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At a purely commercial level, this ad could be seen as telling minorities and newer immigrants to America that they are welcome here, that they are part of the continuing American story. That doesn’t bother me, because it is a simple truth, even if immigrants are at first shunned by some.
It is funny that the American right is upset about this commercial. To my ears, when I hear America the Beautiful sung in the ad, I don’t hear the blend of different languages. I just hear the song and the words in my head are English. In that event, the way to commercial was done is brilliant because it so effectively blends on to the next.
I don’t want America to become a multi-lingual nation, however. People who can’t talk to each other wind up not understanding each other and from that well resentment and violence are drawn. One of the big advantages we have had in America is a common language, even if our cultural differences nationally and from region to region are very great. We might not understand each other in the deepest sense, but at least we can usually understand the words being spoken. We need to continue to have English not just as the primary language, but as a common access point in American life. (That does not mean it needs official protection, nor does it imply brutality is required to enforce it.)
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