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.

Growing up in the 60s I remember bullies at school targeting some of the (at that time) relatively few black kids by dancing around them with their hands in their armpits and making offensive gibbering noises. It was beyond awful. So to me I would never call any child a little monkey because I associate it with the overt racism I saw around me as a little girl.

I thought the ad was appalling. I don’t want to see any naughty monkeys in jungles apart from actual monkeys in actual jungles (who don’t know what being naughty is).

Not racist, kids are usually called little monkeys. A monkey looks nothing like a human kid anyway.

Jemimaholm I bloody hope you’re in a union as you’re an accident waiting to happen.

Ridiculous....If a white boy/ child was wearing it, would you think it racist then ?

“Rolls Eyes”

Is 'snowflake' widely used as a racist term? Maybe I am showing my privilege here as I've never heard it used as such, but it has been used by a lot of right-leaning people as an insulting term against people they see as left-leaning or particularly 'sensitive.'
Of course not just white people can be racist. But context, as many others have said here, is key.
This t-shirt on it's own is not the issue.
The fact that this t-shirt is part of a line that includes another that states 'survival expert' is not the issue.
The ad campaign showing a black child in a 'monkey' t-shirt and a white child in a 'survival expert, conquering the jungle' t-shirt shows, at best, a lack of thought by the marketing team. At worst, it reinforces institutionalised racist stereotypes.

FaceOddity, there are so many scenarios that your children will face as they grow up. You do not find the monkey top offensive. I do. Racism faced by my parents generation was very overt. Racism faced today is more covert than it was, but people are still doing the whole monkey noise and banana thing which cannot be called covert despite what some would have you believe.

I refuse to teach my children to accept terms which have a dubious back story. They deserve better. They should know better. They will only know if we give them the full story. They need to know what they are taking a stand against, otherwise casual racism will become even more acceptable than it is now. We righly call out casual sexism with gusto and confidence because we have white support.
Sadly, when it comes to calling out casual racism, our minds are still shackled by the colonial past. Our masters say this is endearing, therefore it must be. Not long ago, minstrel shows were hilarious too. What is wrong with a bit of entertainment eh? Whats wrong with with the golly doll? It was sooooo lovable. We are just over sensitive. Sexism is real, racism is not.

Ridiculous....If a white boy/ child was wearing it, would you think it racist then ?

Rolls fucking eyes back in fucking head.

It is a spectacularly ill judged poster. And of course it’s nonsense to pretend refs to monkeys in jungles on a black boy wouldn’t offend thousands of people.

The irony is that considering the size of company backed up by the average age of marketing staff being 24, there is a real likelihood that nobody actually twigged esp if all the staff that day were white. To posters asking why the boys didn’t just swap, again, I think this was probably down to nothing more sinister than a) they thought the colours of each top matched the skin tones of each models (without reading the words) and b) that’s the way round the sizes fitted best.

So imo it’s a furore built on a bunch of coincidences backed up by a lack of someone older than 12 whose job it is to look at the bigger picture and save their brand from a catastrophic piece of negative publicity.

But as a white MC woman who wouldn’t have noticed anything until it was pointed out to me, I gasped when it was pointed out to me as I then realised immediately how obviously offensive it could be. I’m astounded there’s any adults in this country not fully aware of the term monkey being used as a racial slur.

Aerofloat little white kids are called monkeys.

Unfortunately, monkey is also a common racist taunt. Unpleasant people actually call black people monkeys. To their faces and behind their backs.

Ffs. This is madness, my DC have loads of t-shirts similar. It's racist to assume he can't wear it. He's a little boy, I'd think zero of it.

@ToffeeUp so then in my eyes the black kid has been singled out due to the term monkey having racial connotations. A white kid wears it and no one bats an eye lid. A black kid does and all hell breaks loose.

My mum is black. She has experienced racism. She always called me cheeky monkey when I was young. Maybe I should have pointed out her blatant racism...

It was a term of endearment and even now she calls it my sons too. It depends on intent.

This is a faux pas on h and m's part but you can't expect every body to perceive it as racist. It wouldn't even cross my mind.

Spot on ponder

ponderwoman thank you for saying what I was trying to say, but more eloquently.

Iggi999, yeah, I am, thanks. As I said I have been using it for years without anyone in my area batting an eyelid but I'm glad to have had my perspective widened so I won't use it again.

Only someone with a racist mind would even pick up on this. To me it’s a boy wearing a hoodie with a slogan about an animal on it. The animal’s name is generally associated with cheeky, fun, energetic characteristics....in my world......some people like to see evil lurking around every corner and like to keep us as close to the 1950 as possible.

And I kind of see this like using the word ‘paki’. Of course it shouldn’t be racist. Of course it’s nothing more sinister than a shortening of the word, Pakistani.
But but but, accept it or not, the term has been hijacked by racists and now sits firmly in our consciousness as a racist term used as an insult. Therefore, the decent, non racist, non offensive thing to do is not to use it rather than to argue that it’s just the same as calling someone from Australia an Ozzie.

“The animal’s name is generally associated with cheeky, fun, energetic characteristics....“

And black footballers.

Right so all the POC that have a problem with it have " a racist mind " too do they

Oh being aware of racial slurs equals being racist

Ok

I guess I have a racist mind then

Woodford- yes but every time we ‘see’ the bad we keep that shit alive. If we refuse to acknowledge it, it will die. What makes something racist is the hatred that accompanies the word or action.

I think of monkeys as cheeky loveable animals. Hence I say it to my sons as my mum said it to me. It was a phrase used in our household to characterise a monkeys perceived animalistic traits. It had sweet FA to do with the colour of our skin in our household. If I was white I would still call it my kids because I'm not using it as a racial slur. I do know what happens in footy matches to black players though. But I don't associate calling my kids cheeky monkeys to me being a racist fuckhead because I just am not one.

Look I call my friends " cunts " as a term of endearment. But I also realise that many people find it offensive and it mightn't make the best t-shirt slogan.

Yes, I have a “racist mind” too!

Only someone with a racist mind would even pick up on this.

"I don't experience racism, or notice it when others experience racism, so I'm going to say that those who do notice racism have racist minds, because that makes sense to me." That's about right, eh, @Phalenopsisgirl ?