Coca-Cola depicts multilingual America

What should have been a patriotic advertisement caused controversy and outrage from millions of viewers

CONTROVERSIAL — Coca-Cola’s Super Bowl commercial caused widespread disagreement around the nation as “America the Beautiful” was sung by multiple ethnicities in eight different languages. Google Images

CONTROVERSIAL — Coca-Cola’s Super Bowl commercial caused widespread disagreement around the nation as “America the Beautiful” was sung by multiple ethnicities in eight different languages. Google Images

This year’s Coca-Cola Super Bowl 2014 advertisement caused many viewers to jump on social media sites and freely bash the beloved soda company. The advertisement called “It’s Beautiful” featured people of different nationalities using different languages as they sang “America the Beautiful.” Granted, they were all standing firmly on American soil, many faces donning a patriotic look as the song switched to play in their native tongue, but for many, the advertisement struck a negative chord.

According to an article posted by Time Entertainment, viewers were quick to speak unabashedly on the issue.

“@Coca Cola has America the Beautiful being sung in different languages in a #SuperBowl commercial?” one post on Twitter said. “We speak ENGLISH here, IDIOTS.”

In regard to this post, yes, our primary language in the United States is English, but we also stand for many values here, such as promoting diversity. I agree that residents of the U.S. should know English, but I do not believe disregarding their previous culture should be a requirement in order to safely step foot on American soil.

How should we view this advertisement with a Christian perspective? An article on POLITICO shared a Facebook quote from a former Coca-Cola consumer who claims to be a practicing Christ-follower.

“Today we are throwing away all our Coca-Cola products and replacing them with Faygo,” the Facebook page for the Tri County Congregational Church in St. Cloud, Minn. wrote. “Faygo represents Christian Values and follows the Constitution. Mexicans singing the national anthem is an abomination.”

Can we put aside the Faygo long enough to see our national anthem is “The Star Spangled Banner?”

I am a proud, English-speaking American, born and raised on U.S. turf, but the opinions expressed about this advertisement by my fellow Americans are enough to dim the patriotic glimmer in anyone’s eyes. As Christians, we are taught to love and accept everyone, regardless of background or language.

America is the great melting pot, presenting an opportunity for improvement to anyone with a beating heart. I am proud that my country accepts those with the drive to succeed. For example, the military is comprised of many different nationalities, but you can bet that my hat goes off to each and every one of them regardless of the thickness of their accent.

“America isn’t weakened because people don’t submit to a monoculture,” James Poniewozik wrote in TIME Entertainment. “It’s strong because it can absorb the peoples and aspirations and talents of the rest of the world without erasing their cultures.”

If you ask me, an American song is beautiful in any language. I stand firmly on the fact that we are a great melting pot, working together to achieve success in life.
Sing loudly my fellow Americans in whatever language you are comfortable with. Cheers to that, Coca-Cola.

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