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.
Amen. Thank you for this, Amanda, this made my day.
I just wanted to say I LOVE THIS!!!! I had not seen the commercial until now, and I just read your post and saw your cake…it is PERFECT!!!! Children have a HARD enough time in todays world, why should we make it worse by hating someone because of the color of their skin??? GOD LOVES US ALL…none of us are perfect!!!
I thought that commercial was sweet and darling! It’s sad that ppl can’t look past color. Let us always remember to teach love and show kindness.
I, too did not get what the controversy was about. I am saddened by the hate that these people carry. Thank you! Gotta go buy some cheerios!
This makes me think of something I heard recently, “Hatred never ceases hatred but by love alone is healed, this is an ancient and eternal law.”
Thank you for sharing this, I’d not heard of the controversy (we do not have TV), and I limit my online exposure to negativity.
WOW- who would have thought. I didn’t even notice (meaning that it didn’t stand out to me) that there was an interracial couple in the commercial- they were just parents with a cute little girl. Shocked that it is controversial. LOVE the cake & glad you did it.
Beautifully made and well said. Thank you!
Well said. It is disgusting that race is even an issue in 2013- watching that video, that would have NEVER come to my mind. The commercial is adorable… And that cake looks AMAZING! Love this post 🙂
I haven’t heard anything about this controversy until now. I don’t think I’ve even seen the commercial. But I love this post and cake, and I think you are so right. You are a wonderful role model. 🙂
Who cares if the couple are inter-racial. Things are changing , the world is changing and there is no room for racism . People have to learn to except people for who they are and not by the color of their skin. I mean come on we all bleed red blood when we are cut, we all cry tears when we suffer great loss or have great happiness.