CA Ford Dealership Apologizes For Ad Telling Non-Christians To "Sit Down And Shut Up"
On Monday, we wrote about Kieffe & Sons, the California Ford Dealership that ran a pointlessly offensive radio ad attacking non-Christians and supporters of secular government. Today, the owner of Kieffe and sons apologized for the ad.
According to the Bakersfield Californian, Rick Kieffe, the dealership owner, said he doesn't remember approving the ad (emphasis added):
“It’s just something that went by us,” said Kieffe, who does not attend church but considers himself “a Christian spirit.” “We’re obviously sorry that it offends a given segment who identifies themselves as atheist.
Kieffe said he received a flood of angry phone calls from people around the world who saw blog posts about the story. Kieffe's advertiser, or someone claiming to be him, apparently didn't get the memo, as he has posted an unapologetic screed conflating gay marriage with the purchase of a Japanese car (seriously).
PREVIOUSLY: California Ford Dealership Radio Ad Tells Christians to "Sit Down and Shut Up"
Car Dealer Regrets Ads Telling Non-Christians to "Sit Down and Shut Up" [Bakersfield Californian]
(Photo: Amy Watts)
This is a test using rich text formatting and html links. It's the generic "company" ad that should appear on all posts with the Company category if they don't have an ad attached to a specific company.
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Comments:
We'll never hear the end of this...
Trust me, your not finished reading this post until you follow the "unapologetic screed" link above.
Ignorance and intolerance is a sad thing, even sadder when it's unapologetic and antagonistic.
considers himself "a Christian spirit."
Sorry, attacking people for their beliefs is not how someone with a Christian spirit acts.
It's ironic the blog in the link says 'but you do not have the right to force your philosophy on to others.' but yet they are the ones trying to force their ideology on others.
The owner's "apology" is just as asinine. I don't have a set religion, but I do believe things I choose to. I was offended by it because of how it was presented. My life goes on, but that doesn't mean you can try and force your religion on me when I choose to believe my own beliefs.
"On Blogger Since May 2008" and first post.. I doubt this is real.
Best prank ever?
@jodles: Well, when there are only sneetches with stars on their bellies and sneetches without stars, who other than an athiest could possibly be offended?
Jeez. The guy assumed the only people this offended were atheists?
How about publicly firing your ad agency?
We're obviously sorry that it offends a given segmentSo in other words, they're not sorry at all, although they wish that the "given segment" was more accepting of their hateful opinions.
@humphrmi: Geez, I wish there were an edit button. The blockquote is supposed to end after "given segment". The rest is my comment.
Who the fuck buys a Ford anyway?
Weak troll at that...
I wrote and produced the spot that so many of you "unbelievers" find offensive. Frankly I don't give a flip whether you are an athiest or just plain doubter. I wrote and recorded the truth.
...but you do not have the right to force your philosophy on to others. I think that it is time for you to understand this very simple little fact.
Your contradictions... let me show you them.
Ick. I think I might be even more offended by the stupidity than the actual sentiment, if that's possible...
oh man you gotta follow the link to that blog!! He's complaining about consumerists taking copyrighted material! HAH! But it's okay for him to break false advertisement laws by falsely stating that 86% of americans believe in God without any relevant source.
Saying he's sorry that someone got offended is not an apology for what he said in the first place. The headline of this posting is incorrect.
Wow... he really seems fully incapable of grasping the fact that belief in god does not necessarily equal Christian.
Well, when I'm not shopping for a Ford, I know where I won't go to not get a price on the Ford I'm not shopping for.
@XopherMV: Agreed. That is not an apology. Their new statement is just as offensive, if not more, than their previous one.
Wow this guy really does live in Never Never Land! Must be nice!
I didn't expect to see this. I'm glad the dealership got a eat a bit of humble pie. This is the kind of social action I love to see. The owner learned that offending a part of your customer base is a bad idea. That's a good thing.
The bad thing is that he now thinks that atheists are people who call and swear at you and hang up. Those atheists are even more scumbags than the guy who wrote the ad in the first place, because they are cowards. They do not represent the atheist community well at all. It goes to show that there are a-holes on both sides.
This is my favorite part "There is a great silent majority of Americans that are believers. The difference between them and you is this. Believers do not have to justify their existence."
Operative phrase: silent majority. Yes, you all are really quiet. 0_0
I just re-read his "apology" and laughed some more!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Ignoramus!!!!!
@Daniel Alderman: As an athiest I feel represented just fine. It's a business, not a home. If a business which makes itself available to the public spews that kind of idiocy, I see no problem in the public spewing back. You don't have a right not to be protested at.
Uh. Why is it that idiots like that ad writer go on screeds while their home address and residential phone number are clearly all over the internets for anyone to find. Sigh.
He replied to the comments on his screed with another screed, this time proving he is a racist too. Wow.
So if a Japanese car is akin to gay marriage what is a German car akin to? Or a French one?
I hate to be off-topic on the subject but..........how do I get consumerist to help me when I'm having probs with my xbox 360 and Microsoft's callcenters? I sent an email to tips@consumerist.com. Is there something else I should do? I spent a good while on the phone today. I am a man that was crying. I can't belittle myself anymore.
WOW what a FU anyway apology...
"So each of you who find some offense to the radio ad and you want to be up in arms over it, you have the right to think what you wish but you do not have the right to take my copyrighted material and destort it for your personal gain. If you are offended, well like I said in the commercial.. thats tough."
A mark of his ignorance and low intelligence is how he doesn't understand the concept of paragraphs.
Also, it's total BS that the owner of the dealership didn't know anything about the ad...
lol@ the unapologetic screed (screed?)
What scares me the most about a lot of christians is when they say the bible is the absolute truth (like was said in the "unapologetic screed") .... its the unyielding, unwavering belief or the far away "god gleem" in their eyes.... that smacks of a hint of insanity.... and what scares the rest of us who dont know for sure or do not believe so fully in it.
What an asshat. Nice "apology"... charming, but... nah... put it back on the shelf - I'm not buying it. And again, you don't have to be a Christian to believe in God - can't quite get that through his thick skull.
@bohemian: So if a Japanese car is akin to gay marriage what is a German car akin to? Or a French one?
German cars = S&M
French cars = he got it mixed up, this is the gay one
I though that Japanese cars had to do with robot porn... 0_o
So, what? He denies it two more times, cock crows, and then...
Just not sure what's sorrier, the ad itself, or someone so willing to back down on their beliefs once they realized it was gonna cost them cash.
The "unapologetic screed" is a perfect example of a bully who thinks the responsibility for his actions belong to his victims. The guy alternates between claiming the high ground, playing the victim, acting indifferent, and hitting below the belt. The underlying message... I'm better than you, you're expected to lick my boot heels, when you don't like my boot heels, it offends me and I cry.
Ah, I love the Antelope Valley.
Anybody who thinks that California is just full of loony liberals should come out here for a while; you'll see that we have our fair share of loony conservatives too.
To the dealership:
That tasteless tacky apology didn't do you much good.
"We're obviously sorry that it offends a given segment who identifies themselves as atheist"
Wow. How about the given segment who identify themselves as Christians and were offended?
Next time dude, just state your position, don't back down and accept the consequences whatever they may be.
@xcharliemx: Sometimes, they don't reply. This site is ridiculously popular, and I don't believe they have the man power to wade through all submissions. I've only had one out of about five posted, and it was a link to a site I saw, not any of the stories of really atrocious customer service. Similarly, many others who comment here have said in the past that they've had very bad experiences that weren't posted. They cannot post everything.
Having said that, you can't really thread hi-jack either. I'd suggest going to the Consumerist Forums and seeing if someone there can give you a hand.
Dumb fucker got his ass handed to him in his own blog. Keep 'em coming, and for fuck's sake, don't apologize. Heh.
Faith rules, religion sucks.
...
"Didn't approve the ad"...oh please. That story is so full of crap. Just own up to it.
First of all, EVERY AD needs to be signed off by a client before it airs. That's universal in every radio station's ad agreement.
Secondly, all those statements after the fact suggests Kieffe had a direct hand in the creative. " I wrote and produced the spot that so many of you "unbelievers" find offensive. Frankly I don't give a flip whether you are an athiest or just plain doubter. I wrote and recorded the truth. "
I just want to know if they don't charge interest on their vehicle loans, because that would be usury . . . which the good book says is bad . . . Plus, hopefully they follow it all the way through and also only make as much profit as is necessary to live a basic god fearing life. I want my $4000 new Ford vehicle!
That is an awesome amount of bigoted idiocy.
But, at least they are honest and up front about it so that you can totally avoid them and the products they sell.
Ford may say they can't do anything about it, but they could revolk their dealership from them. They just choose not to.
As long as this dealership and Ford itself persists in this nasty, and might I add un-Christian behavior and bigotry, I can tell you which kind of vehicle we'll avoid buying.
And for the record, Mr. Keiffe; I'm Christian and I'm deeply offended by the trash you've spewed in the name of Christ. Is this really how you think he'd behave?
@Lin-Z: Wow, "silent majority"? Really? That's a dog whistle if there was one. I thought people stopped using that phrase non-ironically in the 70s.
I'm surprised the "screed" doesn't also talk about "states' rights" and "welfare queens".
@bohemian:
So if a Japanese car is akin to gay marriage what is a German car akin to?Is this a subtle Godwin attempt? Or have I been reading Digg too much?
Sometimes, they don't reply. This site is ridiculously popular, and I don't believe they have the man power to wade through all submissions. I've only had one out of about five posted, and it was a link to a site I saw, not any of the stories of really atrocious customer service. Similarly, many others who comment here have said in the past that they've had very bad experiences that weren't posted. They cannot post everything.Theresa, Carey, and I clear out the inbox every night, so there shouldn't be emails that go unanswered. That said, you're right: we can't post everything. We have a page in the help section to provide guidance for what we look for, xcharliemx, but the two things that almost never get posted are stories about non-American companies and emails that are one gigantic paragraph, or are extremely long and have no summary at the top. We just get too many emails for me to wade through such, uh, screeds.
I buy FORD. American made. (:
Not to spam my own post, but I'd also anyone who liked the pictures I used for these stories to check out that user's Flickr page, as there are some gems on the sides of the car that aren't pictured.
because only atheists were offended....