Who would have thought that a cereal box would become the center of racial controversy? Well, it’s 2017 so why not.

Since I could remember cereal boxes have always had some sort of mascot on them. The Trix Rabbit or the Lucky Charms Leprechaun are two examples I enjoyed. Well, Marvel writer Saladin Ahmed, who writes the Black Bolt series, was not happy about Kellogg’s box art on their Corn Pops cereal. He found the cereal box so offensive he decided to tweet to Kellogg’s about his concern.

The crux of his complaint is the janitor is a darker yellow Corn Pop than the rest of the Corn Pops. Let’s ignore the fact that Corn Pop people are yellow for right now. He’s claiming that a darker shade of Corn Pop being a janitor is teaching racism to kids. However as one astute Twitter user pointed out, it’s the fact he’s wearing a hat that is making him appear darker than the other Corn Pops.

It’s fascinating a Twitter user had to point this out to a comic book writer, who at the very least should have some knowledge of how art and shading works especially if they are scripting out stories for artists.

Saladin Ahmed was asked about his reasoning for complaining about the cereal. He explained:

People weren’t buying it and they rightfully roasted Ahmed for his ridiculous behavior.

One user thought Ahmed was just making something out of nothing and assuming too much about the Corn Pop’s profession. In fact, I tend to agree. This darker pop is actually the only one being responsible. While all the other Pops are out goofing around, this one is getting the job done and he looks like he is having fun while doing it. I wonder how Ahmed would explain that?

As for me, I’m a dad, and I just don’t see the huge deal about the artwork. I mean if I saw a pack of puffed corn hanging out next to a darker shade of puffed corn, my first thought wouldn’t be racism.

Shamefully, Kellogg’s succumbed to Saladin’s complaint and apologized noting they have updated the artwork on new boxes that will be in stores soon.

Of course, Kellogg’s isn’t interested in a fight. They just want to sell cereal, and being perceived as racist jerks costs you money. It’s no surprise they responded in this way. However, Kellogg’s needs to be careful. They risk ending up like the NFL if they keep following this path of appeasement.

It didn’t take long for Saladin to take a victory lap about his tirade against Corn Pops. Later he tweeted this gem.

I guess Kellogg’s and their Corn Pops are only “less racist” now. SO much for apologizing in order to try and garner good will.

Wow, I mean again they’re yellow Corn Pops, not real people or even representative of real humans. Interestingly enough Saladin completely missed the mannequins, who also are wearing hats. They too are a darker shade of yellow. I guess that means Kellogg’s doesn’t consider the darker yellow pops to be real pops… Guess when you’re on that side of the fence racism just bleeds off of everything.

I got to ask you all as readers. What do you think? Did the sharp eyes of Marvel’s Saladin Ahmed catch something that needed to be fixed? Or was he making a mountain out of a mole hill and creating an issue out of nothing? Let us know in the comments!

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    About The Author

    Jorge Arenas
    Jorge Arenas
    Resident Star Trek Specialist/ Writer

    If Starfleet were real his career would be in a much different place. Currently, he specializes in all things Star Trek. He loves DC but has a soft spot for Deadpool.