Do you remember waking up early on a Saturday morning to sit and watch your favorite cartoons? I remember watching all the commercials for toys and begging my mom to go to the store right then and buy that certain something. There is one commercial that sticks out in my mind above all the rest. For a long time it gave me nightmares; having to witness an injustice like that. It was a constant reminder of how unfair this world can be. I can still hear them taunting him… “Silly rabbit, Trix are for kids. How come they couldn’t just give him some cereal? Why are Trix only for kids? And why were those kids so mean to that poor silly rabbit? These are questions that were left unanswered in my young child mind. The Trix cereal commercial is unjust because it teaches us that no matter how hard you work for something, your dreams will always be ripped away from you by the hands of an unfair society. Today I will demonstrate how the Trix commercial teaches kids about animal cruelty, how to be a bully and portrays a false American dream.
Most of you have seen this commercial throughout your years of watching television, but for those of you who were raised by wolves or perhaps were born under a rock I will retell the horrendous plot of the Trix commercial. This basic plot is as follows: 1. Greedy little kids get Trix cereal. 2. Starving Trix Rabbit wants some of his own damn cereal. 3. Knowing that the kids won’t give him any, Mr. Trix Rabbit tries to outsmart them for his cereal. 4. His disguises always fail and the little kids say, “Silly rabbit, Trix are for kids! “Trix Rabbit, or the face of Trix cereal, has been seen in advertisements since 1960, hunting to fulfill his craving of Trix. ” However, the repentant rabbit is constantly shut down by children just before his achievement with the coined phrase, “Silly Rabbit, Trix are for kids! ” I feel this is a great injustice that the Trix Rabbit cannot eat his own cereal. Why is this so? He endorses the cereal, he stars in the commercials and he puts up with all the spoiled kids who steal the cereal from him. Just once let the poor starving animal eat. If the Trix Rabbit cannot eat his cereal, what is he going to eat?
Certainly not what normal rabbits eat? The Trix Rabbit is not a normal rabbit. He is a cartoon character who endorses cereal he can’t even eat. You don’t see Michael Phelps not being able to indulge in his favorite Subway sandwich. Would you find something wrong with Michael Jordan not being able to wear Air Jordan’s? Furthermore, Tony the Tiger, Toucan Sam and Cap’n Crunch all get to eat as much cereal as they want. Why is the ridiculous rabbit the only one subject to this kind of humiliation and torture? The Trix Rabbit has been created to only want and be able to consume Trix cereal.
So therefore he must eat Trix cereal in order to survive. Which brings me to my first point; animal cruelty. This commercial clearly demonstrates an act of animal cruelty. If the Rabbit can only eat Trix cereal and the kids won’t let him consume in the cereal; then the kids are summoning him to death by starvation. It is like not letting your cute little ball of joy at home not eat his or her own dog food. Preventing an animal from eating what was designed for them to eat is a great injustice and against the law for that matter. Furthermore it teaches kids that it is ok to bully animals.
The target audience for the commercials is kids, as it states in the punch line of every commercial. “Children often form some of their earliest memories and impressions about the state of the world beyond their families. It is very important that adults filter what these children perceive. Even if children witness bullying as a bad example or as a way not to act, they are still witnessing the act and can be strongly affected by it. ” Bullying animals by keeping them from eating food that was designed for them is an act of animal cruelty.
Along with bullying animals, the commercial also teaches kids that it is ok to bully in general. Mr. Trix Rabbit portrays animal attributes as well as human ones. I’m arguing that because of this commercial, kids are taught that it is ok to humiliate someone by mocking them after they fail. Bullying is a growing problem in our society today. “It is proven that a victim of bullying is twice as likely to take his or her own life compared to someone who is not a victim. ” Do these kids want the rabbit to kill himself? After 52 years of ridicule, mockery and starvation for that matter, the Rabbit has to be on the verge of suicide.
This also proves that Mr. Trix Rabbit is not a normal rabbit, as most rabbits only live to be 10 years of age. ) We as a society have let the biggest act of bullying go on for 52 years to be portrayed to our children as advertisement and have yet to put a stop to it. How can we tell our children that bullying is wrong when they are exposed to it a mere hundred times a week as entertainment and then turn around and feed them the delicious pure sugar breakfast? “How much milk would you like with your bowl of torment and despair today, little Jimmy? Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. These are rights granted to us by simply being born, or in this case created, in America. We as Americans strive daily for these things and work very hard to obtain the lives we always dreamed of. What part of the Trix commercial teaches our kids that you can accomplish anything you set your mind too? Arguably, this commercial teaches them that no matter how bad you want something or how hard you work for it; in the end, undoubtedly the unfair fist of society will knock you on your ass back to the place where you started.
I want everyone to close your eyes. Think of that one thing you want most in your life. Think of everything you would do to get that certain something. Pretend its right in front of you. In arms reach. You are about to grab it and take it for your own. Now imagine that one kid you hated in middle school. You know…the one that everyone liked, that got everything and who would secretly give you a weggie when the teacher wasn’t looking. Imagine that kid grabbing your most precious desire right in front of you and screaming, “Silly Kayla! This IPad is for me! BWAHAHAHA! No wonder they end the commercials right then… the poor rabbit probably goes Chuck Norris on those kids for not letting him have some of the stupid cereal. Life. The Rabbit’s life revolves around the Trix cereal. Liberty. There is no justice in withholding the cereal from his grasp. And the pursuit of happiness. Let the Rabbit pursue his happiness by giving him a bowl of the appetizing artificially flavored fruity cereal! I love Trix cereal just as much as the next person. For years I would fill tiny sandwich bags of the cereal and bring it to school as a snack to have between classes.
As an adult I still treat myself to a bowl here and there on my cheat days from my diet. Contrary to what the commercials state, Trix are not only for kids. Mr. Rabbit has yet to fulfill his lifelong dream of eating the cereal he so desperately desires. We have allowed animal cruelty, bullying and the shattering of American dreams on national television for half a decade without so much as a turn of the head. The Trix commercial teaches kids questionable values and sends conflicting messages. Which brings me to my last point, “Silly humans, Trix are for everyone! ”
