My first real post

I started this blog two and a half years ago and have written 296 posts and this is my first real blog post. This blog was created as a journal so that I could remember events in my life and so that my family and friends could keep up with my life/travels. I have written posts filled with travels that were pretty indifferent talking about tours, things I've seen, people I've met, things I've learned, etc. My blogs tend to be pretty boring if you're an outsider looking in, although I do get the occasional views from random places. Long story short, I do not write blogs that go viral. I write blogs for myself and for my family and friends, but I have been inspired to write what I would consider a "real" post in hopes that many people see and read it. Even though I have been provoked to write this, I am also still hesitate to write it because of the comfort I get in writing boring and non-controversial posts. Nevertheless, I feel that the topic must be addressed, even if it has already been addressed on a thousand other social media websites.

What is this topic, you ask? Well it's that Superbowl 2014 Coca-Cola commercial that many have been opinionated about. If you don't know what I am talking about, then stop right now and check out the commercial and the negative comments that it received on Twitter. I can't even bring myself to read all of the negative comments. They make my blood boil and my skin crawl. And if you come from my family, you may even say that it "tightens my jaw." The concept of "This is America and we speak English" has gotten to me for the past several years, but I think this was the tipping point for me.

I have been to six countries (and counting), I am currently living and working in Spain, and I am truly embarrassed by the reaction of some of the U.S. citizens to the Coca-Cola ad. Every country that I have been to has accepted me for where I come from and the language that I speak and, to be honest, I don't know if they should. Why should they respect and welcome me when I come from a country where some people are so arrogant and ignorant? "Ignorance is bliss." I don't believe that for a second. This type of ignorance is not blissful in any way. Do you want to know what is blissful? Closing your eyes and listening to a captivating song such as "America the Beautiful" sung in nine different languages. Better yet, open your eyes and watch the video. See the people from all different cultural, ethnic, and religious backgrounds dancing, swimming, camping, road-tripping, eating, etc. That is what the United States of America is. That is what is beautiful.

I hope that while I continue my travels I do not get treated in such a negative way that those reactions portray. I pray that I continue to be accepted by the open minds of world citizens and I pray that I can continue to open my mind to the diversity that the U.S. and the world has to offer. I pray that future generations have the same attitudes that the young girls who sang the song for the commercial have.

You continue to feel joyful, Naya! Don't let the negative comments crush that feeling. America is beautiful. I have hope for the future, even after the negative comments, because of comments like this: "America is one union, but with a mix of cultures and it doesn't matter who you are. We should always be friendly to each other no matter what difference you have."

The United States does not have an official language for a reason and "American" is not a language, and neither is "Mexican" while I'm at it (but I can save that discussion for a different blog). Also, since I am on the topic of misused words, "America" can refer to the combined continents of North America and South America. And "'murica" is also just a ridiculous word that I personally have a problem with. I realize that the word stems from extreme patriotism, which is a great feeling to have, but there is a difference in having patriotism towards ones country and "patriotism" towards English-speaking, white 'murica.

Although this video generated a lot of negative comments that I am truly embarrassed about as a U.S. American, I am still proud to be from the U.S. It really is a beautiful place with beautiful people in it. And I look forward to the future where people from diverse backgrounds come together for the same thing, just as those young girls united to sing about the beauty that is the United States of America.