To think these Youtube nursery rhymes are racist?

[SimoneAndGarfunkel]

DS likes to watch nursery rhymes on YouTube. We've come across this channel called "Ava and Dave". Some of the videos feature monkey characters.

So this is a slightly awkward question to ask but to me, the monkey characters remind me of racist caricatures of black people - especially with the way their hair is styled.

Am I imagining this? AIBU to think these seem rather racist?

I'm not going to sit through 80 min of this shit. Time stamp please

It's the first song @GoldfishParade. Sorry for not making that clear.

Yeah, that seems pretty racist.

It starts 23 seconds in to be precise.

Is the nursery song they're singing "5 little monkeys jumping on the bed?".

Yes chocolateoranges33

Hmmm. But then at 8 minutes in, you see the white kids' mother is a black woman. That seems pretty progressive.

Unless you equate black people with monkeys, it's not racist.

7 mins in there’s a black lady allowing Ava and Dave to go for a walk with a black doll. It’s a little weird but whoever made the animation certainly weren’t suggesting any of those people were monkeys. So I don’t think they were trying to be racist, however giving the monkeys hairstyles synonymous with black culture was a bit odd. I thought the doctor monkey and later the bus driver monkey looked Indian!

@ivftake1

Unless you equate black people with monkeys, it's not racist.

This

Unless you equate black people with monkeys, it's not racist.

It is a well-known racist insult - not something I'm making up 🤷‍♀️

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monkey_chanting

[quote SimoneAndGarfunkel]Unless you equate black people with monkeys, it's not racist.

It is a well-known racist insult - not something I'm making up 🤷‍♀️

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monkey_chanting[/quote]
I know. But I don't look at monkeys and see black people. Because that'd make me racist.

Yes but most people don’t see monkeys in things and equate it with race is what PP is saying. There are black characters in this too, who are then not portrayed like that so it’s a bit of a leap.

I have no idea what's going on with the woman 8 minutes in.

Maybe it's generally well-intentioned but the monkey video definitely feels off to me.

you are being ridiculous

Sorry OP, but that just made me wonder what the fuck has kids entertainment turned into?? Whats wrong with a bit of bagpuss or the flumps??

I think it’s knowing that term has been used against black people as a racist insult, it then seems a bit off to use stereotypical black hairstyles when “styling” the monkeys. I don’t think it’s deliberately racist, but they probably should have thought more about it.

If you look for it, you can find it. I wouldnt have noticed this but thanks for pointing it out. Are you going to do something positive now, like report it?

I see monkeys only, I have been told baa baa black sheep was racist till I pointed out there is actually black sheep, the person had no idea they existed

I cant keep up with what is racist or not

It was probably cheaper and much quicker for the company running the YouTube channel to reuse a 3D model of a child they already have modelled and rigged for animation and add on 'monkey features' than for the company to animate monkeys from scratch for a short song, so I think it could of atleast been an honest mistake.

I was all set to roll my eyes at you OP and haven't watched the clip. However, just clicking on that first picture I think YANBU. Those monkey's hairstyles are so obviously the type of style typically worn by black children. Who created the video I wonder?

I was curious as well and had to look up for comments around this Dave and Ava cartoons. Finding this thread…It really seems intentional because every black character in the animation is characterized with monkeys apart from Ava’s doll. They should do better

I don't equate monkeys with black people, but I do find it monkeyist. Some of my best friends are monkeys, btw.