Commies!

mrmitchell · November 23, 2003, 19:23

(just in case you haven't noticed, one of C3C's print ads was a picture of the White House with a "commie flag" over it.)

From this month's Maximum PC In/Out (reader mail) section:

Quote:

I was very shocked and offended at the "ad" on page 39 of your November issue. This ad has a picture of the White House with a Commie flag over it (and lower in the page a little postage stamp-size logo for the game Civilization. Sirs, this is not an ad for a game--it is a political statement, and a treasonous one at that. Is it your policy now to run this type of cheap-shot anti-American propoganda when this country happens to be at war?

After seeing this ad I will never, repeat never, buy a Firaxis or Atari game again for me or anyone else, and you can relay that thought to your advertisers. If you're going to continue to run ads of this ilk, maybe you should change the name of your magazine to something more appropriate, like Le Socialist Workers People's Review of Maximum Decadent Kapitalistic Komputers.
-Ray C. Schultz

I'll bet this guy wrote letters to THQ and Volition complaining about Red Faction.

the mag's response was very gracefully pulled off, considering mine would be "..|..".

Quote:

Editor-in-chief Jon Phillips responds:
It may be a disturbing image, Ray, but I don't think it's treasonous, at least not in the legal sense of the word. Regardless, I should point out the copy that runs with the image: "but for a few decisions, the world could be a very different place." Now, I don't know about you, but I interperet that as an endorsement of America's Cold War policy, which pretty much had the widespread support of our nation's most passionate self-proclaimed patriots. Regardless, I think we all know the game publisher's intent was ironic, not political.

As for regulating the ads that appear in the magazine, we are sometimes a victim of the stringent firewall that we place between the advertising and editorial staffs of the magazine: We don't have the foggiest idea of what the ads look like until the magazine comes back from the printer (nor does the ad staff have any idea what specific content appears in the editorial pages.) Sometimes this firewall really bites us, but the Civilization ad wasn't one of these cases.

EDIT: Damn. This shoulda gone in the Conquests forum shouldn't it?

vmxa1 · November 23, 2003, 19:34

Some people are wrapped too tightly.

Theseus · November 23, 2003, 20:19

Yeah, I saw that too. Good thing that guy doesn't know about culture flipping!!

Twelvebottoms · November 23, 2003, 20:24

Oh that's classic.

Also, I'd quite like to see that advert.

MrWhereItsAt · November 23, 2003, 20:55

Thanks for the post mr_AFK.

Really made my day.

Alex · November 23, 2003, 21:51

Funniest post in a long time...

Dis · November 23, 2003, 21:58

some people (like me) like to write fake letters to places pretending to be outraged.

This guy may just be trolling.

mrmitchell · November 23, 2003, 22:10

Wait a minute! I think we now can figure out what Wiglaf's real name is!

Datajack Franit · November 24, 2003, 19:21

SAD guy :lol

MarkG · December 2, 2003, 18:03

i demand a scan of the ad and the letters! :dotinow!:

tatterdemalion · December 2, 2003, 21:45

I have that issue of the magazine. I would scan it, but I have no scanner. I'd hardly call the ad treasonous. I would it is free speech. I think that Jon Philips defense of the ad is reasonable absent his exposure to Sid Meier incessent marketing of Mao in the game's different incarnations.

MrWhereItsAt · December 3, 2003, 01:17

A photocopy place would be almost sure to help you out.

/me hopes, if Mark wants this, we will ALL get to see it...

asleepathewheel · December 3, 2003, 09:39

vmxa1 · December 3, 2003, 14:05

My subscription ran out last month, but maybe the ad will be in some of the other game mags. If I see it I will scan it in.

Nubclear · December 3, 2003, 16:37

Quote:

I was very shocked and offended at the retarded "ad" on page 39 of your November issue. This ad has a picture of the White House with a Commienazi flag over it

(and lower in the page a little postage stamp-size logo for the game Civilization. THIS IS NOT AN AD FOR A GAME BUT A POLITICAL STATEMENT

...and a treasonous one at that. Is it now your policy to run cheap chinese commienazi antiamerican propaganda when the greatest nation on Earth happens to be at war? Still angry over the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991?

After seeing this ad I will never EVER EVER buy a Firaxis or Atari game again for me or anyone else, and you can relay that thought to your commienazi ilk.

If you're going to continue to run this commienazi propaganda, maybe you should change the name of your magazine to something more appropriate, like PRAVDA!!!!!

You provide no evidence...you provide NOTHING! Yet you want to destory America...you criminals

-Fez

Plotinus · December 3, 2003, 17:47

This strange creature doesn't actually say what he objects to about the ad. What is the political statement he thinks it is making? Does he think that Atari are saying they *want* the US to become Communist? Does he think they are implying that the USSR *could* have won the Cold War? Or what? God, I'm sure idiots and bigots were more articulate in the old days. Or maybe not.

TheArsenal · December 3, 2003, 18:28

Cool. I open this thread expecting a nuts and bolts discussion of Communism v. other governments in Civ III and get a good laugh instead.

Some people are only one cup of coffee away from being snipers on a water tower.

Nubclear · December 4, 2003, 05:53

Quote:

Originally posted by Plotinus
Does he think that Atari are saying they *want* the US to become Communist?

Atari is another reason why the US *should* become Communist.

Senator · December 4, 2003, 13:50

good thing they didn't place that facist logo over the white house

Mace · December 4, 2003, 14:41

First of all, I think that guy was just trolling. It could be for real, but I think odds are it's fake.

I don't think it's quite fair to say the guy is "one cup of coffee away from being a sniper on a water tower". That's stereotyping the guy pretty bad. Just because someone is stuck in the Cold War and rabidly patriotic doesn't necessarily mean he's a survivalist nutball. Patriotism does not automatically equal extremism and insensitivity. He's probably just an overzealous patriot.

No wait, he's probably a Civ player who wanted to get a laugh.

Nubclear · December 4, 2003, 15:43

I wouldn't call him a patriot.
I'd call him a jingoist

Senator · December 4, 2003, 16:10

die-hard patriot
religious extremist

both are willing to go a long way for what they believe in
that's dangerous

Shogun Gunner · December 4, 2003, 16:31

Comrade: Your avatar is making me dizzy

Whoever wrote that letter is either

1. trying to be funny
2. really believes in what he says

In both cases, the proper response is humor.

If he's going to get up on the water tower and shoot at us, I don't think anything society can do can really stop him. Just remember to duck.

Shogun Gunner · December 4, 2003, 16:34

P.S. The DC sniper situation last year caused massive panic in the area. I was concerned, especially since I work right down the road from the Home Depot where the FBI lady was shot and killed. We did duck when getting gas...for all the good that would have done.

How can you stop people that choose to engage in this destructive behavior? That's why I choose to laugh...when my time comes there is nothing I can do to stop it.

Admiral PJ · December 6, 2003, 16:11

Its more likely the poison pen letter writer was a Hitler fan.. a fascist. They have been against communism, because germany had a historical hatred and millitary goal of conquering the Slavic and russian lands to their east, when they became communist this just served to help Hitler to fuel more hatred against the russians through political ideology - it was all about racism.
the author says he's Mr Schultz.. sounds a germanic possibly.

I think this advert is a great Marketing success.. what could be more controversial than having a left wing communist flag on George Bushes anti communist headquarters

I remember Independance day used a similar idea, with the alien ship destroying the white house with a nuclear bomb style ray gun.

This is more powerful becuase the US elections are coming up.
Does anyone know how to contact this idiot Schultz the writer? Lets all send him letters inviting him to join the New Communist States of America for a joke

Twelvebottoms · December 6, 2003, 16:19

Good point there (apart from the Germanic name thing). Maybe Schultz' fave book is Mein Kampf, and he needed to blurt out this nonsense. Anti-semites aren't known for their sense of humour.