An Indian-American Hindu leader is upset at Toyota Tundra Super Bowl halftime commercial “We’re All One Team”, apparently attempting to show unity of world religions, for failure to include representation of Hinduism, world’s third largest religion.
The Toyota commercial; in Super Bowl LII football championship played in Minneapolis on Sunday, depicts Christian, Muslim, Buddhist and Jewish religious figures.
“How could you possibly showcase “We’re All One Team” by turning your back to 1.1 billion Hindus and thus slighting world’s oldest religion?,” Hindu statesman Rajan Zed asked in a statement.
Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, urged Toyota Motor Corporation President Akio Toyoda and Board Chairman Takeshi Uchiyamada, Saatchi & Saatchi Global President Magnus Djaba, and Director Ivan Zacharias to immediately issue an official apology for brushing-off Hinduism in this 60-second spot endeavoring to display fellowship and togetherness.
“It appeared that forces behind the commercial preferred leaving the seat/seats of Toyota Tundra (with a seating capacity of 5-6) empty, rather than filling it with a Hindu religious figure,” said Zed. “It was shocking for the hard-working, harmonious and peaceful Hindu community, who had made lot of contributions to the society and the world, to receive such signals of exclusion.”
“The 60-second spot, by Saatchi & Saatchi was released Saturday and melds religion and sports to to make a lighthearted appeal for unity,” reported Ad Age. “The four religious figures flee their respective houses of worship in a Toyota Tundra to arrive at a football game together only to be chastised by a couple of nuns for running late.”
Click on the image below to watch the ad.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76XBys_HXq4
This line sums up why hindu was not represented “hard-working, harmonious and peaceful Hindu community”. If we had been a killing machine, fighting in the name of our god, destroying country after country, we would have been in shotgun position.