Cubans Furious At Mercedes Over Che Guevara Joke
Do you live in or near a Cuban community? Drive a Mercedes? Noooooo! Leave it in the garage. Put a tarp over it.
The Cuban community hates Mercedes and Daimler Chairman Dieter Zetsche, despite his Cuban-sized mustache. Casus belli: At a presentation at the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Zetsche praised the virtues of car sharing. Car sharing?
Zetsche said:
“Some colleagues still think that car-sharing borders on communism, but if this is a revolution, then ‘viva la revolucion!’.”
As he said it, a wide-format picture of Che Guevara popped up behind the Daimler Chairman. Che’s trademark beret was decorated with Daimler’s three-pointed star trademark. It had replaced the usual red star.
The audience laughed politely. The Cuban community got its colorful knickers in a twist. Several people in Miami told the Miami Herald that they will boycott Mercedes.
The same writer continued in a right-wing blog that Che Guevara “was a psychopath whose sadistic lust for blood was not easily quenched. He killed for pleasure.”
While Forbes snickered about “That famous German humor,” Automotive News [sub] opined:
“In fact, the Guevara image was far from the most offensive prop used by Mercedes during the program.
Before Zetsche arrived on stage, Mercedes simulated a series of text messages on the stage screen that used expletives and made reference to late-night partying.”
That, of course, won’t stand out as something noteworthy in Miami’s Cuban exile community.
Bertel Schmitt comes back to journalism after taking a 35 year break in advertising and marketing. He ran and owned advertising agencies in Duesseldorf, Germany, and New York City. Volkswagen A.G. was Bertel's most important corporate account. Schmitt's advertising and marketing career touched many corners of the industry with a special focus on automotive products and services. Since 2004, he lives in Japan and China with his wife <a href="http://www.tomokoandbertel.com"> Tomoko </a>. Bertel Schmitt is a founding board member of the <a href="http://www.offshoresuperseries.com"> Offshore Super Series </a>, an American offshore powerboat racing organization. He is co-owner of the racing team Typhoon.
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How stupid this man can be! I am cuban and I felt very angry when I read this post. A car campaign based on a Cuban National Hero? what was this guy thinking. I bet he has never been in Cuba or even read something about cuban history. Can you imagine a campaign with the picture of Adolf Hilter with the slogan 'Alle Wagen Gut'. "Ja" that is what I'm talking about. National heroes are for study and admire not for make money from them.
There appears to be a lot of young people posting here I who don't seem to know the history of Cuba. Fulgencio Batista (the dictator ousted by Castro's revolution) was a bloodthirsty thug who suspended the 1940 Constitution and revoked the liberties of the citizens (except for the wealthy landowners), censored the press, and indulged in mass executions. And it was all supported by the US and corporate conglomerates (esp the sugar industry.) Inevitably there had to be a revolution, and with all the rich Cubans running off to Miami leaving their property behind (and the only reason they're bitter about Castro.) But Batista made Che Guevara and Fidel Castro look like cute little puppies by comparison. Batista was the Pol Pot of Cuba. If Castro hadn't embraced Communism (the Soviets jumped on the opportunity to support the overthrow of Batista), the US would have eventually supported Castro. They clearly knew that Batista was an out-of-control ruthless dictator despite his welcomed support of US corporations (and the US mafia) doing business in Cuba. But in the end, Batista and Castro were simply the puppets for the real fight which was between the US and the Soviet Union.