Golliwogs removed from stores for Oprah's Australian visit - are they offensive?

[BVS]

you don't think i'm that thick that i'm surprised that "love sees no colour" do you?

I don't know, you seemed very perplexed in that thread.

 

[GirlsAloudFan]

I don't care if this is racist. It's tasty as fuck. I grew up on that shit.

Perhaps if we disguised everything that is offensive and racist in a sweet, sugary coating and poured it on pancakes, the world would be a better place.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

ummm... yes?

 

[financeguy]

Demographics and numbers aside, why even be suprised that love sees no color?

Are people more likely to fall in love with someone of a similar cultural background, or a different one? And, realistically, isn't race tied up with cultural background, for many people?

Granted, this is perhaps less of a factor in the US, which is a nation founded by immigrants and where there is probably more shared culture among different races than in most societies.

 

[BVS]

Are people more likely to fall in love with someone of a similar cultural background, or a different one? And, realistically, isn't race tied up with cultural background, for many people?

I don't know, everyone's different, and this would really depend on many other factors as well.

Granted, this is perhaps less of a factor in the US, which is a nation founded by immigrants and where there is probably more shared culture among different races than in most societies.

And this was part of my point in that particular thread. But his line of thinking was "it seemed like a high number for a country with such a huge population", which I found even more perplexing.

 

[Canadiens1131]

The golliwog, just like blackface, is no longer socially acceptable.

Fuck, I call black people 'black', and am generally pretty tired of forced political correctness, and I realize that these things are based on cartoonish parodies of black features and are pretty bad news.

Australia has its own bad, very bad history towards darker-coloured folks, so it's kind of surprising that there is any kind of argument in favour of the shopkeeper.

 

[Jive Turkey]

Am I the only one who thinks it's hilarious that the basic premise here is "A black person is coming. Quick, hide all our racist shit"?

 

[yolland]

^ Well, yes and no...yes in that it's pretty pathetic that this is what it takes to get them to (temporarily) remove a Golliwog from display; no in the sense that it was Oprah's "handlers" who asked them to remove it, and it was apparently only this particular one (the mammy doll) that they asked them to remove, not their other Golliwogs. For all we know, it may be that they were set aside because Oprah might want to buy them; I've read before that she collects racist memorabilia (much as, for instance, some Jews who are in a financial position to do so collect anti-Semitic memorabilia, for the historical value).

 

[coolian2]

Am I the only one who thinks it's hilarious that the basic premise here is "A black person is coming. Quick, hide all our racist shit"?

wait until you see what they've hidden under uluru.

 

[Kieran McConville]

I have to admit that I find an unfortunately anachronistic merchandise item among the least interesting or annoying things about Oprah's progress through the colonies.

 

[coolian2]

at least we've got real final confirmation that russell crowe is indeed an australian.

 

[cobl04]

The golliwog, just like blackface, is no longer socially acceptable.

Fuck, I call black people 'black', and am generally pretty tired of forced political correctness, and I realize that these things are based on cartoonish parodies of black features and are pretty bad news.

Australia has its own bad, very bad history towards darker-coloured folks, so it's kind of surprising that there is any kind of argument in favour of the shopkeeper.

can't argue with this. i guess i'll just leave it with cori's comment, just because one person doesn't find something offensive doesn't mean another person won't.

i've got to admit though, it really takes quite a bit to offend me. i can't think of anything of the top of my head that has offended me in the past few years (outside of personal taunts, etc, obviously).

 

[mama cass]

not getting at you cobl, but some things go beyond causing offence to someone personally, and are offensive due to the offense caused to others... if that makes sense...

 

[cobl04]

yeah i hear you. which is exactly what this thread has told me.

 

[mama cass]

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

Rather sad that it took Oprah to get them removed. As long as Oprah isn't offended it doesn't matter if any other African Americans there are?

Apparently Oprah's even bigger there than she is here-and even more powerful. I think the dolls are offensive-no need for that in 2010.

 

[Moonlit_Angel]

The golliwog, just like blackface, is no longer socially acceptable.

Fuck, I call black people 'black', and am generally pretty tired of forced political correctness, and I realize that these things are based on cartoonish parodies of black features and are pretty bad news.

Australia has its own bad, very bad history towards darker-coloured folks, so it's kind of surprising that there is any kind of argument in favour of the shopkeeper.

Nice post .

I guess I figure if this doll isn't sold here it'll likely be found or some similar version will be made elsewhere or something. And of all the continuing battles in regards to fighting racism, I think focusing on a doll that may or may not be seen as offensive to somebody depending on where they reside or whatever doesn't seem like it's going to achieve much. I think sometimes we do need to pick our battles, if that makes any sort of sense.

That said, looking at the doll, I certainly would come to the same conclusions that many others here have, and no doubt see where many would find it offensive.

Angela

 

[the iron horse]

"How many of you here have ancestors who were slaves?" I ask the class.

All the black students raise their hand.

I raise my hand. I'm a white guy.

The reaction from all students is normal.

Why did you raise your hand?

"You're white."


My answer, it does not matter what our race is, we all have ancestors who were enslaved.

Slavery has existed in history through all cultures and races.

Do a google search and you will find it exists today.

 

[BVS]

"How many of you here have ancestors who were slaves?" I ask the class.

All the black students raise their hand.

I raise my hand. I'm a white guy.

The reaction from all students is normal.

Why did you raise your hand?

"You're white."


My answer, it does not matter what our race is, we all have ancestors who were enslaved.

Slavery has existed in history through all cultures and races.

Do a google search and you will find it exists today.

But how far would you have to trace your ancestors? Centuries probably?

Whereas some only have to go back a few generations. Do you still see the effects of your ancestors slavery? No, but some of them do.

I hope you recognize that.

 

[Canadiens1131]

"How many of you here have ancestors who were slaves?" I ask the class.

All the black students raise their hand.

I raise my hand. I'm a white guy.

The reaction from all students is normal.

Why did you raise your hand?

"You're white."


My answer, it does not matter what our race is, we all have ancestors who were enslaved.

Slavery has existed in history through all cultures and races.

Do a google search and you will find it exists today.

So the lesson we take away from this is that your school doesn't have Ancient History in the curriculum?

 

[anitram]

the iron horse, I really have a big problem with your teaching style based on that example and I'm not being flippant either.

 

[The Sad Punk]

the iron horse, I really have a big problem with your teaching style based on that example and I'm not being flippant either.

So do I, for so many reasons.

I wouldn't be surprised if one of your ancestors owned an ancestor of one of your students. What a bizarre example of self-entitlement.

 

[cobl04]

I've changed my tune.

Big Boi is touring NZ/Aus and he was shocked to find the golliwogs at a NZ airport. He tweeted about it and they got rid of them. I then stumbled upon this, a tweet from someone else that he retweeted:

The Golliwog Caricature

The claim that Golliwogs are racist is supported by literary depictions by writers such as Enid Blyton. Unlike Florence Upton's, Blyton's Golliwogs were often rude, mischievous, elfin villains. In Blyton's book, Here Comes Noddy Again, a Golliwog asks the hero for help, then steals his car. Blyton, one of the most prolific European writers, included the Golliwogs in many stories, but she only wrote three books primarily about Golliwogs: The Three Golliwogs (1944), The Proud Golliwog (1951), and The Golliwog Grumbled (1953). Her depictions of Golliwogs are, by contemporary standards, racially insensitive. An excerpt from The Three Golliwogs is illustrative:

Once the three bold golliwogs, Golly, Woggie, and ******, decided to go for a walk to Bumble-Bee Common. Golly wasn't quite ready so Woggie and ****** said they would start off without him, and Golly would catch them up as soon as he could. So off went Woogie and ******, arm-in-arm, singing merrily their favourite song -- which, as you may guess, was Ten Little ****** Boys.

Ten Little Niggers is the name of a children's poem, sometimes set to music, which celebrates the deaths of ten Black children, one-by-one. The Three Golliwogs was reprinted as recently as 1968, and it still contained the above passage. Ten Little Niggers was also the name of a 1939 Agatha Christie novel, whose cover showed a Golliwog lynched, hanging from a noose.

My jaw just dropped. I had no idea. I genuinely thought they were just a black-coloured kids toy. Completely ruined Enid Blyton for me too. I used to love the Enchanted Tree or whatever it was.

 

[KhanadaRhodes]

yeah. i tend to never read comments i see on facebook because well, it's like comments on youtube. but stuff posted a link about it and people were like "IT'S NOT RACIST I GREW UP WITH ONE OK" as if they're the beacon for what is and isn't racist.

they're incredibly racist dolls and just because australia and nz have held on to them a bit longer than everyone else doesn't mean they're not racist. plus i don't know what something like that is even doing in the auckland airport; not even getting into golliwogs' history but as a viewer pointed out on the news they're not very kiwi.