H&M monkey blunder: Failure to empathise?

This week fashion brand H&M found itself in the hot seat when an image of a young black model wearing a ‘Coolest monkey in the Jungle’ hoodie went viral. H&M has removed the image from all online channels and said the item will not be sold in South Africa. This is however not enough. 

I am not knocking the success of H&M. Today H&M is a company with more than 1,700 stores in 33 countries. H&M has expanded in recent years in Europe, the US, Asia, the Middle East and Africa, developed new concepts and positioned itself as an international fashion brand with more than 100 designers and their much-loved collections.

H&M, while an international brand, cannot ignore the different dynamics within the different markets they serve and they cannot ignore what would trigger racial or gender outcries. Sorry brands, this is how it works. You have to understand the socio-political landscape in the country where you are advertising.

Yes, we all call our kids monkeys, even black people. But we do not want to walk around wearing a top that will allow everyone else to do it. H&M’s mistake here was not the actual item of clothing, but rather the choice of model.

Remember the mother who had her rant on social media when she was shopping in Morrisons? She came across two children’s T-shirts – one for a boy and another for a girl. The boy’s shirt read: ‘This little man, big ideas’, while ‘Little Girl, big smiles’ was written across the other.

Shelley snapped a picture of both and promptly uploaded them to her social media where she captioned them: ‘Looking 4 kids’ holiday clothes this morning @Morrisons Didn’t buy anything. I see you don’t think much of girls @letclothesbe @PinkstinksUK’.

Why is it ok to jump on the gender neutral bandwagon, but we can’t stand together when a race group feels offended by something?

One Twitter user said: "This whole thing about H&M is stupid... it’s not at all racist it’s simply a kid modelling the hoodie. The only thing that makes it racist is people viewing it as the stereotype of black people being deemed monkey’s (sic). Views like this are what keeps stereotyping and racism alive.” I just want to point out this person is white.

Like many other non-black people, this seems like a silly reason to boycott the brand, give up endorsements or even just attack it for its poor judgement.

But what about black people? They have had to endure years of being belittled, not just here in Africa, but in the US and many other places. For them, and for me, being called a monkey is an insult. My history does affect my buying decisions. 

Read: International retailer sparks outrage with 'racist' sweater ad

Minister Nathi Mthethwa said: "We are absolutely appalled by this racist advertisement attributed to @HM which strips the child in the green of basic human dignity. While we note the apology as necessary we cannot accept that it's sufficient based on the amount of damage it has caused.”

Then we have the black celebrities - taking a stand.

Among those who have expressed their anger and have called for a boycott of the clothing store were  Cassper Nyovest, Reason, Stilo Magolide, Minnie Dlamini and Kwesta.

Taking to social media, Cassper posted: We used to be slaves and now we are billionaires in the countries we were sold in. We did this with no help from the oppressor. Black people start at the bottom of the food chain and work their way up. Plus we do it with so much swag. WE ARE THE KINGS OF THE WORLD AND WE ARE BEAUTIFUL!!!”

Lerato Kganyago was blunt in her response: "SMH! See problem is the decision makers, people at the top!!! I’m sure there isn’t a single black person there, if there is, they don’t actually have a say! Like MANY companies here at home, black folks are used for “ambience”... not many are decision makers!”

On the international front, LeBron James, Diddy, and The Weeknd lambasted the brand for the advert.

So where are the white celebrities? Where are the white politicians? Where are the white public and their support? This lack of empathy worries me. It is a quiet form of discrimination. What could possibly be the explanation for why black people’s pain is underestimated?

We don’t go around telling the whites to just get over the farm murders.

We see this racial empathy gap in politics, the criminal justice system, healthcare, education and everyday life.

How can we ask black people to just get over their feelings and move on? How can we ask them to forget history? How can we ask them to forget the Penny Sparrow incident? How can we ask them to forget slavery? How can we ask them to forget police brutality?

Our failure of empathy perpetuates racial disparities. It makes matters worse, not better.