When I covered the ads from Sunday’s Superbowl , I focused on the humorous, the absurd and the very moving. So I skipped the Coca Cola ad, which was high production enough but seemed about the same as their famous “teach the world to sing” ads. It was nice, it was somewhat touching, but I found it forgettable. It was a tribute to the diversity of our country and how we come from all over the world and are united in our love of sugary beverages. I thought Heinz did it better and funnier. Here’s the ad:
Only leave it to some ignoramuses on Twitter to make a big deal out of the fact that Coke dared to sing a patriotic song in different languages. People claimed that the song was in “a terrorist’s language” and the idiotic hashtag #speakamerican was trending. This is indicative of the type of people who would complain about this. They think “American” is a language. E! has some of the tweets if you’re interested, and they point out that of course more people were defending the ad and were calling out the detractors.
E! Online also lets us know that this commercial was “the first time a gay family has been included in a Super Bowl ad.” I guess they’re referring to the guys skating at around :45 in, but it’s hard to notice amid everything else in the ad.
As someone who lived in a foreign country for years, I just want to point out that it’s very likely that 99% of the people complaining about other languages speak only English. You hear that tired complaint from people who don’t know a second language. “Why can’t everyone speak English in America?” To that I ask, “have you even tried to speak another language beyond taking required classes in high school?” It’s easy to say “everyone should speak English,” when it’s all you know and you’ve barely tried to see what it’s like to learn another language.
But this is a commercial we’re talking about, how is it offensive to acknowledge that people speak other languages in our country, which is supposed to be a melting pot of different languages and cultures? I don’t get it.
Have you seen the long ad that Bob Dylan did for Chrysler ? (That’s below) The subtext is American pride and patriotism, and Dylan’s voiceover says “You can’t import the heart and soul of every man and woman working on the line… let Germany brew your beer, let Switzerland make your watch… we will build your car.” Dylan also appears in the ad throughout, which seems unprecedented for him.Many people are saying that Dylan sold out, while others point out that he sold out years ago and this is kind of the culmination of that. He did a Victoria’s Secret commercial 10 years ago, after all.
No comments:
Post a Comment