Vodka maker pulls billboard ad after crybabies complain

Can't anyone take a joke anymore?

We've been following this "story" for the past couple days, it initially showed up on Gawker when a "concerned" reader contacted the site to inform them of the billboard shown below:



The "tipster" alerted Gawker of this billboard for Wodka Vodka located on Riverside Drive in Manhattan, which pokes fun at stereotypes using a Santa dog and a "Jewish" dog with the tag line "Christmas Quality, Hanukkah Pricing". The complainer also mentioned that she would be contacting various media outlets as well:

"Perhaps you are also aware of the anti-Semitic stereotype that Jewish people control the media. Following the lead of your billboard, I have put stock in this stereotype and have taken the liberty of cc'ing several media outlets and news writers on this email."

Well isn't that just special, you go girl.

We figured that would be the end of it, seeing as there's much more important things to be outraged about than a silly billboard ad. But this persistent crybaby's efforts have paid off, as the company today caved to pressure and has taken the billboard down. From Yahoo news:

A billboard for Wodka vodka in NYC has been taken down and destroyed after complaints that the advertisement's message is anti-Semitic.
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Ron Meier, regional director of the Anti-Defamation League, called it "crude and offensive. To use the Jewish holiday in dealing with issues of money is clearly insensitive and inappropriate."

Well that's a shame. You can't make a joke these days without everyone getting their panties in a bunch. And what was the point of contacting the media about this billboard anyway, it's not like it was some big secret the folks at Wodka were trying to hide, they put it on a giant billboard facing a major street for chrissakes. And one of the most ironic things about the whole thing is that Brian Gordon, head of the marketing firm (MMG) behind the billboard, is himself Jewish.

Score one for the whiny crybaby douchebags. If there's any silver lining to this story it's that it did give Wodka a ton of publicity, and we're guessing that the people who thought the ad was no big deal far outweigh the folks who need to untwist their panties. We're not big drinkers here at People Liking People, but if we ever do need to pickup some Vodka we'll be sure to try out Wodka's selection.

One thing did slightly bother us about this ad though, I believe they have used the stereotype the wrong way. When it says Hanukkah pricing to mean "Jew pricing", if we are to follow the stereotype that would mean that the prices would be high, a ripoff - not low, like they probably meant to illustrate. But I suppose that's a minor point and it's just a joke not meant to be dissected. Either way, the billboard ad is now down and the crybaby brigade can now focus their efforts on the next big atrocity.

Update: We've found a complimentary writeup in Forbes magazine from June 2011 about Wodka's quirky marketing & the success they've seen from it. You thought the Christmas billboard ad was in bad taste? Check out this one:


Escort Quality: Hooker Pricing.

Obviously the company isn't afraid to take chances and be a little bit controversial, it's a shame they caved in to pressure so quickly. If you're going to be bold, you gotta stick to your guns and say fuck 'em if they can't take a joke.

FBI leaks documents, pictures, and videos of Russian spies

Well this is kinda cool. The FBI has just released documents, photos, and video footage of the failed Russian spies that were in the U.S. for years trying to blend in and rub shoulders with influential/powerful people. These people led fairly normal lives while they were here - they raised families, worked 9-5 jobs and tended to their gardens. You know, I wonder if some of them went into the gig with the mission of spying, but once they got here and away from Russia they said fuck it let's make a life for ourselves here and we'll pretend to spy every once in a while so our handlers back home think we're actually doing something spy-like. I mean let's face it, living in Russia probably sucks donkey balls. You can't help but wonder if the spies might have wished they were the real life citizens they were pretending to portray.

Click here to go to the FBI's Vault portal, you can find the documents here, pictures here, and videos here. Today I learned that the FBI actually has their own Youtube channel, how fucking cool is that?




A dead drop or dead letter box is a method of espionage tradecraft used to pass items between two individuals by using a secret location and thus does not require them to meet directly. Using a dead drop permits a Case Officer and his Agent to exchange objects and information while maintaining operational security.

This has gotta be pretty embarrassing for the Russians. They thought they were being so sneaky and we were on to them the whole time, quietly monitoring and filming their every move. We should have fed them some ridiculous misinformation to troll the hell out of them.

You have to wonder why the FBI is releasing these pictures and videos now. I'm glad they are, but is this some kind of subtle power move in the game of chess with Russia? To rub it in a little how badly they fucked up?

Anyways...Russia needs to know their role. They seem to think they're like another United States in the world, the second super power. Reality check: you guys are just another third world country and are not relevant at all. Try focusing on building greatness within instead of sending out spies to see what everyone else is doing and you might actually get somewhere.

How Russia sees themselves:



The Reality: