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Posts
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@boojangle wrote:
When your kid comes home bleating that she cant clim the ladder lol
what you don’t get is people can be people withought hanging on to insulting .I can see the pitty right now in your doughters eyes,honest I don’t think your a gollywog.Fuck offI have a mug with a golly on it. It’s just another mug. I bought it years ago because it reminded me of my childhood and the gollys on the side of jars of Robertson’s marmalade.
Although it was bought for nostalgic reasons, I’d never take it to work to use, mainly because of fear of offending others.
I do wonder however, if white people err on the side of caution unnecessarily. Is it white people who decide what black people would find offensive, or is it black people themselves? I often wonder.
My daughter had a black boyfriend a few years ago, he went to make a cup of tea and saw said mug in the cupboard. He brought it out and said ‘God, haven’t seen a golly in years’ and promptly used it then and each time afterwards. Was he offended by it? I don’t think so and no offence was intended.
The problem I think, is perception.
@Bemused Bystander wrote:
I have a mug with a golly on it. It’s just another mug. I bought it years ago because it reminded me of my childhood and the gollys on the side of jars of Robertson’s marmalade.
Although it was bought for nostalgic reasons, I’d never take it to work to use, mainly because of fear of offending others.
I do wonder however, if white people err on the side of caution unnecessarily. Is it white people who decide what black people would find offensive, or is it black people themselves? I often wonder.
My daughter had a black boyfriend a few years ago, he went to make a cup of tea and saw said mug in the cupboard. He brought it out and said ‘God, haven’t seen a golly in years’ and promptly used it then and each time afterwards. Was he offended by it? I don’t think so and no offence was intended.
The problem I think, is perception.
You don’t think so lol
If one person thinks something is racist is it ? does it take a majority of people to decide :-k
“However, the suggestion that she did not use an offensive term is frightening. At what point did comparing a black person to a doll, initially described by its creator as ‘a horrid sight, the blackest gnome’, become okay? Am I, and the countless black people that have been called Golliwogs and taken offence, just being bad sports?
Golliwogs were created during an era when the very people they caricatured were not granted the social status to be offended. Is the anti-PC brigade suggesting that we return to such an era? Do they themselves refer to their black friends and colleagues as Golliwogs?”
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/4571288/Of-course-Golliwog-is-an-offensive-term.html
Trapper raises an interesting point. Do the majority (white) decide what is acceptable or not in multicultural UK 2015. That is my interpretation anyway. It is far to easy to blame a lack of awareness on political correctness gone mad and I would also argue ignorance and political correctness are two totally separate issues.
Its the context in which it’s used that’s become racist and as such can’t be undone
@trapper wrote:
Its the context in which it’s used that’s become racist and as such can’t be undone
I absolutely agree with you. Which is why my in opinion is golliwogs are offensive. They immediately became offensive when “wog” was transformed into a derogatory, racist insult, with historical links to the British Empire and slavery.
@trapper wrote:
Its the context in which it’s used that’s become racist and as such can’t be undone
Can’t argue with that. It’s always context.
Everyone getting their knickers in a twist about it all being political correctness gone mad, conveniently forget that the term “gollywog” has often been used in a racist context. The people who sadly have been intentionally insulted by others using that word have suffered more hurt than the rest of us, who just have to be a bit careful about our language now and again.
I had a Jamaican/Nigerian girlfriend a few years ago who was very proud of her gollywog, partly because it was black (and most dolls are white), and partly because owning and loving her gollywog took all the power away any potential insult, by turning it from a symbol of hate into something totally harmless.
Similarly the words dyke, queer and nigger have been taken on by people to describe themselves.
The point is that there is nothing inherently racist about a golly doll, but if you use the word to be intentionally insulting or offensive, then it is racist.
So much for all the complaints about political correctness – there are all sorts of language we are all more than aware is likely to insult people. It is sad that any word becomes a term of abuse, but once it has, we are all stuck with that whether we like it or not.
Hate the fact that the word has been used in insulting ways, love the doll. We can do both.
@trapper wrote:
If one person thinks something is racist is it ? does it take a majority of people to decide :-k
Dunno.
Depends.
:?
@Bemused Bystander wrote:
I do wonder however, if white people err on the side of caution unnecessarily. Is it white people who decide what black people would find offensive, or is it black people themselves? I often wonder.
The problem I think, is perception.
Its one of those topics that has many sides..many rights…many wrongs….just because you own one or would want one isn’t wrong….just because you wouldn’t dream of owning one doesn’t make you some amazing human being…
Thing is one coloured person could be offended and another not…therefore we cannot solve the problem….even though to many there is no problem
But when you say white people err on the side of caution…..any human being who err’s on the side of caution regarding sensitive subjects is actually a person who is considering others feelings…otherwise they wouldn’t give two hoots…that’s a nice trait to have
There is another story in the paper today about a site on ebay selling all things related to the golly….lots of oldie things are becoming collectable….
Don’t think voodoo dolls get this much hassle :lol:And hello Momes sweety pie good to see you xx
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