Colonial Williamsburg criticized for 9/11 image in Super Bowl ad
Among the slew of ads that ran during Super Bowl 50 on Sunday was one for Colonial Williamsburg, the living-history museum tourist attraction.
But an "iconic" moment included in the TV spot has been met with backlash.
The commercial, narrated by Tom Brokaw, shows historical video and images, in reverse, of iconic American moments, including JFK, Martin Luther King Jr., the end of WWII and the collapse of the North Tower of the World Trade Center. It is that 9/11 moment that has drawn ire.
Saturday Night Live's Taran Killam is one of those not pleased with the ad and went back and forth with Colonial Williamsburg over Twitter about it.
Did Colonial Williamsberg just show 9/11 footage in reverse? Seems a bit unearned.
— Taran Killam (@TaranKillam) February 8, 2016
@colonialwmsburg "Undoing it" feels like a form of forgetting. I think that's my issue. I don't see the correlation with your establishment.
— Taran Killam (@TaranKillam) February 8, 2016
.@TaranKillam Forgetting is not an option! Every generation has a defining moment. For us: 9/11. Knowledge of history = civic responsibility
— ColonialWilliamsburg (@colonialwmsburg) February 8, 2016
In a statement sent to The Hollywood Reporter on Monday, Colonial Williamsburg said it recognized that "some of the images depicted in the ad are jarring."
"We understand and respect that some of the images depicted in the ad are jarring. However, the small data point of people who objected to some of the imagery in the ad does not represent the total viewership. Not even close. We have received an outpouring of support on social media for the ad and its simple, powerful message: All that is past is prologue. Our ad is meant to walk viewers backwards through time, challenging them to reflect on how our collective history and struggles shape who we are as Americans today. We cannot forget our sacrifices or our tragedies even as we celebrate our accomplishments. Colonial Williamsburg does not shy away from these difficult moments in our history because they have made us who we are just as surely as our many triumphs."
READ MORE: TV Ratings: Super Bowl 50 Steady With Second-Best Overnight Ever
Related: Also see the most iconic images from 9/11:
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