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.

MrsDoylesTeaBags

Zara You need to just stop now

Ah yes, for how dare anyone say no to you.

The attitude of the privileged in action

One not kne

I agree with motherfiver. 'Cheeky monkey' and 'little monkey' are acceptable phrases for a little boy and it shouldn't matter on the race.

Btw, Zarathrustra, you have referred to me as “self-righteous” and I guess as an example of what you earlier referred to as “The righteous crusaders against racism”. You obviously use that term mockingly, but actually I’m quite happy to wear that label, thanks. I can’t imagine why anyone wouldn’t be glad to be called a righteous crusader against racism.

I disagree passthestarmix. The advert was insensitive because of the history and connotations of Monkey/jungle

Agree with @motherfiver. I call my white DD a little monkey frequently. Her best friend at Childminder’s is a boy the same age as her who is black. If they were playing together it would never occur to me to make sure I didn’t refer to them both as a pair of little monkey’s or as monkies plural because of the colour of his skin. I just talk to him, and every other child at childminder the way I talk to my own little one,

Note also that in the same advert a white boy was also wearing the top with the same logo. It’s a shame that in the advert the colour of the black lad is the first thing that people see and interpret rather than the fact that both he, and the similar age white lad might both be cheeky monkey’s. Haven’t we moved on to a place where the assumption is cheeky monkey rather than a colour reference?

I wasn’t thinking of you with my initial ‘righteous’ comment as it happens burblish

Aaah, another GF who finds POC oh so shouty. Those primitive savages that we are. How dare we protest. How dare we not move on and talk about something more important like how often everyone washes their towels.

Jumper didn’t say “cheeky monkey” or “little monkey”. It’s good to RTFT.

It’s not as simple as “treating everyone the same” as you will see from previous posts.

I need to get away from this thread but it keeps drawing me back.

I agree with motherfiver. 'Cheeky monkey' and 'little monkey' are acceptable phrases for a little boy and it shouldn't matter on the race.

The thread is about 'the coolest monkey in the jungle.'

So your view on cheeky monkey is irrelevant.

PonderWoman

Those primitive savages that we are. How dare we protest. How dare we not move on and talk about something more important like how often everyone washes their towels.

Er, no one on here has called - or insuniated - that black people are ‘primitive savages’.

Please stop being dishonest (and, er, shouty)

Ponder we were “whipping up a frenzy” earlier.

Extremely misguided and poor judgement on the part of the advertising team - who are, no doubt, all white

april

I didnt see a group shot of children wearing the hoodie...

Can you link

Please and thank you

“Zarathrustra
I wasn’t thinking of you with my initial ‘righteous’ comment as it happens burblish”

That’s because I hadn’t posted anything when you made your initial comment. Then, you copied my post and said, “This is the kind of post(er) I was referring to”, and went on to call me self-righteous and accuse me of not being able to distinguish between deliberate racism and racial insensitivity, both points echoing your earlier post about righteous crusaders against racism.

The attitude of the privileged in action Yeah thanks Zara

That'll be the privelige of being called a monkey and other names and being told to go back to the jungle when I was not much younger that the boy who's modelling the jumper. Precious memories

April229

the similar age white lad might both be cheeky monkey’s

The thread is about 'coolest monkey in the jungle'.

in the same advert a white boy was also wearing the top with the same logo.

No he's not, he's wearing 'mangrove jungle survival expert'.

If they were playing together it would never occur to me to make sure I didn’t refer to them both as a pair of little monkey’s

But if the little boy were playing only you wouldn't call him a little monkey?

PasstheStarmix & April229 the sweatshirt doesn't say "cheeky/little monkey", though. Reading is not difficult.

Reading is not difficult.

😂

Hmm, I work in a nursery. One day I got the names of two Sri Lankan lads mixed up*

I’m surprised I wasn’t summarily fired for my extraordinary racism.

*As I do with people generally, got a crap memory for names

NotACleverName Exactly reading is not difficult I can see what it said and it as alluding to the term monkey as I'm sure april was as well. Are you saying a white child can wear it with that phrase on only??

I was

Zara I really don’t understand how mixing those lads names up is relevant to this?

CherryDaMaera

Reading is not difficult.

😂

—

Yeah, you’re deeply sensitive to the struggles of others/aware of your own privelege...

Yes it is and I'm surprised that it was published.
The only reason it is racist is because racists tell black people they're monkeys. Football racists make monkey noises to black players.