The streets of Sunderland were packed on Saturday - Christmas shoppers, a matinee at the Empire Theatre, an away match so everyone was in the city centre pub to watch the footie on the big screens - but this Saturday it was more jammed than ever.
The reason - the Coca Cola Truck was in town! 1000's of families queued for hours to have their pictures taken with the iconic truck and hope to get a free can of coke.
Or 'Killer-Coke' as many people have come to know it as, due to the human rights abuses associated with the company in Colombia and other places.
The idea that Christmas is about a big truck, with a picture on the side of Santa guzzling a sugary drink, is somehow a wonderful part of family life needs to be attacked and ridiculed. This truck epitomises the worst part of Capitalism and commercialism.
They say they are careful not to promote to under 12's - that it is the 'parent's' choice whether to give the free cans to the kids - but this is ridiculous, of course it is aimed at kids!
So log on to the company's website - see when the Killer Coke truck is at a town near you. Perhaps take down some leaflets about Coke's links to the murder of Trade Union families in Colombia, or how the company pollutes precious water supplies in India, or even it's period being the sponsors of the Hitler Youth. (Mark Thomas' excellent book 'Belching out the Devil' is a great guide to the real Coke company)
Perhaps you just want healthy children
Perhaps you want children to associate Christmas with the birth of Jesus and the coming of a time of justice and peace.
Who knows. Just don't let KillerCoke ruin the true meaning of Christmas in your community this year.
http://killercoke.org/
No comments:
Post a Comment