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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think this is a racist expression?

145 replies

Mrsknackered · 28/12/2017 11:29

'One cotton picking minute'. My GM uses it A LOT especially when dealing with our DC (who are mixed race, although this is irrelevant)
DP has already pulled her up on the amount of gollys displayed around the house (in paintings, cards, china ornomants) he explained the history of them too her, she seemed to understand, then the next time she had put them back up!
I told her I think the expression has racist/slavery roots and showed her the google result for the phrase (which the top post describes it as an awful racist phrase) she seemed upset and said that it definitely isn't, and she's sure it is said in an episode of Vicar of Dibley (Hmm)
Whilst I was packing the car to leave this morning, I heard her use it twice! I spoke to my mum who said that 'I shouldn't be too upset, as she honestly isn't doing it with bad intentions' but it's really grating on me.
AIBU? Everyone seems to think I'm being over the top! It is racist isn't it?!

OP posts:
Battleax · 28/12/2017 17:49

Yes that what I thought too.

Hilarious.

Guardsman18 · 28/12/2017 17:50

I suppose that people who aren't white may feel they were being ignored somehow. (I do find this subject quite difficult btw. Just trying to learn!)

Battleax · 28/12/2017 17:50

Anyway, the call has obviously gone out to the Guild of Bigoted Provincial Housewives now Hmm

Mumof56 · 28/12/2017 17:53

Check her pillow cases for eye holes

LassWiTheDelicateAir · 28/12/2017 17:54

I don't have friends who are Muslim nor of an ethnicity other than white. I live in a part of the UK which is not particularly ethnically diverse.

No one has ever suggested this of itself makes me racist or that I should go out and collect friends from a different ethnic or religious group.

But then I don't own, far less proudly display, gollies.

TinklyLittleLaugh · 28/12/2017 17:57

Surely it is blatantly obvious to anyone that a gollywog is an ugly and crude caricature of a black person?

I'm in my fifties, as a kid I had gollywog brooches from Robertsons jam, growing up in an all white community in the back of beyond. Then I grew up and learnt a bit more about the world and realised how insulting and othering they are. And you know, why would you want to be nasty to people unescessarily?

Living in an all white community is no excuse. My youngest knows the tiniest percentage of kids who are not white, maybe 2% of his primary school. He knows what racism is though and can identify it.

Thehogfather · 28/12/2017 17:57

Fuck me, 'ethnics' who live above their takeaways. I can see you being popular socially, either from fellow bigots who are missing Alf Garnet or with normal people who fancy a good laugh at your ignorance. Like a modern one man band bedlam.

I never realised as a child that gollies were meant to be black people either. Just weird looking toys. I was still young when they became socially unacceptable, and I wasn't remotely confused as to why they were viewed as racist when I found out their origins. Seemingly some adults still can't grasp this

LassWiTheDelicateAir · 28/12/2017 17:59

So, if the jam people (Robertsons?) made a white skinned, soft toy and badges etc, would anyone be now saying that was racist?

No if Robertson's did a marketing deal with the creators of Postman Pat or Bob the Builder to use their characters that would not be racist.

It would be preferable if they could find a children's story which featured characters which are also female and not all white.(children's things are a bit of unknown to me now but I assume such things exist)

Mumof56 · 28/12/2017 18:17

Then I grew up and learnt a bit more about the world and realised how insulting and othering they are

You mustn't have learnt anything about the Netherlands because they love thier zwarte piet.

stilltheykeepcoming · 28/12/2017 18:24

people were picking cotton in England
Cotton doesn't grow in the UK, the climate is too cold.

TinklyLittleLaugh · 28/12/2017 18:29

No Mum l learned that normally tolerant and liberal Dutch people can have a racist blindspot.

Faking · 28/12/2017 18:48

I don't know whether/how he'll recognise his own African features, exaggerated and lampooned like that

This

Mumof56 · 28/12/2017 18:53

No Mum l learned that normally tolerant and liberal Dutch people

lol

CritEqual · 28/12/2017 19:12

As hard as it may seem being white and wondering if some innocuous phrase may be unacceptable it must be magnitudes worse wondering if some phrase has a malicious undertone to it. Especially if children are involved.

orangewasp · 28/12/2017 19:18

Thanks for the explanation Tinkly I had no idea - thought it was just some kind of old fashioned abbreviation, a bit like how we's use lol today.

oliveinacampervan · 28/12/2017 21:33

This reply has been deleted

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ConcreteUnderpants · 28/12/2017 21:45

Phew, give the old woman a break!
She was abandoned and all she had in the world was a little doll that happened to be a gollywog. Is it really so hard for you to understand that this may be why she has an attachment to them, rather than being a furious racist?
I imagine she would have a collection of squirrels if she had been left with a squirrel toy.

Is she loving towards your children, accepting of your partner, OP? Surely these are the things that matter and define whether she is a racist or not.

Thehogfather · 28/12/2017 22:12

How lovely to see the bnp mumsnet branch have all managed to meet like minded posters on this thread.

Perhaps you could all pop over to site stuff and ask for your own topic. Racist chat, prejudiced parenting, kkk fan club etc.

OwlinaTree · 28/12/2017 22:47

Check her pillow cases for eye holes

Grin
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