Walmart has removed a T-shirt from its online marketplace and cut ties with the third-party seller responsible, after a social media post ignited widespread backlash over its imagery, which some critics interpreted as a racist reference to the Black Lives Matter movement. A spokesperson for Walmart told Newsweek that the T-shirt, which read “paper beats rock” and showed a white open hand hovering above a Black clenched fist, had been removed. “We have zero tolerance for any prohibited or offensive products appearing on our Marketplace,” Blair Cromwell, director of global communications, U. S. Marketplace, told Newsweek. “The items in question were listed by a third-party seller and have been removed from our site and the seller terminated for violating our prohibited products policy. “When issues like this are identified, we act immediately to remove them and strengthen our systems to prevent a recurrence.” Cromwell added: “The trust of our customers and the integrity of our platform remain paramount.” The T-shirt came under further scrutiny after a Threads post by user @lindzeegee on November 9 questioned Walmart directly with the message: “Hey @Walmart, [the ****] is this?” The post featured a screenshot showing the product listing and quickly gained traction-amassing over 9, 900 likes and more than 1, 200 comments. It was shared to the Walmart forum on Threads, where users expressed shock, confusion and anger. Critics interpreted the shirt’s design-a white hand in a posture reminiscent of a Nazi salute raised above a Black Power fist-as symbolizing racial dominance. The phrase “paper beats rock” was viewed by many as suggesting a racial hierarchy, with one comment reading simply: “Oh my God.” Another posted: “Oh America, land of my 1980s dreams. German in the U. K. here, watching your dumpster fire in absolute horror.” A third user added: “Luckily, I haven’t seen anything when I look it up, but still absolutely disgusting. If I do, I’m immediately reporting, that’s so vile.” The symbolism of the Black clenched fist has long been associated with civil rights and resistance, particularly gaining renewed prominence on Blackout Tuesday, held on June 2, 2020 in response to the deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and 26-year-old Breonna Taylor. That campaign, organized within the music industry, evolved into a broader gesture of solidarity during the height of the Black Lives Matter movement. While some figured out that the offensive item came from a third-party seller, not everyone was satisfied with the conclusion. One viewer noted: “Why are people replying ‘oh it’s not sold directly by Walmart’ as if that somehow means the massive corporation is completely innocent because they couldn’t possibly be held responsible for. The item [is] being sold on their platform.” The comment has since been liked more than 3, 500 times, indicating that many agree. The product description on the site claimed the T-shirt was a “celebration of cultural heritage,” but online reaction overwhelmingly rejected that notion. Social-media users began organizing efforts to report the product, and by November 14, listings had been taken down.
https://www.newsweek.com/walmart-responds-t-shirt-website-sparks-fury-11059717
Walmart Responds After T-Shirt on Its Website Sparks Fury
