Kraft’s latest commercial campaign features a milk bite snack that is confused about his identity because he is the child of milk and granola. The depiction of the “biracial” snack has brought attacks that it is perpetuating a stereotype of racially confused mulattos.
The Kraft’s commercial is no longer than 30 seconds, but it entails a stereotype that has been thriving for years. Mel the Milkbite is the representation of Kraft’s latest nutritious treat; a combination between granola and milk. Mel was featured in one commercial staring at himself in the mirror as he asked, “Who are you? What am I? Maybe you’re nothing…I’m not… I’m valuable.”
Mel is apparently facing an identity crisis because his mother is milk and his father is granola. This commercial spot definitely stepped on some toes, but another commercial that featured Mel questioning his parents was even more harshly received by many viewers.
“You didn’t think, did you?” Mel asked the glass of milk and bowl of granola. “You didn’t think what life was gonna be like for me.”
Another commercial followed Mel on his blind date with a Caucasian woman who questioned Mel for looking like granola even though his profile said he was milk. As the troubled milk bite walked away, his blind date called after him saying, “Please don’t go… I’m kinda into it.”
Many viewers took to Facebook to let the company know that they aren’t happy with the company endorsing the century old stereotype of the tragically confused mulatto. Kraft has not stopped the commercial spots.
A recent commercial placed Mel the Milkbite at a book club where he compared his biracialism to one of the fictional characters in the book the group was discussing. After one member of the book club exclaimed, “He spent 30 years in a Siberian prison,” Mel replied, “Right and I was born in this prison,” referring to his own body and skin complexion as some sort of jail.
http://youtu.be/gK6yayjgj0s
