Ospreys - Loch Of The Lowes, Scotland.
Twitching & Birdwatching1 min ago
Golliwogs and morons
Quick question based on a previous post.
I understand that there are MANY people who have childhood toys in the shape of golliwogs - and tees people don't have a racist bone in their body. They're simply a toy right?
Now some people have said that golliwogs have become the subject of a PC-ban.
But to those people, I would like to ask this - if you were invited to a child's birthday party, and the kid was black. Would you buy them a golliwog as a present, or would you think, "Hang on...this could be seriously misconstrued".
So - would you buy a golly for a black child?
I understand that there are MANY people who have childhood toys in the shape of golliwogs - and tees people don't have a racist bone in their body. They're simply a toy right?
Now some people have said that golliwogs have become the subject of a PC-ban.
But to those people, I would like to ask this - if you were invited to a child's birthday party, and the kid was black. Would you buy them a golliwog as a present, or would you think, "Hang on...this could be seriously misconstrued".
So - would you buy a golly for a black child?
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I had a golliwog as a child and loved it as much as anyone else did in those days.
A few years ago I was mooching around a second hand bric-a-brac shop and when I said to the shopkeeper I was looking for a gift, she produced a golliwog. I quickly declined and she said "Why, are you racist?" I think she was inferring that if I was acknowledging that a simple cloth toy was in some way to be differentiated against because it represented a black person then it must be that I have some innate prejudice. Interesting, but pretty silly viewpoint.
A few years ago I was mooching around a second hand bric-a-brac shop and when I said to the shopkeeper I was looking for a gift, she produced a golliwog. I quickly declined and she said "Why, are you racist?" I think she was inferring that if I was acknowledging that a simple cloth toy was in some way to be differentiated against because it represented a black person then it must be that I have some innate prejudice. Interesting, but pretty silly viewpoint.
obviously not just one version. I had one as a child, loved it, as i did the teddy bear, and all the other dolls.
http://blogs.telegrap..._have_a_godly_origin/
http://blogs.telegrap..._have_a_godly_origin/
It's going back quite a bit I know, but the black and white minstrel shows were great. No one thought of them as being derogative in any way . They were just great entertainment but the PC brigade had them banned. As they did in the states when a re-run of the Jolson Story was proposed.
I probably wouldn't buy a Golli for any child now, purely because some people would take it the wrong way.
My grand daughters have dolls which are definately a shade of brown . I wonder if they have a certificate of PC.
I probably wouldn't buy a Golli for any child now, purely because some people would take it the wrong way.
My grand daughters have dolls which are definately a shade of brown . I wonder if they have a certificate of PC.
Just thinking aloud here...is there an equivalently contentious doll which is offensive to White people? You could argue that with it's depiction of an unattainable female form, Barbie is quite offensive, but surely that would only be to women?
And GI Joe would be offensive to pacifists I suppose - but what IS the White equivalent to the gollywog?
What would the Jamaican woman in the recent story have had to put in her living room window to 'even the score'?
And GI Joe would be offensive to pacifists I suppose - but what IS the White equivalent to the gollywog?
What would the Jamaican woman in the recent story have had to put in her living room window to 'even the score'?
Modeller
Great modern day myth that the PC brigade shut down the Black & White Minstrel Show,
It was taken off the air, because from the height of it's popularity, when it used to draw about 15 million viewers, by the time it ended, it was struggling to attain 5-6 million viewers. The show had run it's course. Saturday night is key to BBC and ITV, and they simply couldn't sustain a programme which wasn't pulling in viewers.
Imagine there was no such thing as 'PC' - do you really think that blacked up singers and dancers would have a hope in hell competing against Harry Hill, The X Factor and Britain's Got Talent?
This is why 'The Good Old Days' and the 'Wheeltappers and Shunters Club' are no longer on air.
Great modern day myth that the PC brigade shut down the Black & White Minstrel Show,
It was taken off the air, because from the height of it's popularity, when it used to draw about 15 million viewers, by the time it ended, it was struggling to attain 5-6 million viewers. The show had run it's course. Saturday night is key to BBC and ITV, and they simply couldn't sustain a programme which wasn't pulling in viewers.
Imagine there was no such thing as 'PC' - do you really think that blacked up singers and dancers would have a hope in hell competing against Harry Hill, The X Factor and Britain's Got Talent?
This is why 'The Good Old Days' and the 'Wheeltappers and Shunters Club' are no longer on air.
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