I may take some heat but… this “Never Forget” kinda’ rhetoric just sounds to me like “Hate Muslims,” just like references to Pearl Harbor sound like "Hate the Japanese."
Maybe that’s just me.
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The most American thing I ever saw was one year after 9/11. I went to The Big E, the ‘state fair’ for all of New England, and their evening parade was the usual marching bands, farm floats, and dance troupes. But then came a platoon of Stormtroopers from the 501st; each had an American flag decal on their shoulder, and they were followed by Darth Vader in a convertible, waving to the crowd.
Close behind came the biggest RV I ever saw. Its sides were painted with huge American flags and bald eagles, and poking from the top was Ronald McDonald. He was waving a massive American flag back and forth as he lip-synched God Bless the USA by Lee Greenwood, which was blaring from speakers on the sides of the RV.
All it needed was a 21-gun salute to encompass American pride.
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Eh - it might be a little of that, but I think it is way bigger than just a dumbed down “hate the blank”.
It’s more than a “bit” tacky. In the context of a Walmart, a “memorial” is just another display to get you to buy cokes (whether it was made out of coke boxes or not). It’s some combination of cynical marketing effort and disaster porn.
Not that that poster is remotely real*, but cynical appeals to “patriotism” by global corporations to sell shit is always grotesque.
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Because one of the most horrific acts of terrorism in living memory was being used in an advertising display to sell shit? Making it out of an unhealthy sweetened beverage just added insult to injury.
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Miracle Mattress “Twin Towers” September 11 Mattress Sale!
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These colas don’t run!
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Wow.
This post must be at least six characters.
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Yeah, but at least people who fought in the Civil War never lived long enough to see Lincoln’s visage used to advertise mattress sales.
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It’s even more granular than that - most of the displays are the work of the individual driver/distributor who services the account for that location. Though the beverage companies do provide some suggestions they do give a lot of latitude to the drivers. They’ll even have competitions for the best displays.
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What’s amazing is that at least 3 different people agreed to be involved in that. Stay classy Miracle Mattress!
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9/11 as an expression of sugary patriotism has been around since it happened, though. If anything, I’d say the Coke display is 15 years too late.
The Onion posted this on 26 September 2001. Fake article of course, but not farfetched.
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“You can take down that display, but you’ll have to answer to the Coca cola corporation!”
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The people outraged by September 11 sales should need to explain why they’re not outraged by July 4th sales, Memorial Day sales, and Veterans’ Day sales.
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If i had a choice between this display and Rudy Giuliani, I’d take the coke every time.
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The pre-printed Wal-mart branded banner above partially absolves the supplier from this monstrosity.
@nungesser The Big E was pretty friggin’ patriotic when I last went, in 2000. All sorts of flag-painted tractors, livestock competitions, and Def Leppard rocking out. I can’t imagine adding 9/11 to the mix.
“Remember the Maine” makes me hate Cubans, and “Remember the Alamo” makes me hate General Santy Anny and his fake leg.
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Same folks likely.
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While I find those sales generally distasteful, I don’t believe any of them commercialize a specific tragedy that is still in living memory.
They are also holidays that we collectively chose to celebrate rather than the anniversary of a horrific crime committed against US civilians.
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