I try to stay away from controversy on my little baking blog.
I have a philosophy… it’s silly I know. But I believe that we can all unite over cake. No matter your beliefs or views or politics, we can all come together and celebrate with a beautiful and delicious cake.
When I heard that there was a controversy over a Cheerios commercial, I was deeply saddened.
After seeing the commercial, I literally had no idea what the controversy even was! In case you are as blissfully naive as I am, the issue was race.
Some people were upset that the husband was black and the wife was white and that they had an interracial child.
Martin Luther King, Jr. famously said, “We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the hateful words and actions of the bad people but for the appalling silence of the good people.”
I don’t want to be a part of the appalling silence anymore.
After reading some of the awful comments people have made, it’s clear to see that their minds are not going to be changed through some brief internet interactions. I am never going to argue someone into seeing my perspective.
Instead, what I do want to focus on is solutions.
This cake is simple. Overly simple some might say, but that was intentional.
I feel like the solution is simple.
Teach love.
I can certainly make sure that I am raising intelligent, well-mannered and considerate young people who understand that our inherent value is not based on appearance.
Simple.
I can model the behavior that I want to see in them. I hope that my children will see in me a love for others, regardless of physical appearance. I hope that they will remain blissfully ignorant of the pain and destruction caused by prejudice and racism for many, many more years.
Maybe we can all make a simple cake for someone you love!
Now. Do you want to know how I really feel about segregation?
Ahem.
Just in case you want to make your own Cheerios Cake here is what I did:
Make the perfect white cake in two 8-in rounds and the best chocolate cake in two 8-in rounds.
I then whipped up a batch of chocolate buttercream to cover the cake. There is no frosting between the layers.
Using Chocolate Cheerios, I spelled out the word “love”. For the individual slice, I just poured some more Chocolate Cheerios over the top to add some texture and depth of flavor.
Hurrah, Amanda! What an eloquent post! Love you for writing it!
Well said Amanda! Power to the people!! My daughter is in a mixed marriage and when I heard about the commercial I got very upset. I didn’t think it still went on now. All I know is that I have the most beautiful granddaughter from this wonderful marriage and only hope that by the time she is old enough to understand she will inspire and not inquire!
I love your post! Well said!!
Popping over from TidyMom.
Love. This.
xoxo
I’m from Europe and I am deeply impressed by the fact that there are still people that not only think stupid things like one race can be superior to another one, but also that they are not even ashamed of saying it aloud
I don’t often comment on the blogs I read, but I felt the pull to in this case. So I just want to say… Well done. That was a fantastic response to something that should never have been controversial in the first place. And as always, beautiful cake. LOVE.
Interseting. I have seen this commercial dozens of times and NOT ONCE did I notice it was an interracial couple. To me it was a Cheerios commercial. But good for General Mills to us a true dynamic of the American Family. And the fact that this company is based in Minnesota, which is notoriously conservative, double bonus.
What I love best about this post are the comments – not a single hater among your readers – what a great response. Like everyone else – I’m happy you decided to say something about this.
WELL SAID! Love and be loved in return.
Love!