Dive summary:
- In an odd twist, a recent TV commercial from Cheerios has spawned Internet backlash; the spot features an interracial family which has apparently made some viewers unhappy.
- TV programming has been featuring interracial couples prominently for years but advertising is always slow to catch up because brands do not want to be perceived as making a political statement.
- The dark depths of the often-nasty YouTube comments section holds responses with Nazi references and the use of terms like "troglodytes" and "racial genocide."
From the article:
"The problem is that TV ads have always lagged TV programming in this regard, as so many brands are clearly scared of being perceived as making a political statement with the casting of their commercials. Thus, the Cheerios ad, despite its characters being representative of tens of thousands of actual couples in America, sticks out like a sore thumb."