KKK needs u!!!!
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Legend: Marlboro is owned by the KKK.
Origins: Rumors
about markings on the Marlboro package indicating Ku Klux Klan ownership have been in circulation at least since the mid-1980s. By 1989, these slanders had become so widespread that they were well known even in France and England.
Which markings indicates Klan ownership vary, depending upon whom you hear the rumor from:
The red chevroning on the white background is often cited is as forming the two jutting arms of the capital letter "K" when the pack is tipped on its side. Given that the chevroning appears on three surfaces of the pack (front and back plus one of the sides -- the one carrying the Surgeon General's warning has no room for additional styling), one could "read" three Ks on the pack, resulting in "KKK", the abbreviated name of the Ku Klux Klan.
The two horses on the Marlboro crest also come in for comment. When viewed upside-down, the positioning of their forelegs could be taken for a hand gesture known in the United States as the "V for Victory" or "Peace" symbol (depending on which generation one hails from). This "victory" symbol is read by those looking for proof of Klan involvement as a symbol of Klan triumph. (Be careful with flashing that gesture abroad -- in England, delivering it with the palm faced inwards towards the signaller's body means "Up Yours!")
Some who look between the horses legs see two hooded Klansmen carrying the motto banner.
The "Veni, Vidi, Vici" motto emblazoned on the banner is believed by some to be the motto of the Ku Klux Klan. (Evidently, they'd never heard of Julius Caesar.)
The final five letters of Marlboro are "lboro." Reverse them to get "orobl," a fragment conspiracy theorists claim is meant to be read as "horrible." Turning "Marlboro" upside-down and reading the first three letters backwards results in "jeW" (the upside-down "r" looks like a "j". All together, this decoding results in "horrible jew." (Why, precisely, the phrase "horrible jew" is supposed to indicate ties to the KKK as opposed to general anti-semitism is never explained.)
Tearing open the bottom of the pack in a certain way was rumored to reveal the head of a hooded Klansman, with two spots (one black, one gold) on the package serving as the Klansman's eyes. (The two spots were actually common printers' proofs for colors used on packaging. They don't appear on current packs, however, as Philip Morris has done away with them.)
Marlboro is the flagship tobacco product of the Philip Morris Company. There is no evidence that PMC is or was ever owned by the Ku Klux Klan, even back in its early days when it was still possible for individuals to own enough of the company to have any sort of a say in how it was run. PMC has no need to fear doing its laundry in public, sheets and all.
One has to wonder at the basic premise of the whisper. Even if the KKK did own a business (and in the world of specious rumor the list of companies it's supposed to control is endless), why would it be fool enough to advertise the fact, even by way of coded references worked into package design? A huge public backlash would be risked against no potential gain, and that makes no sense.
Were such ownership to come to light, whatever firm the KKK ran would be immediately boycotted, lose its customer base in the blink of an eye, and have to shut its door forever shortly thereafter. If there's one sure death knell a company could sound, it would be to announce it's owned by the Ku Klux Klan.
Okay, so the rumor fails the common sense test. Why is it so popular, then?
Everyone likes to think he's been let in on a secret, and that is perhaps what lies at the heart of this bit of lore. That the rumor itself is ridiculous doesn't interfere with that special frisson of knowing something others have yet to catch on to. Besides, everyone knows cigarettes are bad for you and the companies who profit from flogging them are evil -- why not combine both elements with the KKK, one of the few groups in existence worthy of being paired off with them?
According to lore, PMC's founder, Philip Morris, was a Klan member, which is supposedly how Marlboro fell into the hands of the KKK. Truth is, Morris was a London tobacco shop owner in the 1850s. In 1902 this British manufacturer set up a corporation in New York to sell its British brands, including Philip Morris, Blues, Cambridge, Derby, and one named after the street its London factory was on, Marlborough. (Heh. So much for that "orobl jew" theory.)
(A similar KKK rumor circulates about Richard Joshua Reynolds, founder of Reynolds Tobacco, the firm which produces Camels. That too is untrue, although Reynolds was a native of Virginia, which at least would make a bit more sense than trying to pin KKK membership on a London shop owner. Strangely enough, most of the lore surrounding Camels has to do with naked men and phalluses hidden in the artwork.)
Let's look at why it's impossible for the KKK to own Marlboro.
The Philip Morris Company was incorporated in New York shortly after the turn of the century. These days it is publicly owned and is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under ticker symbol MO. The claim that any one entity could own this company is laughable -- there are 2.4 billion shares of MO on the market. At a November 1998 peak of $58.25 per share, that's $139.8 billion. Even at the November 1999 low of $24.75 per share, just a 1% holding of the Philip Morris Company would amount to $600 million, placing even this tiny slice of the pie far beyond the means of most well-organized, strongly-financed investor groups, let alone a white supremacist group forced by its very nature to operate in a surreptitious fashion. (It's not like the KKK has corporate headquarters, openly collects dues, or flaunts letterhead and checkbook emblazoned "Ku Klux Klan.")
It's inevitable that a firm as large as the Philip Morris Company would become the target for wild rumors. Even if cigarette companies enjoyed a positive image in the marketplace, they would still provoke jealousy simply because of their size and the ubiquity of their product. That they're despised both for what cigarettes do and for their conduct in keeping vital information from the public as long as they did only paints a brighter bullseye on their backsides. But that bullseye would always have been there anyway.
Earlier in this article we mentioned how one set of printers' marks has been mistaken in the world of lore for the eyes of a lurking Klansman. Another printing rumor exists about a set of marks located under the bottom flap of the box. Alpha-numeric renderings such as "Wn-2" have been interpreted by some as proof of a secret promotion being run by the company which entitles the finder to free product, either one or two packs, depending on the numeral in the string. Another version states the valuable hidden marks are located on the cigarettes themselves, underneath the paper just above the filter, and that an all-letter or all-number find entitles the lucky paper-peeler to a free carton of cigs.
This tale is only wishful thinking. Though Marlboro has run a number of promotions requiring the accumulation of tokens found on its cigarette packs to later be exchanged for premiums (merchandise), it has yet to run a secret promotion, nor is it ever likely to. The object, after all, of such giveaways is to attract new customers with the whiff of "something for nothing" while maintaining established custom by building brand loyalty. Such an agenda is not served by failing to advertise what goodies are up for grabs or how to get your paws on them.
Not all lore associated with Marlboro cigarettes is false, however. At least one actor who portrayed the Marlboro man in the product's advertising did die of lung cancer.
Status: False. -
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x2Originally posted by Master -_-: -
Claim: Snapple is affiliated with the Ku Klux Klan (or donates money to the anti-abortion group Operation Rescue).
Origins: In 1992
a rumor wafted through the air that Snapple, the highly-popular line of ice teas and juice drinks, had ties to the Ku Klux Klan. Another specious whisper intoned that it supported Operation Rescue, a pro-life group. By year-end, a third was making the rounds, that the company brewed some of its teas in then-apartheid South Africa.
These rumors were damaging, and the company initially tried to deal with them in a quiet, one-on-one fashion. It trod softly on publicity but firmly on inquiries, not saying anything in public, but writing back to everyone who dropped Snapple a line about what they'd heard.
"The rumors are so ridiculous we thought they would go away, but they didn't," said Leonard Marsh, then president of the firm. "It reached the point it was getting out of hand and we had to address it."
In 1993 Snapple Beverage Co. went toe to toe with the slanders. Full-page ads appeared in major northern California newspapers, denying the claim that the company was allied with either the Ku Klux Klan or Operation Rescue.
"We are not involved in any way whatsoever with the KKK, Operation Rescue or any other type of pressure group or organization, period," said the ad. The claims about South Africa (a far less widespread rumor and one that only followed months later on the heels of the other two) were not publicly addressed, but they too were false.
Snapple's three co-founders, Hyman Golden, Leonard Marsh, and Arnold Greenberg, were interviewed on MTV. "How could three Jewish boys from Brooklyn support the Ku Klux Klan?" they said. As for the right-to-life rumor, they aptly pointed out that supporting a cause which is controversial is guaranteed to be bad for business.
The KKK rumor was putatively supported by two aspects of the beverage's former label's design: the ship that used to be portrayed in the background and the small letter K off to the side. Those who choose to see conspiracies lurking everywhere claimed the vessel as a 'blackbirder,' a slave ship that brought enslaved Blacks to America. Look at the label closely, they would say, and you'll see captured Blacks in chains on the deck and crewmen further in the background wearing the distinctive Klansman sheet-and-hood get-ups.
It's amazing how imagination can prompt folks to see things that are not there. The photo used for the label came from the Bettmann Archive and was a drawing of the Boston Tea Party. As for the K (another sign rumored to point to a Klan connection), it's a standard symbol found on many foodstuffs that signifies that particular product meets Kosher dietary standards.
In response to the slander, Snapple redesigned its iced tea labels to add the words "Boston Tea Party" to explain the subject of the illustration. The encircled K was enhanced with the words "kosher pareve" to clarify what that symbol stood for. A still later redesign dropped the ship entirely.
The company never did discover who began the rumors or why. It's possible the uproar was in part fueled by Snapple's then decision to advertise around arch-conservative radio and TV personality Rush Limbaugh's radio show. (That association ended in 1994.)
Rumors die hard, though. In 1995 -- only a year after the company ran a media blitz to combat the rumor -- ABC's 20/20 empaneled a group of African-American consumers to discuss their suspicions about several consumer products, including Snapple.
Status: False. -
Claim: 311's innocuous name masks sinister ties to white supremacy, because 'K' is the eleventh letter of the alphabet, and 'K' repeated three times equals 'KKK'.
Origins: This
rumor has dogged 311. There's no KKK involvement and never has been.
Knowing the fascination value of remaining sphinxlike in the face of growing interest, band members have at times joked about the meaning of the name:
Since most interviewers always ask us "What does 311 mean?", we have come up with lots of different answers over the years. Some include: Nick - "five friends making music"; Tim - "a number dictated to me by a higher intelligence"; P-Nut - "knowing a little numerology and studying a little magic, which I do; in some factions, three is man and 11 is magic. So 311 is like male magic."
And according to Nick Hexum (lead vocalist and songwriter):
We used to tell people that three minutes and 11 seconds was the perfect length for a song. We used to say that it meant three plus one plus one, which was true. And
Taco Bell explanations or not, the truth behind the name is every bit as risque as anything likely to be dreamed up by their fans. No white-sheeted Klansmen though.
'Twas group member Aaron "P-Nut" Wills who supposedly chose the name, claiming that 311 is the police code for indecent exposure. According to Nick Hexum: "Our original guitarist was arrested for skinny dipping, and they put 311 on the ticket":
311 is an Omaha police code for indecent exposure. One rainy day, P-Nut and some friends went skinny dipping in a public pool. They were apprehended by police. One of P-Nut's friends (Jim Watson) was arrested, cuffed (naked) and taken home to his parents. He was issued a citation for a code 311 (indecent exposure). We thought this was funny, so we took it as our band name. After the humor of the name wore off, we still kept it because we liked that it was just abstract and that it did not define us in anyway. The name did not describe our sound or our politics, it just let the music speak for itself.
The KKK rumor has forced the group to become more forthcoming about the meaning behind the name. Candor aside, they still have problems in that there are those who are determined to believe that there is a connection to the Klan:
In 1997 there was a rumor going around that the name 311 stood for KKK because K is the 11th letter of the alphabet (3K). As a result, some high schools, including Westside High School, banned students from wearing 311 t-shirts. We issued the following statement:
"It has come to our attention that there is a very unsettling rumor circulating regarding the name of our band '311.' We have been told that certain white supremacist groups use the numbers 311 to represent KKK. This is a most unfortunate coincidence and one that is extremely disturbing to us. We would like to state for the record that this is completely at odds with our personal beliefs. We believe the only people worth hating are organized haters like the KKK. Anyone familiar with our lyrics knows how we feel. Our lyrics make a strong stand against racism and a strong stand for positivity and unity. The name of our band originally comes from an Omaha police citation for indecent exposure. We thought it was funny at the time. Now our name simply means - five friends from Omaha making music. Music that stands for peace and unity."
Mind you, the KKK rumor wasn't all bad news for the band.
The KKK controversy had a paradoxical impact on 311's notoriety. Major publications such as Rolling Stone and Spin magazine and USA Today suddenly became interested in following the band's career. Ditto for MTV. "In less than a week, it was everywhere," band member Doug Martinez said. "It gave the media a spot to work from but it says something else about the sensational aspect of the low-brow journalism of certain media."
The final nail in the rumor's coffin came when the band recorded the song "Silver," with the following lyrics:
Of the racist institutions, simple minds belong;
not happy being human, no wish to get along.
Little people need exclusions; sucker groups to throng.
It makes them feel special; it makes them feel strong.
Status: False. -
now this one will hit all the pasar malam pirates!!!!
Claim: No Fear, Inc. a popular retailer, was confused with the National Organization for European American Rights (N.O.F.E.A.R.), a white supremacist organization. Origins: Similarly-titled
organizations have led to legitimate confusion over whose decals stand for what. To the left we have the logo for the "National Organization for European-American Rights," a white supremacist group run by ex-Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke that acronymizes its name as N.O.F.E.A.R. To the right is the logo for No Fear, Inc., an international retailer who markets its popular youth-directed apparel and accessories under the brand "No Fear." The decals are markedly different in appearance, as is the message each is meant to convey.
Let's deal first with the Virginia-based claims made in the e-mail. "Old Dominion" is Virginia's nickname, and there is a Chesterfield County in that state. Likewise, the Governor there has proclaimed April 2000 Confederate History Month.
The retailer whose logo is now being confused with that of a white supremacist group, No Fear, Inc., is a California-based manufacturer of young men's activewear and gear that has been in business since 1989. It currently employs 150 people, and its products are sold at outlets around the world.
As for what N.O.F.E.A.R. is about, according to David Duke, this group's mission is to fight what he says is widespread discrimination against white people of European descent:
"We maintain that the civil rights of European Americans are being violated by affirmative action, forced integration, and anti-European immigration policies. Blacks, Mexicans, Jews and other ethnic minorities have many organizations that work for their perceived interests."
In other words, they're quite different kettles of fish.
In February 2000, No Fear, Inc. filed suit against David Duke, claiming he infringed on their company's trademark by calling his one-month-old White-rights group N.O.F.E.A.R.
Duke denies his organization's name violates No Fear, Inc.'s trademark rights. "The name of the organization is the National Organization for European American Rights," Duke said. "And if somebody uses the letters, that's not what we're about. That's just the initials of our organization."
One wonders how the courts will view this claim, especially in light of one of Duke's earliest actions on behalf of his new organization. During an address broadcast on C-SPAN on 22 January 2000, while standing before a sign bearing the Web address NOFEAR.NET, he capped a speech that mixed themes of genetics, God, and the defense of European culture with: "That's why NOFEAR exists." For a fellow who wants to defend his group from a trademark infringement suit by claiming the acronym formed from his organization's title is merely coincidental, he's going about it in a bizarre manner.
Did Duke know about No Fear, Inc., at the time he selected a name for his white supremacist group? He says not. Does this ultimately matter? Probably not. No Fear, Inc., looks to have a strong case that its trademark has been violated, and certainly that consumers have been genuinely confused by N.O.F.E.A.R.'s actions and stated goals.
Update: According to a 4 June 2001 press release, David Duke's N.O.F.E.A.R. has renamed itself the European-American Rights Organization (ERO).
Status: True. -
i thought it's my friend..we called him KKK coz his name plua surname all start wif letter K..hahahaha..
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hmm... i tot got shuai ge....
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Originally posted by Super_lian:hmm... i tot got shuai ge....
wats wid u and shuai ge??? -
she thought got handsome guys..??Originally posted by ratinacage:
wats wid u and shuai ge???