Because we all know that I want to kick righteousness in the face. Remember?
If any of you saw the Super Bowl last night, it's possible you saw this commercial:
When I saw this commercial I fell in love. I loved how Coca Cola went about showing that "America is Beautiful". I love all the cultures represented and the message that Coke is giving by showing those representations. We have all different kinds of cultures here in America and the sheer coexistence itself is beautiful. America IS beautiful!
Well...until ignorance bleeds through, that is.
I was listening to the radio this morning when I was driving to work. You know, that school where I work and teach non-native English speakers the correct mechanics and conventions to the English Language? The school where a fifth of their enrollment is English language learners? On the radio they were talking about how controversial this commercial was because it had different languages and "non-white" Americans portrayed.
Before I start ranting (because we all know I will), let's talk about my credentials:
I am a licensed English as a New Language teacher. I studied English linguistics for four years. I studied language analysis specifically for three years, but I have been doing so informally for several more. I am fluent in two languages. I have studied the interrelationships between language and culture for several years.
I spent a lot of time thinking about how I wanted to approach my disgust for the ignorance of some people in this country. I've seen a lot of people rip on the grammar people have in their posts, the fact that some people thought that America the Beautiful was our national anthem, etc and so forth. While that all disgusts me, I finally realized why I was so enraged at the reaction to this commercial.
"Nothing is forever except the certainty of change." If life and culture didn't ever change, then the vast majority of us would be living in Europe because that is where our ancestors are from. We would not have technology advance, or at least not successfully. Several things might have been invented but they would never stick because people would be afraid of the change it would create.
Think about when Facebook made all these changes and there would be groups formed saying "change Facebook back we liked it the old way" or "I'm going to [insert other social media here] because Facebook changed and I don't like it". But then within a week you're used to it and things are back to normal. Change is an everyday part of life and you can either run from it...or learn from it...
...No that wasn't a Rafiki quote from the Lion King what are you talking about..... :P
My point being, our culture has changed. Not all Americans are white. Not all Americans speak English as their first language. Not all Americans come from families with one mother and one father. Not all Americans want to grow up, get married, have 2.5 children, and live in a house with a white picket fence. And the beauty of America is that you don't have to be the same or want the same in order to be considered American.
Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but if you are showing hate towards those Americans in the Coca-Cola commercial--or to the Coca-Cola (American) company for making the commercial, it sounds to me that you are not embracing the reality of our American culture. So, would that not make you unpatriotic, instead of the commercial/company?
Just a thought.
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