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.

God the ignorance on this thread is astounding...Still it's Mumsnet, I shouldn't be too suprised

Bold fail

Personally, I don't but I am more shocked at the fact that no one on that shoot thought it might cause a stir.

I've never heard this as a racist comment before. Maybe because I'm not racist. Look at it this way. You have a group of kids or different race. They all have the same shirt to wear with the same slogan as mentioned in the opening post. Would you then allow only the white kids to wear it? Leaving the rest out? If you can't allow all children equality then the racist element will never cease to exist. Kids don't care about colour. Its adults that hold on to past issues that kids get hold of as they grow.

The only racists are the ones equating monkey and black child

LilQueenie so are you saying anyone who has heard it used with racist connotations must be racist?

Where are you from??

The only racists are the ones equating monkey and black child

So that would be quite a few black people then?

Sounds about right Bette

It's ok black people, racism is over now. If you call it out you must be being racist because the history of abuse doesn't matter anymore, because white people say so and say stupid stuff to their kids.

That's what I'm hearing from this thread.

Maybe H&M didn't mean it but it was still fucking ill advised.

There is a difference between a little boy choosing a top for himself with a word that has been historically used as a racist insult for black men, and a multi-national company putting a black child model in a top with a word that has been historically used as a racist insult.

This, this, this. Thank you IMightMentionGriddlebone.

All you saying "it's YOU being racist for thinking that, OP" and similar - all I can say is that you are very privileged and lucky not to have to take note of, eg, football fans throwing bananas on the pitch at Black players, etc. It's not even "just" a historical insult, it's used too often now.

My white neighbour used to call my mixed race ds "monkey" when he was younger. I thought it was very affectionate term, actually, never felt racism behind it.

God the ignorance on this thread is astounding.. Indeed

I'm struggling to understand how so anyone, never mind so many, can be unaware that monkey is used as a racist insult. It's a particularly well publicised aspect of racism in football. None of you saying this is fine, not a problem, have heard of fans making monkey noises at black players, or throwing bananas on the pitch when black players come on?!

Really?!

Anymajor

Agree.

I also don't think it was deliberately racist, just tone deaf and bloody stupid.

I've never heard this as a racist comment before. Maybe because I'm not racist.

Or, LilQueenie, you are fortunate and privileged enough not to have it said in your hearing.

Just because you don't experience racism firsthand doesn't mean racism doesn't exist.

The racism issue is people like you are still seeing a connection.

Racist football fans still take bananas to throw at black footballers. Sadly, it is still a thing. I think most people with common sense would have put the black model in one of the other designs.

I think there's a big difference between people of any colour calling out obvious racism - like the black woman being passed over for a job, on purpose. In that situation it's anyone's moral (and legal) duty to make a stand.

When it's more nuanced, or possibly unintentional, like in this situation, then the only way you can make the decision as to whether something is racist or unacceptable is to take the opinion of people who are affected by it. I personally would not have made any racist connection, but that's because I've luckily heard very little racism. If even a few black people find it racist, then it's racist.

Look at an equivalent scenario where it is sexism, not racism. In a clear cut case we would expect men to call it out. Where men may not be entirely sure whether it's sexist, or deny that it's sexist, we have no hesitation in saying that it's our female experience and view that counts.

Do you know what, I would love to live in a world where I 'don't see colour' whatever the fuck that means or I hadn't heard a rascist insult or I wasn't sensitive to the insidious rascism that exists in everyday life. But I don't none of us do, it's just that some people are very luck to have not experienced it. It's still there though

I'm a teacher and once called a mixed race boy a monkey unthinkingly, as in, playfully, 'you're a cheeky monkey'. Parents were very angry. I've never made that mistake again...

Although this Christmas I did buy my mixed race godson a Darth Vader t shirt without realising that it said 'Come to the Dark Side' across the back. Was a bit worried. Luckily both he and his mum love it.

The ad has clearly racist connotations, it’s offensive and unacceptable.

Perhaps it’s a cultural thing but I’ve not heard of black people calling their children monkey as a;affectionate term.

It's like calling kids cheeky monkeys.

So either it is acceptable to call any child a cheeky monkey or it's unacceptable to call any child a monkey.

Race doesn't come into this situation in my opinion. A t shirt for children relating to ab entirely harmless expression of kids being chreky monkeys has nothing to do with racist footbal chants.

Wasn't there a PG tips advert with the monkey where the person in the ad said monkey but quite Yorkshire? Next people will be saying you should never have that advert with a black person in it because someone might get annoyed on Twitter.

Okay. Let's clear this up a bit.

All posters who say it's a normal term for children? Yes, white little boys have been called 'cheeky monkey' in an affectionate way for generations. No-one is saying it's racist.

However, at one and the same time, black people have been called monkeys. For generations. It has not been affectionate. It is a racist, dehumanising insult.

If a big company puts a black child in a monkey t-shirt, it looks as if they are, at best, completely unaware of this usage. Putting a black child in a slogan t-shirt which features a word that doubles as a racist insult is a bit badly-judged, surely?

At worst, it can be interpreted as someone making a joke: "Hur hur, let's put the black kid in the monkey t-shirt. Geddit?"

YES I find it extremely racist, tired of this causal racism and people pretending it doesn't exist. Of course you don't see it as racist as your child has never been compared to a money. There is a long history of White people comparing Black people to monkeys. In football stadiums especially in Europe Black players still have monkey noises and bananas thrown their way. However I forgot that mumsnet is the only place on the internet that requires agreement but white people that something is racist for it to be racist

I think it goes over a lot of people's heads.
It's not purposeful, but still not acceptable.

About 10 years ago I read about a childcare worker who had called a boy "cheeky little monkey" he happened to be black, she called quite a lot of the children "cheeky little monkeys" she was advised to resign.
Whilst it's certainly not acceptable that poor woman didn't deserve to lose her job and was not pointing out anything different about the boy who happened to be black. They were all cheeky little monkeys.

The kid in the ad looks older than the young kids typically called ‘cheeky / little monkeys ‘ in an affectionate way. In fact as this is a hoodie, and deploys the word ‘cool’ you might expect it to be aimed at an age group older than cute pre schoolers.

Far right white supremacists still make monkey noises at Black People, and refer to jingle bunnies. What did someone call Michelle Obsma? An ape!!!!!

And the hoodie modelled by the white child does not say the same thing.

Putting a black child in a hoodie that refers to being in the jungle and saying they are a monkey is totally ignorant, provocative and insensitive.