Cheetos encouraging kids to "stick it to The Man"

Take a deep breath and repeat after me... it's just a commercial. Wow, I'm a few weeks away from being a father. Is this my future-- whining about marketing campaigns? If you don't like something, turn the channel. It seems many parents today want to create a worldwide Disney World for our kids. I hate to be the one to say this to some of you guys-- the world doesn't revolve around your kids.

As a kid, I watched a dog named Spuds drink Bud Light and scoring big time with women in bikinis. (Remember the t-shirts?) I pretended to smoke candy cigarettes. I even survived my childhood without a car seat. You know what? Joe Camel never convinced me to smoke. Spuds never convinced me to drink Bud Light. A Cheetos ad campaign will have no impact on your child. Everything will be okay, so please don't go Taliban on every little thing you guys see on television.

From an unconcerned soon-to-be parent,

Mike

Reply

Heh. My 8-year-old son walked into the room while that commercial was playing--the one where the woman puts the Cheetos in the other woman's white laundry--and said "Huh. Now that wasn't very nice." I agreed, and added, "It isn't very funny, either." I'm not immune to laughing at another person's expense, but these commercials leave everyone in my family--from my youngest who enjoys physical humor to my growing-more-rebellious-by-the-day preteen son to my husband and I--just scratching our heads and saying, "Now that just seems like an overreaction!"

Reply

I have not seen the ad but I am not a bit surprised. We show children how to be rude and obnoxious every day on tv, on the internet, in movies. Then we let them tell their parents what to do. And then we wonder what is wrong with our children today. We are getting what we deserve in this "anything goes" society.

Reply

I hate the commerical. It's reinforcing the Gangsta' mentallity of Anarchy No Rules/no Self - Control. The tough guy Rules.
If wasn't for the fact that this attitude pervades the general population and has little or no balancing attitude. Good God we are trying to make Scouts Illegal because we are afraid it's "Too Good."

Reply

First of all, let me say YAY! for gays in California! I don't know what this has to do with Cheetos, but apparently some people think so. Secondly, why do people think that two people getting married in California is going to affect them in any way? I dunno......BUT, as far as this commercial goes, I'm more concerned about the Carls Jr. commercial that has a half naked young lady humping a mechanical bull...does this have anything to do with hamburgers at all?

Reply

The commercials are funny and edgy. I live in a college town and people make chalk drawings on the sidewalks that say "Orange Underground" all the time. It's a highly effective ad campaign.

All of the anti-tobacco "truth" ads have a similar anti-establishment feel to them but nobody complains about THOSE do they?

So, to all of you bored fishwives who want to stand on your porches and b*tch at the world: you can't have your cake and eat it too.

Reply

I agree. There is a commercial for IKEA wherein a woman screams to her husband, "start the car, start the car" when she thinks she has been mistakenly charged too little for her purchases. This is an ad for a sale. Encourages everyone not to do the right thing

Reply

While I have never seen said Cheetos commercials (thank you sweet baby jesus for DVR), I am amazed at the plethora of commenters willing to jump on the Get a Life Bandwagon.

Who knew that having an opinion about an advertising campaign meant that one was automatically lacking in awareness and concern for Real Issues? Judgey much?

Also -- for whistlepig -- as parents, my husband and I DEFINITELY have rolls in our kids' lives. Sometimes sticky buns too.

Reply

When some kid puts a bagful of Cheetos in the gas tank of Pepsico's CEO, these ads will suddenly disappear!!

Reply

CHILL OUT!!!

With all the things we have to worry about nowadays Cheetos are the hot topic????

Try to have a little faith in your parenting and in your children and loosen up. If you make everything a big deal then it is a big deal. Sometimes we just need to laugh, sigh or shake our heads...and then move on to the really important stuff.

Reply

I totally agree -- my first reaction to those were that they were mean-spirited and suggested that anti-social behavior was okay if it meant that you got what you wanted. Not a message I thought should be sent.

I'm not a huge Cheeto's eater --- I like 'em, just try to limit the stuff, but I won't buy it now. Not that it will make a big dent in their pocket, it's just based on principle.

Reply

Ghandi said that we should all live our lives the way we wish other people lived their's. I have no problem with gays choosing to marry. The world is such a miserable place, why should we care how people choose to love each other? I have no problem with gays getting married. You have one life, live it as you choose. However, I do have a problem with junk food companies encouraging kids to see themselves as powerless and outside the fringe of society ..... and to cure their alienation by being destructive. At least now I have an excuse not to deal with my disgusting orange fingerprints all over my house and on my daughter's clothes.

Reply

how can cheetos stunt your growth? I ate like 12 bags a day as a kid and im 6'2! the ads aren't bad, I wanna know where the parents were at!

Reply

You know, in this day and age of violence, of children being neglected or being left to their own devices because of working parents, I think anything that even remotely resembles negative or distructive behavior should be completely banned. Because of the 1st amendment advertisers get away with alot. I really think they would sell more products if their ads had a positive message and were more humanatarian. What's wrong with using cute animals, such as a child feeding his cheetos to a puppy under the dinner table?

Reply

I think the disturbing thing about the commercial is that it "highlights" our society's apathy towards being disrespectful towards each other and that retaliation is an acceptable response. There is an epidemic of disrespect and unappreciation for each other swirling around us. But that being said, you could also look at the commercial as a smart, artsey social commentary on this societal apathy. In the end, a commercial is only about selling a product. Is this commecial successful, it is in generating conversations about right and wrong, but not necessarily in selling the product.

Reply

I'm 16 and to tell you the truth I watch a lot of T.V. and I've seen that commercial a ton of times but I don't run out and throw a hand full of cheetoes in someone’s laundry. I really don't care about the commercial and I bet most kids could careless too.

Reply

I can almost guarantee you that your child loves Cheetos because they taste good, not because they encourage him to rebel.
Parenting seems to be fading out as more and more working adults choose television to raise their children. I haven't myself seen these commercials, and I can see your reluctance to support a company advocating such advertising techniques, but it's just a snackfood commercial. When I was a kid CapriSun ads showed kids turning into a mercury-esque substance and flying around, and the Trix rabbit frequently stole cereal from kids. Do these commercials support reckless behavior or theft? I never dreamed of stealing anything at the "encouragement" of those cereal ads because I knew my parents would have my head.
If you're adament about not supporting the brand, the grocery stores such as Publix and Kroger usually make their own knock-off brand. The cruncy ones usually aren't up to par, so to speak, but the puffy ones are just as good.

Reply