Something occurred to me today.

Remember the phrase that was used in every cereal commercial ever made? “Part of this complete breakfast”? I don’t know if it’s still used, I don’t watch enough TV, at least not shows that marketing people think cereal eaters watch. But you remember. The narrator would say it at the end of the commercial as the camera would cut to a box of Trix, surrounded by milk, muffins, orange juice, yogurt, toast, coffee, fresh fruit, pancakes, an omelet, a fucking turducken, whatever.

Like this.

Except usually not so badly photoshopped.
(You’d be surprised how hard it is to find a suitable image.)

So today, somebody casually uttered that phrase, and it occurred to me that it’s the most cockwrenchingly stupid thing. Yes, of course it’s part of that complete breakfast. While that breakfast would be plenty complete regardless of the presence of the cereal, said cereal is clearly part of that particular table setting. The fact that it, as a breakfast food, is sitting there with other breakfast food, for the implied purpose of being served as breakfast, you’re only stating the obvious. I don’t see what we’re supposed to gather from what you’re telling me that I can’t tell with a simple glance.

I mean, here’s the same cereal, as part of this complete high-school marching band.

And here’s the cereal as part of this complete, happy, white american stock photo family.

Hell, Trix is also part of this complete firing squad.

I don’t have any sort of big, important message I’m trying to convey. Hell, I barely have a point. I’m just saying that it took me years to realize that literally no information is being conveyed in this message that was not being said offhandedly, but was considered by somebody to be important enough to warrant its own special cutaway scene in every cereal commercial, repeated ad nauseaum.