Schecter's 9/11 Email: Offensive?

[Chris]

This is the email Schecter is sending folks on their mailing list today. Read the bold text at the bottom - what do you think? It certainly rubs me the wrong way.

This tribute is NOT a political statement. It is a simple reminder of a
tragic event , and presented with the hope that all of us will keep those who lost their lives that day in our thoughts & prayers.

Sincerely,

Michael Ciravolo
President
Schecter Guitar Research

Originally Posted by Schecter.com

Q: Where are Schecter guitars and basses made?

A: Our Diamond Series guitars and basses are manufactured in South Korea(unless otherwise specified on the guitar), and 100% set up in the USA, in our Burbank, CA facility. Our Custom Shop guitars and basses are 100% handmade here in Burbank.

[Rick]

How would that be a political statement?

[noodles]

I like how the sun shining through the buildings makes a nice little cross, and the president of Schecter is asking me to pray.

Right now, I don't want to see any of this "Remember 9/11" stuff, until we are out of Iraq for ....ing good. It is too easily manipulated for the wrong reasons.

[Chris]

I'm quite a bit agitated that Schecter, who has "Made in the USA" stamped on every one of their guitars that I own, would toss a line like that in their 9/11 email.

Whoever wrote that has no balls, nor any sense of patriotism whatsoever. I can only guess that it's in there so as not to offend their overseas customers, or to be so over-the-top politically correct it's not even funny. It's completely unnecessary.

[Naren]

Pathetic. I'd prefer they didn't even do anything for 9/11 than do this.

[jim777]

I'm not seeing it Chris, sorry. I wouldn't have done it, but I don't find it terribly offensive either.

[Drew]

The "This is NOT a political statement" doesn't rub me the wrong way. Sadly, thanks to the way this war has been spun, it's almost necessary to put a disclaimer on ANY "9/11 - never forget" statement that you don't mean it as an expplicit endorsement of the Republican party and the policies of George W. Bush.

The fact they sent it at all is kind of odd, though, seeing as, you know, they're a California and not a New York company. Sure, we're all Americans, but it seems to be in slightly poor taste for a California company to be sending out a tribute to those who died in New York on a mailing list of their customers... I'm leery of the line between patriotism, tragedy, and commerce.

[Chris]

I just think that if you're going to send out something like this, you don't need a disclaimer or a byline to make it's intent politically correct. It cheapens it, even more than the schecter logo plastered onto the image itself.

The fact they sent it at all is kind of odd, though, seeing as, you know, they're a California and not a New York company.

They're an American company.

[Rick]

Originally Posted by Chris

I just think that if you're going to send out something like this, you don't need a disclaimer or a byline to make it's intent politically correct. It cheapens it, even more than the schecter logo plastered onto the image itself.



They're an American company.

Now I get it.

I agree with you, Chris.

[Leon]

i find it entirely offensive on the grounds that i will *never* forget that day. i don't need a ....ing guitar manufacturer to remind me about what happened.

now, if Mr Schecter himself wants to come post in Ken's 9/11 thread, that would be alright. but a mass email? .... that

[Drew]

Originally Posted by Drew

Sadly, thanks to the way this war has been spun, it's almost necessary to put a disclaimer on ANY "9/11 - never forget" statement that you don't mean it as an expplicit endorsement of the Republican party and the policies of George W. Bush.

I should probably elaborate - we have the 2004 presidential election to thank for this. Bush and, especially, Cheney began hinting, first very subtly, and later not so subtly, that we couldn't forget what happened to us on 9/11, and that we had to make sure it would never happen again. As we got closer to the election, that gradually morphed into Cheney's straight-out statement two days before the election, that if a Democrat won, we'd have "another 9/11" on our hands.

Basically, Bush and Cheney used "Remember 9/11" as a rallying call against the Democrats - that Republians remembered 9/11 and Democrats did not, and that if you "Remembered 9/11" then you should vote for a Republican so the terrorists wouldn't attack again.

It's ....ing disgusting the way the tragedy was politicized, and was an absolute insult to those who lost loved ones at the World Trade Center and Pentagon and to the memory of those who diied, but "9/11: Never Forget" has been politicized just as much as "Support Our Troops" has.

[Drew]

Originally Posted by Chris

They're an American company.

Yeah, I didn't articulate it too well. I guess what I was trying to say, and what rubs me the wrong way, is that an American guitar manufacturer based in California, taken in the bigger picture, has very little to do with what happened in New York that day, and it sort of strikes me as being not their place to send me an email reminding me about it.

[eaeolian]

Yes, but that's basically because these tributes are starting to make me sick. You really want to remember those people? Try to make the world a better place, so that we don't have to have these discussions.

[jim777]

Maybe Michael Ciravolo knew someone who died that day? Lots of people do, I can name 30 myself. If you don't say "This is not a..." then you leave it open to interpretation which is ridiculously foolish. I don't see a need for this, as I said, but evidently he did, so whatever. I'd rather remember the people than the day myself, it wasn't a good day.

[noodles]

Originally Posted by eaeolian

Yes, but that's basically because these tributes are starting to make me sick. You really want to remember those people? Try to make the world a better place, so that we don't have to have these discussions.

[Groff]

I don't see anything wrong with it.

It's just a picture and a harmless tribute to a tragic event.

I think the "This is not a political statement" line is just so someone who reads it isn't going to be like "zOMG!!11! SCHEVTER SUPPORTS THE WAR IN IRACK!!1! THYRE WAR MONGERS!! I WILL NEVER BUY A GUITAR FROM TEHM AGIEN!!1! "

...Cause you know that there are people out there who really ARE that sensitive/dumb...

Originally Posted by jim777

. If you don't say "This is not a..." then you leave it open to interpretation which is ridiculously foolish..

...I read this just now, and that's basically what I was trying to say...

[eleven59]

I'm in Canada, I own two Schecter guitars, I remember 9/11 fully, and don't need an e-mail thanks.

I find it about as offensive as any other American "patriotism" used in the media these days.

To me, (just as it was each of the previous years they sent an e-mail like this, and also changed their website for it) this seems less like patriotism, and less like a political statement as "Hey, if we say we love America, racist, ignorant ....tards will ignore the fact that our guitars aren't actually built in the USA and will buy more of our guitars because we're proud to be an American company".

[Drew]

Originally Posted by jim777

I'd rather remember the people than the day myself, it wasn't a good day.

Best post in this entire discussion.

[bostjan]

I don't have a huge problem with it, but it leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I feel that someone at Schecter must have had a good idea. It just became a corporate thing. Big companies always try to cover their butts to the point of cheapening every statement and commercializing every sentiment.

It would have been wiser for them to leave the email out of it, for sure.

[Chris]

Originally Posted by bostjan

I don't have a huge problem with it, but it leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I feel that someone at Schecter must have had a good idea. It just became a corporate thing. Big companies always try to cover their butts to the point of cheapening every statement and commercializing every sentiment.

It would have been wiser for them to leave the email out of it, for sure.

That's pretty much how I feel. I'm not completely offended by it, but as soon as a buddy of mine pointed it out, I did the ol' .

[eleven59]

Originally Posted by Drew

Best post in this entire discussion.

+1 He just nailed exactly what's been bothering me since 9/11 happened. People were so sad for America, I couldn't stop thinking of the people in the buildings. When I watched the footage on the news, I wasn't scared of a war starting, I wasn't worried about the political ramifications, I was thinking of how horrible it was for the people in those buildings, and their families.

To me, all of the "Remember 9/11" stuff and the talk of how it hurt America was a little like saying "You think you've had a bad day? I know your house burned down, but all my stuff smells like smoke!" It just felt like people were taking something horrible that happened to a bunch of people, and tried to make it their own so that they could feel special too, in some weird way.

(no offense intended to anyone, just my personal opinion)

This, on the other hand, is basically guaranteed some hate mail. Not sure what to think myself yet:

[bigheadood]

Schecter did not offend me. Just typical bandwagon crap. Cliche, but still a good sentiment.

That cartoon, on the other hand....
Too much truth wrapped up in that shit. Not funny.

[Rick]

That cartoon is so messed up.

[Lee]

Agreed. Cyanide and Happiness pissed me off today. I do agree with Drew's sentiment that any "Remember 9/11" statement almost requires a "not political" disclaimer, just due to the political climate of our country right now.

[7StringofAblicK]

Meh, I think Schecter's intentions are truly sincere. With that said, I read it and don't particularly find it offensive. Of course having read the statements in this thread, I see some of the argument. But at the end of the day, it's just an email asking those to remember, regardless of what ignorant line prefaced the whole thing.