Online Store CafePress Clobbered for Racist Merchandise
CafePress, the online store where independent artists and merchants can sell T-shirts, mugs and other collectibles, has removed pages promoting anti-Mexican products after Latino bloggers and news sites brought them to public light this week.
It’s not the first time CafePress — one of the biggest online retailers in the world — has wandered into critics’ cross-hairs for selling merchandise that would generally be considered racist or otherwise offensive, and given the way the site works, it won’t be the last.
First, some background:
CafePress this week pulled down 10 pages offering merchandise with explicitly anti-Mexican themes after Latino media outlets picked up posts by the blogs Tex(t)Mex and Latino Rebels, which noted that CafePress had an “Anti-Mexican Gifts” section.
“Looking for the right funny gift to express your hate and racism towards Mexicans? Well, CafePress has got the goods for you,” Latino Rebels observed.
CafePress removed the pages, as well as pages in a second section called “Anti-Mexico.” It said it regretted “any problems or concerns caused by the images in question.”