Coca-cola ad causes some heads to explode

I didn’t watch the Superbowl yesterday because professional football kind of bores me. Last night’s blowout of Denver by Seattle makes my choice seem justified. Plus, what does it say when all anyone wants to talk about is the Super Bowl TV commercials?

Apparently Coca-cola struck a nerve in some when they had the audacity to air a commercial with brown-skinned people singing America the Beautiful. Yes, even this patriotic song by Katherine Lee Bates and Samuel A. Ward is causing some conservatives to flip out. Why? Who the hell knows?

I’ve been seeing responses on the Desert Storm Veterans Facebook page that just make me want to smack my head.

Here’s one pic from Facebook that’s been making the rounds:


Okay, let’s break this down, shall we? If the point the writer trying to make is that the song should be in English, perhaps the write should have used English in his or her response? What the hell is a “Solider” and why is it capitalized along with other random words in this screed?

It’s been a while since I’ve worn the uniform, I know, but I’m having a tough time coming up any situation where the military would be tasked with hearing a song played during the Superbowl. Can you imagine Patton giving this speech?

“Men, we’re going to rip into the enemy and keep on fighting so we can finally hear America the Beautiful sung in different languages. It’s the patriotic thing to do, dammit.”

Uh, no. There would be no room in Patton’s army for anyone offended by a mere song. He would have kicked their ass right out.

I simply do not understand this. I just don’t. How does anyone actually believe that America has just one language and one culture? Hell, well before the English, Spanish, and French arrived here they had their choice of over 400 different Native American tribes to rape, murder, and pillage. Each one of those tribes had their own language. America has never been a country with one language! Never.

Some of the most idiotic posts are like these:

This beggars belief. When I was in the Navy, I heard our National Anthem played nearly every day. It has been drilled forever into my consciousness. Even now when I hear it, my hand reflexively wants to salute. How could a supposed veteran not know that America the Beautiful is not our National Anthem? I mean, I wish it was our anthem because it’s a better song and doesn’t have the violent imagery of the Star Spangled Banner, but it’s not our anthem.

You can’t claim to be patriotic and not love America the Beautiful. You can’t claim that America is English-only. And if all it takes to offend you is a song in a TV commercial, you’ve got bigger problems, my friend.