Is this racist??

Question

My professor was talking about racism in my marketing class. She brought up a marketing image h&m did years ago. So, they had an African American boy wear a monkey shirt that said “coolest monkey in the jungle” and posted it on their site for items to buy. An African American little boy wearing a monkey skirt. She went off and said many people were hating on the store for it. The boys mother authorized the photo to be taken and posted online and didn’t have a problem with it? I feel like we all regardless of color look like monkeys because we have such similar features. I believe in evolution and we even act in very similar ways as apes. I’m African and see nothing wrong with it. I was so surprised but want to know the opinions of others

Answer

if it upsets the minority that’s wearing and representing it, it’s racist. i remember this scandal too. very poor taste.

Answer

Not in my opinion. Children are like monkeys because they're all over everything. Children are commonly referred to as monkeys because of it. In my country most of the people didn't understand what the big deal was. There was one political group that had a problem with it but they are known troublemakers anyway so no one took them seriously.

Answer

Unfortunately calling an African-American a monkey is a derogatory term, which was why people took offense to it. Even though the mother had no issue, she was getting paid either way, but a lot of times people take offense to different things, sometimes things are meant to be a joking manner and people take it the wrong way, sometimes what is intended versus what is inferred, like you try and give someone a complement and they take it as sexual-harassment, not everyone has the same sense of humor, the same sensitivity levels, and unfortunately with cancel culture right now, people get offended and want to blow things up to the level of programs or whatever else being canceled or blacklisted in Hollywood. Everyone has their own level of sensitivity and what they find offensive. Somebody could be having a bad day, and a man says oh I like your blouse to a woman at work, she takes it as oh you’re looking at my breast, oh you’re sexualizing me oh you’re making me feel uncomfortable or whatever it may be. What is intended versus what is inferred. I was in an anatomy class many years ago and the professor who got fired along time later, very difficult Professor we were doing and a lesson on Gene types and What the possibilities were for a child to be born with a color or hair color or textured hair etc. and she said you people with kinky hair, and I think everyone’s face just dropped, whether she meant it to sound racist or not, everyone took it that way. In this day and age you have to be careful what you say, what you do, because anything and taken the wrong way and blown way out of a proportion.  Whether she meant it to be racist or not your professor, or whether the mother found it racist or not, or whether you find it racist or not, if you have an issue with a professor, you definitely need to talk it was over with the professor or the department or the dean or the president or the ethics committee or whatever it may be the chain of command. But if you are personally feeling uncomfortable or whatever it may be, then you need to say something.

Answer

Yes it is. Not because of the shirt itself but because of people's reactions to black people. In some countries in Africa you don't face racism as you face it in a white society, no one will call you a monkey because of your skin colour. I know that there are African countries where it is even worse and colorism is a big problem too. But in a white society and what black people have been through and still are going through it is not acceptable and to even think it would be was ignorant. As long as there are fans making monkey noises when black football players come on and black people are compared to monkeys it is absolutely racist.

Answer

It’s not a matter of opinion or the way you view similarities between all people and monkeys- there is a history of racist slurs calling black people monkeys. White people have never been called monkeys in a discriminatory way or to further their oppression.

Answer

I don’t think the ad itself was racist, it was in poor taste though. H&M does however have a history of doing black models hair poorly and using makeup that isn’t the correct skin color for nonwhite complexions. There is very little diversity on their team which is probably how the images got onto the website without anyone pointing out how it could be taken.

Answer

It wasn't the best advertisement in hindsight but the advertisement was about kids being little monkeys, it was nothing to do with him being black.

Answer

Depends on if prejudice (racism in this situation) is a matter of what can be perceived vs actual intent. I personally don’t see it as such because the ad could have been any ethnicity boy in and no one would think anything of it. The fact is an African American child and now there is a problem with it ACTUALLY feeds into the inequality - at least from my perceptive.

Answer

In general, a child wearing something with a monkey on it is very cute. EXCEPT a black child. An Asian child could wear it, a white child could wear it, a Latino child, etc. But if a black child wears it, it brings up the unfortunate reference that some make as black people being like monkeys (uncivilized, unintelligent). If you have never heard this reference, you wouldn't think anything of the situation you described. Unfortunately I have personally heard that reference, and I think most have as well? Maybe (hopefully) I'm wrong about that assumption.

Answer

I’m white, so my view is if black people are offended by it, it’s racist.

Is this racist??

Let's Glow!

The Top Baby Tracker App: Embrace New Beginnings with Tender Care

The Top Fertility Tracker App: Your Path to Achieving Pregnancy

The Top Pregnancy App: Nurturing Your Journey to Motherhood

The Top Period Tracker for Empowering Your Menstrual Health Journey