Cheerios Commercial Featuring Mixed Race Family Gets Racist Backlash (VIDEO)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/...acklash_n_3363507.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular


An adorable Cheerios commercial featuring an interracial couple and their daughter generated such a strong racist backlash on YouTube that the comments section had to be closed.

The ad had received more than 1,600 likes and more than 500 dislikes as of Thursday evening.


Prior to the closure, the comment section had been filled "with references to Nazis, 'troglodytes' and 'racial genocide,'" according to Adweek.

YouTube comment sections have a reputation for breeding racist flame wars. CNN focused on the issue earlier this year, after a panel addressing racism and race on YouTube was held at South By Southwest:

"Everyone gets hate comments on YouTube," said Andre Meadows, the creator of the Black Nerd Comedy channel. "You can make the most wonderful video in the world and you will get 'Fake!' and 'Gay!'"
But for minority creators, "when you get comments, it seems to be targeted toward race almost immediately. A lot of people get 'dumb video, stupid video' -- but with mine it immediately goes to racial slurs."



Commenters on the cereal's Facebook page also said they found the commercial "disgusting" and that it made them "want to vomit." Other hateful commenters expressed shock that a black father would stay with his family.



However, many took to Facebook to express their appreciation for Cheerios' decision to feature a mixed-race family.

"Having been mixed in the '70s, I'd like to thank everyone at Cheerios for making a commercial with an interracial couple! Going to buy boxes today! Many thanks for reflecting what my family looked like," Beschelle Lockhart posted Monday.

"Just watched your commercial with the biracial family. Beautiful. Thank you so much," Alexandra Burt wrote.

Cheerios was unfazed by the racist Internet backlash. "Consumers have responded positively to our new Cheerios ad. At Cheerios, we know there are many kinds of families and we celebrate them all," Camille Gibson, Cheerios vice president of marketing, told Gawker.

WATCH the video in the article.

 

It's such a cute commercial and a cute family.

And this is why I strongly believe in the power of gorilla glue and duct tape. Censor the ridiculous bastards.

 

foxnews and the tea party will be mad that you are destroying on the constitution with your liberal ways

 

Let those people cry. If they can't handle it, then tough titty!

 

The people at Cheerios and the ad agency must be laughing their asses off. With DVR and new technologies it is hard to get people to even watch commercials let alone talk about them. This one has gone viral by simply doing what other companies have refused to do.

 

Very cute commercial. I don't understand why it was attacked like this. But, this is the result of decades of white supremacy in the media. I don't see an agenda or anything like that being pushed on anyone. All you're seeing is an interracially mixed family enjoying a product. Maybe Kellog's should follow suit with a mixed family enjoying a bowl of corn flakes. Or better yet making a dish using corn flakes.

 

There's only 2 groups that don't like this video: Pissed off white men and jealous black women.

 

Don't be so quick to point the finger brotha, very few bw care about seeing a bm/ww family together only a complete ignoramus type chick would really get envious over such a basic commercial.

 

Exactly, thats why I said "jealous" black women, not all black women.

 

im pretty sure not all the negativity came from BW. just saying

 

sad shit...but it's true

plenty of Obama articles on yahoo had comments that went right to racism

black youtube videos....comments littered with racism

crazy shit

i cant imagine blacks going to non-black youtube or yahoo stuff, and just posting away racial bullshit for no reason

 

Yeah, this commercial took me BY SURPRISE! It's the second such interracial family (blk-wht) i have seen portrayed in a national spotlight.

I've seen many advertisers openly displaying asian woman-white man couples the last 5-years which is big in California.

I think its progressive and forward thinking. People can no longer live in a cave and not observe the fishbowl around us.

Life isnt just black and white; no pun intended! There is that gray area which is the interracial family no matter what combination of ethnicity.

 

Back in the mid-80's, I once saw a clip of an ad for a dating agency that introduced American men to Asian women. The ad showed an attractive Asian woman and an attractive blond haired white male walking hand in hand together. It still amazes me to this day, that if there are ads that show this pairing and noone protests, there is no problem. I see a lot of Aw/Wm couples here. And I know they are everywhere in CA. Do they get as much as Bm/Ww? I don't think so.

 

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/cheerios-stands-tv-ad-showing-151048704.html

cheerios says they are standing by the commercial

 

Damn don't people have more important shit to worry about. Sickening.

 

i know...but hatred has no boundaries or logic

 

Ha no doubt man... You know that corny show the "bachelor"? I can only imagine the backlash if they ever had a black bachelor.

Although, i can understand the demographics, america is afterall predominately white. But the idea of some dude having the pick of the liter would make a few uncomfortable lol

 

I have seen that commercial a few times and I didn't even register that there was an it family.

Weird people getting so worked up over a family that is apparently doing well and sticking together. Didn't know you could get internet access/TV reception under rocks.

I particularly loved the comment that said 'I and most of the world is against it marriage'. If that was the case, we would still have laws against it. We don't. Ignoramuses trying to justify their backwards thinking by lying to themselves about 'the rest of the world'. We should teleport them to the Jurassic era.

 

when they say the "world" they mean the world of the trailor park or the da hood.

 

I never knew I was part of an "IT" relationship, lol. And the furor shows no signs of dying down either. Yesterday Cheerios (General Mills, oops) issued a statement standing by the ad. They had to defend an IR breakfast. Good grief.