Swimming. Gymnastics. Breakdancing. All part of this summer’s— wait, what?? Breakdancing is an Olympic sport!? I mean, it’s cool and all but I never thought spinning around on your head could get you anything more than street cred or a chance to star in a Step Up movie.
“Here he is going for gold with a tight air flare!!!”
That was NOT on my bingo card for the Paris Olympics but here we are. If breakdancing doesn’t bring us all together, Publix has another idea. The flame. At the Olympics, the flame is meant to represent the humanity in us all. The common ground we share as citizens of this earth. Or, ya know, a juicy charcoal grilled burger. Mmm, delicious. I’m vegan but whatever. I remember what a good, quarter-pounder tastes like. Publix opens their ad with the flame of an outdoor grill then goes on to show other forms of cooking, sharing, giving and receiving. And in the giving and receiving, we all share in the receiving and giving. Geez, Joey Tribbiani would’ve loved this commercial. Take a look at all the food in the ad then scroll down for more…
It’s kind of funny how Publix, in one minute, can create something more inclusive and heartwarming than whatever France showed us in the opening ceremonies! I watched the first 20 minutes and talk about boring. The only redeemable moment was seeing Zinedine Zidane carry the torch. Remember his iconic headbutt from 2006?
While Publix nailed their flame-themed commercial, the Paris Olympic committee took flame to a place no one expected in the opening ceremonies. Flaming gay! It wasn’t that long about we weren’t allowed to say “gay” anymore, until the rules changed (again). If you had to pick one moment in world history where hmmm, maybe showing a group of gay/trans/bi/tri/non-binary/drag people might not be the best optics, I’d go with the first person on the moon– can you imagine them planting the LGBTQ flag on the moon instead of Old Glory??– and oh, I don’t know one of the most sacred moments in the Christian faith, the Last Supper! France opted for the latter in what some people are calling a purposeful mockery of Jesus. I mean, that’s ONE way to go. Just watch out for lightning strikes from the Almighty, is all I’m saying. In their defense, what better way to celebrate sports, right?
Here’s the scene from the opening ceremonies, if you haven’t seen it yet.
Officer Tatum is exactly right. If you watch more of his video you’ll hear him ask why they never mock Islam. Exactly. Jesus is an easy target but that isn’t a surprise. John 15:18-19… If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own.
Back to something more unifying… the Publix commercial! People love to gather around with food, huh? Publix uses that idea to keep their brand on the front burner of our minds. It’s another great ad, of course, and I was glad to see they toned down all the smiling (see previous smily Publix ad). I’m sure this is just one of quite a few Olympic-related commercials we’ll see in the next few weeks and it’ll be one of the favorites.
How do you feel about the Publix commercial? More importantly, are you practicing your breakdancing for the 2028 Olympics? You can DO it!
-Out of the Wilderness
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