What a cute commercial! That kid is darling. I noticed a bi-racial couple when I first saw it and thought “hmmmmm self…..I have never seen a bi-racial couple in a commercial.” It’s about time. There are about 10 million bi-racial children in America today and who knows how many adults. Are we just going to pretend these folks don’t exist?
There is a real problem with trolls who sit behind a computer in their underwear (eeewwwwwww) and type out hate and other stuff they lack the courage to say to someone’s face. Most responsible web masters and blog meisters take down those kinds of comments that shriek hatred of people because of their race, sexual orientation, religion, etc.
The Today Show revealed the following:
“The comments that were made in our view were not family-friendly, and that was really the trigger for us, you know, to pull them off,’’ said Camille Gibson, VP marketing for General Mills, on TODAY Monday.
Discussing the development, TODAY’s Donny Deutsch brought personal perspective to bear: Twenty years ago, the chairman of advertising agency Deutsch Inc. featured an interracial couple in an advertisement. While he applauded Cheerios’ decision to include a mixed-race couple in its commercial, he understood why some companies would shy away from it.
“What’s unfortunate is that I still think 97 percent of companies would stay away from this because they would say, ‘I don’t need the letters.’ Which is a shame, because in reality when you do an ad like this, yes, there will be some fringe crazy people,’’ Deutsch said on TODAY Monday. “Fringe crazy people go crazy about everything, but in reality you’re making a statement about your company: ‘We’re progressive, we’re inclusive, we are about today.’
Good for General Mills for producing a darling commercial that reflects who we are as Americans.
BTW, who wants to try to get me to believe that everyone who hates President Obama hates him because of his politics and not his race?
“BTW, who wants to try to get me to believe that everyone who hates President Obama hates him because of his politics and not his race?”
As a non-fan of Obama….not me. I can only speak for myself and for those I interact with…and those only to the extent that I know them.
BUT, there are those that try to make the argument that his apparent race is the ONLY reason he’s opposed. Can you deny that?
I am not sure what you are asking me. Late at night. Some people dislike him on policy, others on race or perceived relgion, still others have no idea why they dislike him.
I know for a fact that race was a factor with an ex friend of mine.
How many summer school classes? What are you taking?
Ooops sorry, off topic.
Sure there is a big racist back lash against Obama – the problem is where do you start?? The Obama bucks flyers sent out by R Orgs, he is a Muslim smear, etc. Just look at Ted Cruz – there is a faction that wants him to run for President – the very same faction that were the most vocal Birther’s – problem is that Ted Cruz was born in Canada, but Ted Cruz is viewed as ‘one of us’. Look at the rise of the TEA Party crowd – sure there are some (many) that are valid, but the majority of the TEA Party movement is backed by a few big money people (Koch Brothers, etc) and led by R Party insiders (Armey, etc) – where were they from 2001 – 2008 when our deficit and debt rose every year?
Sure there are valid policy disagreements, but before the disagreement is framed, they let in a racist stereotype which twists the argument into a racist thing. Have you seen the Obama phone lady- the program started by Reagan. Maybe they are not racists, they are just bigots.
Those who hate Obama because of his race are no different than those who voted for him because of his race. It’s just that those who voted for him based solely on race always get a pass.
What????? I see a huge difference. One is positive identity. The other is hatred. You seriously don’t see the difference?
What kind of pass are those who voted for him because of his race getting? Why is their pass different from my pass? My pass? What pass did I get?
@Moon-howler
Statistics and Environmental bio. That last should be fun, since I’m not particular “green” nor do I accept the current theories as fact.
I hope you have a good stat calculator. It is worth every penny. My original stat class was before hand held calculators. Groan. I didnt do so well.
Environmental bio? Ok Cargo, don’t try to distinquish yourself by being a pain in the ass in the class. suck it up and barf it back. I had to do that once in a class about some other topic (email me). I didn’t do it and I suffered. You will thank me …..
I am averagely green. I don’t think you have to accept anything as fact. I think accepting things as current thinking will suffice.
@Pat.Herve
the majority of the TEA Party movement is backed by a few big money people (Koch Brothers, etc) and led by R Party insiders (Armey, etc)
Well, that’s not true. The majority of the TEA party movement is grass roots. The Armey faction is merely FreedomWorks. And HE is gone. The Kochs? I wish. Where’s my check?
I think its fair to suggest that a lot of the major political money comes from well heeled politicos and that a lot of the leadership is from existing politicos.
Grass roots is important also. But grass roots always needs a sugar daddy. People need to feel that there is someone out there just like them who feels their pain.
I have always sworn that half the appeal of Bill Clinton and conversely, George Bush, is the way they both talk. Their plain talk just made people relate.
Grass Roots – right. Americans for Prosperity, FreedomWorks, Tea Party Patriots – largely Koch Funded, and some Murdoch money in there too.
Most of the people who hated Obama hated Clinton too. They hate him mostly because he’s a Democratic President IMO.
I wish Obama haters would leave the country. If they are unhappy with a black president, they should leave. We would all be happier that way
So is this ad on TV because of Obama or because of Democrats?
Who even pays attention to biracial couples anymore? I feel like that was my parents’ generation’s issue, and I’m no chicken.
@Starry flights Funny, I thought in America people were free to like or hate whatever and whomever they wanted, and feel happy or unhappy as they please, as long as they didn’t infringe on anyone else’s rights. Who is this mystical “we” who wants to people to leave the country because of their “hate” or “unhappiness”? Those “we” must not be Americans.
I noticed the commerical mainly because the kid was so cute. Then I realized I had never seen a bi-racial couple in a commercial. That part was noteworthy.
Some “biracial’ children feel some prejudice I’m sure, depending on where they live, but presumably less than in the past. Honestly, I know mixed people who were very offended 30 years ago by George Jefferson’s comments on “The Jeffersons” (always calling his son’s fiance a “zebra” to a laugh track) – I doubt that anyone is made to feel quite that way by any media prtrayal these days.
Considering the Census didn’t have a section for bi-racial (does it even have it now?) until very recently, I would say that bi-racial children have sort of been walking a tight-rope as to identity.
When all the black children have black moms and dads, and all the white children have white moms and dads in advertizing, do you think maybe, just maybe a kid might feel he or she isn’t represented in REAL America?
@Cargosquid
I would guess your are going to vote for Cuccinelli since he doesn’t believe all those “theories” either.
@Rick Bentley
“I doubt that anyone is made to feel quite that way by any media prtrayal these days.” I would hazard a guess that you are not identifiably bi-racial.
We seem to forget that bi-racial people are just that: bi-racial. But if they happen to LOOK like a particular race, more often than not they are identified as that particular race, which harks back to the days of mulattos, quadroons, octoroons, etc. when if you were just a little black, you were all black. Such is the case with people like President Obama and Tiger Woods. Does anyone ever refer to them as half-white or half-Thai/Chinese? Nope–they are “black”. I have two bi-racial (black-white) grandchildren and many years ago when my granddaughter was challenged by a black friend if she was black or white, she simply said, “I don’t know about that, I’m just Winona.” Pretty damned good answer for a young woman who was about 6 or 7 at the time.
@George S. Harris
I’m going to vote for Cuccinelli because I think that he’s a better choice than McAullife. If Bolling had not taken his ball and gone home like a little kid, I would have supported him.
Why should I accept theories as fact? Where’s the proof? Where’s the repeatable experiments? Where are any accurate model predictions? Not one has been proven accurate.
Apparently, its considered “anti-science” to wait for the scientific method to work.
Review the scientific process. Only deductive proofs give you absolutes. Inductive reasoning works differently.
Why totally toss something because you don’t want to believe it. How about at least keeping an open mind rather than the slamming of a steel trap.
Too much politics tied up in science. That’s can’t be good. that’s what happened with Galileo.
Why are you being derisive of Bill Bolling? I thought he was pretty smart. He looked at polls and money and decided it wasn’t his time.
Secondly, what is it Coochinelli is going to do for you and what is it that makes him a better choice than McAuliffe?
Lenny Kravitz (black and Jewish) said his father took him aside when he was young and said “look, you need to know that society is going to see you as this one thing, but you are actually two things”. And he worked his way through okay after that.
There is an increasing amount of “race mixing” present in the nation; I think this is yesterday’s issue. The prejudice a mixed child might feel from a white community, and the intense feelings engendered in the black community, are both surely mitigating.
@Rick Bentley
Rick, would you pleas explain your last sentence?. Or maybe Imdon’t understand the term “mitigate.” Perhaps if you aren’t bi-racial, it might be easy to say, “Things ain’t so bad if you’re bi-racial. I mean after all …”
@Moon-howler
Waiting for actual repeatable science isn’t keeping an open mind?
I’m being derisive of Bill Bolling because he complained about the system that he was part of…..he acted as if it was his turn….. Why didn’t he prepare from day one. It was obvious at the LAST convention that Cuccinelli was going to go for Governor after his term was up.
Bolling apparently didn’t want to be governor enough to fight for it.
It was ‘his turn’ based on what he had been told within the party. You know…that Virginia good ole boy network. I don’t know how you prepare for a Cucinelli. Actually many Virginians all party stripes feel Bolling played by the rules. Virginia is long on tradition. Many think Cuccinelli is an interloper.
There has been ‘repeatable science.’
Rick, would you pleas explain your last sentence?. Or maybe Imdon’t understand the term “mitigate.” Perhaps if you aren’t bi-racial, it might be easy to say, “Things ain’t so bad if you’re bi-racial. I mean after all …”
Mitigate means it’s lessening. I think racial prejudice in America, including against “mixed” children, is lessening. In lilly-white comunities, and in black urban communities. Everywhere. In part because so many more people are seen to be “mixed”. And in part because we’re getting further out from slavery, and are a more integrated society.
I guess the purpoose of making a statement like that is to say that the problem is IMO healing itself regardless of any government initiative or educational campaign or prayer circle or any response we might choose to undertake to try to mjitigate racism against moxed people. I think this is true about homophobia and the gay marriage issue also. Time is healing the problem; successive generations deal with the world in a more rational way than previous ones.
@Moon-howler
You prepare for Cuccinelli by building networks in the 6 years that you have before the next election. Bolling played by the rules…he just didn’t fight.
As for the “repeatable science,” none of the predictions made have come true. Our temperature have stalled while CO2 climbs. We have more snow when no snow was predicted. We have both rain and drought….and both were predicted….. We have lowering temps when rising temps are predicted. Etc. I’m just waiting for consistent results and the alarmists to treat it as an emergency. They are the ones jetting off to Rio for the conferences. Al Gore sold his network to a an OIL producer.
I guess a lot of Virginians and I just don’t subscribe to your type of politics. Bolling isnt a firebrand nor should he have to be.
In a primary he would have probably won. At a convention, the extremes come out, as this past Republican convention illustrates. Unfortunately, Bolling had no control over the method of ticket selection.