But she went in. She took pictures. And then she did “a reality check.” She showed the pictures she’d taken to her mother and her co-workers. “Am I missing something?” she asked them. No. They saw racism, too.Here's Ezie's photo, showing the shop window in NYC with the enlarged display figurine:
Ezie juxtaposed her pictures from the Prada store with historical images of Sambo and shared them on Twitter and her Facebook page. “I didn’t want to have to grieve in silence,” she says. “I didn’t want to have to swallow this bitter pill of racism alone.”
Her post made its way through the social media biosphere, stirring outrage....
And here's Prada's photo of product that's for sale, a small charm in a set of fanciful characters that mostly seem like aliens or robots:
I can think of 3 questions:
1. Did the designer of the charm intend — sneakily and with deniability — to insert a racist depiction of a human being in this collection of characters? or...
2. Is this only a case of imagining something like a monkey from outer space and never noticing that other people could see a resemblance to old-fashioned racist cartoon images intended to demean black people and could feel offended? (That is, no one, anywhere within the company in the entire process of manufacturing this $550 gift item ever said Wait a minute, some people might think....), or...
3. Is this a case where the only racism is in the mind of the beholder who looks at a silly fanciful space monkey and decides that it looks like a black person? (Isn't that a little like Roseanne Barr looking at Valerie Jarrett and getting the idea that she looks like an ape?)
Oddly, all 3 options seem implausible. Yet something happened! I guess #2 is the least implausible, but why would a big company like Prada not be more savvy commercially? I'll break that down into 3 theories:
A. They really are dumb about things that are not strictly in the domain of fashion, or...
B. There is great deference to the designer and a culture of not expressing doubt once a design is conceived. (That is, people within the company noticed but understood their role to be to demonstrate faith in the product and not naysay), or...
C. The problem was noticed but the idea became: Let it go. If anyone — maybe some sensitive constitutional rights lawyer — gets offended, we'll say oops, sorry, and withdraw that one, but we'll get so much press for these charms, and people will look at the whole set and see that they really are delightful and buy the others and anyone who's already bought the controversial and now withdrawn monkey will have an extremely valuable item, perhaps to sell on eBay to a real racist or to one of those black people — like Henry Louis Gates Jr. — who collect racist memorabilia.
If Theory C works for you, rethink the plausibility of Theory 1 — it really was intentional.
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110 comments:
Theory C. It’s all about the pub and the money. It’s always about the money.
You make a good case for 1. You oughta be a lawyer.
Is this a case where the only racism is in the mind of the beholder
when i was working (last year), our Mandatory harassment classes told us:
It Does NOT MATTER what You Intended; the Only Thing that Matters is How it is Perceived
I (really) hate to say it, but sounds like Prada should have hired a diversity director, to either
A) tell them NOT to do this, or
B) be FIRED as a scapegoat
bonus question: is it better to be a sacrificial lamb, or a scapegoat ?
Wow! I don't see how anyone could not see that as racist. Are these people really stupid? There's some massive defect of cognition and insight here. And courage. Because someone saw it, many people I imagine, but they were all too timid to say anything
Option 3. This is a First World problem that, judging by the photos, isn't even a problem. If I hadn't read the post first, I never would have looked at those photos and thought: "Sambo!"
by which i mean;
i'd be fired if i tried to have something like that on my desk; wouldn't you?
Why be enraged? Just shake your head and move on. The foolishness of these people is neverending and not worth wasting your energy on.
Millennials lack historical context hence must learn by doing mistakes
Sambo was Tamil not African
A. With a little more explanation.
More and more people aren't racist. We do not filter our thoughts through the racist filter. We don't care! How about that. We don't see color, we see content of character. With no context, why would a person so absolutely blind to color, see racist, in this example?
NOTA. Prada was trying hard to be inclusive by deliberately having different colors, including "black," and suffered from the syndrome: no good deed goes unpunished.
They're golliwogs.
To see the fuss, you first have to think like a racists. I'm not interested in falling for Robin Givhan's mindset. It is a decorated piece of wood. It looks bad, because it is cheap art. But then Prada are cheap shoes sold at an expensive price. The art is a perfect symbol for them.
I wonder what was happening at that window in Soho. Were people stopping, gawking, and saying "WTF"? Hey, come look at this! Was there laughing and pointing. Were there just a few passersby who paused, looked troubled, and then scurried on, hiding tears?
Maybe there's a security camera that caught the reaction. I'd really like to know what it was.
Once people stop and stare in a store window and create a hubbub around it, more people stop, debate might ensue. What was said? "Oh, I think they're cute!" "That's a monkey, you idiot!" "Lighten up"... or "I am never shopping at Prada again!" "Now, I'm embarrassed to carry my Prada purse, I'm going to march in there and demand a refund!" "Boycott!"
"They're golliwogs."
Givhan explains that.
She can't say she's a loyal customer. Is she a customer? A disloyal one? Doesn't matter- unless she's a non-customer she's an elitist who needs to check her economic privilege.
"But then Prada are cheap shoes sold at an expensive price."
I don't know about that, but Prada sells a lot of things, not just shoes. These charms are jewelry. I've bought Prada purses, and they are very well made.
The image of the doll has become the subject of controversy. Whilst some people see the doll as an innocuous toy,[1] its depiction of African people is claimed by others to be racist,[1] along with pickaninnies, minstrels, mammy figures, and other caricatures. The golliwog has been described as "the least known of the major anti-Black caricatures in the United States".[2] In recent years, changing political attitudes with regard to race have reduced the popularity and sales of golliwogs as toys. Manufacturers who have used golliwogs as a motif (e.g. Robertson's Marmalade in the UK) have either withdrawn them as an icon, or changed the name. In particular, the association of the golliwog with the pejorative term "wog" has resulted in use of alternative names such as "golly" and "golly doll".
There are many who are so sure of their own purity (and often also so sure of the evilness of those they oppose) that they are utterly blind to their own deep-seated prejudice.
We never had golliwogs when I was a kid. Maybe it's a dutch thing.
So long as Lionel trains are okay I'm pure.
Sounds like a black person's name though.
No black people named American Flyer. Maybe it's wiser to be safe.
$550?? Enraged, flabbergasted, and confused about covers it.
Debussy wrote the golliwog's cake walk. It doesn't sound like black music at all. More like bad white music.
I can see some millennial from New York being clueless of the imagery, but I grew up in the rural South in the 50s & I was appalled to see that today. However I don't want a Twitter mob to take down Prada over it.
A golliwog on your trash-decorated Christmas tree would be good for double the fake offendedness.
Mark said...
There are many who are so sure of their own purity ...utterly blind to their own deep-seated prejudice.
doesn't matter! If you are a member of a protected class, you have legal RIGHT to take offense. As a member of a protected class, you have more rights and privileges than regular americans. regular americans have the right to pay taxes
Ms. Ezie should be grateful. She got her daily dose of outrage amd can luxuriate in the comforting arms of victimhood, and it didn’t cost her a penny. She’s living on Ezie Street.
The left uses racism to try and sell its political philosophy - not surprising that other entities will do the same.
Trying to remember what other Christmas offendedness we've had this year.
rhhardin said... So long as Lionel trains are okay I'm pure.
are these 'trains' HO's ?
My own theory:
This store window display was designed by an immigrant from some foreign country who is genuinely ignorant of Sambo and America's history of black stereotypes generally. And his managers didn't care what he designed as long as he fulfilled his contract.
Culture clashes like that are common with foreigners. On occasion, American soldiers in Afghanistan have inadvertently insulted Afghan natives by doing things that are considered wrong in Afghan culture.
The overriding lesson ought to be leave people alone. It's America. Let them do their thing.
You may discover there's no racism at all except what you imagine at every turn.
I am old enough to remember being read the story of "Little Black Sambo" and he sort of seemed heroic to me, beating the tiger, eating all of those pancakes, he was a trickster, but yeah, a lot of racist imagery used it too. It's more a cause for eye rolls than grief though. Those racists are mostly dead, why give them power from beyond the grave?
Speedy Gonzalez always outsmarted the Gringo, he is, I hear, popular in Latin America but banned in the United States as a negative portrayal.
In the Nordstrom store in Palm Beach Gardens, as you walk in, there is a painting that looks a lot like Melania Trump flipping the bird. I think that it is pretty funny.
The era of “That’s not funny.”?
"Isn't that a little like Roseanne Barr looking at Valerie Jarrett and getting the idea that she looks like an ape?"
I know this has been commented upon before but Valerie Jarrett does look like the Bonham Carter character in Planet of the Apes.
are these 'trains' HO's ?
Lionel is O gauge, after the blood type. Though there are 027 and 072 turn sets. 072 fills out an entire room floor.
Then there are those who are so obsessed with pushing their own petty thing that they totally miss the bigger point.
She had been assaulted by the images. She didn't want to have to grieve - grieve! - in silence. She didn't want to swallow this bitter pill of racism alone.
Which makes me wonder: How fragile has Ezie been trained to be; trained herself to be?
Maybe golliwogs are friendly and a way of saying you like how black people look. It's the people who think black people are unbeautiful who are offended by golliwogs.
This store window display was designed by
The display only follows and shows a larger version of the little toys that Prada is selling. Blame the toy designer and every other executive that green-lit the toys.
Take a long look at the snooty, privileged, elitist, progressive artistic types that Prada would employ for such positions.
Turns out she is a loyal customer of Prada. She just can't say it.
If you hear the dog whistle, you're probably young.
There used to be a pancake house called "Sambo's." I liked eating there as a little boy. Don't remember any cross burning. I looked up to Sambo. Next, if racists start using John Henry as a slur, will blacks demand that the character be unpersoned?
We give racists way too much power.
Raccoons can hear dog whistles.
Until this morning, I had never heard of a golliwog. In my life.
What Hagar said was right.
Is it Alt-Right $500 shoes? Or is it what the sneaky rich people wont do to establish their class superiority over their peasant workers that their money actually does own.
From Prada to Nada (2011) A Latina spin on Jane Austen's "Sense and Sensibility," where two spoiled sisters who have been left penniless after their father's sudden death are forced to ... (imdb)
Another possibility:
Hoax racist ... Do we know who is Designer?
I'm going for a variant of sinz52's hypothesis: Prada is a big multinational company, it's quite possible the whole concept was put together by people with little awareness of how it would be received by American liberals.
Creedence Clearwater Revival was first called The Golliwogs. I thought that they were like polliwogs.
May be because the "Sambo" type of caricature has been so thoroughly eliminated from our culture that those involved simply lacked context to identify the problem. I am in my 50's and can only just barely remember them, they were eradicated by the time I hit grade dchool.
Just googled golliwog. Kate Upton better change her name!
I always thought Sambo was Indian. No tigers in Africa.
had I not been assaulted by the images ...Said Chinyere Ezie
Xe doesn't know what the word "assaulted" means + funny name = ESL ?
real racist or to one of those black people — like Henry Louis Gates Jr.
*Somebody* qualifies for category "A" since Gates is a racist mulatto.
I think Little Black Sambo goes back to Germany in the 1920's. A comic strip and they had some chocolate figurines, etc.
From Science Magazine: Why Sexism and Racism Never Diminish–Even When Everyone Becomes Less Sexist and Racist:
https://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2018/06/sexism-racism-never-diminishes-even-everyone-becomes-less-sexist-racist.html
Mr. Majestyk: Option 3. This is a First World problem that, judging by the photos, isn't even a problem. If I hadn't read the post first, I never would have looked at those photos and thought: "Sambo!"
Even if you did, it's still a First World problem. The flabbergasted, confused, and assaulted complainer is a professional activist.
She's not just saying "Prada, wtf, this is disgusting". She's getting paid to say it. That's the only thing interesting to me about these endless "OMG that's racist!" exercises. It's not about decent people taking issue with offensive material or behavior. It's about trying to control everything, make everybody say "how high" when they say "jump". (Which includes, of course, the inevitable shakedowns.)
Go look up the "Center for Constitutional Rights". Arguing about whether this is racist or not, and who's the real racist, is missing the point. That's the sort of thing you fret and argue endlessly about in the First World, i.e., in the times before, as they say, "shit gets real".
rhhardin said...
are these 'trains' HO's ? Lionel is O gauge, after the blood type.
yes i know, but you're missing the hilarious pun. get it ? Lionel runs a bunch of Ho's?
"Chinyere Ezie (Cheen-Yer-Ray Ay-Zee-Ay) is a nationally recognized civil rights lawyer and social justice activist who specializes in constitutional litigation and anti-discrimination work. In 2016, Chinyere was named one of the country's Best LGBT Lawyers Under 40.
Chinyere is a Staff Attorney at the Center for Constitutional Rights where she focuses on racial justice, gender justice, and LGBT rights work. Chinyere previously worked as a Staff Attorney at the Southern Poverty Law Center LGBT Rights Project..."
Speedy Gonzalez always outsmarted the Gringo, he is, I hear, popular in Latin America but banned in the United States as a negative portrayal.
Banned on English language television in the United States. He often appears on the Spanish language channels. (Usually in commercials)
My explanation: Prada is not a US company.
Despite the constant drumbeat that "America is racist" it really isn't.
Americans don't make monkey noises or throw banana skins and if you know what I mean than you too understand European racist behavior.
There is of course the Sambo/tiger anomaly--there are no tigers in Africa, so if the tigers ran around until they turned into ghee, Sambo was a child of the sub-continent. His father, Big Black Jumbo, was indeed a worthy oriental gentleman (a "wog"). When we lived in England, the locals used to say, "The wogs begin at Calais."
Those professional race hounds like Chinyere Ezie are barking up the wrong tree here. These are space monkeys. I want the hear her views on the flying monkeys in Wizard of Oz and the nature of government in Planet of the Apes. I think someone (whose initials are CE) has a monkey obsession.
Sambo was probably Indian, or Tamil, as Howard says, but the story was "Little Black Sambo." Still, the village would have been in a world of hurt without him.
The world is a wide place. I have met a lot of them.
Most of them are racists. Yes, even in Europe.
Bubble people do not know that because they are Americans who don't travel in places where the masses live and they don't speak foreign languages where the massive racism is most freely espoused.
Sort of like Sara Jeong. If you read her KOREAN twitter feed, I'm sure you'd find that not only is she a horrible racist, so are her entire family and most of her friends.
I wonder how she is fairing since she's been outed as just as huge a bigot as these Sambo figures.
African immigrant maybe due to chin migration[?], lesbian and former attorney at the race-hustling Southern Poverty Law Center. Should we be surprised at her outrage over this BS?
Grieve?
Really?
Sheesh.
John Henry
I'll believe this person's outrage when she demands Sarah Jeong be fired. Not before.
Before IHOP and Denny's, there was Sambo's Pancake House.
Maybe the artist was drawing upon a dormant memory, and that memory was so subliminal as to be more like an archetype than a stereotype. When viewed with the other space aliens, it doesn't look particularly racist, but , in other contexts, you can see it......I think the artist who created this work should be shamed and named. He should end his days designing cheap carnival prizes. Erie should be given a MacArthur Grant so she can have the time and resources necessary to continue her fine work.......If Prada can get away with this, it won't be long before Coach introduces a line of buckles that look like watermelons to accent their handbags, and then where will we be. You've got to draw a line and hold it.
When you are looking for something everywhere you will find it everywhere. Poor, poor person, living a life so fragile, so desperate for attention.
The center for constitutional rights the outfit founded by that che lover Michael Ratner, who let at least two known terrorists , bin qumu and al shehri to go free?
You can get pancakes right now at the original Sambos in Santa Barbara
Tamil are among the darkest of all peoples
. . .it's quite possible the whole concept was put together by people with little awareness of how it would be received by American liberals.
Much like Hinduism, where they are discovering new gods every day (they are up to 33 million), American liberals are discovering new things to be outraged at daily (I am not sure if they are up to 33 million yet, but it's probably close)
I think the shorter list is 'what are they NOT outraged at'.
Variation of Theory 1, that it was an attempt to Épater la Bourgeoisie that missed the target in order to Épater les Bien Pensants.
I've known several Sams who went by the nickname Sambo.
All were white.
And it's been a long while.
Then there is "rushbo"
Probably offensive to Russians.
And to American fascists. Them more for his radio show than the name.
John Henry
Fido,
I'm glad it's only 33mm so far.
When they get to 9billion all the stars go out.
H/t AC Clarke
John Henry
If you the one that see's a monkey and thinks "black people" you're the racist.
“I didn’t want to have to grieve in silence,” she says.
Nor must she be so obliged. It is Festivus! Time for the Airing of Grievances.
Next up: Feats of Strength.
"It Does NOT MATTER what You Intended; the Only Thing that Matters is How it is Perceived"
Which is of course utter bullshit. This only leads to being ruled by unthinking, emoting idiots.
So now sock monkeys are banned? They are one of the most popular and easy to make children's toys in US and Canada.
If you are always hearing dog whistles, perhaps you are a dog.
Sgt. Ted is correct.
I don't know about that, but Prada sells a lot of things, not just shoes. These charms are jewelry. I've bought Prada purses, and they are very well made.
I do apologize for the aside as it takes away from my point (I misread pricing information at Overstock, but I did check prices before posting the first message).
I still feel like Robin Givhan is seeing what she wants to see in the pendants. When she insists I see it, I can tell which item is offending her, but when you look at the set; they are all animals. It is Robin seeing a monkey and associating it with a race. When she insists, I can tell which of us is truly racists.
I'm glad you enjoy the purses. I'm the type of person that buys a $10 wallet, because they work and nobody calls me racists for having one.
One more thing, did you hear that ABC is renewing the Connors? Although it slumped in early season, it actually pulled in decent ratings for the year and was ABC's top comedy program.
The devil's in the details, not on Prada.
Tamil women are beautiful. So, when do we get to see the real Big Black Mumbo? I am tired of the lies.
The conclusion writes itself: All African figurative art is racist.
Maybe the resemblance wasn't obvious until it was on display at night and nobody on the Prada team looked carefully at the display after nightfall.
They're so familiar with their own store that they didn't look at it twice.
So long as Lionel trains are okay I'm pure.
Not so fast. You know who else used trains?
I guess I'm even less pure since my train set is German.
A one-eyed white monster? Rabid diversity with a shade of fantasy.
Theory D: who cares?
How about some historical context. In 1950 this was racist against blacks. In 2018 this may simply be a parody of their customers. The rich whites who darken their skin with spray tan and plump their lip to double their original size with fillers.
MEANWHILE
Patreon is deplatforming many conservatives, not because they said racist things directly, but because someone like the author of this piece was offended by something said.
Anyone else care about this? Anyone? Bueller?
Odd that she wasn't stultified. They're usually stultified.
Theory D: In the initial design there were no brown figures, and Prada's Director of Diversity and Inclusion insisted on Figurines of Color. Designer says ok, I'll make one all brown, one pink/brown and one yellow/brown. Heads nod in approval around the conference table. Nobody checks the final product. Window designer really likes the idea of an intergalactic interspecies mixed-color couple. Result: Classic corporate debacle.
Coming soon: Designer says, "That's not who I am."
Paco Wové said...
"In 2016, Chinyere was named one of the country's Best LGBT Lawyers Under 40."
So there is hope that it won't breed.
Isn’t Prada Italian?
Are they judging Italian culture?
Speedy Gonzalez always outsmarted the Gringo, he is, I hear, popular in Latin America but banned in the United States as a negative portrayal.
I love Speedy.
Remember, tons of people had to overtly or tacitly approved of the racist super bowl commercials, one with Panda with awful accents and the other trying to shoe African barefoot runner.
So, yes, it is possible for everyone in an organization to miss possible racist interpretations that are obvious to others.
It might be the work of Karim Rashid.
"Karim Rashid is Egyptian-born and Canadian-raised industrial designer. His designs include luxury goods, furniture, lighting, surface design, brand identity and packaging. Time magazine has described him as the "most famous industrial designer in all the Americas" and the "Prince of Plastic"
the figures reminded me of some of his work I had seen in a documentary called "Objectified" (2009)
Rotten Tomatoes says the doc is playng on Netflix.
I don't remember seeing anything overtly racist... but then again my racism tricorder may not have been up to today's standard back when I watched the documentary, so I could've just missed it ;)
I really can't see what is racist about these stupid little plastic figurines. Givhans and Ezie don't seem to be real clear about it either. I guess the question I have for both of them is, "Can you think of a depiction of a monkey that would not remind you of yourself? Or do you so closely resemble a monkey that any depiction of a monkey is simply unacceptable to you?"
Reading the comments here, Andy Dufresne's question seems appropriate here -- "How can you be so obtuse?"
How could you disagree with me!?!??
Mark@4:36PM Can you answer Jupiter@4:27? If not, please explain why these figures are racist.
The one with green lips, is that one racist too?
Well, one of them is clearly alien, of Futurama vintage. While the other has a style familiar on the African plains.
A Statuette from Mambia, Nigeria
Clearly a case of cultural appropriation, which would be shocking to a cosmopolitan set.
"I guess I'm even less pure since my train set is German."
But if its LGB, you get points for that.
Two Iron laws:
1. You cannot show artistic representations of black people
2. You cannot show monkeys
Hmmm...
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