Now that the media has moved on to the common concerns of the usual Trump-Jenner/Kardashian sagas, I think we can take a moment to calmly note the latest antics of our favourite red beret-ed vigilantes and their escapade to take down the 'racist corporate giants that have no place here any longer'
The "coolest monkey in the jungle" was probably meant as a innocent incentive to get soft controversy into their oven, however this seems rather out of character as the brand has never really showed this kind of blatant controversial intent before but lets not judge the brand by the black boy in the offensive T-shirt. What baffled me equally as why H&M didn't see why it would be insulting is the response from people- mostly white, who didn't understand why black people were insulted. Regardless of why, I don't think it make sense to tell people that they can or can't be offended over something, especially if that something is systematic racism that you will never be able to understand because the system is built for you to never have to. South Africa is the perfect dusty, underdeveloped playground for racist political issues to run rampant, unattended and unaccounted for. The real issue here lies in what we choose to do with our economic power. Whether it was intentional or not, or if it people are grounded in their anger or simply feeding a culture of hyper sensitivity is not a decision for a Friday. From where I stand it, an answer to this question neither solves or changes anything. What really needs thought is whether or not I intend to support H&M and how I choose to look at people who do. |