Alan: A disproportionate number of the world's most civilized nations enjoy more than one official language. Switzerland, Canada, Belgium, Spain. Among the rest, large percentages of the citizenry speak more than one language. Only in Know-Nothing America do we pride ourselves on squelching the urge to speak more than one language. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Know_Nothing Joke: "What do you call someone who speaks more than one language?" "Bilingual." What do you call someone who speaks form than two languages?" "Bilingual." What do you call someone who speaks only one language?" "An American." The pride that Americans take in Aggressive Ignorance -- whether it's the denial of global warming, the vilification of vaccination or fulminating contempt for multi-lingualism -- reflects a contempt for learning, and a deification of dimwittedness, without precedent in human history.
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ATLANTA — The Coca-Cola Company ignited a firestorm of controversy on Sunday with a Super Bowl ad that appeared to make the inflammatory claim that other languages besides English exist.
From coast to coast, viewers reacted with outrage and horror to what many were calling the most incendiary Super Bowl ad in history.
“I was enjoying the Super Bowl with my family, and suddenly, out of nowhere, comes this ad suggesting that there are other languages that aren’t English,” said Carol Foyler, a mother of three from Akron, Ohio. “I grabbed the remote and turned it off. My kids shouldn’t be exposed to garbage that’s just going to confuse them.”
The Alliance for Responsible Advertising, a conservative watchdog group that monitors advertising it considers offensive and unfit for family viewing, issued a statement demanding that Coke apologize for the controversial ad and promise never to air it again.
“Last night, Coke assaulted millions of Americans with its misguided and inappropriate view that other languages exist,” the statement said. “In the future, we strongly hope that Coke will keep its crazy theories to itself.”
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