To be shocked with what I found in mothercare

[Lehman]

Im from the uk but have recently moved to Brisbane. I was pleased to find they have mothercare over here but shocked to find they are selling gollie dolls. I thought they stopped doing these years ago.

I owned a golliwog when I was a kid. I have no idea who got it for me or whether they knew of the history. I was so young I didn't even know about racism but I must have loved my doll because I'm clutching it in a fair few photos.

I wouldn't buy one today. I don't condone people making money out of such things when they cause offence, justified or not, and I would not like the subject of racism to be discussed around my children, which is why they will not have one.

I just wanted to stick oar in and confirm that "wog" is very much a part of common parlance in Australia. Those who use it with most frequency are those who are describing themselves. For example from a colleague just this week when asked how she had spent Easter, "Well, we're Wogs, so of course we had the obligatory family meal..,"

But it's one of those words which is seems is OK to use about oneself but derogatory to use when describing others. Eg other colleague talking about her landlord, "He's a Wog. A nice one."

As someone said, Australians racist? Who knew.

Coralanne, I boycott such shops/brands which use child labour. Not sure what your point is there...! You end by saying we should just not buy the disgraceful items and eventually they won't be for sale. I believe that's in agreement with what the anti-golly stance on here is saying but its valid to accompany that with a discussion. For those of you who believe that the grotesque caricature is NOT racist, would they also say the Nazi-designed, grotesque, caricature of the Jewish merchant with his hooked nose, bags of gold, oily hair, hints of blood libel etc was not racist? It's the same sort of pro-hate propaganda, just made into a cuddly toy.

Quoteunquote- an excellent challenge!

I love the irony. A thread about racism where people apparently objecting to racism make statements like 'Australians are racist'.
Is it okay to make offensive statements and generalizations about Australians? If so, why?

Of coarse golliwog dolls are offensive.

Even the name gives away their racist background - surely nobody could argue that calling someone a wog would not be inoffensive?

The dolls are characatures in a very unflattering way and are designed to look non human. That some people do not recognise the racism in that is beyond me.

I understand that there is a long history behind them, and probably wouldn't buy one myself. I think there are more important things in life than dolls though.

Golliwogs were originally intended to be grotesque parodies of black people. The minstrel show in toy form. Of course most children who played with them just treated them as another doll to love - well that just shows that racism is a learned behaviour rather than innate.

The intention behind the manufacture of these dolls was horrific, however. Would you be happy allowing a child to play with a doll which was an exaggerated chariciature of a Jew? Designed to mock and ingrain Jewish sterotype into a generation?

How about a nice Arab doll? Turban and AK47 accessories? Screw that.

Part of me thinks we should reclaim gollies and make them harmless and a symbol of changed attitudes. Part of me thinks they should be banned.

Urge, what an unpleasant thread. Lehman, I'm so glad you complained. Nothing will change if people don't. Golliwog apologists - yeah, I had one as a child too. Doesn't mean I can't see them for what they are - a comic parody of a black person. Which is appalling, and thank heavens most people now agree. And no, they aren't the same as any other black doll. Because other black dolls aren't mocking black people.

Was the doll an actual golly with the stripey trousers, etc or a black rag doll? I find it hard to beloieve people would buy the old style ones anymore - they are so archaic.

My sister still has her black baby doll from the 1950s. I do remember there was a golly at home when I was little but it scared the hell out of me (they were always the baddies in Noddy). I didn't think it was supposed to be human, but some kind of fairy folk type person (like a pixie or sprite).

And I really hate Barbies. But that's another thread.

Frontpaw, the stripey kekked, waistcoated actual gollywog (cringe) is on sale in the West Midlands. I've seen it. Awful.

They may as well just put a childs while pillowcase over its head.

I understand what people mean when they say that they never saw their golly as anything more than a creature, cuddly animal, pixie etc, but when you think about it, how awful is that? They are made so appear so very subhuman that children thought they were not human at all. How is this not a racist toy?

Again, obviously not saying that the children who saw them as such were racist, but that the manufactorers were.

oh i totally UTTERLY adored my golly, no question about it. and i collected robinson's tokens etc etc and felt very aggrieved for them when i read ancient Blyton stories. (I feel similarly about the goblins, poor bastards).

it really doesn't alter the fact that they are a naff distortion of a human being.
i think my golly went to the great charity shop in the sky a long, long time ago, but if i ran into him in my mother's loft i would be perfectly happy to give HIM a cuddle and remember my own childhood, but i wouldn't be for introducing him into my own children's lives. why do it? we all know the history now.

and i absolutely LOVED watching the black and white minstrel show as well... didn't watch it in our house, but if it was on at a friend's place i was fascinated. (and not cos i thought the music was good, either... i just knew something really, really weird was going on).

I also had a golly. I named him after my brother. I don't know where he came from or where he ended up.

The doll that is, not my brother. I know where my brother is.

YANBU. If something is offensive to people of a particular race, it's racist. No brainer.

Well I believe that Barbies are quite offensive and I believe that Leprachauns are for the Irish - should they be "outlawed" too?

Golliwogs aren't outlawed. They are racist.

I'm Irish. I find Leprachauns offensive; does that count?? PS I fecking love Gollywogs

You make your own decisions, Alinta. If you love golliwogs enough to not care that people are likely to think you are racist if you buy one/have them on display etc., that is completely up to you. Decorate your whole house with them, it's not illegal. Hell, you could even black up if you like.

You can decide whether or not to buy a leprechaun based on its history and what it signifies.

The golliwog is still racist.