Misguided Outrage Over a TV Commercial

Most people by now either have seen Coca-Cola’s Super Bowl ad, “It’s Beautiful,” have heard about the outrage the ad has caused, or both.  In short, the television spot features people singing “America the Beautiful” in various languages over scenes of Americana – mostly families and friends enjoying themselves in everyday scenarios – with Coke’s products near at hand.  Apparently, the use of any language other than English to sing this particular song offended some.  In reading this morning’s news coverage of this so-called controversy, I do not know what makes me sadder – that people are upset at all by the commercial or that the people who are upset either are uninformed or confused over what has upset them.

First, it seems those now calling for a boycott of Coca-Cola’s products have misplaced their anger by approximately 40 years.  This year’s Super Bowl ad is just the latest attempt by Coke to use feel-good unity to sell its products.  Those of us of a certain age can recall the 1970’s “Hilltop” spot that featured a multicultural group of people signing about wanting “to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony,” while holding bottles with Coca-Cola with labels written in different languages.  What is more, some who took offense at this year’s ad lack a fundamental understanding of why they are upset, mistaking “America the Beautiful” for the United States’ national anthem.

Ultimately, Coca-Cola’s latest Super Bowl ad continues the tradition of conflating patriotism and professional sports to sell a product.  Beyond sales, however, I honestly do not understand that traditional conflation.  Having jets or helicopters fly over large scale sporting events at the end of the singing of our (actual) national anthem seems to be more of an institutionalization and normalization of the kind of militarism and nationalism that we as a county have criticized other nations - usually totalitarian and oppressive regimes – for displaying in the past (think Red Square on May Day at the height of the Cold War.)

Perhaps it is the institutionalization and normalization of shows of force prior to violent athletic competitions that suggests to some that they are allowed to be hostile to other people.  Ironically, it is ending that kind of hostility that undergirds Coke’s “It’s Beautiful” spot.  Unfortunately, the actions of those individuals who have responded negatively to Coke’s latest effort at promoting harmony suggest more hatred towards Americans than genuine love of America.