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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
TheFairyCaravan · 09/01/2018 10:26

Young children don't see monkeys on hoodies as racist.

It doesn’t have a monkey on it. It’s got a slogan on it saying “Coolest monkey in the jungle.” Putting that on a black child is racist.

Rufustherenegadereindeer1 · 09/01/2018 10:29

Good post wellthisisshit

There have been a lot of good posts but yours is gooder Smile

BertrandRussell · 09/01/2018 10:30

My 16 year old ds is a football referee. He has only ever sent 3 people off in his time-one for a crashing, hideous professional foul and 2 for monkey noises. The players concerned were under 16.

Glintysea · 09/01/2018 10:30

iggi I agree. Surely some things ARE just racist? And it doesn’t mean only the group affected by the racism are allowed to make a judgement about something. Surely a person from another background is able to see that a word or a comment is racist or is stereotyping a group of people?

Glintysea · 09/01/2018 10:32

Well said wellthisisshit.

BertrandRussell · 09/01/2018 10:33

"So when my ds was called a monkey by our lovely white neighbour, I should have had a go at her?"
No of course not. But when a bully at school makes monkey noises at him- and they will, it's happened in every school I have been associated with-he needs to know it's not intended as affectionate.

SeekEveryEveryKnownHidingPlace · 09/01/2018 10:34

Not seeing the unfortunate implications of putting this hoody on a black child is concerning - it's not 'a racist top' but you have to wonder about the decision-making behind this shoot, and the fact that nobody said, 'hang on, this is a bit unfortunate'.

spiritofadventure · 09/01/2018 10:36

Monkeys live in the jungle - they are also pretty cool.

What if the slogan had been 'coolest fish in the sea'?

It's an animal slogan on a childs jumper ffs.

If we stop teaching the association, the association will disappear.

Coconutspongexo · 09/01/2018 10:37

Is fish ever used as a racist term?

SeekEveryEveryKnownHidingPlace · 09/01/2018 10:37

And it's ridiculous to go AAAAAAH but would you say this about a white child.

Well no, obviously not! I would probably say 'are you a cheeky monkey' to a white child, and if I started saying it to a black child I'd stop myself and think, woah, that's probably not ideal. I don't think that's a bad thing.

SeekEveryEveryKnownHidingPlace · 09/01/2018 10:38

What if the slogan had been 'coolest fish in the sea'?

Then there would have been no unfortunate associations and no problems. What's your point?

BakedBeans47 · 09/01/2018 10:40

I felt very shocked when I saw this advert. What an appalling at best lapse of judgement or unconscious bias, or at worst deliberate racism.

I am glad it’s been pulled and can’t believe how obtuse some posters are being “oh I just see a cute boy in a lovely top!” Oh well that’s ok then and obviously things like footballers having ape noises made at them and bananas thrown at them when they’re doing their job is OK too eh Hmm

Bimbler · 09/01/2018 10:40

What if the slogan had been 'coolest fish in the sea'?

What race of people are referred to by racists as fish?

I'm all ears.

BertrandRussell · 09/01/2018 10:40

"If we stop teaching the association, the association will disappear."

So In the example I gave earlier, donyou thjnk my son should have ignored the players making monkey noises at the opposition?

Inthenightmoon · 09/01/2018 10:41

@spiritofadventure
I think you have been exposed to rasicm your whole life and are therefore ignorant to it. Quite sad really.

user1466690252 · 09/01/2018 10:42

it's staggering a company like h&m didn't see the issue, actually, because they didn't see the issue surley it isn't racist as racism is intentionally doing something against a certain race?

spiritofadventure · 09/01/2018 10:43

Why then, seek if you wouldn't say 'cheeky monkey' to a black child, do you think it is ok to say it to a white child?

Surely the point of offensive sayings is that they are never ok to say to anyone at any time.

Treating children differently because of skin colour is worse, in my opinion. It shows that you see them as something other than the rest of the children.

surferjet · 09/01/2018 10:43

If we stop teaching the association, the association will disappear

Maybe that was their idea?

There’s a nursery near me called ‘gaytime day nursery’ which is taking the word back to its original meaning of ‘fun & happy’
Good on them.

C8H10N4O2 · 09/01/2018 10:43

because they didn't see the issue surley it isn't racist as racism is intentionally doing something against a certain race?

No. The most generous spin they could put on it is massive unconscious bias operating.

PeppermintPasty · 09/01/2018 10:46

The posts that stand out (in the wrong way) for me on here are the seemingly faux-naive posts about not seeing the racism/ignoring/reclaiming the language etc etc. Just how, how can you have lived your life in such a way as to apparently be totally unaware that racism exists, and exists in such a multi layered way, as to be all-pervading and pernicious? There is a distinct lack of empathy here.

It all reminds me of my parents when I was young. They were polite people, and would never have said anything overtly racist, but they were ignorant, so ignorant, about lives other than theirs, perhaps as one might expect. They were racist, and as I grew up I challenged them on lots of things and racism was one of them. They would declare they were not and how dare I suggest it etc etc, but would then come out with utter drivel that I won't repeat here. They absolutely refused to come out of their Telegraph -reading middle class bubble and consider the world in a wider way. -That was 30 years ago or so, and there's are people on here today who seem to be of the same mindset!

Weebo · 09/01/2018 10:47

Surely the point of offensive sayings is that they are never ok to say to anyone at any time.

No.

Important things like context and history matter. You can't just ignore them when it suits you.

That's what makes people ignorant.

IMightMentionGriddlebone · 09/01/2018 10:48

Hang on, Spirit you're making it sound as if we only think it's offensive because a leaflet went round telling people it was a banned phrase.

We don't. We think it's racist, because of racists using it as a term of abuse. How are you going to get the racists to sign up to an agreement not to "teach the association" to children?

SeekEveryEveryKnownHidingPlace · 09/01/2018 10:49

Why then, seek if you wouldn't say 'cheeky monkey' to a black child, do you think it is ok to say it to a white child?

because it would be unfortunate and crap to say it to a black child because black children have been and are compared to monkeys in racist ways, whereas white children have not. Obviously.

SeekEveryEveryKnownHidingPlace · 09/01/2018 10:50

I don't 'see something different' about black children, but I understand that their experience of a racist society will not be the same as that of white children.

spiritofadventure · 09/01/2018 10:51

Of course not bertrand offensive comments or behaviour should never be ignored. But you're missing my point.

Those 16 year olds learnt that behaviour from somewhere. Nobody is born racist.

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