111.5 million Americans gathered around their televisions to watch the Super Bowl on Sunday and, undoubtedly, many of them found the actual game to be tedious. But they indubitably stayed tuned for the commercials. One ad in particular stood out and, as any good Super Bowl commercial would, it created quite the controversy on the Internet. The commercial: the Coca-Cola advertisement set to “America the Beautiful” (1895).
The ad hit on all of the classic sentimental Super Bowl commercial points. It showcased the product as a part of family and an emblem of progressiveness, and it featured an array of beautiful images and scenery.
Despite this seemingly harmless content, there were some vocal citizens who did not appreciate the message of acceptance and diversity. Coke chose to have “America the Beautiful” sung in various languages, including Spanish and Mandarin — a decision aimed at reflecting how America is a melting pot.
The primary outcries came from what some consider the underbelly of the Internet — Twitter. A rampage of ignorant and racist remarks flooded in. Some people even said that they were boycotting the brand because of its commitment to a multi-lingual and diverse America. A few tweets were, ironically, riddled with grammar mistakes.
Fortunately for Coke, this initial backlash was met with an intense and angry reaction from more reasonable Americans. As of now, Coke looks like a hero of a progressive America while their detractors, well, just look foolish.
