Global retail giant Walmart has been forced to remove a line of clothing from its online marketplace after facing severe backlash from shoppers who identified disturbing similarities between the apparel's graphic and a Nazi salute.
Controversial Design Sparks Public Outrage
The contentious items included a grey and black t-shirt and hoodie featuring the phrase 'Paper Beats Rock' - a reference to the popular children's game 'rock, paper, scissors'. The accompanying graphic showed a flat palm representing 'paper' positioned above a raised fist depicting 'rock'.
However, numerous customers expressed horror upon viewing the design, with many noting that the extended flat palm bearing an uncomfortable resemblance to the fascist salute associated with Nazi Germany. The items were promptly withdrawn from Walmart's digital shelves following the mounting criticism.
Retailer's Zero-Tolerance Stance
In an official statement provided to TMZ, a Walmart spokesperson clarified that the company maintains "zero tolerance" for any offensive products appearing on their platform. The representative emphasised that the controversial garments were listed by a third-party seller and had been removed for violating Walmart's prohibited products policy.
"When issues like this are identified, we act immediately to remove them and strengthen our systems to prevent a recurrence," the statement read. "The trust of our customers and the integrity of our platform remain paramount."
According to Walmart's explicit guidelines, banned products include anything that promotes "intolerance, hate, humiliation or the mistreatment of others due to race, ethnicity, religion, gender, disability, sexual orientation, body image or similar characteristics."
Social Media Reacts to Clothing Controversy
The controversial design ignited fierce debate across social media platforms, with appalled shoppers voicing their concerns about the inappropriate imagery.
One user commented: "I was rolling my eyes thinking how could rock paper scissors be racist, then saw the shirt, wow, who in their right mind approved that design."
Another shocked individual wrote: "Oh I did not expect it to be so blatantly explicit that's wild," while a third observer noted: "My first thought was white power and boy is this shirt problematic in so many ways."
However, not all responses condemned the design, with some customers defending both the apparel and the retail corporation. "I think it's a pretty funny shirt. Y'all just easily over-offended," one shopper countered.
Another critic of the backlash stated: "Omg... everything is offensive nowadays. Get over it. People suck there is nothing you can do to change it. Calling them out on it isn't going to change anything."
This incident marks another controversy for Walmart concerning questionable designs featured on their clothing. In 2023, the retailer removed a pro-recycling T-shirt after customers discovered that the first letters of each word in the slogan inadvertently spelled out an offensive term.
The right arm extended forward with a raised flat palm salute remains historically associated with Nazi Germany and 20th-century fascism, often referred to as the Roman salute or fascist salute. In January, Tesla billionaire Elon Musk faced similar scrutiny after making a comparable gesture while addressing supporters of former President Donald Trump.
