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

Samaris · 23-02-2017 07:30PM

I'd assume that the guy that complained didn't watch the show and so didn't get what it was actually referring to. If I saw that image (not being a follower of WD), I'd be a bit taken aback too. I probably wouldn't take the racist translation (while I know the origins, it's been "tiger" for a long time now), but I can see where he got it from.

Misunderstanding. I don't think he deserves to be slammed for it.

Winterlong · 23-02-2017 07:30PM

The n version of eeny miney mo is only one version of that song, and probably not the original. But sure lets not allow that to stop the delicates from getting offended on behalf of others.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eeny,_meeny,_miny,_moe

Samaris · 23-02-2017 07:32PM

Look at it from his point of view. If you saw a tshirt being sold in Penneys that you honestly thought (say you don't watch Walking Dead) was suggesting beating up black people with barbed wire wrapped around a baseball bat, would you be horrified, or would you think that anyone who thought it was a tad off unreasonably delicate?

It's one thing when you KNOW the context, but take it for a moment that you didn't? You'd think that was totally normal?

He was wrong, yeah, but if it was an honest mistranslation of what was going on, I don't think it was unreasonably delicate.

ceadaoin. · 23-02-2017 07:35PM

Samaris wrote: »

Look at it from his point of view. If you saw a tshirt being sold in Penneys that you honestly thought (say you don't watch Walking Dead) was suggesting beating up black people with barbed wire wrapped around a baseball bat, would you be horrified, or would you think that anyone who thought it was a tad off unreasonably delicate?

It's one thing when you KNOW the context, but take it for a moment that you didn't? You'd think that was totally normal?

He was wrong, yeah, but if it was an honest mistranslation of what was going on, I don't think it was unreasonably delicate.

In fairness, there is a big walking dead label on the thing. Surely, any reasonable person would see that and assume it is a reference to something in that show which they don't get rather than immediately jump to the conclusion that it's about beating up black people?

Winterlong · 23-02-2017 07:35PM

Thats a fair point Samaris. It just feels like some people look for things to be offended by and make no effort to understand the context before complaining.

Samaris · 23-02-2017 07:37PM

ceadaoin. wrote: »

In fairness, there is a big walking dead label on the thing. Surely, any reasonable person would see that and assume it is a reference to something in that show which they don't get rather than immediately jump to the conclusion that it's about beating up black people?

Ah, yes, well, the big Walking Dead label should be a bit of a giveaway

Hande hoche! · 23-02-2017 07:38PM

Would probably interrupt it as some pop culture reference, in such a scenario. Similar to myself not understanding what half the shirts on Qwertee are alluding to. Wouldn't jump to some racial violence meaning, unless I was in a KKK gift shop.

Stigura · 23-02-2017 07:39PM

FTA69 wrote: »

You called your dog N*gger? Out of curiosity, in a hypothetical situation, if a black person happened to be visiting your house would you be comfortable explaining to that person your dog's name?

Wouldn't bother me in the least. I have another Dog here I call " Dingo ". I wouldn't feel uncomfortable if Lindy Chamberlain visited me either. He looks like a dingo. Other Dog's black as the ace of spades.

Wee! I'd never seen that before! Maybe I should have called him " Sam "?

lazybones32 · 23-02-2017 07:51PM

Samaris wrote: »

Look at it from his point of view. If you saw a tshirt being sold in Penneys that you honestly thought (say you don't watch Walking Dead) was suggesting beating up black people with barbed wire wrapped around a baseball bat, would you be horrified, or would you think that anyone who thought it was a tad off unreasonably delicate?

It's one thing when you KNOW the context, but take it for a moment that you didn't? You'd think that was totally normal?

He was wrong, yeah, but if it was an honest mistranslation of what was going on, I don't think it was unreasonably delicate.

Personally, I'd do a little bit of research or ask a few questions before going on a crusade. But then again, I'm not a hypersensitive retard.

One eyed Jack · 23-02-2017 07:52PM

davidwalsh12 wrote: »

No one is born a racist you have to learn to be one. Anything you learn you can unlearn.

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

No, you can't un learn something you have learned. You can only learn something else.

ps: Plenty of people are born racist, and through experience often learn that there's no need to be racist. That's not "unlearning" anything, it's learning something new.

FTA69 · 23-02-2017 08:07PM

Stigura wrote: »

Wouldn't bother me in the least. I have another Dog here I call " Dingo ". I wouldn't feel uncomfortable if Lindy Chamberlain visited me either. He looks like a dingo. Other Dog's black as the ace of spades.

Wee! I'd never seen that before! Maybe I should have called him " Sam "?

So one of your dogs looks like a dingo and the other looks like a n*gger is it? That makes loads of sense.

Out of curiosity if you did introduce N*gger the dog to a black person how do you think that person would view your choice of name?

bodice ripper · 23-02-2017 08:20PM

Zaph wrote:

The most disappointing of all the ice creams. Just a plain bar of vanilla on a stick, wtf was the point of that?

Some of us are really, really dull.

Stigura · 23-02-2017 08:25PM

FTA69 wrote: »

So one of your dogs looks like a dingo and the other looks like a n*gger is it? That makes loads of sense.

Out of curiosity if you did introduce N*gger the dog to a black person how do you think that person would view your choice of name?

One of my Dogs looks like a Dingo. The other is pot black. I can't see any lack of sense in it. It's just how they are.

How might a black person view my Dogs name? I really wouldn't know. Guess it'd depend on whether they'd ever heard of Guy Gibson. Or Kiwi polish.

All this, of course, seems to have the underlying implication that I'd give a f**k. Which I wouldn't

CFlat · 23-02-2017 08:34PM

I went to school in a town in the midlands back in the 80s and there was a lad who went out with a friend of mine and his nickname was n*gger. You'd be walking down the street and someone would shout out, HEY N*IGGER, what you doing later on, or whatever. True story. Kinda of a mad now when I think about it. I don't remember anybody ever commenting negatively about the name.

He was white BTW. Amazing the things that we wouldn't pass heed on years ago and now, well god knows what could happen you now.

Orion · 23-02-2017 08:38PM

CiDeRmAn wrote: »

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

+1

I have a piano book of American folk songs that I had in the 70s. I dug it out for my daughter when she started learning piano and flicked through it. One song was called "10 little n**g*rs"!

davidwalsh12 · 23-02-2017 08:47PM

biko wrote: »

So, it's Negan in Walking Dead that is the racist now?
I knew it when he killed
Glenn!

In the comic negan

is still alive to date. He does not get killed. Instead rick cuts his throat then has him fixed up then he throws him in jail. Later negan is set free by carl or whatever you call him and he joins a group called "The Whispers". A group that wears the skin of walkers to blend in to the walker infested world. They use hoards of zombies to attack communities. There leader is a women called Alpha.

KingBrian2 · 23-02-2017 08:48PM

ceadaoin. wrote: »

Kids everywhere still use the rhyme.."eeny meeny miney mo, catch a tiger by the toe. " Send them all to trial! This is the version Negan used in the walking dead. I don't know if anyone complained about that scene being racist but if they didn't, then whats different about the shirt that is referencing that scene?

Kids are ignorant of the outside world for the most part. For them it is harmless the guys at primark know better or they should do imagine if they had printed a T'Shirt with Rap words on it. They would be crucified why because rappers use expletives in their songs. I see racial component in this if a black guy has an offensive rhyme the song must be banned or censored a large supermarket starts selling offensive T-Shirt were all okay with that.

davidwalsh12 · 23-02-2017 08:53PM

One eyed Jack wrote: »

davidwalsh12 wrote: »

No one is born a racist you have to learn to be one. Anything you learn you can unlearn.

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

No, you can't un learn something you have learned. You can only learn something else.

ps: Plenty of people are born racist, and through experience often learn that there's no need to be racist. That's not "unlearning" anything, it's learning something new.

Yes you can unlearn thats part of learning

davidwalsh12 · 23-02-2017 09:00PM

One eyed Jack wrote: »

davidwalsh12 wrote: »

No one is born a racist you have to learn to be one. Anything you learn you can unlearn.

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

No, you can't un learn something you have learned. You can only learn something else.

ps: Plenty of people are born racist, and through experience often learn that there's no need to be racist. That's not "unlearning" anything, it's learning something new.

Nonsense, You can not be born a racist you have to learn to be one.

One eyed Jack · 23-02-2017 09:00PM

davidwalsh12 wrote: »

Yes you can unlearn thats part of learning

Stop bastardising the english language. You'll never learn anything that way.

One eyed Jack · 23-02-2017 09:03PM

davidwalsh12 wrote: »

Nonsense, You can not be born a racist you have to learn to be one.

Can you learn to be gay too, or is that something that can be unlearned?

ceadaoin. · 23-02-2017 09:07PM

davidwalsh12 wrote: »

In the comic negan.

Thanks for those incredible spoilers there

ceadaoin. · 23-02-2017 09:11PM

KingBrian2 wrote: »

Kids are ignorant of the outside world for the most part. For them it is harmless the guys at primark know better or they should do imagine if they had printed a T'Shirt with Rap words on it. They would be crucified why because rappers use expletives in their songs. I see racial component in this if a black guy has an offensive rhyme the song must be banned or censored a large supermarket starts selling offensive T-Shirt were all okay with that.

The scene that the t-shirt references doesn't use any expletives. Negan says "tiger" and it has nothing to do with racially motivated violence. This episode aired last year and as far as I'm aware received no complaints. That's why the complaint now is ridiculous IMO. Even worse that this is a white guy in Sheffield getting offended on behalf of black people in America

davidwalsh12 · 23-02-2017 09:13PM

One eyed Jack wrote: »

davidwalsh12 wrote: »

Nonsense, You can not be born a racist you have to learn to be one.

Can you learn to be gay too, or is that something that can be unlearned?

You tell me dickens

. Loved Oliver twist by the way.

davidwalsh12 · 23-02-2017 09:14PM

ceadaoin. wrote: »

davidwalsh12 wrote: »

In the comic negan is.

Thanks for those incredible spoilers there

You are very welcome.

davidwalsh12 · 23-02-2017 09:14PM

ceadaoin. wrote: »

davidwalsh12 wrote: »

In the comic negan is .

Thanks for those incredible spoilers there

You are very welcome.

23-02-2017 09:27PM

davidwalsh12 wrote: »

In the comic negan

Well, I guess you just saved me enduring the rest of the season now that it's basically jumped the shark.

I don't know whether to thank you or curse you.

KingBrian2 · 23-02-2017 09:27PM

ceadaoin. wrote: »

The scene that the t-shirt references doesn't use any expletives. Negan says "tiger" and it has nothing to do with racially motivated violence. This episode aired last year and as far as I'm aware received no complaints. That's why the complaint now is ridiculous IMO. Even worse that this is a white guy in Sheffield getting offended on behalf of black people in America

Eeeny meeny miny moe is a well known rhyme and Primark went with it. Did no one bother high up in the company not to see that this would be offensive. Had it not been picked up by this guy they could have had an outcry if someone in America discovered the incident. The original song was revised to say tiger but the rhyme is still racist. Any other lyric would be fine plenty of other rhymes, limericks and other humours statements to print. No reason to print this rhyme onto a shirt. If it had a rhyme from an American rapper would people be saying it is harmless.

FTA69 · 23-02-2017 09:39PM

Stigura wrote: »

One of my Dogs looks like a Dingo. The other is pot black. I can't see any lack of sense in it. It's just how they are.

How might a black person view my Dogs name? I really wouldn't know. Guess it'd depend on whether they'd ever heard of Guy Gibson. Or Kiwi polish.

All this, of course, seems to have the underlying implication that I'd give a f**k. Which I wouldn't

Right so n*gger is the equivalent to kiwi now is it? N*gger isn't a colour by the way, it refers to people - not dogs or a shade of brown. This is utterly ridiculous like, it's clear you wouldn't care what the implications are behind that word because you're small minded and ignorant to be honest.

Someone earlier on asked what casual racism is, this is a typical example of it really - some eejit who for the life of him can't see anything awry with calling a dog n*gger for the laugh. Or, more likely, is just a plain bigot.

ceadaoin. · 23-02-2017 09:40PM

KingBrian2 wrote: »

Eeeny meeny miny moe is a well known rhyme and Primark went with it. Did no one bother high up in the company not to see that this would be offensive. Had it not been picked up by this guy they could have had an outcry if someone in America discovered the incident. The original song was revised to say tiger but the rhyme is still racist. Any other lyric would be fine plenty of other rhymes, limericks and other humours statements to print. No reason to print this rhyme onto a shirt. If it had a rhyme from an American rapper would people be saying it is harmless.

Millions of people in America watched the tv episode where the character recited this rhyme and there was no outcry. That's because "catch a tiger by the toe" is not racist. Every schoolkid in America says it and I think it's use might even be older than the racist version

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

Comments