Is Elastoplast racist ?

[recall]

I feel uncomfortable using Elasoplast on a patient with black skin.

Is it racist ?

Come to think of it I did see some elastoplasts on an edl march recently...used to be good lads they did but they fell in with a bad crowd

hmm apparently they do but it's a new "invention"

thisisyesterday I believe it's around 10% non-white people in Britain. In London, it's more like 66/33 and in some places like Leicester it's 50/50.

So it's clearly a huge market.

Its ok, I found these

AnyFuleKno yes, racism is a hilarious subject, isn't it?

Lol lol lol, let's all roll up and have a good old chuckle.

oops cross posted then thisisyesterday

Noooo, that's not what I'm saying at all! Elastoplast don't cater for me either - because their plasters are too dark. They don't cater for black or Asian people, or albino people. Because they look at how they can sell the most plasters to the most people, and in the uk most people are within a certain skin tone range. I'm saying if they have not made black skin or pale skin plasters because they have worked out it won't make enough money, it's not racist - it's a decision about money, not race.

Anyhow, look - this company reckons it will sell: www.guardian.co.uk/theguardian/2010/sep/26/plaster-matches-brown-skin

in case anyone is interested, the wikipedia page for "white british" says that 85.7% of the population is white british.

i thought it would be less than that!

saladcravings I hardly think you can compare having particularly pale skin to being black. It's really not the same thing.

Yellow i'll have you know that humour and satire are a powerful tool against the dark forces of fascism

So ner

a decision about money based on race

When I lived in London I was def an ethnic minority, Asian skin toned plasters would have sold really well. Now I live in t'country, and seriously, there would be about 10 potential customers in the whole town. And me, asking for really pale ones. I can't see the local boots taking it on- after all, I buy what, a box of plasters every 18 months?

The nhs should have them though - the op mentioned patients. Or at least offer clear ones.

The dark forces? That's a bit racist isn't it?

yeah, that was a bit sinister - dark forces, hopefully an oversight.

No, not comparable at all in the vast majority of ways, of course. Only relevant to a discussion on skin tone and plasters! I'm just saying that plasters don't cater for many people, only a chunk of the population fall in the mid-tone-white kinda range where the plasters match their skin.

Crap, hoist by my own petard

I think producing skin coloured plasters is actually quite patronising. I move that from now on only cartoon character ones are permitted. On the plus side you get 200 for a quid at aldi

I wonder if elastoplast are even aware of this issue ?

It's still not the same even when discussing plasters.

Your racial group is still being shown to be the norm.

DD has recently been reading Malorie Blackman's Noughts & Crosses series - which turns the minority/majority thing on its head, and this is definitely dealt with there, with a line something like 'the plaster dark against my pale skin'.

However lots of plasters these days are clear so should be skintone neutral.

Don't the clear ones have a white pad in though? So are they racist too?

i'm sure elastoplast are well aware. i can't believe it's never been brought to their attention before

I'd say let's all just have clear ones or them blue ones.

They are all horrible and slide off after a couple of hours anyway.

I wasn't pouring scorn btw, I was genuinely agreeing with op.

I think the white pad is just white because the material is white. It would be pointless to dye it and probably bad for your skin.

The actual fabriccy bit of plasters has obviously been dyed that colour.

ladywellian I have listened to an adaption of that on Radio 4, it was brilliant.