were a Chinese equivalent of dhimmitude, this would be it:
French car-maker Citroen has apologized to China for running a full-page advertisement in several Spanish newspapers featuring a poster of late Chinese leader Mao Zedong pulling a wry face at a sporty hatch-back.
Under the Biblical quotation “Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s,” the text talked up Citroen’s position as a car sales leader in a bombastic tone.
“It’s true, we are leaders, but at Citroen the revolution never stops,” the advertisement said.
“We are once more going to put in motion all the machinery of our technological ability, in order to repeat in 2008 the successes obtained in previous years,” it added.
The Mao poster is similar to the huge painting of the Great Helmsman gazing out over Beijing’s Tiananmen Square, except that it has been distorted to show lips screwed up and eyes squinting.
“The image has been wantonly distorted by the ad’s designers. Mao looks very strange,” Chinese state newspaper the Global Times observed Tuesday.
The scowling Mao had infuriated Chinese Internet users who saw it as a slight, it said.
…Citroen had pulled the ad and apologized to China in a letter sent to the Chinese paper, it said.
“Citroen expresses regret for any displeasure caused by the advertisement and apologizes to all who have been hurt by it,” the Global Times quoted the letter as saying.
A spokeswoman for Citroen in China confirmed the apology letter.
“Citroen reiterates its friendship with the Chinese people, and highly respects China’s representative figures and symbols,” the spokeswoman told Reuters by telephone.
Here’s the ad via the BBC:
I know I’ve got some great photoshoppers and graphic artists in our readership. Loyal readers will remember the fabulous China-Google protest logos from 2006.
So, if you’re so inspired, send along your best murderous Chairman Mao mock-ups and I’ll post them. Without apology.
See what others have said
Note from Michelle: This section is for comments from michellemalkin.com's community of registered readers. Please don't assume that I agree with or endorse any particular comment just because I let it stand. A reminder: Anyone who fails to comply with my terms of use may lose his or her posting privilege.
Trackbacks
- Democracy Project
- snapped shot
- snapped shot
- The Underground Conservative | Making fun of Mao
- Pillage Idiot
- Michelle Malkin » Mocking Mao
- If You Can’t Ridicule a Genodical Buffoon, Who Can You Ridicule? : The Sundries Shack
- Marginalized Action Dinosaur » Can you photoshop this genocidal maniac?
Comments
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Categories: Uncategorized
Little Miss Attila
» Okay, Ladies.
Belmont Club
» Both sides now


Riehl World View
» Whoa! Palin BEAT Obama In Ratings Score
Power Line
» 40 Million?!
JustOneMinute
» Now The Surge Is Succeeding?
Little Miss Attila
» Well, You Know: G.W. Bush Didn't Vet His VP, Either.
TigerHawk
» "We lost their trust"
Redstate
» The Palin And McCain Speeches
Gateway Pundit
» America First-- John McCain Makes His Case







oh please, can’t anyone take a joke anymore??? PC gone so wrong.
A world silent, afraid someone, somewhere will be offended by anything. Everyone is so easily offended now; the new Fad.
You KNOW what the world needs more of?
Yes, freedom, but liberals will stop at nothing to make sure we do not
getkeep it.What’s that you say - the Chinese government doesn’t have a sense of humor? I’m shocked.
Actually, along with Mao, they should have had a picture of Stalin, Fidel, Che Guevera, Hugo and John Lennon all with funny faces. That would show “the revolution never ends”.
Or maybe they had a whole series of revolutionaries they were going to bring out over a series of months?
Kind of like the Budweiser Frog series of the 90’s.
COMMITUDE!
Mao, the American Left’s favorite commie? Mao, the same commie central planner who starved up to 14 million of his countrymen in the 1959 China Famine due to his arrogant commie central planning?
At least the pathetic commies still have their priorities in line.
How about Mao sitting atop mounds of corpses as far as the eye can see while feasting, drinking and proclaiming he “serves the people”?
Oh wait, that isn’t funny. That was the reality of life in another workers paradise
The age of apology…so sad.
It’s the French - who cares. Like polls about candidates and points on “Whose Line is it Anyway” - worthless.
That’s because when all of this PC BS started, nobody had the gumballs to stand up and say “the Emperor has no clothes!”
Q. What comes out of a rodent’s ass?
A. Mousy Dung
I would just chalk it up to the French behaving in a very French-like fashion (if you’re Amerian, raise your hand, if you’re French, raise both hands), but it’s not just them anymore. It’s everywhere, and I sure wish someone could figure out how to stop the PC-run-amok-ness in the world!
I suppose someone could have it so that Mao kind of looks like a kittycat. Chairman Meow?
Looks like Elton John needs to re-cut his song. Sorry, the easiest thing to say.
Did Monty Python & the BBC apologise for this?
Sing Little Birdie!
Giddy Up Oom Poppa Omm Poppa Mau Mau
Giddy Up Oom Poppa Omm Poppa Mau Mau
Heigh-ho Silver, away….. la la la…
opps….mao mao
Hillary Clinton’s newest campaign slogan:
“Four Mao Years!”
Obama, Hillary, and Edwards=
Larry, Mao, and Curly (In that order)
Better watch your back… the
DemocratsPC Police will be coming for ya!Michelle:
Better be careful….. Edwards might sue you for Mao practice!
You know, I feel really offended by this. I think we should all get together with MM and send a letter to Citroen that we are very upset and very offended that they apologized to China for being offended about their Mao. We, in turn, want an apology for their apology to China. In fact, we should demand an apology, not only from Citroen, but from the Chinese government for demanding an apology in the first place. (Well, let’s face it, people, a guy that ugly should be happy to be on an international commerical anyway, don’t you agree?)
Stalin, Fidel, Che Guevera, Hugo and John Lennon all idols of the left and fancy this. All idols of the Democratic candidates running for election. Hmmmmm, wonder how left theri views really are?
I don’t ripping on Mao is a good idea. With 1.3+ billion “adherents” to their system, how can it be so wrong?
Breaking news: Hillary breaks down in tears claiming “Mao Hsus hurt Mao feet!”
Ever notice how short people always have a “Mighty Maos” complex?
Just to prove that there is always something stupid to watch on YouTube.
Hillary has more Hsus than Imelda Marcos had shoes!
Yet another stupid YouTube Chairman Mao moment
YouTube Mao Moment Round 3
Chairman Mao Watches True Lies
I read somewhere that Mao never brushed his teeth.
Funny how only America does not demand apology when others mock its President, let alone others so afraid they actually give it. Such a bully, America is.
Rosie is translating his “Red Book” even as we speak.
You mean to spam. I hear spam all over the world was offended for that one.
That was the book by Mao’s physician.
What a pig Mao was.
Yeah, I hear keith Olbermann (D) is going to write the forward for it.
Lennon with Mao? No way! If Lennon carried a label, it was as a libertarian. Lennon taunted far lefties with his lyrics in “Revolution.”
But if you go carrying pictures of Chairman Mao
You ain’t going to make it with anyone anyhow
You are on a roll Raging Republican. “Mao Hsus hurt Mao feet”. That’s a coffee spitter there.
Any lawyers on here? I just wondered if Hillary could Hsu Norman for nonsupport now.
Raging Republican…Cpu…Aj..y’all are crazy. I love it!
So if the nation states considered so obsolete were more self sufficient they wouldn’t so sorry.
If America had stepped up and filled the vacuum left after WWII with Democracy instead of letting a brutal communist dictator fill the void, I wonder if we would be so worried about the global giant bully that China rising represents.
Mao, Mao, everyone, play nice!
Mao Mao? is this a thread on rioting in Kenya?
I am expecting my copy of Photoshop to arrive any day now! Can’t wait.
That would have made them “mao-odorous”.
Lets all sing “papa ou mao mao!”
This isn’t exactly photoshopping, more like just combining pictures. I couldn’t resist combining two things in one. Hope you like it.
Revolution In Time
Man that’s a coin flip Dave.
At least the French have a sense of humor but I am sorry to say they buckled down and had to aplogize to the Chinese. Maybe some USA, European, or Canadian company could do the same thing with the portrait of Stalin. This time we could have Stalin smiling down at capitalism at work. Stalin could smile at folks going to church. See if the Russians or Georgians still have a sense of humor.
I apologize that Mao-Tse Tung was a mass-murdering commie psychopath.
He should have taken his metamucil.
I hear 9 Lives cat food will operate in China now. Love the jingle:
Mao Mao Mao Mao
Mao Mao Mao Mao
Mao Mao Mao Mao Mao Mao Mao Mao
Mao Mao Mao Mao
Mao Mao Mao Mao
Mao Mao Mao Mao Mao Mao Mao Mao
Gimme a ham and Swiss on rye and hold the mao
I don’t think I can take many mao of these…
This isn’t a political issue, it’s a marketing blunder. If you’re trying to sell cars to the world’s biggest potential market, you don’t:
a) make adverts that will insult your customers (even if they do have dumb political opinions and a lack of sense of humor)
b) if you do, you apologize and hope that your company doesn’t lose any goodwill with that particular customer base. Otherwise they buy your competitor’s cars
c) you fire the marketing guy who, instead of making you money, stands to make you lose it. Then hire a better guy.
A company that defiantly says “We will not apologize for our marketing; you’re the ones who can’t take a joke you commie drones” might earn plaudits for its high-principalled political stand, but not for its business sense; and ultimately, that’s what companies are for.
I agree entirely with Antaradus. This was a colossal marketing blunder, and the company is doing necessary damage control to protect their bottom line. This was an asinine advertisement, and just shows how thin thin copywriting is these days. If this goal of the business is to make and keep a customer, this is a good lesson in how NOT to do it.