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Coca-Cola Super Bowl ad sparks racist backlash

A new Coca-Cola ad featuring people of various ethnicities singing "America the Beautiful" in seven different languages shown during the Super Bowl has unleashed a fervour of racist comments on social media.

"Speak English or go home," says one Facebook commenter. "Screwed up a beautiful song. No Coke for my family."

The backlash is a disheartening example of how some Americans believe that English is the only language that should be spoken in their homeland, and a painful reminder of the ugliness that can surface in places where beauty is meant to be found.

The ad is meant to be a celebration of America's diversity, not incite anger and racist vitriol. It shows landscape scenes from America's east to west, along with people in various urban neighbourhoods going about their day-to-day lives -- watching a movie, camping and dancing.

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The ad was played during the Super Bowl this weekend and is also slated to run during the opening ceremonies of the Sochi Winter Olympics on February 7.

The racist backlash shows how the ideal of the nation's melting pot dream may is still a far cry from reality.

"Well. I won't be drinking Coke anymore. We speak English in the USA. Get over it," says a Twitter user.

"Anybody else hate that they just sang the song of America, half in Spanish and there were about 2 Americans in the commercial?" tweets another.

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But for every negative comment about the ad, there were those who rallied to defend it.

"I'm a combat veteran Marine and I approve this ad. If you are in this comments section using military service to extend your bigotry shame on you. You ARE the problem... America the free!!!! Oorah-!" said one YouTube commenter.

"Saw this last night and thought it was a well done and beautiful ad. Woke up to learn some people (idiots) found it offensive. I just...what? headdesk," wrote another.