Amazon pulls ‘Nazi’ TV show ads from NYC subway after complaints
Advertisements featuring imagery from dystopian TV show ‘The Man in the High Castle’ will be pulled from New York City subway trains. Amazon made the decision after numerous complaints on social media and a request from NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio.
Commuters using the subway recently may have felt as if Adolf Hitler had never been defeated. The interior of trains has been decorated with symbols from Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan, all courtesy of an Amazon ad campaign.
Numerous pictures that have been released on social media show a ‘Nazified’ American flag, a Nazi ‘Reichsadler’ eagle, and a Rising Sun flag used by the Japanese empire during WWII. The insignia can all be seen on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s 42nd Street shuttle.
Reportedly, at least 260 posters have covered trains running from Grand Central to Times Square. The posters, however, did not feature any swastikas.
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The Nazi propaganda was conceived by online retailer Amazon to promote its new dystopian show 'The Man in the High Castle'. Based on a famous novel by Philip K. Dick, the series shows an alternative history of the world in which the Axis powers (Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan) won World War II.
.@amazon TV series ad on shuttle train sparks controversy. @MTA defends ad; many disagree https://t.co/J2rSTcLzVepic.twitter.com/JIoHOZpqWZ
— Katherine Lam (@byKatherineLam) November 24, 2015However, not everyone was satisfied with the Nazi victory (even hypothetical) which has been promoted on the subway.
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“Half the seats in my car had Nazi insignia inside an American flag, while the other half had the Japanese flag in a style like the World War II design,” one subway rider, Ann Toback, told Gothamist. “So I had a choice, and I chose to sit on the Nazi insignia because I really didn’t want to stare at it.”
Should @amazon be more sensitive about its advertisement & not include potentially offensive symbols? pic.twitter.com/Fxt67fHvxa
— Katherine Lam (@byKatherineLam) November 23, 2015Social media users also wrote that they are perplexed and uncomfortable with the posters.
42nd St shuttle to #TimesSquare covered in Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan symbols for @amazon ad. Is this ok? pic.twitter.com/ysJ3m0UIPT
— Katherine Lam (@byKatherineLam) November 23, 2015I would feel uncomfortable sitting in a subway car with the American flag emblazoned all over it, let alone a Nazi symbol.
— Dan Connor (@thestereobus) November 23, 2015Woah, the Statue of Liberty giving the Nazi salute had me really confused on Amazon for a second. Then the ad text scrolled.
— Mike Majeski (@mmajeski06) November 20, 2015Honestly, Amazon, I understand you want to promote The Man in the High Castle, but finding your home page full of Nazi imagery is offensive.
— Cora Buhlert (@CoraBuhlert) November 23, 2015Call me crazy, but I think draping your subway in Nazi paraphernalia and calling it advertising is a bad decision.
— Sam Snelling (@SamSnellingRMN) November 23, 2015Amazon initially did not comment on Nazi imagery in the trains. The advertisement is reportedly planned to be on New York subway trains until December 14.
Should The MTA Allow These Nazi Insignias On Subway Cars? https://t.co/NhsFxP7xry@amazon marketing with a huge misstep here. WTF?
— Joe Bua (@JoeWatchesTV) November 23, 2015Most disgusting ad campaign ever! “Amazon covering New York subway trains with Nazi imagery.” https://t.co/IIhqiCI4Tp
— Jasper Meurs (@Jasper_Meurs) November 24, 2015The critically acclaimed TV series debuted in January, with the pilot quickly becoming the most-watched original content produced by Amazon. The full 10-episode run was released on November 20.
