UPDATE: The ads, which were previously scheduled to run until mid-December, have been removed from subway cars under pressure from New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, CBS2 reports. A representative from Amazon shared the following statement with The Huffington Post:
Amazon Studios creates high-quality, provocative programming that spurs conversation. The Man in the High Castle, based on an acclaimed novel, explores the impact to our freedoms if we had lost World War II. Like Transparent and the movie Chi-Raq, stories that society cares about often touch on important, thought-provoking topics. We will continue to bring this kind of storytelling to our customers.
PREVIOUSLY: Select New York City subway cars are currently wrapped with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority-sanctioned insignia of Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan. On purpose.
The stunt is part of an ad campaign by Amazon to promote awareness of its new streaming series, "The Man in the High Castle," which reimagines a future where Nazi Germany emerged victorious from World War II.
The show is very good, according to reviews. The ads are ... questionable.
"Man in the High Castle" is based very loosely on a 1962 novel by Philip K. Dick. The new series, which landed on Amazon's streaming service Nov. 20, has been praised for the depth of the creators' imagined world, with Nazi mottos and symbols peppered with thoughtful care throughout even mundane scenes. For a seemingly contentious show, the subway cars' smack-in-your-face quality is a strange fit.
An MTA representative confirmed to Gothamist that the ads -- spotted on 42nd street shuttles -- were approved and conform to the organization's advertising guidelines. Response on Twitter has been disapproving.
So, is this OK? Is an impossible-to-ignore reminder of a horrific period of assault on human rights disrespectful to the city's large Jewish population? Is it worth the uptick in traffic on one company's website?
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