We were mostly enjoying the game, and watching all the commercials, of course. When Coca-cola showed this semi-sequel to their old I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing ad, I mentioned that I wasn't sure what it had to do with Coke, but that I liked it a lot.
My stepmom reminded me about the original ad, and I realized that, yes, it's a spiritual successor of that one.
The next day, I started seeing a lot of people reacting vehemently, acting offended. And I really don't understand that.
The first verse ends, "And crown thy good with brotherhood / From sea to shining sea". I don't see anything in there implying it talks only about white, heterosexual, anglophones.
I'm reminded of these great lines from The Sound of Music:
Baron: Is there a more beautiful expression of what is good in this country of ours than the innocent voices of our children?
Zeller: Oh, come now, Baron, would you have us believe that Austria alone holds a monopoly on virtue?
Captain: Herr Zeller, some of us prefer Austrian voices raised in song to ugly German threats.
Getting upset (or, worse, offended) at a pretty song, being well performed... I just don't understand it.
Nearly everyone in this country started out as an immigrant. Is there any reason to denigrate the people who came in this generation, versus the ones who came 2, 3, 4, 5 generations ago? It seems like a rejection of the statement of intent for forming this nation.
I mean, it seems to take quite a lot of effort to turn
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal
into a justification for saying that we shouldn't be singing in any language except English.
This country was built on immigration, after all. The welcoming attitude towards newcomers helped keep people coming, expressed very well on the Statue of Liberty. The New Colossus poem ends:
"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
I can't figure out anything in there that says anything like "brown people, gays, and non-english speakers, GTFO".
It recognizes that people coming here are striving for something. And they are not striving for failure. So they tend to work hard and stay healthy, and that's why we should be encouraging them to come to the US. (And why I'm in favor of a basically-unlimited immigration policy, and have no qualms about "amnesty".)
For some further, and better put, satire on this issue, check out The Colbert Report. Especially note who wrote the original song (that link goes to a scouting-related site; some definite irony there, again considering the original author. And I'll also point out that I knew the sexual orientation of Ms Bates, but had never heard the term "Boston Marriage" before.
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