Race/Affirmative Action

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H&M Company is fashion organization operation globally. As one of the biggest clothing companies in the world, the company has more than 4500 stores distributed in different parts of the country. It produces clothes for people of all sexes. Reportedly, H&M Company has seen improvement over the years. However, recently the company produced hoodies which triggered controversy. The production of the hoodie which had a label “coolest monkey in the jungle” (Weekes 1). Triggered mixed reaction not only on the internet but also offline by organizations and the public at large. The blacks in the U.S.A, U.K and other parts of the world were disappointed and strongly criticized the company. They viewed the message in the hoodie to be discriminatory since it postulated the discriminatory history that the black people had gone through as they were compared to monkeys during the slavery era. The company through its management made a series of apologies for the issues. On the other hand, the model’s mother asked public to “Get Over It” & “Stop Crying Wolf” (Weekes 1)”
In the article, Weekes (2018 1) argues that H&M Company has triggered racial discrimination through its production of a hoodie with the message “coolest monkey in the jungle.” The article indicates that the message has been translated to insinuate inferiority complex among the black. This is because of its connection to the suffering and injustices that the black people were subjected to during the slavery days.

Certainly, the blacks were viewed as lesser beings who were compared to animals and the monkeys. As monkeys, the blacks were denied many privileges such as the right to education, participation in civic activities, and access to most public facilities among others. Their place was perceived to be the jungle just like monkeys. On the same note, their ‘black’ complexion was compared to that of monkeys. Due to these negative emotional connections to the message, the author tries to indicate the dissatisfaction of the public to the company’s product.
The primary audience of this text is the public and most specifically the black people throughout the world. This is evident by the fact that article attempts to critically highlight the reaction of the company towards the responses that it has received. The author tries to pinpoint the concerns that H&M Company has over the product. It tries to indicate to the black people who are the consumers that the company has learned about its mistake and sorry about it. As seen by the company’s first apology “we have got this wrong, and we are deeply sorry […] we haven’t come far enough. We agree with all the criticism that this has generated” (Weekes 1). The statement targets the black people which inarguably postulates that they are the target group. Additionally, the article gives the sentiments of the model’s mother on the issue “. The message indicates that the boy’s mother cares and wants people to stop prolonging and exaggerating the controversy. She indicates that the message on the hoodie was not intentional and that people should be open-minded. According to the statement, it is clear that the target group is the public and specifically the black people.
The article incorporates several techniques to convey the message. For instance, logic is one of the main aspects which is used by the author to ensure that the message is clear and is understood by the audience. The article is organized logically a factor that makes the argument to be gradually and systematically brought into the light. The author starts by introducing the issue at hand which is the racial controversy as ignited by H&M Company. The author the gradually switches focus to the audience and start describing to them the reaction of the company towards the issue. The argument is brought up in the article. Eventually, the author summaries the issue in a brief conclusion.
The author also uses emotions to highlight the message. Through the reactions of different people such as the views of the black people, the company’s responses and the response of the model’s mother, emotional feelings are triggered. For instance, the article shows the comment of one person who commented about the hoodie “have you lost your damned minds?!?!?!” According to the comment, ‘Charles M. Blow’ is greatly disappointed with the message on the hoodie (Weekes 1). On the same note, through the two apologies that the company made, their emotions can be felt. Ethics has also been used in the article by the critic against the discriminatory nature of the message in the hoodie. Besides, the company’s reaction towards the issues indicates that it is concerned about its ethical behaviors and that is why it deeply apologizes and vows to prevent the same from happening again.
The author uses facts as evidence throughout the article. For instance, the statement by the mother of the models is used as the topic of the article “Get Over It” & “Stop Crying Wolf” (Weekes 1)”. The author also uses the picture of the young model wearing the hoodie to show the exact message. The face and the image as it appeared on the on the online shop platform is incorporated in the article. A comment by one person is shown below the image to represent the reaction of people towards the product. Additionally, the exact statement of the company that was used as an apology to the consumers is also incorporated in the text.
The issues brought about the product is a social issue since it creates racial implications. According to the article, the hoodie is perceived to create social division as it relates black people as monkeys. Blacks who are the target market of the product are viewed to express their dissatisfaction with it (Weekes 1). They are unhappy with how the company degrades their dignity with the message in the hoodie. Notably, the comment on the image on the online platforms shows that the people are against the message.
The issue presented by the article is also historically affiliated. As seen by a statement in the article “Comparing black people to monkeys is something that has a long and painful history, regardless of anyone’s personal opinion,” it is clear that the message reminds blacks of the suffering that their forefathers underwent during the slavery days (Weekes 1). The message shows the connection of black people with monkeys. This relates the situation of the blacks currently and during historical times and apparently the public perceives the company to be making fun of the blacks.
Despite the success of the article in conveying the message, it is clear that the article has a gap in that it does not specify its evidence. Even though the author indicates that a lot of outcry regarding the product comes from the U.S.A, it does indicate that whether the comment from Charles represents the comments from U.S.A or throughout the world. Also, the conclusions of the article are extremely shallow. It does not give a comprehensive summary of the points which are discussed in the body. Instead, it introduces a new idea.
Taking into account the gaps in the article, the text could be improved by giving specifics about each fact and not generalizations. For instance, since the author indicates that the entire black community all over the world is unhappy with the message on the hoodie and that the people from the U.S.A have criticised it more as compared to the people from U.K (Weekes 1). Therefore, she could have specified whether the reaction of the consumers comes from the U.S.A or every part of the world. Additionally, the conclusion section of the paper can be improved by ensuring that the main points are summarised instead of introducing new ideas. All new ideas could have been fully explored in the body.
In conclusion, the article is successful since it managed to convey its message to the Blacks who are the audience. The author incorporated different techniques including ethical issues, emotions as well as the logical organization of the text to ensure that the paper is appealing and the content flows. The context of the article is extensive, and it revolves around social as well as historical issues. Even the paper has weaknesses which concern generalization of some aspects and poor organization of the conclusion, the author’s message was passed. These gaps can be filled by giving specific facts and ensuing the conclusion section contains only a summary of the body. From the content of the article, it inarguable that the issue will not arise again in future. The reason behind this is that the critic has reached many people and companies producing any products will be cautious while manufacturing any brands.
Work Cited
Weekes, Princess. Mother of Young H&M Model Tells People To “Get Over It” & “Stop Crying Wolf”. 4:23 pm, January 11th, 2018 85. Available at: https://www.themarysue.com/mother-of-hm-model/. Retrieved 20/02/2018.