Playing Catch-Up

There’s the Budweiser one about a spontaneous party. And the Coke one about America the Beautiful. Not to mention the Doritos one about a boy riding on a dog (and throwing a lasso around his brother?). In comparison, the Cheerios one with an adolescent girl pouring the cereal on her father’s chest seemed simple, even mundane. Yet this light, uncomplicated ad gained more media coverage than the commercials with twice its budget. It wasn’t because of any controversy, or inappropriate language, or sexual imagery. It was because this seemingly normal commercial showed a multi-racial family. In today’s supposedly unsegregated world, a commercial with Arnold Schwarzenegger acting as a ping-pong coach should get more Google hits than a family of three sitting around a breakfast table. When it doesn’t, does it show that our ideally unsegregated world has not yet become a reality? Maybe, it is not the world that is so obviously segregated, but the media.

The Super Bowl is known for its outrageous commercials. Remember the Pepsi ad with Britney Spears? There seemed to be a lot of fireworks in that one. Plus Britney, who is kinda a spectacle in herself. And yeah, that commercial got a lot of coverage. How could it not? However, it was asking for it.  It was loud, in your face, and wildly entertaining. There was even music. Everyone expected a big name star to generate a lot of media coverage.  What no one expected was for a mom, a dad, and a daughter to produce just as much, if not more. Cheerios did not include music, or explosions, or exotic animals to drum up views. It simply showed a normal family doing what normal families do.

For a lot of people though, the ad was abnormal. Most people are used to seeing couples of the same race portrayed on TV. Most people are not used to change, and most people don’t like it. Cheerios pushed these boundaries, catching the attention of the nation. “They sent the message that our brand includes not only a food product, but people inclusiveness without borders along the ethnic barriers of the past”[1]. And this message worked. By January 29 the commercial had just over 13,000 views on YouTube and comments that largely praised Cheerios.[2]

But why does it matter? Why is it a big deal that an African American father and a Caucasian mother are presented to the world in one of the most popular television experiences of the year? Shouldn’t we be used to it by now? I mean, it is a part of life. If we saw a couple like this on the street, a lot of us wouldn’t think twice. However, when they are streamed directly into our homes, we notice. We put down our day-old Chinese food and flat Diet Coke and pay attention. Articles are written about how Cheerios is changing the face of modern TV and how it’s a huge step for America. It shouldn’t be.

America should have taken these steps years ago. We’re supposed to be the progressive country. We look down on Russia for its questionable ideology and the actions that follow. Don’t get me wrong: I’m not equating us to Russia. We’re obviously better (have you seen photos of Sochi?).  However, I am comparing us. Its harsh, but being harsh is the only way to get things done. Multi-racial families have been a reality for years, even decades. You see them in the elementary school, walking down your street, and in your local supermarket. They are just like you and me. It’s absurd that I even have to make that argument in this essay. But because of the unnecessary media attention awarded to commercials like the Cheerios one, my hand has been forced.

Parts of the world are still segregated, yes. However, the media highlights this with unnecessary attention broadcast to mundane topics. Instead of focusing on a really cool fireworks display in the shape of a cowboy hat, it points out things that really should not be newsworthy. Most of the world has realized that interracial couples are no longer news. The media needs to catch up.