Coke creates advert that causes conservatives to go nuts

[turingtest]

Dear Travis,

There are two layers to any national culture: (1) its contributions to universal Classical culture (eg. Shakespeare, Schiller) developed in the context of its national linguistic tradition, and (2) its idiosyncratic traditions of costume, cuisine, ethnic makeup, religion, etc.. Do you see the value of preserving the first, even if the second mutates away?

Cpl Ferro

Are you assuming the loss of the first by the change in language? It seems to me that you're positing that the only value of the words- the "contributions"- of Schiller or Shakespeare lie superficially in the language (or "linguistic tradition") rather than the ideas; but if someone reads Shakespeare in German, or Schiller in English, does the translation, by itself, make the ideas expressed less meaningful? The actual contribution isn't lost through translation, it's enhanced by being made more available.
More to the point- if someone expresses the ideal of America in "America the Beautiful" through a language other than English, how does that make for a loss in the ideal? As I've said, it seems to me that a yearning for that American ideal expressed in a language other than "American" is a compliment to America, not an insult to it.

 

[Belz...]

"I was so pissed I almost throw my jalapeno popper at the TV... "

That one sounds like a joke.

"This is the final straw. No more Coke products for me. And Pepsi is just as liberal so adios to their corn syrup beverages too and their subsidiaries like Pizza Hut and Taco Bell. McDonalds caters to the food stamp crowd so they’re toast also."

"Liberal" ? Why do some people bring politics into everything ?

Anyway that entire post seems like satire.

 

[Polaris]

Pemmican.

Misauquatash.

Posole.

Tuna Noodle Hot Dish...

Chili might be a contender.

 

[Mudcat]

Did you miss it?

Nope, the J.J. Abrams lens flares were quite noticeable.

That aside it is the most beautiful version of the song I have ever heard, bar none.

 

[Silly Green Monkey]

There are Pennsylvania-Dutch families going back four generations or more, who only speak Germain. What people clamoring for English-only forget, is that these people are natural-born citizens and would have a say in deciding the national language---and they wouldn't be voting for English. Had the Founding Fathers chosen a language officially? German was a distinct possibility.

 

[Antiquehunter]

Mr. Pibb is a Coca-Cola product. Oh, and it's not Mr. Pibb anymore, it's Pibb Xtra.

I bow in deference to your superior knowledge of sugar waters.

Maybe RC Cola then?

 

[Ausmerican]

Colbert wins again;

Allen West: “It started rather patriotically with the words of 'America the Beautiful.' Then the words went from English to languages I didn’t recognize.”

Stephen Colbert: "This man once represented Florida and then served in Iraq. How is he supposed to recognize Spanish and Arabic?"

 

[NoahFence]

Dear Travis,

There are two layers to any national culture: (1) its contributions to universal Classical culture (eg. Shakespeare, Schiller) developed in the context of its national linguistic tradition, and (2) its idiosyncratic traditions of costume, cuisine, ethnic makeup, religion, etc.. Do you see the value of preserving the first, even if the second mutates away?

Cpl Ferro

LOL

wut?

Olson Johnson
“Now who can argue with that? I think we’re all indebted to Gabby Johnson for clearly stating what needed to be said. I’m particularly glad that these lovely children were here today to hear that speech. Not only was it authentic frontier gibberish, it expressed a courage little seen in this day and age.”

 

[Craig4]

My take away from the ad is the the Coca Cola Corporation will take anyone's money regardless of race or creed and provide them a refreshing beverage in return. What could be more American than that?

 

[Corsair 115]

Indeed, Corsair, you're right, but do you see that a diet of unending change, unending New, is identical to Pandemonium?

No, I don't. Change is the one universal constant; the only thing that's different nowadays is (perhaps) the rate of change.

 

[malicus]

My take away from the ad is the the Coca Cola Corporation will take anyone's money regardless of race or creed and provide them a refreshing beverage steaming tin of effluent in return. What could be more American than that?

+1 (with my fine tuning).

 

[crescent]

There are two layers to any national culture: (1) its contributions to universal Classical culture (eg. Shakespeare, Schiller) developed in the context of its national linguistic tradition, and (2) its idiosyncratic traditions of costume, cuisine, ethnic makeup, religion, etc.. Do you see the value of preserving the first, even if the second mutates away?

Cpl Ferro

That's great - the British can keep their language and writers. We Americans will include them as one component of many in our multi-cultural heritage.

You need to remember our American heritage as it really was. In my home town, there are two Catholic churches. One does services in English, and always has. The other does some services in English, and some in Spanish. They didn't always do services in Spanish - they only started that in the 1930's when they phased out the German language services.

America has always been a multi-lingual nation, and always will be. The makeup of the languages is always changing; that too, is part of our heritage.

 

[Pup]

You need to remember our American heritage as it really was. In my home town, there are two Catholic churches. One does services in English, and always has. The other does some services in English, and some in Spanish. They didn't always do services in Spanish - they only started that in the 1930's when they phased out the German language services.

And I wonder how many people were upset when all the Catholic churches switched from the "classic" Latin services to services in people's spoken languages?

 

[lobosrul]

They knew the diseases were contagious, but there was gold in them thar hills, so a few million deaths weren't important.

I kinda doubt the conquistadors understood that the people of the new world had no immunity to diseases that they were carrying. And that just by interacting with them, that they'd kill millions. I'm also doubtful that they would have really cared if they had known.

 

[Gawdzilla Sama]

I kinda doubt the conquistadors understood that the people of the new world had no immunity to diseases that they were carrying. And that just by interacting with them, that they'd kill millions.

They figured it out rather quickly. Contagion was known in the Old World before 1492, of course, but not the vectors very well.

I'm also doubtful that they would have really cared if they had known.

There you go. Men bearing crosses marched in from the armies of conquest.

 

[Anerystos]

I don't know if this has been posted already.

I kinda remember an American politician once reported as saying, "If Engl;ish was good enough for Jesus Christ, it's good enough for me.".

 

[CplFerro]

Wait, are you talking about the Sapir–Whorf hypothesis?

Thanks, Matthew, that's something like my intuition would have it.

Do you mean "a common language is the chief means for cohesion among the population of a nation"? Because of you really do mean "national sovereignty", I think that the Founding Father would disagree, since they still spoke English after the States becoming a separate country from England.

I'd say it's the primary consideration. There can be secondary considerations like geography or political disagreements. But really, don't the borders in Europe, for example, mostly lie along linguistic lines? Germans speak German, Frenchmen speak French, Spaniards speak Spanish, etc.?

Cpl Ferro

 

[RecoveringYuppy]

I don't know if this has been posted already.

I kinda remember an American politician once reported as saying, "If Engl;ish was good enough for Jesus Christ, it's good enough for me.".

It's been attributed to many people from 1881 to 2007 (and maybe more that I don't know of).

 

[CplFerro]

Are you assuming the loss of the first by the change in language? It seems to me that you're positing that the only value of the words- the "contributions"- of Schiller or Shakespeare lie superficially in the language (or "linguistic tradition") rather than the ideas; but if someone reads Shakespeare in German, or Schiller in English, does the translation, by itself, make the ideas expressed less meaningful? The actual contribution isn't lost through translation, it's enhanced by being made more available.
More to the point- if someone expresses the ideal of America in "America the Beautiful" through a language other than English, how does that make for a loss in the ideal? As I've said, it seems to me that a yearning for that American ideal expressed in a language other than "American" is a compliment to America, not an insult to it.

Dear turingtest,

No, I'm not saying that language places insuperable barriers to the transmission of ideas. If that were so then a universal or world culture, based on Classical art and science, would be impossible.

What I am saying is that a well-developed language is the basis for a nation's participation in that world Classical culture. If we can all be Switzerlands and maintain multiple linguistic identities, then I suppose I should withdraw my objection.

Cpl Ferro

 

[CplFerro]

No, I don't. Change is the one universal constant; the only thing that's different nowadays is (perhaps) the rate of change.

What rate of change would equal pandemonium to you, Corsair?

Cpl Ferro