There seems to be a lot of discussion on political activism lately — especially in the United States. Debates ranging from whether or not protestation is an act synonymous with winning to who on earth even has the right to publicly make political statements are a dime a dozen at the moment.
One of the most obvious places where this “who has the right” debate is in full swing, is in the discussion of some of the advertisements at this year’s — and even last year’s — Super Bowls. The Coca-Cola Company aired their “America the Beautiful” advertisement, Anheuser-Busch aired a short narrative of the journeys of one of the company’s immigrant founders, and 84 Lumber aired an approximately five minute narrative commercial entitled “The Entire Journey” in which the final frames are adorned with a short statement which proclaims “The will to succeed is always welcome here.”
People get offended by these ads. It doesn’t matter if they were intended to be political or not, such as the case with Anheuser-Busch; people are simply offended. Of course, most objections stem from some — perhaps more conservative — audience members’ own personal disagreement with the concepts and content presented in these ads, but this isn’t what’s talked about. The commercials have been aired, they have invaded the homes of people who wish not to hear the views of a side contradictory to their own and who would not — unless thoroughly surprised with such content — seek out media containing the messages of these ads. Disagreeing is something we do all of the time; it is the invasion of one’s fortress of solitude where one finds offense. This is why so many people question the rights of these companies to air advertisements such as these.
I would like to lay my position bare now, and say that anyone has the right to make any statement they wish. It can contradict my own standpoint, it can contradict any religion’s, it can contradict any family’s; it is your right to do so. The same goes for companies. However rude or petty one might deem it, it is the right of those with great resources to express their positions all the same. If you don’t want to listen to that one conservative or that one liberal in your family and always position yourself in a room in which they are absent, remember that when you go in the other room and turn on the TV, you still live in a nation of free speech. The second you open yourself to the world in any way, is the second you should accept the fact you might be presented with concepts you disagree with. This is a part of growing up in a world of mass media, and a part of growing up in general.
When people see these commercials, they are forced to accept the fact they have been presented with something they find distasteful and also forced to accept the fact there is absolutely nothing they can do about it. They instantly become business analysts and start condemning companies for making poor decisions and start postulating over how greatly sales will be impacted for their ‘stupid’ choice. What they don’t understand, however, is the value of a message.
Oftentimes, those who complain, have gotten their way for so long they never truly understood there are some things more important than money. They believe people protest, risk losing business, and express discontent for a Twitter-addict president simply to give them something to do. Having to truly fight for justice is a concept beyond their own experience. What they should take from a brief statement, however, is some things are far more important than the business of a few people who don’t want to call Arabic speakers Americans. Secondly, they should try to remember they are — in truth — the minority. The actual majority is far more accepting of others, and will provide ample business to account for the loss of a few people who live under rocks. Don’t forget that — as reported by many news sources including The Washington Post and as confirmed by stock numbers — Nordstrom’s stock went up 4.09 percent following the dropping of Ivanka Trump’s clothing line and the expression of Donald Trump’s distaste for the retailer.
It’s best to grow up. It’s best to accept the fact media can never be charged with breaking and entering, so long as it showed up on the screen which you allowed it to be on. No, businesses, celebrities, and popular activists are not stepping out of line in taking a stance and making it public; too many people are simply getting upset because these are the figures many will hear, many agree with, and that they themselves cannot avoid news of nor change in any way.
Jordan Marcell is a 20-year-old English and studio art sophomore from Geismar, Louisiana.