Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Smithington]

Given that Koreans are so notoriously thin-skinned about matters Han, you'd think they'd stop and give a moment's thought about the sensitivities of others. We have Nazi-themed bars, offensive depictions of Africans in school text books, the 'wall of Jews' scandal a few years back, the demonization of English teachers, and tourist adverts that describe other cultures as 'primitive'. Now Kia has produced the "Provo". For anyone who doesn't know, a provo is a member of the IRA which killed and maimed thousands in Northern Ireland. Now you'll have former IRA driving around Belfast in their new 'provo' to provoke their neighbors.

For all the time Koreans spend attached to their computers and smart phones, you'd think they'd occasionally google search a name before running with it.

The Kia Provo.


Oops, forgot to add the link. http://www.u.tv/news/Kia-defends-new-Provo-car/1ccae793-17d4-41d8-8bd5-003790dbc247#.UTTSYTamOr8.twitter

[le-paul]

kkk

[highstreet]

It's just a car. I don't think anyone will care.

[JustinC]

[Captain Corea]

Perhaps it was named after the US city? I doubt that it was named after the issue you mention.

Isn't this why certain brands/products customize their names in different countries? Change it in Ireland, keep it the same in the US.

I really don't think this is the same as having a Nazi themed bar.

[Steelrails]

This is more Chevy Nova than Nazi Bar.

[CentralCali]

I checked the link in the OP. The car company says they simply shortened the English word provoke as in "Provoke a reaction." I seriously doubt they wanted to provoke the reaction of the OP here. The company wanted people to notice the car. Looking at the vehicle, I'd have to say it's not bad. Some people might find it rather sporty.

[Fox]

One must admit, given the evident goal of modern western culture is to train people to be whiny little girls who actively seek to be offended at every turn, it's been wildly successful. Whining about a car name incidentally coinciding with some terrorist group from Ireland is probably not a new low (the British government completely blows the competition out of the water when it comes to ridiculous PC sensitivity), but it's still pretty silly.

As an aside, I think the idea of a Nazi-themed bar is a bit funny, and I say that as a person of Jewish descent. Yes, the Holocaust was terrible, but the Nazis were so cartoonish that they almost beg to be caricatured, and chuckling about how ridiculous they were is a far better triumph than turning them into some archetypal evil. Europe's treatment of the Nazis -- the way they've almost enshrined them as a modern, secular "Devil" figure -- is what is objectionable.

[young_clinton]

[Lucas]

[optik404]

[12ax7]

I also thought it was the name of a city in the US.

The likelihood of anyone outside of Ireland knowing that Provo was the nickname of an IRA group was close to nil until now.

In fact, if you Google "Provo", the first thing that pops up is the Wikipedia page of that city.

I looked for any mention clearly linking the word to the IRA. I gave up after 5 pages.

One thing, though...Second search result:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Provo_(movement)

I wouldn't be surprised if that was the inspiration for the name. Looks like they've got hipsters naming their cars now.

[edwardcatflap]

As Steelrails said everyone in the British Isles (and maybe Boston) over a certain age would probably think of the IRA first when they heard the name 'Provo' . Of course it would be ludicrous to be 'offended' by this and it's ludicrous of Kia to even bother saying there was no intention to cause offence. As if a car company would intentionally name a car after something to cause offence.

They obviously want to sell as many as possible and it could be that if they'd done a bit more research they could have seen that it wasn't a good choice of name for people in a certain part of the word. Names are pretty important in branding and even if it doesn't cause offence, people might make jokes about it, which could potentially affect sales.

[comm]

[edwardcatflap]