# Cheerios airs commercial with multiracial family. I'm sure you can guess what happens next. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 1, 2013, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheerios-airs-commercial-with-multiracial-family-im-sure-you-can-guess-what-happens-next/659879 "2013-06-01T17:34:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2013, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheerios-airs-commercial-with-multiracial-family-im-sure-you-can-guess-what-happens-next/659879/101 "2013-06-07T19:01:04Z")
> [@congodwarf](#): > > It is the perfect answer and kinda makes me wish I were something other than bluish white with red hair so I’d have a chance to use it myself. Wait…you’re not a pygmy? ---
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2013, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheerios-airs-commercial-with-multiracial-family-im-sure-you-can-guess-what-happens-next/659879/102 "2013-06-08T02:45:14Z")
> [@PSXer](#): > > Cheerios should expect this kind of backlash. It’s well-known that there is still a lot of negative attitudes about this. No reason to create a needlessly controversial commercial, just focus on the product. (not that I personally have a problem with this; I just don’t have a naive view about how tolerant the rest of society is) I kinda think they banked on this backlash. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2013, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheerios-airs-commercial-with-multiracial-family-im-sure-you-can-guess-what-happens-next/659879/103 "2013-06-08T03:59:49Z")
> [@Rushgeekgirl](#): > > I kinda think they banked on this backlash. Like I said in post #31, they can’t buy this kind of publicity!😃 ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2013, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheerios-airs-commercial-with-multiracial-family-im-sure-you-can-guess-what-happens-next/659879/104 "2013-06-08T18:48:21Z")
> [@newcomer](#): > > I copy-pasted wrong link - my apologies. > > Here’s the right one: [The M.D.’s Lung Protocol: Better Ways to Boost Lung Health | OmniVista Health Learning](http://healthrevelations.com/2012/01/06/commom-cereals/) > > However, despite Google making it easier than ever and since you appear to be one of those who need to be “served” (pun intended) from that page there’s a full report on cereal: [http://static.ewg.org/reports/2011/cereals/pdf/2011-EWG-Cereals-Report.pdf](http://static.ewg.org/reports/2011/cereals/pdf/2011-EWG-Cereals-Report.pdf) > > Let me know how this went facts-wise… It seems to go poorly for you, facts-wise; your own cites make you look facts-foolish. Your first link, to health [revelations.com](http://revelations.com), doesn’t at all support your contention that Cheerios have any added sugar. In fact, as **runner pat** points out, it only mentions Cheerios as a descriptive when talking about a completely different cereal by a different manufacturer. Your second link, to a report from Environmental Working Group, points out on page 11 that Cheerios are only 3.6% sugar. Are you ready to admit that you were wrong, or should we all just adjust our opinion of you now? ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2013, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheerios-airs-commercial-with-multiracial-family-im-sure-you-can-guess-what-happens-next/659879/105 "2013-06-08T18:49:52Z")
[Cracked.com](http://Cracked.com) has an excellent article deconstructing the whole dust-up over this ad today: [Why the Cheerios Racism Controversy Was Bad Journalism](http://www.cracked.com/quick-fixes/why-cheerios-racism-controversy-was-bad-journalism/). ---
**Author:** ![newcomer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e5b9ba/32.png) [@newcomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/newcomer)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2013, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheerios-airs-commercial-with-multiracial-family-im-sure-you-can-guess-what-happens-next/659879/106 "2013-06-08T18:57:25Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > Are you ready to admit that you were wrong, or should we all just adjust our opinion of you now? The facts do indeed support the claim that regular cheerios has the lowest level of sugar. But, in general (i.e. most cereals) are sugar coated as per study. Devil’s in details so, yeah, I do admit. The only thing I have to say for myself is that I was coming from a general “don’t eat cereal” stance so I could have played it differently to make a point. Needless to say my kids don’t eat cereal. ---
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2013, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheerios-airs-commercial-with-multiracial-family-im-sure-you-can-guess-what-happens-next/659879/107 "2013-06-08T19:59:10Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > [Cracked.com](http://Cracked.com) has an excellent article deconstructing the whole dust-up over this ad today: [Why the Cheerios Racism Controversy Was Bad Journalism](http://www.cracked.com/quick-fixes/why-cheerios-racism-controversy-was-bad-journalism/). I got a kick out of this line from the article: > [@](#): > > Anyone who’s spent more than 10 minutes on the Internet knows that the whole place is just a Hieronymus Bosch painting with words. ---
**Author:** ![Skara\_Brae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f0a364/32.png) [@Skara\_Brae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skara_Brae)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2013, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheerios-airs-commercial-with-multiracial-family-im-sure-you-can-guess-what-happens-next/659879/108 "2013-06-11T15:29:36Z")
Ha, I was right. The dad in the commercial is played by [Charles Mailk Whitfield](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0925916/?ref_=sr_3). It was driving me crazy where I had seen him before! Agent Hendrickson from Supernatural! [He stands by the commercial, BTW.](http://www.cinemablend.com/pop/Cheerios-Actor-Responds-Backlash-Over-Commercial-Interracial-Family-56399.html) ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2013, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheerios-airs-commercial-with-multiracial-family-im-sure-you-can-guess-what-happens-next/659879/109 "2013-06-11T20:23:54Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > It wasn’t so many years ago that commercials didn’t even have non-white people in them in the first place! > > Has anyone here seen the movie “Things We Lost In The Fire”? It’s very good, although it wasn’t widely released, and stars David Duchovny and Halle Berry as a married couple (and yes, they do have some awfully cute kids). The racial issue isn’t addressed AT ALL, although I suspect that was because it wasn’t in the original script. That’s how interracial couples are generally dealt with in most other Western countries. When you see an exception, they’re using the interracial bit (often combined with “immigrant”) as one of the legs of the story. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2014, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheerios-airs-commercial-with-multiracial-family-im-sure-you-can-guess-what-happens-next/659879/110 "2014-01-30T16:19:01Z")
Bumping this because [the family is back in a new ad](http://shine.yahoo.com/healthy-living/cheerios--controversial-interracial-family-returns-for-the-super-bowl-172205702.html;_ylt=AsDZHcrQRdnLbEaKnSDnHHEJVux_;_ylu=X3oDMTFyMWg3MzR0BG1pdANBVFQgSG9tZSBUb2RheSBNb2R1bGUgMTEyMTEzBHBvcwMyNARzZWMDTWVkaWFDZHRUb2RheVYy;_ylg=X3oDMTFkcW51ZGliBGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDBHBzdGNhdANob21lBHB0A3BtaA--;_ylv=3) for the Super Bowl. And it’s better than the first. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Woodhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/838e76/32.png) [@Miss\_Woodhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Woodhouse)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2014, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheerios-airs-commercial-with-multiracial-family-im-sure-you-can-guess-what-happens-next/659879/111 "2014-01-30T16:25:53Z")
That little girl is the most adorable girl on television. And the mother’s face . . . classic. I love this little cereal family. Cheerios needs to do more ads with them. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2014, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheerios-airs-commercial-with-multiracial-family-im-sure-you-can-guess-what-happens-next/659879/112 "2014-01-30T16:48:57Z")
Oh, yeh. Mom’s face in the last shot is just priceless. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Sarabellum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sarabellum/32/3492_2.png) [@Sarabellum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarabellum)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2014, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheerios-airs-commercial-with-multiracial-family-im-sure-you-can-guess-what-happens-next/659879/113 "2014-01-30T17:10:24Z")
Heehee. Cute commercial. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2014, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheerios-airs-commercial-with-multiracial-family-im-sure-you-can-guess-what-happens-next/659879/114 "2014-01-30T18:00:27Z")
Of course, even though we were all thinking it and it is actually what happened before (see: the OP of this thread), [MSNBC got raked over the coals](http://www.buzzfeed.com/hunterschwarz/msnbc-tweets-about-the-rightwing-hating-an-ad) for pointing out that right wingers will go crazy over the new Cheerios ad. They jumped the gun, now none of us can say it. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2014, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheerios-airs-commercial-with-multiracial-family-im-sure-you-can-guess-what-happens-next/659879/115 "2014-01-30T19:55:57Z")
> [@EddyTeddyFreddy](#): > > Oh, yeh. Mom’s face in the last shot is just priceless. 😃 Aye, it made the commercial! A terrific setup for the puchline of that “[O RLY?](http://orlyowl.tripod.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/orly.jpg)” face. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2014, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheerios-airs-commercial-with-multiracial-family-im-sure-you-can-guess-what-happens-next/659879/116 "2014-01-30T20:04:47Z")
Re: The OP. I don’t know how many times I saw that commercial before someone pointed out that it was a mixed-race family. I hadn’t noticed. (I once worked with an Okinawan woman for two years before I noticed she was Asian – after she mentioned it. I just thought she was hot.) ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2014, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheerios-airs-commercial-with-multiracial-family-im-sure-you-can-guess-what-happens-next/659879/117 "2014-01-31T00:09:14Z")
My beef with the original commercial is how they didn’t show the mom and dad in the same room, like the sight of them together would be too much. And even in this new one, they never show their faces together. But at least they aren’t in separate rooms anymore. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2014, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheerios-airs-commercial-with-multiracial-family-im-sure-you-can-guess-what-happens-next/659879/118 "2014-01-31T00:22:45Z")
Remember that series of coffee ads, for Taster’s Choice? Maybe this family will be part of a continuing series as well. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2014, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheerios-airs-commercial-with-multiracial-family-im-sure-you-can-guess-what-happens-next/659879/119 "2014-01-31T04:31:44Z")
> [@Rushgeekgirl](#): > > I kinda think they banked on this backlash. Why not? What’s the downside, when it’s clear that anyone who makes a fuss over it is, practically by definition, someone to be ignored? ---
**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_York](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f6c823/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_York](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_York)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2014, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheerios-airs-commercial-with-multiracial-family-im-sure-you-can-guess-what-happens-next/659879/120 "2014-01-31T04:49:53Z")
> [@Blackberry](#): > > I’ve been asked that in those words about myself and my daughter a ton of times. Rarely do people ask it in a different way. > . I usually wait till I’ve been chatting a few minutes before asking"May I ask what your ethnic background is?. Am I being unknowingly rude or racist in asking this question? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheerios-airs-commercial-with-multiracial-family-im-sure-you-can-guess-what-happens-next/659879.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheerios-airs-commercial-with-multiracial-family-im-sure-you-can-guess-what-happens-next/659879.md?page=7)