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Florida Graphics Company Uses Noose in Ad, Is Not Sorry About It

By Kyle Munzenrieder Mon., Feb. 16 2015 at 1:40 PM
Categories: WTF Florida
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hangingtreee.jpg
via Seasalt and Co.
News: Troubling image creates trouble.
Seasalt and Co. is a Florida-based company that creates custom Photoshop tool packages for graphic designers. That should be a relatively controversy-free business, but yesterday the company took to Facebook to announce an upcoming package of tools. It's called "The Hanging Tree" and was advertised with a chilling image of a noose dangling from a tree.
Twitter outrage followed swiftly, but the company is not apologizing for offending anyone. Not even close.
Given the history of nooses in the South being used to kill and terrorize African-Americans, this particular package theme might have been a poor choice.

Let's be clear about what @seasaltcompany is doing: using images of mass murder and terrorism to sell mediocre graphic design services.

It's a special kind of repugnance that @seasaltcompany would use images of American terrorism on Blacks like this. pic.twitter.com/qCyXgAmqPx

So @seasaltcompany puts out this image & wonders why folks are offended? During Black History Month nonetheless? #fb pic.twitter.com/BveaAMlcy0

The more I see that foul image from @seasaltcompany, the angrier I get. It's not art. It's the willful ignorance of evil. Disgusting.

If it was a swastika or a gas chamber in your ad you'd be shut down ASAP but a noose from a tree is ok? NAH. @seasaltcompany

However, Seasalt apparently hasn't taken the course How to Avoid Internet Controversy 101. The firm doubled down on its use of the imagery, hitting back at critics in an explanation on Facebook.
Those with concerns about a product of ours, should take proper measures to support their claims. This certain product is not meant to offend anyone nor directed towards any persons, nor has anything to do any certain race. Coming to this page or going to other outlets to express your emotions will not remedy a cure, but spread hate. We have not broken any rights any American has. If you feel your rights are being violated, please contact the civil rights department with your concerns. With or without ones support, we will continue to design our product as it was intend to be made. We are sorry for all those that feel offended, you're not required to agree with or purchase any of our products. There has been a huge misunderstanding what this product represents. We have given several attempts to explain what it is about and it has been apparent our efforts do not matter to those unwilling to make reason and listen. Our product is about having "freedom" not the act of causing anymore harm. We as a company are using our artistic freedom and expression to take a stand against hate and will continue to do so.
The company also tried to explain the controversy away in other Facebook comments:
Thank you for thinking outside the box on this. Being hung wasn't designed just for one race of people. There is a long standing history and more to what is being seen in this advertising image. IT represents so much more.
People can be offended by anything in life. However, nothing here depicts hate against anyone pr any color. We all have rights. In the art world, not everyone will like what you do. However, this collection depicts no violence towards anyone. We are aware some may take ii wrong, but we explained it and what it stands for. Had we put a person literally in the noose, then that may be different, but we wouldn't do that. I know of book covers and other pieces of art with the same sort of thing. Art is subjective and we know not everyone will like or agree.
The company has even threatened to take legal action against some Twitter users.

  1. @seasaltcompany just for that smug response I'm gonna make sure all 20k plus of my followers across social Media see your Hanging tree.

@RStewartJewelry So be it. We are fully prepared for legal acton.

Update: A representative for Seasalt and Co refused to comment on the matter.
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Jose Gonzalez
Jose Gonzalez from Facebook5ptsFeatured
I don't know but that looks a lot like the conjuring movie poster from a couple years back and I didn't see anyone attacking Warner brothers over it. #getoverit if you don't like it don't look at it. Je Suis Charlie.
TonLoco
TonLoco 5ptsFeatured
Nice job increasing exposure to their viral marketing campaign.
Steve Atlas
Steve Atlas from Facebook5ptsFeatured
There's a blowhard in the comments section of the article explaining what an old symbol the noose hanging from a tree is -- using the same reasoning of those who defend swastikas but blowing hard about their ancient origins. Folks like the anonymous "yagoalayza" are frozen in time. They have no sense of the fact that words and symbols evolve in meaning and implication. But they don't give a damn who is offended. They have their wrong-headed point to prove. And yes, even as a white guy I can tell you that Miami is filthy with bigots. It's amazing what wretched things come out of people's mouths when they feel comfortable with you.
Rajiv Van La Slimting
Rajiv Van La Slimting from Facebook5ptsFeatured
According to this post Seasalt and Co was distributing someone else's designs for free and were fined $200k for the theft and loss of earnings to the original designer. And now they are asking for donations to buy software because they bought software from an illegal source online. This company looks pretty shady whatever the noose is supposed to represent.
yagoalayza
yagoalayza 5ptsFeatured
A Response to a friend:  even thought I agree with you about our history of xenophobia, racism, segregation and lynching, the Noose is an older symbol. Besides the lynching, the Noose was a Capital Penalty tool. In the US way after slavery and out of the KKK influence, criminals were hanged on a tree by a noose. In England was the standard way of executing a criminal by the end of the 19th Century (when it was abolished). Some of the women accused of witchcraft in Europe during the Middle Ages  Witch hunt and in the US during the Salem Trials were executed by hanging from a Noose in a Tree. Even Judas Escariotes was represented in many paintings through the centuries as he was hanged by himself from a tree in a noose. I can't find any incendiary or xenophobic provocation in the ad, I don't perceive any invocation the past of intolerance and hate, I don't see any problem why they would not used it. The Graphic is congruent and they are trying to invoke a dark, spooky feeling unrelated to racial lynching. Is we have to eliminate every single noose or symbol used in hate, barbarity and fear (like the swastika, the Cross, the crescent moon, etc) then what kind of society are we going to be ……. a society that doesn't know how to think critical, unable to see things in its own context? So those that wanted to remove the word Negro out of Mark Twain books were right? We can't be Ultra Political Correct or sensitive to the point that we would limit our self expression and our creative capacity to take a message. I really, really down this company is that stupid to use the Lynching connection with their ad, I think they went to the other 100 other possible links.
Lili Ag
Lili Ag from Facebook5ptsFeatured
Bravo! Good for them. If i don't like ot, then I take my money elsewhere. It's that simple. Enough with the butt hurt, and PC BS. Grow up.
Andrew Creech
Andrew Creech from Facebook5ptsFeatured
I had no idea who Seasalt and Co. were until I saw this ad today....don't like it, don't promote it. That's what they mean by "the consequences of free speech." If you truly don't support it's message, you wouldn't propagate it, by any means.
A_Concerned_Girl
A_Concerned_Girl 5ptsFeatured
In addition to their apparent racism, I also want to address another issue. Yesterday I received an email from this company informing me, and everyone on their mailing list, that they recently "accidentally" purchased fraudulent and invalid computer software. The email was essentially a plea for donations to cover the cost of their mistake. What they failed to mention, however, was that just last year they lost a court case regarding copyright infringement and owe over $200,000 in legal damages. I'm sure I am not alone in wondering how a company can have such a skewed moral compass, and ask its (now former) customers to give them their hard-earned money to pay for their continued blunders. Seasalt & Co. should be deeply ashamed of their actions. Even if nothing ever comes of this, I can only hope that this has informed others so that they can avoid this company all together.
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