Our Purpose and Coca Cola

Any American can appreciate the amusement found in parks such as Disneyland as children; the food, the souvenirs, the bright lights and music and pictures with beloved story characters that helped us discover our imaginations. However, once we hit that stage where life just isn't a fairytale anymore, we begin to see the capitalistic side of the whole process, and can sometimes feel skeptical when seeing a joyful Mickey in his materialistic, objectified view by those corporate officers. In the article "The World of Coca Cola," by Ted Friedman, Friedman compares the World of Coca Cola factory to this capitalistic Disneyland, which he describes as "an annotated, museum –like display of advertising memorabilia punctuated by video presentations, live demonstrations, and interactive technology" (1). He describes it as a huge enterprise with a chronological time line as the basis tour, one which is made that visitors may not stray and jump around from location to location, but rather guide through neatly according to those who planned the presentation. (1) He also illustrates that the focus of this "museum" is on both product advertising and manipulating the consumer's own personal insight of the Coca Cola brand, not on the actual product itself. Friedman also discusses the major image of the World of Coca Cola factory, a "a giant red neon sign which hangs suspended above the main entrance" (1). Alike to Mickey and Disney, when the public of the city observes the sign, they are to associate the rotating globe and consider the World of Coca Cola and what it's doing for the city, bringing tourism and attractions as well as creating jobs and benefiting the city. He is very leery of this wondrous attraction throughout his article, and distrusts believing that drinking Coke will lead to the worldwide peace and harmony or "global village" they attempt to convey with their attraction. His article is a very detailed insight into corporate America and how it's views shape and influence our lives through products we least expected.

A much shorter article, if you could even call it that, "Our Purpose" from the Global Village and News Resource, states their intent right off the bat: "to provide you with timely news and resources from the leading edge of human achievement" (globalvillage.com) Their attitude seems encouraging when compared to typical America media, as they explain in "their purpose" that they wish to derail from the very dominant tragic-based media stories that create an even more negative view of our everyday society. It feels like a breath of fresh air in the staleness of violent and downcast media, although they do mention the necessity of such media, stating "The conventional press and most of the alternative press are doing an excellent job of bringing these to our attention." (globalvillage.com) Their overall theme, they state that it is their wish to create "new options" to "solve world problems" (globalvillage.com) through this optimistic and helpful media. I believe that regardless of their affect on society as a whole, it is a nice option and statement to have out there, with all of the constant downer media out there.

Works Cited;

Friedman, Ted. EServer.org. October 1992. 10 October 2007 .

Global Village News and Resources. gvnr.com. 10 October 2007 .