How Cheerios Debunked the Post Racial Theory?

The web was on fire last week thanks to a newly released Cheerios cereal commercial that featured an interracial couple and what appeared to a biracial child. The comments following the ad ranged from supportive to highly critical and oftentimes just down right hateful or full of bigotry. The reactions just proved what many of us are already aware of; we are light years away from a post racial America. 

The odd reaction to the commercial was a bit unsettling considering that interracial couples and biracial children are nothing new. For centuries races have mixed, producing the array of beautiful pigments that make up the human race, allowing for the diversity that makes us uniquely different from one another. Even more disheartening is that so many people thought that by lashing out at a commercial that they would somehow discourage interracial coupling. 

Was it the fact the commercial used a black male and white female that cause the uproar? I wonder if the gender roles had been reversed say they used a black woman and white male would the same overall reaction exist? Or how about an Asian woman and black male? Many have complained about the context of the ad, which shows the husband sprawled out on the couch (lazy stereotype) while the dutiful wife is in the kitchen. Truthfully, the thought of black men being intimately involved with white women has been a point of contention in recent history.  Just research Emmett Till for a little insight or visit a blog site that features an interracial couple to see how the majority of people feel concerning the topic. 

Regardless of the negative opinions that stemmed from the Cheerios ad, the conversations that it provoked afterward are ones that we should of invoked several decades ago. Hopefully more ads will be produced that start the dialogue about race in America. Take a look and let us know what you think concerning the Cheerios commercial.