Screenshot_2 Glenn Beck Accuses Coke’s Super Bowl Ad Of Trying To Make Conservatives Feel Bad Jameson February 3, 2014 Class Warfare Exists Like everyone in America, conservative talk show host Glenn Beck had an opinion on the Coca-Cola ad that was aired during the Super Bowl. The ad, which featured dozens of people singing a rendition of “America The Beautiful,” was controversial for some people because it dared to use different languages and featured a gay couple (the first time ever, according to GLAAD). During his radio show, he accused Coca-Cola of trying to “divide” people. If you’re new to all of this, you might wonder why including more cultures, ethnicities, and lifestyles in your product’s advertising would be considered divisive. The short answer is: it shouldn’t be. The long answer is: the most xenophobic section of the conservative base finds the very idea of including people other than them offensive. Glenn Beck has a radio show who explicitly targets that group. Knowing the drill, Beck settled into his most comfortable position: feigned offense. “So somebody tweeted last night and said, ‘Glenn, what did you think of the Coke ad?’ And I said, ‘Why did you need that to divide us politically?’” he said on his radio show. “Because that’s all this ad is. It’s in your face, and if you don’t like it, if you’re offended by it, you’re a racist. If you do like it, you’re for immigration. You’re for progress. That’s all this is: To divide people.” Next, Beck waxed poetic for the days when Coke wanted all of us to hold hands. “Remember when Coke used to do the thing on the top and they would all hold hands?” he added. “Now it’s, have a Coke and we’ll divide you.” It’s worth noting that the “divide” seems to be strictly down xenophobic lines: Screenshot_1You know things have gotten pretty bad when just hearing another language can send you into a rage spiral. Boycotting Coke (and seriously folks, good luck with that) for trying to appeal to a wide range of people – all of whom make up America – is laughable but also telling. Perhaps instead of creating a divide, the Coke ad illustrated one that already existed. There are people who are fearful of the multicultural world we live in, don’t like it, and would prefer not to be reminded of it during a football game. It’s not surprise that other conservative pundits had a similar reaction. Rush Limbaugh, the biggest blowhard of them all, demanded that Coke print their labels in all 10 languages spoken during the ad. Former Florida Representative and full-time town crier for the Tea Party, Allen West concluded that this ad was all the proof we need to see that America is “on the road to perdition.” Todd Starnes, a Fox News radio host, was so upset that he had to express his anger in three consecutive tweets. And conservatives wonder why they have trouble getting Hispanics to vote for them.
Posted on: Tue, 04 Feb 2014 00:31:45 +0000
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