Wednesday, February 05, 2014

The Coke Commercial


Who would have thought that the biggest talking point after the Super Bowl blowout would be a 60 second commercial featuring Coke and the song America the Beautiful? Well, I did take notice of the commercial when it came on and I remember trying to figure out what the message was they were trying to get across. I think Coke left it mildly ambiguous and I also think they expected the responce the commercial has recieved. I mean any press is good press for a giant like Coke. We are all talking about Coke now!

There has been a huge reaction to the ad by the conservative proponents of society who see the ad as an a front to American Exceptionalism and an example of the Liberals lackadaisical attitude towards the hot button issues of immigration and amnesty.  The "others" of society see it as a beautiful example of the diversity and cultural melting pot that is America. Again, I am not aware of the intention of the Coca-Cola Company, but America was all too willing to quickly fill in the gap.

It's issues like this that reveal the division, hostility and partisanship that exists in our culture today. No matter what side of the issue you fall on, your presentation of your ideas means as much, if not more, than your philosophical position or political leanings. We have lost the ability to hear each other,  learn from different perspectives than our own and make better decisions for all Americans as a result. Nobody wins today. We all lose.

Jesus said that we are to love others. We are to love others as we love ourselves.  We are to care about the needs of others over our own needs. Have we forgotten that our passions do not trump that command? Have we forgotten that the shortcomings we see in others is no different than the shortcomings God willingly overlooked when he committed to loving us?

I'm not saying that the issues discussed are not important,  I'm saying that the way we say them is more important.  I remember another Coke ad from the 1970's that sang a song we all need to remember.