Los Angeles, Mexico???

[topspeed]

There is a storm brewing in Southern California, and it's not the kind that will make more of the coastline slide into the Pacific. This one regards a Hispanic station (Channel 61) that is planting billboards all over the southland that have "Los Angeles, California" but the "California" is crossed out and "Mexico" is in it's place. Hoo boy...

The people against the signs proclaim it's a slap in the face to America as well as other immigrants not from Mexico, and that fact that if you come to America, you should assimilate to our culture, not the other way around.

Those for the signs say that California was taken illegally from Mexico and therefore should still be considered Mexico, that the greater LA area is already over 50% hispanic, and that the furor shows how small minded and (you knew this one was coming ) racist American and, in particular, white Americans are against hispanics.

Ironically enough, the owner of the station is a Mr. Lieberman.

This one could get real ugly, real fast.

[ericl]

Ah geez. I wish people could have a sense of humor about this stuff. If I saw that sign I am sure I would probably laugh, and I'd bet thats the only intention. Instead some crazies on each side have to brew up a war over it. Why do people have to get all worked up about this kind of stuff?

Eric

[topspeed]

Unfortunately, Mr. Lieberman didn't do it as a "tongue-in-cheek" gesture. He's quite serious. He also stated that he doesn't care as to whether his audience is within our borders legally or otherwise. To quote: "Once they are are here, I'm indifferent [to their legal status]."

He's really quite shrewd if you think about it. You know what they say about bad publicity...

[Duds]

will call you an Arrogant American.....

Unfortunately, Mr. Lieberman didn't do it as a "tongue-in-cheek" gesture. He's quite serious. He also stated that he doesn't care as to whether his audience is within our borders legally or otherwise. To quote: "Once they are are here, I'm indifferent [to their legal status]."

He's really quite shrewd if you think about it. You know what they say about bad publicity...

[ericl]

Unfortunately, Mr. Lieberman didn't do it as a "tongue-in-cheek" gesture. He's quite serious. He also stated that he doesn't care as to whether his audience is within our borders legally or otherwise. To quote: "Once they are are here, I'm indifferent [to their legal status]."

He's really quite shrewd if you think about it. You know what they say about bad publicity...

Just your typical pandering, inflaming the non-pandered to.
See George Bush and the religous Right,
John Kerry and just about everybody,
etc

[kexodusc]

Nothing like creating a political/social/racial storm to boost the ratings on your TV network...though a part of me wonders if it was just done as a good natured joke meant for the station's audience, with no malicious intentions to anyone else?...If so, I can easily appreciate that (even if I don't find it particularly funny), despite it's disregard for the obvious sensitivity surrounding the issue. We've all got way bigger fish to fry, methinks, than to keep finding reasons to fight amongst ourselves...

Isn't it about time for another Woodstock?

[MomurdA]

Those for the signs say that California was taken illegally from Mexico and therefore should still be considered Mexico, that the greater LA area is already over 50% hispanic

As far as im concerned 'they' can have LA back if 'they' want. Please take all teh celebrities and spoiled beverly hills kids with you as well.

[paul_pci]

Yes, this will be something to watch regardless of which side of this polemical issue stand on. I wonder, Topspeed is you learned of this on the Jon and Ken show yesterday, as this is how I became aware of it. I'm currently teaching a novel about illegal immigration and I was hoping to listen to their show during class, but the reception is not going to work.

But I think the billboard makes a bold, provocative statement. They know that the territorializing statement will piss off natives in CA while it will embolden Chicano/as. It's similar to Bush's rhetoric on gay marriage or DeLay's rhetoric on the judiciary: there's enough of a supportive base that these figures have little fear that such controversial claims will result in significant damage to their reputation or ability to move forward with their work.

[shokhead]

Reverse it and there would be he$$ to pay.

[Woochifer]

Sounds like a brilliantly twisted publicity stunt to me. If anything, the L.A. media market is so saturated that it's hard to get any kind of attention above the usual noise in that town. It takes outrageousness to stir anything up with everybody trying to one up one another. A billboard like that serves a purpose -- it gets both sides riled up, stirs up national attention and all kinds of pub that money can't buy. Until you posted this thread, I never even knew that a station existed at UHF 61.

I mean, this kind of billboard can be interpreted any number of different ways, including more tongue-in-cheek viewpoints. It could also be that the programming on that station comes exclusively from Mexican TV networks, and this is their way of letting their audience know that they are broadcasting hometown programming from south of the border. I believe that a lot of the programming on the two major Spanish-speaking networks, Univision and Telemundo (channels 34 and 52 in L.A.), originates from Miami, so this might be one way of distinguishing this station from the other Spanish stations.

One aspect of this billboard that I can see possibly backfiring on the station is that not all of the Spanish speaking population in greater L.A. come from Mexico, and in fact, the fastest growing segments of the Latino population down there are from Central and South America. Another issue is that people might tune in, and just not like the programming.

I think that a more subtle dig would have been to refer to California by its Mexican provincial moniker of "Alta California." But, that reference probably would have gone over too many heads to matter. As it is, I think the Mexico reference on the billboard is a bit crude and over the top, if their goal indeed is to get the masses fired up.

[topspeed]

As far as im concerned 'they' can have LA back if 'they' want. Please take all teh celebrities and spoiled beverly hills kids with you as well.

ROTFLMAO ! Good one! Leave the beaches tho...

I wonder, Topspeed is you learned of this on the Jon and Ken show yesterday, as this is how I became aware of it.

Actually, I heard it on KROQ's Kevin and Bean show this morning as they had Mr. Lieberman on to field questions and calls. Based on the passionate responses from callers, there is no middle ground to this topic...unless you're Lieberman. He may put on the pompous air of someone pioneering hispanic pride, but the bottom line is he's loving every single minute of the debate.

Reverse it and there would be he$$ to pay.

Nah. The world would expect something like this from us. After all, we are the arrogant Americans!