Several tributes promoting national pride poured in as Singapore geared up to celebrate her 52nd national day – from the official national day song to hilarious parodies, countless articles and lists on ‘Singaporean-ness’ and advertisements from corporate organisations promoting patriotism.
One such advertisement by Starhub sought to promote patriotism and racial harmony by featuring multi-racial Singaporeans in a video set to the ‘I have a dream’ speech. The telecommunications giant introduced the video:
“What makes Singapore our home? Some say it’s our food. Some, the way we speak. But it isn’t in these things that we truly find our sense of belonging. It’s in our unity – forged not by chance, but by choice. A choice we’ve made together, to build bridges instead of walls. Regardless of race, language or religion. So, as we celebrate Racial Harmony Day and National Day, we want to say a big thank you to Singapore, for making our home, home.”
[fvplayer src=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YQjtFL4ii8″]
Instead of promoting patriotism across the board, the ad drew mixed remarks from netizens with some even calling it “offensive” and “inappropriate.”
Others found the commercial to be moving, heartfelt and inspiring:
What do you think? Does this Starhub ad pull at your heartstrings or do you think its just another piece of pretentious advertising that rolls around once every year?