African American
Related: About this forum‘Biracial is Bad’: How KRAFT’s MilkBites Campaign Perpetuates Stereotypes & White Supremacy
The campaign uses an anthropomorphized version of the MilkBite, a little male MilkBite named Mel. The series of commercials, which appear to be both TV spots and online-only diary entries to better introduce Mel, set him up as a confused character who has issues. Heres his introduction.
His very first line, as he looks in the mirror is, Who are you? What am I? Its followed by an introspective, Maybe youre nothing, as he sits alone on a park bench. He tries to convince himself thats not true: Im valuable. But that positive assertion is immediately undercut when he is ignored by a waitress as he tries to get a refill. Mel has issues pops up on the screen, and then hes back in front of the mirror. Are you milk? Are you granola? What are you? he asks himself. Theres a shot of him sitting on a couch and looking at a bowl of granola and a glass of milk (his parents, well find out in a future commercial), then hes back at the mirror. I dont know.
The campaign is clearly setting Mel up as a biracial character, and its using that biracialism as a source of anxiety and confusion. As Koch writes:
http://www.latinorebels.com/2012/05/16/biracial-is-bad-how-krafts-milkbites-campaign-perpetuates-stereotypes-white-supremacy/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=biracial-is-bad-how-krafts-milkbites-campaign-perpetuates-stereotypes-white-supremacy
Systematic Chaos
(8,601 posts)If everyone votes with their wallets and doesn't buy the shit, then it -- and those stupid ads -- will go away.
upaloopa
(11,417 posts)How insecure do you have to be to internalize a commercial about food and give it the power to negatively effect your life? Turn the station and get a grip!
We can't let the world control us. We need to develop a sense of who we are from inside ourselves. You can't let the winds just blow you around like a leaf on the ground!
Enrique
(27,461 posts)unfortunately, children will see this and it could warp their attitudes.
upaloopa
(11,417 posts)JustAnotherGen
(31,902 posts)The 'satchmo' cartoon depictions from the 30's and 40's right?
Enrique
(27,461 posts)JustAnotherGen
(31,902 posts)My great niece is all of my heritage, plus my brother's ex wife (Puerto Rican), plus her father - Vietnamese and Mexican.
I was thrilled to find her a doll at Christmas, dressed like any other baby doll -that was 'Asian'.
My mom's paternal grandmother really had to search high and low for dolls that looked like me in the 1970's. She was sensitive to my situation - as she was Jewish . . . My great grandfather was not - and she knew what her children (My grandfather included) went through growing up Jewish in Western PA in the 1920's and 1930's.
She had a sensitivity chip - that's for sure. She couldn't put herself in my shoes, or the shoes of any racial minority little girl - but she 'got it' just the same.
Her heart would break if she saw the 'contemporary' video footage.
JustAnotherGen
(31,902 posts)Okay - that's my reply title.
I know you are a caucasian male who has been involved in Liberal Circles for many years. I did a quick search because I recognized the User Name from a self-depracating post a few weeks ago.
Here's my question -
Have you ever heard of the 'Tragic Mulatto'? Do you know how prevalent that is? I'm a 39 year old bi-racial (also have one generation removed from Cherokee Indian) woman . . . Perhaps you should listen to me - and what I say -
Since you've never been id'd as the 'tragic mulatto' in your life. Can you put your feet in my paradise blue Tieks today?
upaloopa
(11,417 posts)You weaken yourself by playing the victim. But then it is your life. Yes I am white.
JustAnotherGen
(31,902 posts)As a caucasian male in America.
I'm not playing the victim - I'm telling you what the REALITY of BLACK/Bi-RACIAL in America is.
The reality especially of black women - can be found in a little book by Melissa Harris-Perry - Sister Citizen.
Read it - then respond again.
Enrique
(27,461 posts)just so you know.
Don't worry, you're not alone, a ton of people talk about race without listening to anyone else.
SemperEadem
(8,053 posts)no experience as a mixed race person, so your glib advice, speaking as if you have some kind of experience or authority on the topic, is meaningless.
Scootaloo
(25,699 posts)if I have to choose between the two, I'm going to go with my experience. it's easy enough to say "Aw, just get over it" when you've never had to put up with it. Some people have to put up with it for the whole of their conscious life, however, and it does cause damage and weign you down like baggage.
This commercial's character takes a very real anxiety held by many people, many children - not just of mixed races but of a number of situations - and uses it as a "funny" gimmick to sell you processed wheat snot.
SemperEadem
(8,053 posts)everyone has one and some of them stink.
and what's this "we" shit? You're a white male, not a mixed race or minority, so what do you know about that experience? Nothing.
provis99
(13,062 posts)what, the brown stuff isn't good enough until you cover it up with sweet white stuff?
bigtree
(86,005 posts). . . within themselves.
That said, who knows what the intent of the author was?
The date seems into him tho . . .maybe that'll resolve his identity crisis.
MrScorpio
(73,631 posts)These commercials outrage me. As the mother of a biracial daughter and a white woman married to a black man, I am frustrated with narratives that suggest people who mix are irresponsible and unconcerned with their childrens well-being. But even more than that, I am absolutely sick and tired of white supremacy narratives cropping up everywhere. This is a commercial for a breakfast snack, for crying out loud! Do we really have to racialize that?!
This is not to say that I dont think race should be portrayed in pop culture. I am not of the colorblind camp. Of course race is an issue, and it would be ridiculous to pretend that its not. But part of the reason race is an issue is because of campaigns like this one, campaigns that perpetuate stereotypes and marginalize people who dont neatly fit into preconceived categories.
I think it is immensely important that we call this type of narrative out when we see it. I know that people are going to say its just a commercial, but thats how stereotypes work. Theres no one, big, overarching thing that we can destroy to fix racism. Racism is an insidious presence that entangles us through multiple avenues, many of which are subtle and easy to overlook. This KRAFT campaign is an example of that, and I think we have a responsibility as ethical consumers to be conscious of that.