Amazon pulls 'absolutely shocking' slavery apparel after backlash

[SummerMadness]

Amazon pulls 'absolutely shocking' slavery apparel after backlash

Amazon is facing backlash for a series of products on its site that displayed a slogan praising slavery.

A third-party seller named Styleart recently used its Market platform to sell a number of items with a phrase referencing slavery and an image of pyramids in the background. The merchandise, which has been taken down, included laptop cases, mugs, bags, T-shirts and bibs, and some of the apparel was modeled by white infants.

 

[Sketcher]

Reminds me of this:

T-Shirt Hell :: WHAT ABOUT ALL THE GOOD THINGS HITLER DID?

 

[NothingIsImpossible]

Technically speaking Amazon is not the seller of the product. Its on their site yes, but its not like they made the products. I'd also add having seen the shirt assumptions are being made that it has anything to do with slavery in regards to what I am assuming is blacks thinking its about.

The stuff is made for babies and small children to wear. And the joke is parents are slaves to their kids. So I'm not really against it per say, though it doesn't need the swearing in it of course. I wouldn't but the shirt just because, well the exact reason of people are offended by anything.

I seen recently people are calling for certain asian countries to remove all "swastikas" from places of worship because it offends people since its "nazi" related. They say they don't care about the fact the symbol has been used for thousands of years by Hindu people, it offensive because it makes people think about nazis. People who are that sensitive should probably just find a nice abandoned island or cave system to live in since everything hurts their feelings, even when said things aren't what they think they are.

ACtually I remember using Google Earth a few years back and seen at Hindu worship sites in Japan the symbol appeared on the map. At first I was like "Um, did someone tag this place with the symbol to troll?". The when I read what it was I like "AH ok, no big deal then."

 

[Nithavela]

What a great way to show people they don't want to talk with you without having to talk with you.

 

[Nithavela]

Technically speaking Amazon is not the seller of the product. Its on their site yes, but its not like they made the products. I'd also add having seen the shirt assumptions are being made that it has anything to do with slavery in regards to what I am assuming is blacks thinking its about.

The stuff is made for babies and small children to wear. And the joke is parents are slaves to their kids.

The t-shirt doesn't show some poor parent being slaved around by his toddler, it shows the pyramids. I think your interpretation doesn't hold water.

Now, of course the pyramids weren't really built by slaves, they were built by serfs. But you know, details...

 

[Ana the Ist]

The t-shirt doesn't show some poor parent being slaved around by his toddler, it shows the pyramids. I think your interpretation doesn't hold water.

Now, of course the pyramids weren't really built by slaves, they were built by serfs. But you know, details...

Most historians consider serfdom a form of slavery.

 

[Quid est Veritas?]

Most historians consider serfdom a form of slavery.

Well no, they aren't really the same. That is why there are two terms. Usually some form of actual slavery continued to exist concurrently to serfdom.

The t-shirt doesn't show some poor parent being slaved around by his toddler, it shows the pyramids. I think your interpretation doesn't hold water.

Now, of course the pyramids weren't really built by slaves, they were built by serfs. But you know, details...

You know, details, but they weren't built by serfs either, but free peasantry.

 

[ViaCrucis]

Having looked up what the shirt looks like/says, my immediate thoughts:

1) Not exactly the best taste, one might even call it rather poor taste.
2) Having children model the shirts doesn't help.
3) Though whether or not it is outrage-worthy would depend on the meaning and intent behind the shirt seller/designer.

I could see this as a poor-taste shirt design with no other intent than to be provocative and cheeky. Which is precisely why I think intent is a far bigger concern here than simply the content. The use of the pyramids is about as a generic and benign reference to slavery as one could get (seeing as it is still slavery after all); had they went with something a bit more contemporary, then yes, that'd be indefensible and horrid.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[NothingIsImpossible]

The t-shirt doesn't show some poor parent being slaved around by his toddler, it shows the pyramids. I think your interpretation doesn't hold water.

Now, of course the pyramids weren't really built by slaves, they were built by serfs. But you know, details...

I hadn't even noticed the pyramids the first time. That does change what they meant then. Though while it may be poor taste, I still feel it could be interpreted as if the egyptians used slaves to get things done, then a baby can use the parents to get things done. A joke really.

Still doens't seem like anything big deal in the end. I've seen far worse shirts on Amazon. From ones with swearing. To talking about sex. To mocking God....etc.

 

[Ana the Ist]

Well no, they aren't really the same. That is why there are two terms. Usually some form of actual slavery continued to exist concurrently to serfdom.

Again, yes they do...there may be different terms to describe different types of slavery, but there's also different definitions of slavery. For example...

Definition of SLAVE

2 : one that is completely subservient to a dominating influence

So yeah, many, if not most, historians consider things like serfdom or thralldom to be forms of slavery.

 

[Nithavela]

The main difference between a serf and a slave is that the serf spends a significant portion of his time tending his own land or working his own trade and is only required to work for his master for some time, while a slave does so every day of the year.

Interesting historical debate aside, I still disagree with the whole parents-joke angle. After all, it not only says slavery, but "Slavery gets [stuff] done".

 

[Quid est Veritas?]

Again, yes they do...there may be different terms to describe different types of slavery, but there's also different definitions of slavery. For example...

Definition of SLAVE

2 : one that is completely subservient to a dominating influence

So yeah, many, if not most, historians consider things like serfdom or thralldom to be forms of slavery.

Maybe Marxist historians, but certainly not most.

The difference is that a slave is legal property, like a cow or table.
A serf is a legal person, whose labour just happens to belong substantially to someone else. The difference is stark.

It is the difference between a fellow citizen or subject of the Crown, and objects like a washing machine or an animal.

The term serf was invented in the mediaeval period for this new tenantry relationship and was in use separately from slave throughout, even beyond the extinction of slavery. Serfdom was only abolished in the late 19th century in parts of Europe. It is a class of term such as Indentured labour, peonage, peasant, villein, sharecropper, etc. that all reference different relationships of labour to landowners.

To call anyone a slave who does not fully control his own labour is a silly usage of the term. It is also what lies behind usages like wage-slaves and calling conscription slavery. I assure you, this is not the usage amongst historians of the periods in which serfdom was prevalent, except for those with an ideological axe to grind.

 

[SummerMadness]

What a great way to show people they don't want to talk with you without having to talk with you.

It is, I also feel that way about people wearing Confederate flags... yeah, you probably don't have many black friends. I file this shirt under cheeky racism. You think it's funny, but it really isn't.

 

[PreviouslySeeking...]

If slavery only existed as a historical oddity, then maybe they could get away with this. But it does exist today. It is more than just "bad taste". How can people be this oblivious?

 

[dgiharris]

I dunno, on my outrage meter, on a scale of 1 to 10, this is like a 3 at best...

I'm not offended, if I saw a kid walking around wearing that shirt with the pyramids in the background then I'd shrug and really wouldn't think anything of it...

However, if that same slogan had a picture of an 1800s black slave in a cotton field then yeah, I'd feel differently about it.

So then the question becomes, are the claims of slavery in conjunction with the pyramids an acceptable topic to joke about without offending a particular ethnic group? Or does the mere reference to slavery constitute an offense to any and/or every group that has been a victim of slavery?

In any event, like i said, to me this is shrug worthy at best... just my opinion...

 

[SummerMadness]

I dunno, on my outrage meter, on a scale of 1 to 10, this is like a 3 at best...

I'm not offended, if I saw a kid walking around wearing that shirt with the pyramids in the background then I'd shrug and really wouldn't think anything of it...

However, if that same slogan had a picture of an 1800s black slave in a cotton field then yeah, I'd feel differently about it.

So then the question becomes, are the claims of slavery in conjunction with the pyramids an acceptable topic to joke about without offending a particular ethnic group? Or does the mere reference to slavery constitute an offense to any and/or every group that has been a victim of slavery?

In any event, like i said, to me this is shrug worthy at best... just my opinion...

I would register this a 3 or 4 on my outrage meter, the 4 may come from the fact that you know they understand the implication of their shirt, so they think using the pyramids will make their ironic racism funny. They would never use an image of American slavery from the 1800s because they bank on some plausible deniability.

It's far and away from something like this (which sadly people defended as not racist):

 

[Nithavela]

I would register this a 3 or 4 on my outrage meter, the 4 may come from the fact that you know they understand the implication of their shirt, so they think using the pyramids will make their ironic racism funny. They would never use an image of American slavery from the 1800s because they bank on some plausible deniability.

It's far and away from something like this (which sadly people defended as not racist):

I've said it already and I'll say it again, racisms greatest crime is making people hate because of chicken and water melons.

That and the systematic institutional oppression of a group of people based on their skin color.