Would you consider this racist? H&M advert

[BornInSydneyy]

A young black boy wearing a jumper that says -

“Coolest monkey in the jungle”

I genuinely can’t understand how anyone thought that was acceptable.

Of course it's not racist! Everyone calls children monkeys in the UK... Cheeky monkey, little monkey, etc. I hear it all the time! In fact, seeing it as racist is kind of racist because you're the one associating a black child with a monkey rather than seeing an innocent advert of a beautiful little boy in a cute jumper.

The amount of wilful ignorance in this thread is disappointing but not surprising.

I fail to see how it's racist simply to realise 'monkey' is used as a racist term. Saying you don't make the connection doesn't make you not-racist, it marks you as oblivious to what some people go through at the hands of the privileged. That's not something to virtue signal about.

The campaign is, at best, misguided. No one is saying that the little boy shouldn't be allowed to wear that jumper in his daily life - that's for his parents to decide, but a national campaign? The marketing team are either clueless or cruel.

I've often wondered why black boys called monkeys and told to fuck off back to the jungle have a problem with it. Who knew? Monkey is just a term for children here

Appealing. As a black woman with mixed race DC it infuriates me to see this kind of thing, time and time again.

Appalling. Definitely not appealing

For those that don't believe that black people are still being abused with monkey chants here is a newspaper article from the Sun last year showing two grown men in tears as a result of this type of abuse. Both being comforted by their white team mates who were obviously more able to recognise that their black teams mates were being abused than some of the posters here. Are they racists too in your minds?

The fans in question in both cases were from Serbia, but come on people do you really really think that there are not still black children in the UK being called monkeys, given bananas, told to go back to the jungle or having 'ooh ooh' noises made at them? I've seen the most disgusting images and words being used against the most powerful man in the world and his family, why would children be exempt, there are still loads of racists around who really enjoy making their targets feel like shit. This campaign won't have helped.

I think it probably comes from blissful ignorance - I was once working in a school with behavioural issues. There was a child who was jumping up and down on his chair making silly noises. I told him to sit down because he was behaving more like a monkey in a zoo than someone who was in a school to learn. Volunteer TA (white) made a complaint because the boy was black (child didn't seem offended and no complaint was made by parents). It honestly didn't cross my mind - I was MORTIFIED! I treat all the children I teach the same and because of this I now treat them differently (more careful what I say to some). I'm sure their advertising team are now feeling the same (really stupid and upset that they have caused offence).

Haven’t fully caught up yet but

Julie8008

No different than a white child wearing a jumper saying "the most precious snowflake of mumsnet".

Oh my fucking god are you kidding?? It’s very fucking different

A dileberate act of racisim, probably not but the level of tone deafness on display is pretty damn high, especially for a supposed marketing team. I’m guessing there was probably no one involved in the campaign who wasn’t ignorant to the double meaning because let’s face it, if you haven’t or haven’t known someone whose been called a ‘monkey’ and ‘to go back to the jungle’ then you probably don’t see it the same way as those who have.

What this debacle exposes more than anything is a lack of diversity behind the scenes, simply having a black model in a campaign, doesn’t make it inclusive.

The model wearing the ‘great tits’ t-shirt, would it be as ‘amusing’ if the model was 12?

Agree that it was deliberate .

What MargeryFenworthy.
My mixed race son was taunted with monkey chants by a large group of boys when he was 5. I bet that there is only white people who don’t have an issue with this. I am white myself. Had you ever had your husband or child taunted by monkey chants
Your views, I suspect, would differ.

Sorry first sentence should read what MargeryFenworthy said.

The amount of people dismissing other people’s feelings on here is disgusting.

I imagine the majority of those saying it’s not racist are White British (I’ve seen a few mixed race posters say it’s not racist)

White people do not speak to black people on what they can find offensive/racist!

Oh and for anyone who doubts that black people are taunted by monkey chants. Please pm me and I will happily send photos of a man doing just this outside Bromley (using a hammer for extra effect). Happy to share for anyone that needs enlightening.

Just because racists use the monkey as a negTive thing, we should ban monkeys in anything. Next to own a monkey toy will be like having a golly wig. You are giving into the racists.

Champagneandthestars
I agree.
A child wearing a monkey top is not really some massive sign of H&M being racist. There's loads of things for kids called cheeky monkeys etc.

Nobody would have batted an eyelid if the white child was wearing the top. Parents of children with BME heritage could decide in the shop if they were happy to buy the top or not.
It is a misjudged advertising campaign which has failed to consider that some may find the top offensive due to monkey being used as a racial slur.
The top is not racist.
H&M are not racist

Aero - no. I don’t think that’s even remotely what anyone is saying

8Of course it's not racist! Everyone calls children monkeys in the UK... Cheeky monkey, little monkey, etc. I hear it all the time! In fact, seeing it as racist is kind of racist because you're the one associating a black child with a monkey rather than seeing an innocent advert of a beautiful little boy in a cute jumper.*
And this is my point, naive or wilful?
Can you not see that your post is completely ignoring and obliterating the historical and current use of racist language? It's actually really important that you understand it because it's people like you minimising that ensure that it remains.

Feral except it’s black people pointing it out?

So if I pull someone up for calling me a Polak is it me who has the issue with someone calling me that because I noticed it’s wront ?or is the connotations behind I told that are wrong?

Aero, don't be so bloody silly. We don't use the 'N' word anymore do we.

Sorry for my last post for some reason it said there was posts after mine that aren’t 😂

I’m sure plenty of people in the marketing team did think it was inappropriate - they were probably too scared to say anything though in case they were accused of being racist ( as this thread proves )

Dippingmytoesin, I personally didn't see it as a racist as non white. But it does not mean I think it's ok.

Gilead the M word won't be able to be used like tgat in the future, because of racists using monkey in a negative way. I do agree that tge slogan can be seen as racist, especially a black model was wearing it, HandM should have given that more thought.