H&M mother has said for people to 'get over it'

[WomanEmpire]

Apparently she has said on Facebook it's people 'crying wolf' and to 'get over it'

Wdyt?

I personally think H&M are counting their lucky stars and have sort of preyed on her, (this is very presumptuous, so I am prepared to be shot down) knowing that perhaps as someone who is native Nigerian and moved to Sweden (I think relatively recently, but again pull me up on this if I'm incorrect) might not be quite as aware of the racism that incurs in the US/UK, as those who live in these countries and wouldn't think to second guess in a shoot, because you'd trust such a popular retailer to not have racist slurs put on a jumper and modelled by a child, who could quite possibly still be called this by those idiots. Because I still can't believe that NO ONE along the process picked up on this.

I'm not saying racism doesn't occur in other countries but I have experience of those two countries.

MsHarry yes you should check yourself, because to the parents of black or mixed-race children they might find that incredibly offensive. I know I would. Unfortunately, just because you think you should be able to call any child a cheeky monkey without a reaction, others may disagree.

also calling a child a 'cheeky monkey' when you know them..... and being an entire advertising team and putting a black child in a top which says 'monkey in the jungle' on a international advertising campaign... are very different things with very different impacts

also calling a child a 'cheeky monkey' when you know them..... and being an entire advertising team and putting a black child in a top which says 'monkey in the jungle' on a international advertising campaign... are very different things with very different impacts

Exactly! DS2s nickname is monkeybhoy, his auntie (she’s black) uses it regularly, because it’s his nickname because he climbs everywhere, not because it’s a racial slur. If she had a child I’d think twice about using the word monkey to describe him/her!

I agree grannie, its the use of the word jungle that makes it totally inappropriate. If it had coolest monkey ever, and a white model, there would not be an issue. Add to that the slogan, and being modelled on a black child, was totally inappropriate. The mother is totally entitled to her feelings, especially its her child in the spotlight, but no she does not represent every view of black people, nobody says it does.

bob I have noticed that most of the people so outrageously offended by this are white.

In the UK, if someone stuck up an advert saying 'all N-words fuck off' then there would still be far FAR more white people offended than PoC...because in the UK there are FAR more white people than PoC.

The number of people in ethnic groups with the potential to have abuse such as 'monkey' thrown at them, is about 5% of the population. I'm bloody glad its more than 10% of the population have a problem with that....really bloody glad that enough people are willing to stand up against it to make it more white people than PoC.

I hope it would be at the very least a majority of the population...and if 50% of the UK population is standing up against using the word 'monkey' to abuse PoC then the white people will outnumber the PoC 9:1. And here's hoping for 19:1 in the near future (100%).

I'm white.

When I first saw the ad, I thought "cute kid", then I saw the slogan on his top and winced, because honestly, who isn't aware that the word monkey has been used as a racial slur? I doubt anyone one involved in the ad campaign intended to be racist, but I do think it was negligent for those responsible not to stop and wonder whether using a black child to model a top decorated with a word which has been widely used as a slur against black people was a good idea.

I'm really uncomfortable with white people saying "omg it can't be racist, X is black and they aren't offended" as if black people are one homogeneous group and X must speak for all of them. And I don't understand why it is OK to ignore the views of those people who are offended. Maybe offence wasn't intended, but it was caused.

It is definitely problematic in the UK/US, and I'm surprised anyone would question that, but is it problematic in Sweden? If they don't have that offensive history of referring to black people as monkeys you can't expect them to know... However they certainly know now, so it won't be repeated.

I wouldn't be offended if someone called my kids cheeky monkey
But that isn't the issue here.
The team at H&M have either shown a total lack of awareness, been aware and ignored it or made a deliberately racist advert.

I suspect its the first.

No way would I have allowed any of my kids to wear that sweatshirt for a photoshoot. Like I said, that parent probably didn't want to jeopardize the modelling and chaperone fee.

Surely, only racist people would view this jumper this as being racist.

Surely, only racist people would view this jumper this as being racist.

I've read this nugget of 'wisdom' more than once over the past few days.

Makes you despair.

@squoosh you’re not the only one. It’s like mansplaining only it’s whitesplaining.

the mother simply doesn't want her Ds to lose out on work.That is obv the place she is coming from

No tempester victims of racism will have every right to see it as racist, anyone who has seen monkey used as an insult to a black person is entitled to see it as racist.

I am grateful this thread has been started for one reason only - so I can applaud Lemonshark for her post on the other thread, that she has repeated on this one.

Bloody excellent post.

Other than that, this thread is going exactly the same way as the one that has posted out now - and it's just as dispiriting. :(

tempester I'm intrigued...what do you define as racism? or do you also claim to be "colour blind"....

Only on MN is it ok to get in a rage over 50p owed you but not be allowed to get upset over an obvious racial slur, or anyone's right to be offended at one.

sigh

Racism is far more pervasive and much less challenged in mainland Europe than it is in the UK.

To suggest that Swedish people don't know about the racist implications of sticking a "coolest monkey in the jungle" top on a boy of African heritage is, at best, naive.

Password

Or maybe it’s because the cultures are genuinely different and because ‘the mainland’ (nice generalisation, btw.... ‘the mainland’?) tends to be less influenced by social developments in the US (in my experience)?

I still think the ad was horribly insensitive and has offended a lot of POC from what I’ve read. monkey and being told to go back to the jungle are racist insults that POC have had to deal with for many decades (at least five in my experience). The DM of the model might be comfortable with it or may have felt pressured into saying she is, either way a lot of people disagree. And I think their outrage is absolutely justifiable.

Regardless of the mothers opinion, it is a bit of a fuck up.

I wouldn’t say I’m ‘colour Blind’ becuase that is not true, of course I notice people’s skin colour. To me it is like noticing someone’s hair colour, I don’t give a fuck but I do recognise differences exist.

The same as a pp I did wince a bit when I saw this advert, my partners response was just ‘oh FFS!’ I don’t understand anyone who dont appreciate this can be perceived as offensive and insensitive.

some of the ignorance on this thread is outrageous. it was deeply offensive,

This enrages me. The fact that someone disagrees with you doesn't mean that they are ignorant, or that they "need to educate themselves".

You have a right to be outraged. Other people have a right not to be.

I'm 100% with New, and indeed this little boys mummy.

Sometimes people thrive on finding offence.
This world has a field of potatoes on its shoulder.

I saw the mother's response and she has such a complex, it's funny.

For a Kenyan born woman who lives in Sweden. I bet she knows what racism feels like. Denying it won't get her anywhere.

I know how my aunt was treated until she was killed by the stalkers and racist bullies. Good luck to her.

Presumably a lot of MNers must have been bemused by the excitement and uptick in sales when French Connection rebranded themselves as French Connection UK and stuck FCUK in large type on all their clothes...

I'm mixed race and my kids dad is black so they are 1/4 white and yes I find it very offensive. I would never put my child in anything monkey related. I'm not surprised the mother has said this as my first thought when I seen the picture was "well the parents mums have been ok with it".