Topic: H&M Hoodie thread

[zero zero]

Is the thread likely to be unlocked?

I appreciate that it's an uncomfortable subject for some, but why should they get to set the agenda?

Cheers

Nils

[Antoine Lavoisier]

I agree Zero, it's a really important thread in my opinion.

[SP]

Racism is an important topic. That particular topic not so much. The baggage of that topic rooted in that incident has become an impediment to the laudable bits. It probably could so with a new topic without the cultural significance of simian references cul-de-sac.

I did not lock it, but can see why it was. 

[Alan_X]

I agree Zero, it's a really important thread in my opinion.

Just for context - it’s not an important thread. As has been said many times, this is a football website and the news and current affairs sub-forum is there for discussions about topics that interest users on the condition that they are either self-policing or of interest to one or mods who will contribute and moderate at the same time.

The interpretation of the actions of a Swedish clothing manufacturer can be better discussed in other places where the discussion might have an impact. A lot of the posts has been little more than sweeping generalisations and added nothing useful. There was no sign that anyone was ‘walking in another’s shoes’ and positions were hardening if anything - I deleted some posts this morning before locking.

It is an important and incredibly sensitive subject and therefore RAWK is probably not the best place for this discussion. If anyone can give a good reason why it should be reopened feel free to PM.
 

[zero zero]

If I might use a noncontentious example:

Imagine there's a thread about pregnancy. In it, there's a bunch of women talking about being pregnant. There are also some men posting who got their partners pregnant and want to share their experiences. There are also some people posting in the thread who are only aware of the pregnancy and some who have no idea about pregnancy at all. And that's fine.

Unfortunately, a small minority of the group with the least understanding of pregnancy find the subject a bit icky and uncomfortable. So what happens is, purely as a sub-conscious defence mechanism I'm sure, they spend their time not talking about pregnancy. They talk all around the subject, go off on mad tangents, make false equivalencies and comparisons.

Finally, the people with the least understanding of pregnancy make the thread about them. Not pregnancy. Them.

And then the thread gets locked. And nobody gets to talk about pregnancy.

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If I was easily offended it would be about the fella with the "white" card, who has a) opined that maybe H&M did no wrong (despite the apology) and the people who see something racist are the ones with a problem b) The Brixton riots? c) The content of the Weeknd's lyrics. Anything other than H&M and their hoodie. He really needs to be patiently educated as to how wrong his thinking is.

I'm not easily offended as my life experiences involved being spat at in the street and told to "Fucking go home you stinking Paki!". Walking out of McDonald's. By National Front skinheads. Aged about nine. But my experiences are small potatoes to repeatedly being equated to an animal, being sub-human. Which is why the simian references aren't a cul-de-sac. The "cheeky monkey" tangent was.

On top of that, I'm an Art Director. I've done a catalogue shoot for kids of that age. I don't think that black kid ends up being shot in that hoodie by accident. It's deliberate (but not deliberately racist).

So, for those reasons please consider re-opening this thread, with a live issue and posts that should be challenged (politely), which would be far more useful than for it to be replaced by some amorphous, insipid "Isn't Racism Naughty?" thread instead.

[zero zero]

It is an important and incredibly sensitive subject and therefore RAWK is probably not the best place for this discussion. If anyone can give a good reason why it should be reopened feel free to PM.

Oops. I started writing that before you posted, Alan.

[Alan_X]

Oops. I started writing that before you posted, Alan.

No problem. I’ll read it after the game.

[zero zero]

No problem. I’ll read it after the game.

Thanks