T-shirt in Primark discontinued because of racist 'eeny meeny miny moe' message

DredFX

Now this rubs me the wrong way:

BBC

But now there's a backlash on social media, with some complaining it's an example of customers being "over-sensitive".
The T-shirt in question is licensed merchandise from The Walking Dead.
It features the rhyme "eeny meeny miny moe", which has a racist origin.

T-shirt

The tune has typically been used by children as a counting rhyme and some early versions of it included references to offensive terms for black people.
More related stories

Along with the words, the T-shirt also features an image of a baseball bat and barbed wire.

This image relates directly to the practice of assaulting black people in America - Ian Lucraft, Primark customer

The rhyme features in a scene in The Walking Dead when one character is deciding which person in a group they are going to kill.
"The T-shirt in question is licensed merchandise for the US television series, The Walking Dead, and the quote and image are taken directly from the show," Primark said in a statement.
"Any offence caused by its design was wholly unintentional and Primark sincerely apologises for this.
"Primark has removed the product from sale."

Customer Ian Lucraft, who complained about the top to Primark, and his wife Gwen had been in a Sheffield branch of the store when they spotted the item of clothing.
"We were shocked when we came face to face with a new T-shirt with a racially explicit graphic and text," he told The Sheffield Star.
"It was fantastically offensive and I can only assume that no-one in the process of ordering it knew what they were doing, or were aware of its subliminal messages.
"The graphic has a large American baseball bat, wrapped round with barbed wire, and covered with blood.
"This image relates directly to the practice of assaulting black people in America.
"It is directly threatening of a racist assault, and if I were black and were faced by a wearer I would know just where I stood."

So, a man who isn't even black finds a tacky t-shirt featuring a children's rhyme fantastically offensive. (Lovely choice of adverb there.)

I think he's right, because the fact that it is now commonly used by kids to choose between the last two players for a football match doesn't overturn its previous usage as a racial slur well over a century ago.

Ugh. Your thoughts?

EDIT: Easy with the spoilers, people. Not everyone has seen that all-important episode.

Winterlong

I can't decide if I am outraged or not.
Anyone know a good way to pick between the two?

endacl

Winterlong wrote: »

I can't decide if I am outraged or not.
Anyone know a good way to pick between the two?

Do you feel triggered?

Mr. Incognito

These offended people offend me.

ohnonotgmail

Eeny meeny miny mo
catch a tiger by the toe
if it screams let it go
eeny meeny miny mo


where is the racial slur again?

DredFX

ohnonotgmail wrote: »

Eeny meeny miny mo
catch a tiger by the toe
if it screams let it go
eeny meeny miny mo


where is the racial slur again?

In the 19th century.

CiDeRmAn

Not that long ago the Tiger was a Tigger, and a little while before that it was that derogatory term for a person of African origin.

That said, for those that understand the reference it makes perfect sense and represents no racial slur at all.

ohnonotgmail

DredFX wrote: »

In the 19th century.

so not relevant to the current day then. glad we sorted that out.

ohnonotgmail

CiDeRmAn wrote: »

Not that long ago the Tiger was a Tigger, and a little while before that it was that derogatory term for a person of African origin.

define "a little while". as a child growing up in the 70s the N word wasnt used.

CiDeRmAn

ohnonotgmail wrote: »

define "a little while". as a child growing up in the 70s the N word wasnt used.

I grew up in the 70s and it was.
Depends on where you were raised I guess, different places sang it... differently.

super_furry

ohnonotgmail wrote: »

define "a little while". as a child growing up in the 70s the N word wasnt used.

As a child growing up in the 80s, it was. Regional variations and all that, I'm sure, but where I grew up that was the standard.

ohnonotgmail

CiDeRmAn wrote: »

I grew up in the 70s and it was.
Depends on where you were raised I guess, different places sang it... differently.

super_furry wrote: »

As a child growing up in the 80s, it was. Regional variations and all that, I'm sure, but where I grew up that was the standard.

i think that says more about you than the tshirt.

Grandeeod

CiDeRmAn wrote: »

I grew up in the 70s and it was.
Depends on where you were raised I guess, different places sang it... differently.

Same here and I didnt even know what it meant.

CiDeRmAn

CiDeRmAn wrote: »

Not that long ago the Tiger was a Tigger, and a little while before that it was that derogatory term for a person of African origin.

Yeah but for it to be a racist slur there has to be context. A rhyme can't be deemed racist because a word that used to be in the rhyme is deemed racist.

CiDeRmAn

As I said in the edited post, the phrase makes perfect sense in context so it shouldn't have generated that much offence.
That said, its historical context might be incredibly offensive to the group originally maligned in the rhyme, so maybe it's right to be removed.
The guy who used the rhyme was a viscous lunatic, context again, but should that mean that if a character in the media used racist language that it should greenlight marketing to produce apparel emblazoned with the phrases?

super_furry

ohnonotgmail wrote: »

i think that says more about you than the tshirt.

Yes. As a child I was fully responsible for the culture of casual racism in Ireland in the 80s. Great call.

jamesbere

super_furry wrote: »

Yes. As a child I was fully responsible for the culture of casual racism in Ireland in the 80s. Great call.

So it was you :pac:

brevity

I grew up in the 80's and the N word was used. I was so young that I didn't understand and thought we were saying "Nicker". It was only when my Aunt, who lives in America, visited and advised that it wasn't a nice thing to say.

Quackster

super_furry wrote: »

As a child growing up in the 80s, it was. Regional variations and all that, I'm sure, but where I grew up that was the standard.

Likewise.

Lollipops23

It was always "tigger" when I was small (early to mid 90s). I never knew the old version included the racial slur until I was in my 20s.

I think the gob****e who complained needs to get a grip on himself.

osarusan

"It is directly threatening of a racist assault, and if I were black and were faced by a wearer I would know just where I stood."

You'd be standing face to face with a Walking Dead fan, or somebody who just buys cheap t-shirts from Primark.

Funny that he would allow that the designers were not aware of what they were doing, but he would assume any purchaser was aware.

brevity

The guy complaining is obviously not aware of The Walking Dead. Someone should have a word that the phrase isn't related to the racist rhyme from years ago.

The graphic has a large American baseball bat, wrapped round with barbed wire, and covered with blood. This image relates directly to the practice of assaulting black people in America.

No it doesn't.

whisky_galore

super_furry wrote: »

Yes. As a child I was fully responsible for the culture of casual racism in Ireland in the 80s. Great call.

We never saw a black person in rural Ireland in the 1980's...we thought they only existed on tv...Mr T...Benson...Axel Foley...etc...

ohnonotgmail

whisky_galore wrote: »

We never saw a black person in rural Ireland in the 1980's...we thought they only existed on tv...Mr T...Benson...Axel Foley...etc...

i didnt meet my first black person til i was 12.

One eyed Jack

ohnonotgmail wrote: »

i think that says more about you than the tshirt.

All ot says about anyone is that to them as children growing up in Ireland in the 70's and 80's, the rhyme had no meaning whatsoever! There was hardly a black person to be found in Ireland then anyway apart from the token black guy in Blazing Saddles!!

Same thing with any term - it's completely meaningless until someone interprets it, so this idiot interpreted it to be racist because he remembered the rhyme and interpreted it that way. I don't watch the Walking Dead myself (I probably should now ), but I thought it was a reference to Harley Quinn in Suicide Squad (I watched that alright, shìte movie, but Margot Robbie was fair handy with a bat!).

In short, the whining little piggy in this non-story should stay at home when he's that narrow minded that he doesn't appear to have grown the fcuk up!!

osarusan

Also, the versions I remember was catch a nipper by the toe, if it squeezes let it go.

Never knew until today I was advocating violence against Japanese people.

lazybones32

I hope his wife Gwen tore the arse off him with a large strap-on that night.

Knine

I brought a little pair of pink trousers from Penny's for my young daughter. I only noticed when I got them home that there was a slogan on them saying "I love Mickey"

skipper_G

Growing up I always used 'ickey ockey horses gockey' does that make me a racist against horses ?

Outlaw Pete

Regressive left getting offended on others behalf yet again. Similar outrage was expressed over Clarkson using the rhyme a few years back.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ea39INWC1TE

whoopsadoodles

Sigh

Glenster

DredFX wrote: »

Now this rubs me the wrong way:

BBC


So, a man who isn't even black finds a tacky t-shirt featuring a children's rhyme fantastically offensive. (Lovely choice of adverb there.)

I think he's right, because the fact that it is now commonly used by kids to choose between the last two players for a football match doesn't overturn its previous usage as a racial slur well over a century ago.

Its just a t shirt. Get rid of it, then don't worry about it.

They're not banning Christmas or anything............. Are they?

Your Face

Some people are slaves to fashion.

Glenster

osarusan wrote: »

Also, the versions I remember was catch a nipper by the toe, if it squeezes let it go.

Never knew until today I was advocating violence against Japanese people.

Nipper meaning child I always assumed. Is nipper an offensive term for a Japanese?

Winterlong

osarusan wrote: »

Also, the versions I remember was catch a nipper by the toe, if it squeezes let it go.

Never knew until today I was advocating violence against Japanese people.

I always thought it was this nipper.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mg-gb9p65Z0

Effects

DredFX wrote: »

So, a man who isn't even black finds a t-shirt featuring a children's rhyme fantastically offensive.

I'm offended by you. Am I not allowed to be offended by racism just because I'm not black?

Outlaw Pete

Was wrecking my head for the last half hour or so about which film do I remember the rhyme being used in, where the actor raises his voice at the end and when he says 'MOE!'.

Anyway, just remembered, it was (if anyone wants to play at home cover your eyes now):

Mel Gibson in Lethal Weapon just before he blows a hole in the South African's fish tank.

ohnonotgmail

Glenster wrote: »

Nipper meaning child I always assumed. Is nipper an offensive term for a Japanese?

at one stage japanese people were known as nips (from Nippon the name that japanese use to refer to their homeland). never heard them being called nippers though.

GBX

ohnonotgmail wrote: »

Eeny meeny miny mo
catch a tiger by the toe
if it screams let it go
eeny meeny miny mo


where is the racial slur again?

Exactly .. the offended brigade look for every f**king opportunity to complain and shout. Its ridiculous. The Walking Dead were hardly going to all KKK and stick the original poem in the show. And it doesn't even appear on the tshirt.

:mad::mad:

razorblunt

Eeen meeny minie moe
Catch a TRIGGERED by the toe

DredFX

Effects wrote: »

I'm offended by you. Am I not allowed to be offended by racism just because I'm not black?

Oh, no. You're welcome to take offence to anything, just like how you were offended by me.

But, I don't think molehills should be made into mountains, and especially not on behalf of people who more than likely wouldn't give a monkey's rectum about them to begin with.

MRnotlob606

POLTICAL CORRECTNESS GONE MAD. ARGHHH THE RAGE. I WANT TO PUNCH A BABY GOAT.

me_irl

Negan be tripping yo.

Amy33

I went to an all girls primary school in the 80's and the version we used was

Eeny meeny miney moe,
Lost my knickers in the snow,
If you find them, let me know,
Eeny meeny miney moe.

RobertKK

My father who is in his 90s years ago told us the original rhyme.

Eeny meany miny moe
Catch a n-igger by the toe
If he squeals let him go
Eeny meany miny moe.

So it is from a very racist origin where that comes from.

MRnotlob606

Outlaw Pete wrote: »

Regressive left getting offended on others behalf yet again. Similar outrage was expressed over Clarkson using the rhyme a few years back.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ea39INWC1TE

In fairness in that report it shows Clarkson calling an Asian man a "gook" or "chink".

I always think what irritates me most is the utter stupidity of making this stuff in the first place. How did it pass through an entire process without someone saying "um, do you not know the second line"? It's not so much about whether I am offended, it is simply about realising that someone may be offended, and accepting that their objections would hardly be outrageous or baffling.

dav3

Does it really matter? We would have no idea that this has happened if it had not been for people outraged at other people being outraged.

I don't think anyone in the world has woken up this morning feeling their life has changed for the worse because they can no longer buy a t-shirt from Penney's made by the expert tailoring and delicate hands of 5 year old Bangladeshi children.

Gatling

MRnotlob606 wrote: »

In fairness in that report it shows Clarkson calling an Asian man a "gook" or "chink".

It shows clarkson saying there's a slope on the bridge ,if you look the bridge slopes off on the right side ,
And yes there's an Asian person on the bridge .

1+1 = 5

wes

I don't which is worse, people being outraged over something pretty minor, or people getting outraged over people being outraged.