# "Year of the Monkey" NBA promo t-shirts: racist? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [February 2, 2016, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/year-of-the-monkey-nba-promo-t-shirts-racist/744960 "2016-02-02T15:56:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2016, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/year-of-the-monkey-nba-promo-t-shirts-racist/744960/101 "2016-02-05T00:03:28Z")
Technically Russia is in Europe ;), but it happens in Spain as well. ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2016, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/year-of-the-monkey-nba-promo-t-shirts-racist/744960/102 "2016-02-05T02:03:14Z")
> [@ISiddiqui](#): > > Technically Russia is in Europe ;), but it happens in Spain as well. And [Italy](http://www.ibtimes.com/ugly-side-italian-football-blatant-widespread-racism-1935667). And [England](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-3008552/Racism-rife-English-football-350-incidents-Premier-League-grassroots-2012-investigation-reveals.html). And throughout Europe. But it ain’t like comparing black athletes to monkeys [doesn’t happen in the US](https://storify.com/crossingbroad/wayne-simmonds-racist-tweets). ---
**Author:** ![orcenio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/orcenio/32/1036_2.png) [@orcenio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/orcenio)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2016, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/year-of-the-monkey-nba-promo-t-shirts-racist/744960/103 "2016-02-05T14:05:37Z")
To protest a famous racist incident where [Dani Alves had a banana thrown at him](http://www.buzzfeed.com/mackenziekruvant/soccer-player-dani-alves-had-the-best-reaction-to#.le6alVoR2) (sadly all too common in soccer) his FC Barcelona teammate Neymar started the hashtag [#weareallmonkeys](https://www.google.ca/search?q=%23weareallmonkeys&oq=%23weareallmonkeys&aqs=chrome..69i57.2866564j0j7&sourceid=chrome&es_sm=122&ie=UTF-8). ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stainless_steel_rat/32/5727_2.png) [@The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stainless_Steel_Rat)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2016, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/year-of-the-monkey-nba-promo-t-shirts-racist/744960/104 "2016-02-05T14:58:26Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > [Here’s one example.](http://thinkprogress.org/sports/2015/07/18/3682113/russia-racism-frimpong-red-card-monkey-chants/) That’s technically Russia, not Europe, but there’s lots of similar stories from other countries. Here’s another, from Italy (note: Balotelli isn’t the easiest person to sympathise with, being the soccer equivilent to American footballs’ Terrell Owens, but still) > **[Mario Balotelli: Police probe racist abuse directed at Liverpool striker...](https://edition.cnn.com/2014/09/22/sport/football/mario-balotelli-racist-abuse/index.html)** > > Racist abuse on social media shows no sign of diminishing in European football after British police launched an investigation into abusive tweets sent to Liverpool striker Mario Balotelli. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2016, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/year-of-the-monkey-nba-promo-t-shirts-racist/744960/105 "2016-02-05T19:31:41Z")
I think continuing the celebration but being more sensitive with the imagery used is appropriate. In the Pit thread, I’ve been comparing it to this hypothetical (which might seem more clear): Someone wants to have a Hindu cultural celebration. They gather up symbols and decorations, and schedule the celebration in NYC. Sounds great, right? Well, some of the prominent imagery includes swastikas, and they happened to schedule it on Holocaust remembrance day. Someone points this out, and they change the imagery, and change the day. It wouldn’t be ludicrous in my view, to be concerned that some might see those swastikas as anti-semitic, even though they weren’t intended that way, and it’s reasonable to change the day and symbols used. ---
**Author:** ![ProDentite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecccb3/32.png) [@ProDentite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ProDentite)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2016, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/year-of-the-monkey-nba-promo-t-shirts-racist/744960/106 "2016-02-10T20:37:37Z")
> [@cmkeller](#): > > Didn’t the Sacramento Kings actually have a gorilla as a mascot at one point? Did people consider that racist? (Yes, I know a gorilla is, scientifically speaking, an ape rather than a monkey.) I believe you are thinking about the old Phoenix Suns mascot. I don’t remember anyone ever thinking the costume was racist. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/year-of-the-monkey-nba-promo-t-shirts-racist/744960.md?page=5)