Golliwogs...

[GoodNewsTwo]

A colleague of mine today put a small golliwog figurine on her desk. Said she's always liked them and that she doesn't see an issue. I explained that some people (myself included) find them offensive and dated, and think they are too controversial for a workplace setting. As a black woman, I don't really like to sit and look at it all day. I'm sure many people wouldn't regardless of their ethnicity/race. AIBU to ask her again to remove it? I don't want to be 'that girl' who has an issue with race (I don't) - on this occasion, I just feel extremely uncomfortable.

wwyd?

“Your tribe is not here” ?
Wtf does that mean?

@BananaToffo oh really your posts have been a breath of fresh air! Most people's have been actually. It's always the few that manage to get you down though. I question my resilience sometimes.

@Aint go to bed

I clearly don’t understand what’s going on so yes, am taking your advice and off to bed

Sorry I feel I have to clarify - I wasnt for a second saying it couldn't happen, doesn't happen or didn't happen..

My post was simply to explain WHY some people were doubting - because it comes on the back of recent Daily Fail and other gutter rags stealing content from here to use in their rubbish newspapers.

Surely it goes iwhtout saying, complain to the relevant person in your workplace, its not acceptable!

Sorry @GoodNewsTwo what was her ructions when you asked her to take it down

Reaction sorry not ruction

@Aintnothingbutaheartache my tribe. My backup. The close knit family I have that have all experienced similar things. My dad who grew up in London as a Caribbean man in the 60s/70s. My black friends who have been called niggers and wogs by children as young as 12. My grandma who has been greatly affected by the windrush saga. Essentially, the people who get it - not vicariously, but through experience. People who aren't strangers on the internet, but real people who can raise me up when racist bigots are bringing me down. As a black person, you need a tribe. A group of people who will have your back through thick and thin. Who you can talk to about race issues and they'll just get it. No need to defend yourself, or explain. My tribe - what on earth would I do without it?!

There's some arseholes on this thread 😡

@GoodNewsTwo thank you so much for explaining that to me. I fully understand the concept, just hadn’t heard the phrase.
I can see I was ignorant to jump on it

You know. Stick it yours, this defence vs offence dance is tiring

YANBU, OP.

I'm so sorry your colleague showed her ignorance in such an offensive manner.

It's obviously offensive.

I'm curious about where you live and where you work. Just roughly so you don't put yourself.

It think it's really,really weird. Why would someone bring a little figurine of anything into work let alone an offensive one. I find both her and your behaviour odd.

The people complaining it's the 1000th Golliwog post or some such are only complaining because you're black, OP. If you were white they'd come with stories about their dusty old gran who LOVED Golliwogs back in the days of the ark, and because of that they too LOVE Golliwogs and life won't be the same without them.

Or they'd be chatting shit about the racism in Enid Blyton crap books having merit because 'theyre classic books and it was different times, you know'.

Did I see a poster on here waxing lyrical about her strong weird attachment to her Golliwog keyring, but she hides it when her black friends come round😂. It makes me idly wonder if loads of strange bods are passive aggressively stashing Golliwog toys in their houses in a sneaky protest against too many black people around.

In your shoes I'd have swiped that thing off the desk and chucked it in the bin. But then I guess you'd have to deal with white tears about it all and then you'd be The Aggressor..shock horror.

That it's still on her desk amazes me. I have white friends/colleagues who wouldn't countenance this bullshit. What kind of people do you work with?! is it the Daily Heil news office

This thread is an eyeopener. The collective gaslighting happening on here is astonishing. Although pleased to see lots of reasonable people saying report to your line manager. I think Im finally going to download why im no longer talking to white people about race.

It's a useful book, a lot of posters on here might benefit from reading it, as well as Akala's Natives and Afua Hirsch's Brit(ish) as well as White Fragility: why it's so hard for white people to talk about race. The first two particularly useful as both UK books about race and racism in the UK and both published this year.

And the posters who think that 'golliwogs' weren't racist in the past, yes they were, they were always racist, but more people got away with having them without being challenged.

@stopfuckingshoutingatme I've been on Mumsnet for nearly a year and never seen a thread about gollywogs before. Parking threads on the other hand....

I find Gollywogs very offensive.

IHMO its fine to love the doll you innocently had as a kid when you didn't understand the history. Its not fine to buy or display Gollywogs today.

I boycott shops that sell them. If I went to a workplace that had one it would make me pause. Unless you never, ever have visitors of any sort, they need to consider the impression they make. It's clear that Gollywogs are very offensive to some of us. Why take the reputational risk? (Although obviously I also think your coworker is a dick who should have known better. )

I haven’t read the whole thread because I don’t want to get annoyed stupid comments but I really hope you get this resolved OP. There are some very stupid and antagonistic people in this world who really don’t care that they upset people with their selfish actions and your collegue appears to be one such person. Remember the Duchess of Kent wearing a ‘Black-a-Moor’ brooch at her first meeting with Megan Markle? She made a choice to wear that brooch that date, for what reason I do not know but the stupidity and insensitive of the woman, if it was ever in doubt, was utterly confirmed that day.
You have done nothing at all wrong in feeling upset by this other person’s actions and I truly hope it’s resolved in your favour.

*InionEile
*
What's your point? A subject can be discussed once and that's it? On a chat forum?

God, you people. The OP came on for advice about an issue upsetting her & she was supposed to have done a search to see if anyone else had asked the same thing?

Just shut up.

Scrap what I said about windup merchant, I had a quick look on the link and I now realise it's you @InionEile who has changed the title of these 😂😂 should have looked on them before I posted that.

I stand by what I say though, we are becoming more insular, I think people feel bold about being openly racist these days. Welcome to 2018 folks!

I don't think putting the golliwog on her desk in the first place is terrible. But not removing it when asked / after having it explained is really bad.

When our kids were little we went to Goathland where Heartbeat was being filmed at the time. Great fun watching some filming, then we went into the little shop to fund a massive display of golliwogs for sale. My kids loved them and wanted one each. I naively bought them, got outside to my dh who was still watching the filming, and he was mortified. I had grown up with the Robertson's jam gollies, collecting the badges, and had absolutely no inkling that there was a racist connection. In my mind they had no link to blacks any more than teddies represent white people, and I never even thought of the word wog. Once dh explained it to me we binned the gollies.

So I kind of understand your colleague might have innocently out the golly on here desk in the first place (although bit shocked at a grown woman having a toy on her desk anyway). However I don't understand her persisting once she has had the background explained to her and has seen that her colleague is offended.

Guess I'll know in 10 whether it's still there or not and if it is, I'll be speaking to my manager. Thanks to those who have contributed sensibly.