Coca–Cola and controversy are synonymous with one another and the soft drink giant often finds itself at the wrong side of the road for the most unusual reasons. The latest controversy is precipitated by a video which shows a Coca-Cola machine refusing to print the name “Jesus” on a custom soda can. The video has infuriated the Christian community who are calling its brethren to boycott the soft drink.
How Did the ‘Coca-Cola Can’ Controversy Start?
The genesis of the controversy can be traced to a Facebook post by Antwoine Hill who demonstrated that he could write the names of various religious entities, including “Buddha”, “Allah” and “Satan,” but not “Jesus.” When he attempted to print “Jesus,” Hill received an error message showing, “Sadly, we cannot automatically allow this text on the can!”.
The video caused a huge furor on social media and many users have vowed to stop buying Coca-Cola products.
One woman stated,
“We need to STOP buying coke!!! I’m done,”
AS second user urged fellow Christians to avoid Coke products and said,
“The only language corporations understand is money.”
The video started a trend on X with many users urging Christians to stop buying Coca Cola products.
One user @openedbunker stated that the phrase “Allah loves you” was approved by Coke but with “pending approval” watermarks. This hints that the system was applying restrictions across various religious terms.
Media outlet Daily Dot attempted to make a custom can with the name “Jesus” on the Coca-Cola website and they also received a similar error message.
According to the soft drink giant phrases can be rejected for various reasons and this could include the phrase being trademarked or being potentially offensive.
However Hill has not reacted negatively to the incident despite the apparent backlash and stated,
“This isn’t real persecution. I’m pointing out the obvious.”
He did support the calls for a boycott to emphasize the importance of Jesus but added that there are much bigger issues which he has seen on the streets like drugs, violence, and homelessness.
Coca-Cola’s website states: “Names and phrases may not be approved if they are trademarked, political in nature, names of countries, celebrities, religious figures, as well as anything that could be considered offensive for other reasons. Oftentimes, a name might be accepted if you add a last name to the submission.”
