Cereals are killing our children

By: Chadd Kaiser
Contributing Writer

Parents of the world, hear my truths. I have seen the world inside and out, and I have sought far and wide the answer to my question. I once wondered why it was that the generation growing up was being presented as such a danger to society, and now I know the truth. The truth lies not in video games or violent movies, but in the subliminal messaging of commercials.

I was once like you, believing that children these days are going to be menaces to the remnants of a society they will soon destroy. I also once blamed it on games like “Grand Theft Auto” and “Manhunt” and horrid books like the “Harry Potter” series, but I have learned that the truth lies in such characters as the Kool-Aid man, the Trix rabbit, and the Lucky Charms mascot, “Lucky.”

These characters spoil the minds of the rising generations through their cartoonish behaviors. Games like “Grand Theft Auto” may contribute mildly to a small percentage of generational misbehavior, but the margins are so minimal that they can hardly be counted. The actions depicted in this game and the images and themes present in books are easily brushed off as “just a game” or “just a book,” and dismissed as improbable in the contribution of evil in the rising generations.

These mascots of subliminal messaging embody the very things we, as responsible citizens, fear might be taught to our children of the rising generation. The Kool-Aid man advocates breaking through fences and walls of yards and houses in order to deliver his flavored drink, giving the message that the destruction of property is dismissed as menial after the consumption of something tasty is paired with it.

Furthermore, the Trix rabbit participates in theft in order to achieve the bliss he needs to receive through Trix cereal. Even though he is never successful, his actions of deception and lies in order to obtain something he wants are teaching our children that if you want something badly, you can get it by lying.

But the most disturbing of all the mascots is Lucky from Lucky Charms. He is a leprechaun, a mystical creature, who creates “hearts, stars and horseshoes; clovers and blue moons; pots of gold and rainbows; and a red balloon” out of his mystical bowl of gold. Not only does he participate in witchcraft in order to do this, but the commercials also depict the children clamoring to get near these mystical items, which illustrates and advocates the use of mystic items and magic.

The cartoons and mascots for cereal companies, however, are accepted as familial. The big conglomerates get their messages of vandalism, theft and witchcraft through by deceiving our children into trusting the mascots so much that the thought of dismissal via its being “just a mascot” is like saying the child’s favorite pet won’t go to heaven because it’s “just a dog.” In doing so, the children are somewhat brainwashed into believing, and in some cases, even acting like their mascot heroes who just want to deliver their product to the children.

The companies technically don’t even need the mascots to help sell their respective cereals and drinks because of their aim toward the child market. With the fruity flavors of Kool-Aid and Trix and the sweet taste of Lucky Charm marshmallows, the products essentially sell themselves. However, the conglomerates decide that, for some reason, it’s worth going the extra mile in selling their products through the mascots.

But is it necessary? Cookie Crisp cereal was once sold with a pair of mascots, even though it advertised “a mouthful of cookies in every bite.” The mascots were a robber and his canine companion whose sole existence revolved around stealing Cookie Crisp, only they were always caught at the end of the commercials by the police. This message of retribution for your actions was soon nixed by Cookie Crisp by removing their mascots and all forms of advertising. However, Cookie Crisp still remains on the shelves to this day without their advertisement of the product.

So what do the corporations hope to achieve through their subliminal messaging? Who knows? All I know as a concerned member of this fine nation is that the newest generation is growing up in a society where they are bombarded with images of vandalism, theft and witchcraft that endanger their beliefs and morality. We, as responsible citizens, need to shift our focus from music, video games and books onto these more threatening images found in our children’s everyday lives.