(WTVR) – A cereal ad posted on YouTube is putting biracial couples in the spotlight.
The Cheerios advertisement features a little girl trying to understand how the cereal helps the heart. Her mom tells her it lowers cholesterol. So the little girl pours Cheerios on her dad’s chest, right over his heart.
The company never expected the outpouring of nasty, negative, and racist comments online. It got so bad the company decided to shut down the comments section on YouTube.
One comment reportedly said, “More like single parent in the making. Black dad will dip out soon.”
AdWeek.com points to others, referring to “Nazis and racial genocide.”
The online controversy has sparked an outpouring of support for the Cheerios ad on the Internet. One fan posted to the cereal company’s Facebook page, “I cannot believe the amount of racist feedback. Pretty sad for 2013.”
Another wrote, “Thanks Cheerios for showing to America the most important ingredient in a family is love.”
It may seem crazy to even be discussing the commercial, but experts said that may be because American companies are behind in reflecting today’s society in their advertising.
