An image showing two contrasting supermarket shelves has attracted thousands of comments and sparked a debate as some labelled it ‘disgusting’ while others argued ‘it’s not a race thing’
A photo of two supermarket shelves has gone viral as many argue it demonstrates an example of ‘everyday systemic racism’.about:blankabout:blank
Jesús A. Rodríguez posted the photo to Twitter with the caption ‘It’s more than just the police’, racking up nearly 600,000 likes and 2,300 comments as people debated the issue.null
It showed one shelf in a US shop with products kept behind a locked screen, requiring staff to open it for customers, and another without one.
With many struggling to be able to read what the products were, one person zoomed in on those behind the screen and wrote: “The products that are locked and chained up are the ones that are specifically targeted at natural black hair; implication being that the store owners expect black people to steal hair products.”
Many labelled the contrasting shelves ‘disgusting’ and challenged others to think about the ‘message it sends’.
One replied: “Wow. I’ve never seen this before and I’m shocked. How do they justify this?”
Another said: “It took me a good 30 seconds to figure out what this post was about, which is eye-opening to the everyday systemic racism that I fail to notice.”
People also gave similar examples they had seen in other stores:
But some argued it wasn’t an issue of race, as one wrote: “Stores lock up products that are mostly stolen. Pregnancy test, condoms, plan Bs & even in some Walmart’s baby clothes are locked up as well.
“At my Walmart there’s a separate check out section for all skin care, make up & a few other products. It’s not a race thing.”
A second, who said they had previously worked at a supermarket as a loss prevention officer, said it was ‘victimhood gone too far’, writing: “They keep track of high theft items so if something is behind glass it means it got stolen a lot in the past.”
But another said the logic only serves to show a deeper injustice, writing: “Let’s acknowledge that the issue is not the stores locking up high theft products, but why those products are high theft. They are frequently stolen because people can’t afford them, right? Why can’t people afford them? They live in disadvantaged communities.”
