Have a Coke and a Smile .......

Yesterday afternoon as I was trying to catch up on returning some long overdue email and review of social media following having taken off the better part of a week in order to nurse a bad back I happened to come across the rash of rants on Twitter and Facebook regarding the recent Coca-Cola ad that had run on Super Bowl Sunday, and honestly I don’t get that. I thought it was a beautiful statement reflecting the strength in America as the country who had actually lived the words, “Give me your tired, your poor …. Your homeless huddled masses yearning to be free.” Yes we are the world’s greatest melting pot, as colorful and diverse as a box of Crayola crayons, rich in diverse culture, manufacturing, the arts and ideologies, and as a result all of us has benefited on some level.

Diversity not only expands our knowledge of the world at large, but it also opens up the possibility of living a life filled with numerous choices. Take for instance dining out. Whether one resides in a large metropolitan area or a small town like the one I live in, it is no longer just a meat and potatoes world. I can choose Italian, Chinese, Thai, Indian or Mexican depending upon the current dictates of my taste buds. I can have Japanese Kobe beef at one of our finer steakhouses or fresh sushi prepared before my eyes by the skilled hands of a Japanese sushi chef, or perhaps coffee and a chocolate soufflé should my heart desire. The choices are as wide and varied as my imagination on any given day, but then food is only just the beginning.

As a professional interior designer, I cannot imagine an interior that has not in some way been influenced by some of the world’s most influential creative genius from silk rugs out of China, to Mexican terracotta and silver, Portuguese tiles, Italian marble and frescoes, Belgian linens, and Scottish leathers just to name a few. From California’s mission styles to elegant French Country to Swedish inspired minimalism to lovely Tudor homes to sprawling ranch homes with a Mediterranean air, they were all inspired by another culture.

We wear fashions whose first inspiration came out of European capitals like Paris, Milan and London and we drink wines from France, Italy, Spain and Portugal, German beers and Irish whiskey, not to mention single-malt scotch first distilled in Scotland. Whether we wear clothes bought at the Gap or drink American wine and beers, they still represent knock-offs of their European counterparts. When it comes to automobiles, who among us doesn’t aspire to emulate German engineering, Japanese efficiency or sexy Italian style? And when it comes to technology where would any of us be without names like Sony, Samsung or Toshiba who helped forge the way for the iUniverse?

In America we are free to attend church, or mass or temple without fear of reprisal, and this is in large part because many different cultures stood side-by-side under the banner of one flag – as Americans – on the world’s battlefields to preserve a way of life we all hold dear. Our differences are not only what defines us as unique in comparison to other nations, but it is also what makes us strong. Those of us who have been fortunate to travel outside this country for either work or pleasure soon realize just how great America still is, because we are a nation of choice when it comes to education, lifestyle and the right to pursue a dream unencumbered by a government who insist upon making those choices for you, or a caste system that locks you in at birth.

It is often said that one cannot miss something until they no longer have it, and this is probably true. Therefore wouldn’t it stand to reason that those who have immigrated here with the hope of finding a better life would understand even more so than your typical American just how great those freedoms are and the absolute need to protect them at all costs. Therefore, for those people who got upset over Coca-Cola’s recent ad featuring “America the Beautiful” sung in a montage of many different languages I suggest you take a look at your own heritage in order to try and define what it means to be an American. I for one only have to go back three generations to trace a portion of my own family tree back to Tullah in Ireland, from where my great grandparents immigrated to New York City and my grandmother, Elizabeth Birmingham, was the first of her family to be born on American soil 1896. I am proud of my Irish heritage and of the countrymen who literally fought hard to help build this nation, bringing with them elements of their beloved homeland.

It is out dated, narrow minded and downright ignorant to continue to think of America in such limited terms according to her assets. To be an American doesn’t mean you’re white, you speak only English and you drive a car born out of Detroit. To continue to maintain such restricted vision is careless in that it echoes the madness of Adolph Hitler and feeds upon the dangers inherent in white supremacy. It would also mean that its citizens got stuck in some ridiculous time warp and refused to evolve along with the rest of the world, and I know we are better than that. It is only by accepting each other’s differences and celebrating our rights to be who we are that we guarantee that freedom in this nation will not only be cherished, but continue to be protected for many generations to come.