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Original poster

Would you consider this racist? H&M advert

999 replies

BornInSydneyy · 08/01/2018 21:12

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.

OP posts:
Thread gallery
10
IMightMentionGriddlebone · 09/01/2018 07:52

Aerofloat

No-one is talking about banning monkeys. We are appalled that the black child model was put in the shirt that featured a slogan one word away from being a common racist slur.

At best, this makes some teams at H&M very ignorant. At worst, it may be deliberate mockery.

I linked to this t-shirt last night. Is it really about birds? Is it appropriate for the workplace, do you think?

Would you consider this racist? H&M advert
Lndnmummy · 09/01/2018 07:57

The campaign IS racist though maisypops. And I sincerely hope that ALL parents stop and think before buying this jumper. Not just parents of BME children. Hopefully ALL parents make a stand.

NotSureThisIsWhatIWant · 09/01/2018 07:59

DS is dark, I have always called him “the little monkey” as thousands of other people do call their children. Perhaps it is not the jumper/ kid combination that is racist,racism is in the eye of the beholder.

Rufustherenegadereindeer1 · 09/01/2018 08:03

Christ some people are playing dumb

just because you have never seen the word monkey used as a derogatory term just not mean that it is not used as such

You do not have to be racist, or have racist friends or support the wrong team to have heard/seen the term

You just need to have seen the news or read a paper or have relatives who have been at the other end of such an insult

I am happy to believe that some people on here have never heard ot seen it...i am and that's obviously fine and a few people have said this

I am not happy to be told that the word monkey has never been used as an insult as that makes the person 1) stupid or 2) goady or 3) a liar

IMightMentionGriddlebone · 09/01/2018 08:05

NotSureThisIsWhatIWant

What would you think of a woman at work wearing the t-shirt in my last post?

What would you think if the site that sold it had a clearly overweight boy, who visibly ran to fat around the chest, modelling the t-shirt?

Rufustherenegadereindeer1 · 09/01/2018 08:06

aero

ust because racists use the monkey as a negTive thing, we should ban monkeys in anything.

Would love to see the post that says the above

Rufustherenegadereindeer1 · 09/01/2018 08:08

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.

Agree

Aeroflotgirl · 09/01/2018 08:10

I guess if the t shirt had cheeky monkey that would have been fine, in fact I have seen it on boys t shirts, ds was passed one on in a bag of clothes. He is a cheeky monkey, playful, loud, cheeky. But tgat slogan was misguided and I don't think they meant to be racist. If I white kid had modelled it tgere woukdent have been an issue.

PinkChestnut · 09/01/2018 08:18

How are we supposed to move on from the dark ages of racism and sexism if it keeps getting dragged up all the time?

I would absolutely agree it to be racist if it wasn't a common UK thing to call children. I call my baby a little monkey all the time. Let's start associating it with a cute child term now instead of what ignorant minority used to use it for.

Aeroflotgirl · 09/01/2018 08:22

Monkeys are lovely animals, cute and lovable, to associate them with racism, because some narrow minded racists use them in a negative way is very sad, and giving in to them.

Rufustherenegadereindeer1 · 09/01/2018 08:24

aero

No one has said that

Most have said that its used as a derogatory term

ThumbWitchesAbroad · 09/01/2018 08:24

ASsociating black people with monkeys is degrading them as humans, and designating them as sub-human, as animals.

Why is it so hard for some people to see this?!

FFS.

cindersrella · 09/01/2018 08:26

Surely the boys family would have see him been dressed for his shoot and would have commented if they thought it was racist??

I don't think it's racist I think a lot of people are very over sensitive and love a drama...

Iwanttobe8stoneagain · 09/01/2018 08:26

No it’s not. My boy is a cheeky little monkey. Surely the fact it didn’t cross the advertisers mind (let’s face it h&mwont have done this on purpose) is the total opposite. Probably thought he looked the best in green rather than orange

Aeroflotgirl · 09/01/2018 08:30

Nobody is associating black people with monkeys, just because some do, does that mean we should never use the term monkey in case it offends! It's a common perfectly fine term that is oalso used to describe kids!

IMightMentionGriddlebone · 09/01/2018 08:36

does that mean we should never use the term monkey in case it offends!

If we talking about someone black or mixed race, yes.

In other news, I also avoid calling women 'cows' or 'bitches' (word that originally just mean female dogs).

Weebo · 09/01/2018 08:37

No one is saying never say monkey for goodness sake.

You just never, ever call a black person - Man, woman or child - A monkey ever.

I mean that's 'Don't be a dick' 101 right there.

BertrandRussell · 09/01/2018 08:38

It’s very odd. I have never called a child a cheeky monkey, I don’t think I have ever heard it being used, but whenever a thread like this comes up, you’d think it was the single most common term of affection used by adults in the UK for children! I presume you all have gollywogs on your shelves that were your favourite toy as children and never associated with black people? [grin)]

Aeroflotgirl · 09/01/2018 08:39

Totally eye rolls, very sad world we live in.

CabernetSauvignyoni · 09/01/2018 08:40

just because some do, does that mean we should never use the term monkey in case it offends!

I've managed to live my life thus far without referring to a black person as a monkey. It really isn't that difficult.

Referring to a group of children, all from different races (including white children) as cheeky monkeys - fine. I doubt anyone would find issue with that.

Referring to a black individual or a group of black children as monkeys - I'd find a different phrase because I'm not an ignorant dick I have no idea whether that child or their relatives have been subject to disgusting racism centred around that image and it isn't for me to decide to ignore it so that we can just associate monkeys with cute animals instead Hmm

Be creative. Think of another phrase.

Aeroflotgirl · 09/01/2018 08:41

I have and. Tgere are boys t shirts saying cheeky monkey. No I don't have gollywogs. They are totally different and designed to mock black people. A monkey is a creature that lives in hot countries.

BertrandRussell · 09/01/2018 08:43

It’s also baffling how people cling on to words even once they’ve been told that they can be offensive, instead of just saying “oh, I didn’t know that. I’ll use one of the other billion words at my disposal”

BertrandRussell · 09/01/2018 08:44

“ A monkey is a creature that lives in hot countries“

Like black people?

IMightMentionGriddlebone · 09/01/2018 08:49

The bloody top doesn't even have 'cheeky monkey' on it. It has Coolest Monkey in the Jungle. For people who don't know,,that's worse, as that's two forms of racial slur together.

ToffeeUp · 09/01/2018 08:50

Yes we live in a sad world indeed when peoples real life feelings and experiences are being dismissed because monkeys are cute and used as a term of endearment
As for 'racism is in the eye of the beholder', wtf!