Open a Bottle of Acceptance

Image Courtesy of HannaPritchett

The artifact I have chosen is an advertisement by Coca Cola, a company whose product we are all intimately familiar with because of its ubiquitous presence in restaurants and social gatherings. The advertisement was aired during the Super Bowl, the most viewed television event every year and indubitably a defining feature of American culture. The advertisement received backlash from the conservative spectrum for "America the Beautiful" being sung in languages other than English. This artifact is integral to study because the reaction to the advertisement was immediate and divisive, thus cementing this commercial as a snapshot of America in the early 21st century. It engages its audience to be civic with subtlety rather than blatantly asking individuals to accept the diverse culture of America. Indeed, it achieves its civic engagement by demonstrating the beauty of the current America with all of its backgrounds. Instead of directly asking its audience to accept this diversity, it shows the audience that this diversity is America. I chose this artifact because of its prevalence in the modern era and because it takes a unique approach to offering civic engagement to its audience. If you haven't seen the commercial or do not remember it, I highly encourage you to watch it. Although it is only one minute, you will experience the perspective of many lives.



Potential Hook: Home of the Brave. Land of the Free. That's what we're known for. Or, at least that's what we like to think we're known for. But when there are people who live in perpetual fear for being who they are, does that make our bravery intimidating? Isn't the word "free" a nagging contradiction?

Potential Introduction: Since its inception, America's cultural roots have included diverse nationalities with distinct backgrounds to proliferate opportunities unparalleled by other countries. Aired in 2014 and 2017, Coca Cola's Super Bowl advertisement cogently engages the vast audience to continue the national precedent of immigrant acceptance by focusing on the dignified beauty of various cultures through framing each circumstance as a reflection of American at the core. Coca Cola achieves this through exercising muted images of distinct forms of recreation while overlaying the imagery with a powerful rendition of "America the Beautiful" sung in multiple languages.

Potential Elaboration: I plan to dissect the various cultures presented in the Coca Cola advertisement by focusing on how the diverse cultures of America are portrayed exclusively in an endearing and relatable light. This will be achieved by noting that the songs throughout is "America the beautiful," which will be the central idea that each point is meant to convey. I will begin by noticing the different languages that are sung throughout the commercial but regardless of the language the idea is patriotic devotion that is a communal value. I will emphasize that despite there being no dialogue, the commercial speaks volumes. The second point that will be made will be to focus on the diversity of both the situations presented and the individuals portrayed in each situation. Much attention will be directed at understanding why certain situations were included and patterns in the commercial will be sought.