This past week, you may have read or heard about the very controversial advertisement H&M put up on their website for sale in the UK. The ad shows a very young, black male in a green hoodie that reads, "Coolest monkey in the jungle." I hope you can see why people were so thrown off by this, including many celebrities who have reacted with outrage towards this inconsiderate, racist advertising.

One of these popular celebrities is The Weeknd, who has stated he will no longer be collaborating with the company. He tweeted, "woke up this morning shocked and embarrassed by this photo. I’m deeply offended and will not be working with @hm anymore..."

It seems this isn't the first time H&M has been called out for insensitive advertising. This ad must have raised many red flags before it was even posted to the website. And if it didn't, well, that's even more concerning to me. I felt very compelled to write about this topic, as it raises more questions and concerns than simply boycotting the company.

While, yes, initially it may have been intended to just be a cute little saying, as children are often referred to as "little monkeys" and things like this, it's distressing to think that no one questioned the way it was being advertised before it was put out, online, for the public.

Or even created in the first place. While children, like the young model posing in this ad, may not catch the racism or think twice about it, anyone who has any form of awareness or knowledge about discrimination and prejudices that have been targeted towards black people can clearly see it, without a second glance.

Some may say, "It probably wasn't intended to be racist." Well, I'm sure that wasn't the company's intention.

The reason people are angry is because this obviously means that there is still a lack of knowledge and consideration for racial slurs that were demeaning to a group of people for generations.

I would like to believe that someone pointed out how poorly it would be received, and whether it is this lack of knowledge or the idea that even bad publicity is good publicity, my immediate reaction is that this should not go ignored.

We've seen large companies and celebrities slandered for incidents of this nature time and time again. Over time, it will fade away from the spotlight as the next scandal from a different company arises. So whether you choose to boycott the company forever or just until heightened emotions fade away, I think we all have things to think about regarding the issue.

Drawing from this example, my thoughts raise the topic of not-so "subtle" racism that very much exists today. While we (yes, white people) may no longer blatantly call others the N-word or refuse to provide service to those we see inferior to us, we must be aware and open our eyes to situations like this. Over and over, I witness those that turn a blind eye and just call it "overreacting," or may say that it's "not that serious." But it really is that serious, and kind of, well, just sad.

Many of us choose to tell others that they're trying to draw attention to something that doesn't exist. We may think that if we just didn't pay attention to things like this, racism would simply disappear. I think it's time for a reality check and a change of mentality.

Even if (or should I say especially since) you will never know what it's like to be in someone else's skin, stop trying to decimate and undermine the reactions and discussions over controversial issues like this raised by those that, rightfully, take personal offense to it.

We should take the initiative to enlighten those still ignorant of subtle racism. Here, I'd like to quote Chiaku Hanson, who wrote a blog post about subtle racism on HuffPost.

An excerpt from her post reads, "Subtle racists have one goal and that goal is to cause harm to the person of a different ethnic background. Research shows that while many White people proclaim to have egalitarian values, their cognition and behavior are influenced by subconscious prejudices."

As a young white person, I will not deny that I have been influenced by these subconscious prejudices that I have become much more aware of. As my awareness grows, I see how visibly it exists in many others around me. I truly believe that many do not understand these underlying racist prejudgments their subconscious may present, and they may see nothing wrong with them. But that does not justify them, or make them okay or right at all.

I also like when Hanson stated in her post, "We must learn to confront subtle racism with facts to dismantle the root causes of its false beginnings once and for all."

Clear facts and evidence are pretty hard to deny. Hanson also talks in her post about how there is more than enough evidence showing how we all contain African DNA, and all of our ancestors trace back to the African continent.

We must acknowledge that we as humans are all connected in some way and use this knowledge as a foundation to come to terms with the false presumptions that come from history and generations before us.

Even if this isn't so convincing to your racist neighbor, it's a start to the process of educating those with their eyes closed to the obvious issues at hand. It may take time, but my hopes are that their eyes will start to open and mindsets will begin to change as awareness is heightened.

Let H&M's irresponsibility and other examples of its kind act as a reminder to us all, myself included, to take a little more time to think before you speak.

Read more on the topic before you form a concrete opinion. Be honest with yourself and open to change. Reflect on your own behavior and become more aware of the true core of these issues. Start asking yourself the uncomfortable questions that groups such as the black community have been raising for generations.

It's time to make a real difference and a true step towards equality. It all starts from within.