America, land of the free, where our freedoms are numerous and diversity is a part of everyday life. In this country, it is hard to believe there are still those who cling to pre-civil era beliefs, but the controversy surrounding the latest Coca-Cola ad shows how behind the times most conservatives truly are.

The ad, which aired during this year’s Super Bowl, featured the song “America the Beautiful” sung in eight different languages. To some, this ad was a reflection of America’s beauty: the acceptance and freedom of the American people. To the conservative populace, however, it was an insult and an outrage to showcase such a patriotic song enveloping more than just the English-speaking portion of Americans.

“If we cannot be proud enough as a country to sing “American the Beautiful” in English in a commercial during the Super Bowl, by a company as American as they come — doggone we are on the road to perdition,” wrote former Republican Congressman, Allen West, in a blog. 

The disdain for a multilingual America ran so deep as to warrant its own hashtag on Twitter: #SpeakAmerican, and even radio host Glenn Beck had his views of the ad.

“Why did you need that to divide us politically? Because that’s all this ad is,” commented Beck in a segment flagged by Buzzfeed. “It’s in your face, and if you don’t like it, if you’re offended by it, you’re a racist. If you do like it, you’re for immigration. You’re for progress. That’s all this is: to divide people. Remember when Coke used to do the thing on the top and they would all hold hands? Now it’s ‘Have a Coke and we’ll divide you.’”

The ad in no way bespoke of dividing people, but rather as a reminder of what America is – a melting pot for many people of different ethnicities. It goes to show that one group, fixed on its own agenda and not that of the American people, can pervert even the most beautiful displays of unity.