To not be sure who is wrong in the Golly dispute?

[Mitmoo]

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2034203/Grandmother-faces-court-placing-Golliwog-window-dispute-neighbour-black-wife.html

OK it's a DM to flame me but never the less..........

A grandmother has a longrunning dispute over boundary issues, which I know from personal experience can be extremely distressing, even though in my case it was just a part of my small back garden not serious land as in this case.

The grandmother IMO was probably being racist in putting the golly in her window, but it is in her house and no one is being forced to look at it. She says it is a grandchild's toy and was put there only while tidying up. Other neighbour was so offended they photographed it!

But AIBU in thinking the other couple were being ridiculous to go to the police about it and now the original woman (probably in the wrong, don't buy the grandchilds toy story) could be facing two years in jail?

Perhaps there is an argument for granny being a nut in this day and age to buy a golly for a child, while admittedly loved the badges from the jamjars in the 70's.

Ultimately it is a doll, in her house, on her windowsill, she's wrong, she's probably racist but how can this be a good use of our courts, our legal system, this is a neighbour dispute.

How can they prove what was in her mind when she placed the golly in the window sill? AIBU in thinking these families are as bad as each other and are blowing this up out of all proportion, while accepting boundary disputes do get under your skin big time.

It seems to me involving the police was vindictive and a court case over this is unnecessary?

It's the sort of behaviour if I saw it I would say "silly cow" or similar and move on.

Two wrongs and all that. Not defending racist behaviour for a second just seems to me this has been blown out of proportion in making this a court case with possible jail time for having a golly on your windowsill.

Particularly as I am not sure they can prove her intent when putting it there.
We are supposed to be in dire financial straights as a country, how much is this case costing?

OR AIBU?

[solidgoldbrass]

OK, let's set aside the usual pro- and anti- Gollybollocks for the moment. If someone chooses to display in their window an English flag, or union jack, that doesn't necessarily make them a racist. Same goes for a cross/crucifix/other religious symbol.
However, if people choose to display such things all of a sudden when they are in the middle of a dispute with a neighbour from a different ethnic/religious group, in a place where the neighbour can see it regularly, then that's a different matter, because it is a deliberate insult/attempt to cause distress.

Petty and trivial, sure, and probably not really worth wasting police time on, but if there are other antics going on as well then it becomes part of a sustained campaign of harassment and therefore it would be a police matter.

[Mitmoo]

I think the one thing most of us would agree on is that neither party comes out of this looking like reasonable people.

That said boundary disputes can sent you totally nuts.

[Mitmoo]

solid The complaint to the police was made days after they lost the planning permission case. I think the gollywog was in place of a single finger salute which was petty as they had won. I think going to the police was not because they were genuinely offended but as a tit for tat vengeful thing because they hadn't got their own way.

None of it can be proven as it is about the grandmother's state of mind and that can't be proven beyond a reasonable doubt unless she admits it.

[Mitmoo]

Sorry should have just said golly my mistake, speed typing can be a pain when your brain goes slower than your fingers

[Malcontentinthemiddle]

Sort of proves the point, though, doesn't it Mitmoo?

[LDNmummy]

Golly's are exaggerated caricatures of African/ Caribbean people designed to reduce them to nothing more than big red clown lips and big goggle eyes. It is an insult and everyone knows that on some level.

It has historically been a toy, but it has also been used as a symbol of white supremacy by being used as an anti black symbol in the USA. Much like black faced Minstrels, Golliwog's have been used as a point of ridicule of African/ Caribbean people by being used to infantilise and portray them as lacking in basic intelligence or reduce them to clown type characters. If anything is indicative of this, it is the fact that calling someone a Golly or a Wog is an insult.

I think anyone should be ashamed to own one in this day and age.

[AmberLeaf]

I think its highly unlikely that the Golli was placed there by accident, it seems obvious given the circumstances of their dispute that it was intended to offend...that makes her action racist.

Historically they were a negative image of black people.

some info about 'golliwogs' here

I am in my late 30s and have known for quite some time that they are viewed as offensive.

Anyone remember Enid Blytons 'Ten little niggers' ? my above link explains more about that story, surely no one can argue that wasnt offensive?

IMO they shouldnt be on sale generally.

[GaramMasalaGirl]

Exactly LNDmummy, that's what I find so confusing. That despite everything this doll depicts there are some people that defend it and actually own....let alone display it....in their front window....facing outwards!

[sue52]

Mitmoo would that be the same Upton who described the character as " a horrid sight, the blackest gnome"?

[scrambedeggs]

ooh i love my golly badges from the Robinsons Jam, i bet they go for a bit on Ebay these days too

think we have a golly dolly somewhere too in the back of the cupboard

[Morloth]

Meh, old lady should be happy, presumably she put it there to piss them off. Seems to have worked. So she got what she wanted/deserved as far as I can see.

[Chundle]

Gollywogs aren't racist my dd2 has 2 of them and takes one everywhere with her. I still have mine from when I wAs young. We have good friends who are black.
However I sense that this woman was doing this to piss her neighbours off a bit but it doesn't warrant a prison sentence!

[SusanneLinder]

Agree with what solidgoldbrass said. :)

And tbh, I think both parties are extremely childish and need to grow up a bit

[SusanneLinder]

Oh and it was Agatha Christie that wrote the book "ten Little Niggers", it then got changed to "Ten Little Indians", and now it's called "And then there were none"

[SiamoFottuti]

/oh christ "gollys aren't racist cos I like them and have black friends". Way to argue ain impressive point.

FFS. They are inherently racist. They just are, whether you like them or not, this is fact.

[KeepTheChange]

I'm a bit confused as to how anyone would think that Golly's aren't racist (even if that person has black friends! Or dated a black guy once, or MY BEST FRIEND IS BLACK)

Dear oh Dear, it's getting to be like watching old 1970's sitcoms on a never ending loop of bullshit being on AIBU lately.

[grovel]

Well, my golly isn't racist. He's got lots of black friends and has dated at least two Barbies.

[MillyR]

I didn't know that they were a US invention; I assumed they were introduced by the British.

[SusanneLinder]

StewieGriffinsMom, I am aware of the fact that AG isn't the most culturally sensitive person.Times she lived in :). I was correcting someone further up that said Enid Blyton wrote it :o

[AmberLeaf]

SusanneLinder You're right re Agatha Christie writing that book not Enid Blyton-my mistake.

Chundle So they are not racist because you and your DD have them and you have black friends?!

[Malcontentinthemiddle]

Or is it that the dd takes them everywhere? That is apparently significant. Would they be racist if she only took them to some places?

(A: yes, they would, cos they are.)