Sticking head above parapet to ask. Aibu to be frustrated that Tesco answer to racists using their cards is to remove all monkey cards from sale.

[StrumpersPlunkett]

I have mixed race children.
My eldest was born in the year of the monkey.
Every year we get him a birthday card with a monkey on it.
Yesterday I was told by the card lady that they had removed all cards with monkeys on due to a complaint that one had been sent with a racist message inside.
F f s!!!
Racism is the problem. It is never acceptable.
Taking birthday cards with monkeys on the front off sale isn't the answer.
Sorry rant over.
Went to different shop and found a monkey card.

Are your children mixed race as in part Chinese?

Not sure why it’s relevant but yes.

How on earth is that relevant @itsalifetimesworkfella? And why would you immediately ask that?

@itsalifetimesworkfella

Are your children mixed race as in part Chinese?

Because.....?

Taking birthday cards with monkeys on the front off sale isn't the answer.

I agree, that's hardly going to stop racism . Lots of children like monkeys. My sister loved them (still does!) and we always used to get her monkey-themed cards when she was a child. If anything it seems Tesco are cementing the use of monkey images as a racist insult by doing this.

@StrumpersPlunkett

Not sure why it’s relevant but yes.

It's relevant cause why else would being born in the year of the monkey be a focus for you.

It's quite a niche celebration so maybe stockpile a few cards so you're not caught out going forward.

Well, it’s relevant insofar as the ‘monkey’ slur is usually aimed at one race. Horrible even typing that.

I’ve put YANBU op as I know what you mean. But I don’t know ... monkey is a racist slur really. Difficult to say.

This is stupid!

Everyone piling on as to why me asking if they are Chinese is relevant. Talk about wanting to be offended. Why else would you buy your child a birthday card linked to the year of the monkey???

Jeez

seems Tesco are cementing the use of monkey images as a racist insult by doing this

THIS

Reallly???
So you think Tesco are making a super stand on racism by removing cards with a monkey on them?

There are some lovely Chinese celebration cards on Etsy that are more authentic and linked to celebrating Chinese culture

@StrumpersPlunkett

Reallly??? So you think Tesco are making a super stand on racism by removing cards with a monkey on them?

I think it has the potential to be interpreted that way.

Please don’t try to tell me where to buy Chinese cards. That is not the relevant part of the thread.
The relevant part was about Tesco stance and whether it is appropriate

I totally agree. I have a friend who loves monkeys so I get her a monkey card most years. Racist messages could surely be put in any card. I cannot see any need to remove cards with animal pictures. They have nothing to do with racism at all.

@StrumpersPlunkett

Please don’t try to tell me where to buy Chinese cards. That is not the relevant part of the thread. The relevant part was about Tesco stance and whether it is appropriate

Well are you or your kids part black? Seeing as monkeys are used as a racist insult to black people, it's unfair to get mad about something that potentially doesn't effect you.

PP is right, you can probably get monkey cards elsewhere.

I can't really sympathise with your attitude that boils down to being mildly inconvenienced.

@StrumpersPlunkett

Please don’t try to tell me where to buy Chinese cards. That is not the relevant part of the thread. The relevant part was about Tesco stance and whether it is appropriate

I think it is relevant.

You want a niche card to celebrate your cultural heritage and you can buy these fine elsewhere with more authentic sentiments.

Tesco want to stop selling generic cards displaying monkeys as some are cruelly using them to denigrate African Caribbean heritage presumably?

The two issues can be dealt with where everyone is accommodated.

Just buy your niche card elsewhere and acknowledge compromise is fine to also support others

Tbf the OP didn’t want advice about card buying but a wider discussion, I think.

Ffs some of these replies are really wanky.

It isnt about op being mildly inconvenienced. Removing birthday cards with monkeys on them does nothing to address racism.

Yanbu, this is ridiculous.
But so was the person who complained to Tesco about how someone they had no control over had used a card bought from there.

The inference surely is that anyone who likes/buys monkey items is racist?

Obviously that cannot be true because a monkey is an animal children are encouraged to like (as well as become interested in, protect environmentally etc later in life) as well as being used as a racist slur. Removing the ability to send a card with a monkey on as a racist jibe won't stop people using it as a racist jibe but may stop children becoming invested in an animal that ultimately needs people to be invested in them.

It's the same old "woke" shite, reaction without thought to get cookies

... The bigger question is where do we stop?

seems Tesco are cementing the use of monkey images as a racist insult by doing this

I think it's more likely that since they've become aware of their products being used to abuse people, they have withdrawn the item from sale to distance themselves from a problematic issue.

I don't think it necessarily helps or hinders the issue of the monkey image being weaponised per se, but Tesco aren't in the business of stamping out racism (not that they shouldn't do more, of course - it's just that their decisions will be driven by business imperatives and reputational risk) - they've obviously removed it so you don't get Daily Mail articles saying that a Tesco card was used to racially abuse someone.

@RachelRavenRoth

Ffs some of these replies are really wanky.

It isnt about op being mildly inconvenienced. Removing birthday cards with monkeys on them does nothing to address racism.

But the point is that OP and you are POSSIBLY saying this from the PoV of a non-black person. Removal of the cards won't stop racism, but it could prevent easy means of racist harassment/bullying.

It's easy to say the responses are wanky when you think from a non-black PoV. Not saying all black people would want the cards remove but perhaps it is fitting action for the person who received the racist abuse.

DS is a Chinese year monkey too. He is also mixed race. He used to love going to Chinatown when he was little and get year of the monkey things.

So people (or rather ‘a complaint that one’) were buying cards with a monkey and sending poison pen letters? They can write shite on any other card they can find and twist it into something foul.

Are they really going to vet their cards for every insult?

The picture in the card isn’t the issue here.