Seriously? New York Subway Cars Decorated With Nazi Symbols
By Janet Allon [1]
AlterNet [2], November 25, 2015
http://www.alternet.org/print/culture/new-york-subway-cars-decorated-nazi-symbols
As every New Yorker knows, subways are not just a way of getting around,
they are a vehicle for advertising.
But many New Yorkers were shocked to discover recently that subway cars on
one of the city's most popular routes were adorned with Nazi- and Imperial
Japan-inspired regalia. Why? Because Amazon thought it would be a clever way
to get the word out about its original TV series, "The Man in the High
Castle," based on the 1962 novel by Philip K. Dick.
Actually, "adorned" is an understatement. The cars were fully transformed
into the world envisioned in the series, an alternate history in which the
Axis powers won WWII and the U.S. is occupied by the Nazis and the Japanese.
The entire bank of subway seats were covered in Nazi iconography. The walls
were painted red for Imperial Japan. Images of New York landmarks with Nazi
insignia were on the walls.
And the Metropolitan Transit Authority said, Yes!
Subway riders were quick to react, "WTF!" writer Susan Shapiro wrote on
Facebook: "Amazon & MTA have to get rid of the disgusting hateful Nazi signs
on the subway! After the Paris terrorism and right before Thanksgiving? WTF
were you thinking?"
Mayor Bill de Blasio agreed, saying the ads were "irresponsible and
offensive."
Amazon & MTA thought it was a fine idea to plaster NYC subway with Nazi
imagery. https://t.co/H7vDZYsaBa [3] pic.twitter.com/YmXWs6lpLS [4]
-- Jim Roberts (@nycjim) November 24, 2015 [5]
what's up w/these #NYC [6] subway seats painted in nazi theme? don't worry,
they're gone now. https://t.co/cxg553fRFU [7] pic.twitter.com/1cQsb1JsTw [8]
-- Kristen Sze (@abc7kristensze) November 25, 2015 [9]
Assemblyman Dov Hikind who represents a heavily Jewish district in Brooklyn,
said in a statement [10]: "The pain [Amazon is] causing by plastering the
subway with Nazi regalia is disgusting."
The MTA took the ads down after the outcry. Duh!
It's not the first time MTA advertising has been embroiled in controversy.
As the New York Observer reported:
For those citing a lack of common sense on the MTA’s part, it’s interesting
to note that not two months ago the MTA went to court in an attempt to ban
advertisements for documentary The Muslims Are Coming! the agency worried
were offensive. In almost the exact opposite of the High Castle situation,
Judge Colleen McMahon ruled [11] the MTA had to display The Muslims Are
Coming! posters--which included slogans like "The Ugly Truth About Muslims:
Muslims have great frittata recipes"--saying the "advertisements are
undoubtedly commercial under the new policy; they promote and solicit the
sale of the documentary."
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mailto:corrections@xxxxxxxxxxxx?Subject=Typo on Seriously? New York Subway
Cars Decorated With Nazi Symbols [12]
[13]
Source URL:
http://www.alternet.org/culture/new-york-subway-cars-decorated-nazi-symbols
Links:
[1] http://www.alternet.org/authors/janet-allon
[2] http://alternet.org
[3] https://t.co/H7vDZYsaBa
[4] https://t.co/YmXWs6lpLS
[5] https://twitter.com/nycjim/status/668994101732356096
[6] https://twitter.com/hashtag/NYC?src=hash
[7] https://t.co/cxg553fRFU
[8] https://t.co/1cQsb1JsTw
[9] https://twitter.com/abc7kristensze/status/669519410277675008
[10]
http://observer.com/2015/11/jewish-pol-says-nazi-insignias-on-subway-ads-are-incredibly-offensive/
[11]
http://nypost.com/2015/10/07/mta-must-run-the-muslims-are-coming-movie-ads-judge-rules/
[12] mailto:corrections@xxxxxxxxxxxx?Subject=Typo on Seriously? New York
Subway Cars Decorated With Nazi Symbols
[13] http://www.alternet.org/
[14] http://www.alternet.org/%2Bnew_src%2B
