"The Walking Dead" might be an award winning, zombie themed drama but it has not been without its fair share of detractors who have criticized the show for its excessive gore and violence. The show has been embroiled in a bit of controversy once again, but this time it doesn't involve anything that occurred onscreen. The issue this time involves a t-shirt.
According to a report from the Huffington Post, international retailer Primark has allegedly removed a "Walking Dead" t-shirt after consumers complained about how its design was "offensive" and "racist". The said shirt feature's Lucille - the name of Negan's baseball bat - covered in barbed wire and the phrase "eeny meeny miny moe". The phrase was used by Negan as he was choosing a victim to kill with his bat in the finale of "The Walking Dead" season 6.
While the rhyme itself may seem innocent and have a vague history, some early versions of it were said to have included a racial slur, as the word "tiger" was replaced with the N-word instead. This is the reason why some consumers felt the need to complain about the shirt's design.
According to a report from the BBC, a customer named Ian Lucraft complained to Primark about the said shirt. In an interview with the Sheffield Star, Lucraft said that he and his wife upon seeing the shirt. He described the shirt as being "fantastically offensive" and said those who purchase it might not have been aware about the subliminal message it was hiding.
Lucraft claims the image "relates directly to the practice of assaulting black people in America." A spokesperson for Primark says the shirts have been withdrawn from the market and the design was taken from the AMC series. The "Eeny Meeny Miny Moe" rhyme has been in used since the 1820s and has existed in various forms.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
