The reason? Mexico City officials have allowed the company to put up a gigantic Coca-Cola-themed Christmas tree right in the middle of the city’s main square.
The offending, plasticky huge thing is now being labelled by activists as the Diabetes Tree, which is just a perfect way to “celebrate” the deathly toll the disease has taken on my people.
So, as the suits over at Coca-Cola would say: Feliz Navidad, suckers!
On the heels of Coca-Cola pulling its controversial ad featuring a group of white Mexican kids bringing hope — and sugary drinks — to an indigenous community in Oaxaca, a group of mixe indians from the town of Totontepec came on to share their own message.
Using the same footage of the now infamous Coca-Cola spot, the mixes take the stage to share stories about their community’s lack of water and an alarming increase in diabetes levels, brought about by — what else? — sugary drinks like Coca-Cola. Among other things, their message (in mixe language featuring Spanish subtitles) includes the following statement by one local student:
“Fifty years ago, cases of diabetes type 2 in our indian communities were rare; now they begin to be an epidemic. In order to remain united, we must preserve our dignity, our health and our culture. In Oaxaca, we drink tejare, tea and clean water.”
News of the spot was first reported by SinEmbargo.com.mx in Mexico. Here’s the video, in mixe language with subtitles in Spanish. Stay tuned as I will be translating the whole message very soon. I just need to get this out for the sake of giving the mixes the space they deserve.
Not many people paid attention then, I know. It kind of went unnoticed for a while, as I suspect a lot of you, people, were busy eating turkey or crushing fellow shoppers to get a discounted OLED TV or whatever it is you do on Thanksgiving Weekend.
Fortunately, a few independent blogs, including my compadres at Latino Rebels and other high-profile writers did pay attention and the brouhaha finally blew up con Coca-Cola’s face right around Tuesday Dec. 1, 2015. This was the day when the soft drinks giant decided to pull its ad from YouTube — or more accurately decided to “make it private,” so that neither you or me would have to see that horror again.
Here are only a few of the articles posted by mainstream media on the issue –in chronological order:
See? I knew I was not crazy (or at least I’m not THAT crazy.) This sh•t was so out of whack that it needed to be stopped — or at least made it private, so Coca-Cola and its Mexican agency, can go on and pursue their creative advertising prizes or whatever it is they do.
Just, please, leave the Mixe community alone, will you?
I wish you didn’t have to see this again, but in case you missed it, this blogger’s friends at Latino Rebels have you covered
Oh dear. I wish I could say this is just a bad Internet joke but, well, it isn’t.
Starting this weekend, you will start to see a lot of marketing crap stuff around Mexico’s Independence Bicentennial, including the Coca-Cola Special Bicentennial Edition, consisting of 31 collectible bottles representing each one of Mexico’s 31 states. Because, how else to celebrate our country’s independence than with a good, refreshing ol’ coca?
Como dijo Don Porfirio: Poor Mexico… So far from God, and so close to the United States!
This happened.
This is wrong in so many levels, that I’m just going to leave it here.
