February 23, 2014
A recently released Coca Cola commercial for the Super Bowl featured Americans of different ethnicities singing “America is Beautiful” in multiple languages including English, Spanish, Hindi, Arabic, and Mandarin. On first glance, the ad seems innocent enough. The United States of America has always been the proverbial melting pot, home to people of different cultures, languages, religions, races, and so on. In fact, diversity is what makes America the country it is. But not everyone seemed to think so.
Controversy erupted as people took to social media in a racist frenzy, criticizing Coke for airing an American patriotic song in languages other than English. “This is America, we speak English,” seemed to be the phrase of the day, with several on Twitter declaring they would never drink Coke again.
It is exceedingly worrisome that an ad that seems to celebrate cultural diversity has offended Congressmen and common men and women alike. The xenophobic “Speak English” tirade has not been limited to ordinary people. An article on The Guardian quotes former Congressman Allen West: "If we cannot be proud enough as a country to sing America the Beautiful in English by a company as American as they come – doggone we are on the road to perdition."
If Allen West’s views echo the opinions of an American majority, then we are indeed on the road to perdition. However, they do not seem to – yet. Critics of the Coke ad have their opponents, who clearly see the blatant racism of the “In America we speak English” argument.
Anyone who has even a passing interest in American history may be aware that the English language is not native to America, no more than white-skinned people are. After Columbus’ “discovery” of the Americas in 1492, Spain was the first European power to settle the continents and colonize them. The Spaniards were followed by the French, English, Portuguese, and many others, in a systematic process in which native people were largely eliminated or marginalized as the Europeans took over. Needless to say, it is the English migrants who have had the most powerful influence, with 82 percent of Americans speaking English only, according to US Census 2000 statistics.
The purpose of revisiting history is to remind ourselves that English too, essentially, is a foreign import to the United States. While the majority declares it as a mother tongue, nearly 21 percent of Americans speak a language other than English at home.
With China poised to challenge the US’ superpower status and the growing influence of other developing countries, the need for tolerance, acceptance, and humility on American soil is possibly greater now than ever. And while it is easy to point the finger outward and blame Americans for being racist, it is important to use this opportunity and introspect: are we irrationally suspicious of or prejudiced against those who speak a different language or come from a different cultural background? India, too, is no stranger to divisive politics that pits groups of people against one another on caste or communal lines. Do we too unfairly discriminate against people simply because they are different?
The lesson to be learned from Coke’s ad is that diversity should not pose a threat, especially in an increasingly globalized world. It cannot be avoided, and we would do good to embrace it. The process does not just begin with loudly calling for an end to racism. If each of us were to look inward and challenge our own stereotypes and misconceptions, we would be making a step in the right direction. It starts with making a conscious effort to educate oneself , and being open to people who are different, be it in terms of race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, language, and so on. Everybody deserves to be respected. To put the Coke incident into perspective, America may well be beautiful. But racism is not.
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