A cute Cheerios commercial featuring an interracial family garnered so much racist backlash on YouTube that the comment section for the clip was disabled.
More than 1,600 people had liked the ad and more than 500 clicked dislike as of Thursday evening.
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Although the comments are no longer available, Adweek.com reported that they included
references to Nazis, “troglodytes,” and “racial genocide.”
Whitney Avalon, who plays the mom in the commercial, tweeted that she was proud to be part of the ad.
Reactions on Twitter were widely approving of the ad and in disbelief that an interracial family could cause such a stir.
YouTube’s open comments sections are often a dumping ground for inappropriate comments regarding race, religion, and gender, among other things.
Retailer J
.C. Penney recently found itself in hot water and fired its CEO after airing Mother’s Day and Father’s Day ads featuring two moms and two dads. The company’s sales dropped 25 percent.
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