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?

Why the fuck should a complaint about racism in the workplace be perceived as aggressive?

Is the OP supposed to grovel for basic decency and respect?

Obvious A gollywog is not a stereotype of black people, it's a caricature

@GoodNewsTwo don't let these people trying to gaslight or frame you get to you. A golliwog is offensive in today's world and it would feel mocking to you especially. Tell her to bring in a cabbage patch doll or a teddy bear if she wants to be so puerile

Aggressive? For calling out racism?
And this is precisely what makes people think twice about raising these issues.
It’s uncomfortable to be called out on something people might perceive to be ok (because they were childhood toys etc etc blah blah). The only aggression comes from those very people, in the form of defensiveness against the indefensible.
I think the OP has been quite measured against some of the ridiculously uninformed & rude comments on here.

@hector, bin your fucking key ring. Stop claiming ignorance/naivety and that you’re no racist. By having a golliwog and not getting WHY it would be offensive you are being a racist

Can't believe I've just been called aggressive for standing up to what I believe in (quite eloquently and calmly I think considering!).

"You're being aggressive now"

Sounds like something a trigger happy officer would say in order to justify a decision to follow!

Just when I thought this thread couldn't get any worse.

Thanks to the vast majority who have responded kindly! The figurine is still there and has now been stuck down with blue tac so I will be speaking to HR at some point this afternoon!

This OP is far from aggressive. I'm actually quite saddened to read that.

Therein lies my point about black women in the workplace. Once you speak up, you can quickly become aggressive, a bully, etc. Very sad. I hope some of you white ladies reading this can at least empathise. It's not like any race is perfect but this is our struggle (one of them anyway).

Hopefully she will have gone home last night and reflected and will remove it as soon as she gets in. However I can't help think that someone ( even those who are supposedly lovely ) would have done it in the first place. Especially when their colleague is black. Shocking really.

Fuck - just read it's still there. Speak to HR asap

You haven't been remotely aggressive. But bear in mind, that comment came from someone who thinks a caricature of a black person, invented purely to dehumanise & invite mockery, is just a "harmless toy"....so....not exactly overloaded with brain cells, right?

I think I would email HR so that you have this in writing in the event that you have to escalate it to a formal complaint.

If there was a white figurine with a similarly rude, offensive history, everyone on MN would be up in arms about a black woman popping it on her desk because of 'memories,' no doubt

Go for it OP, I hope it gets removed and your colleague gets her arse handed to her.

You are not being aggressive at all imho and I'm a bit at the nostalgic racism apologists on this thread.

True @BananaToffo - to be fair, I did call someone a silly twat. It wasn't aggressive though, just the truth. She was a silly twat. Note her comment was deleted and mine wasn't.

Other than that, I think I've been pretty calm. I know a lot of 20 something year old black people who wouldn't have had the nerve to go home and think about things and give their colleague the benefit of the doubt.

I won't lie, I did have an aggressive thought about what I would like to do to said golliwog figurine... sorry!

@Thinkingofausername1 "I was born in a multicultural town" - ooooh lawd that's funny. Sorry. Fucking off now...

OP if you show even half of the eloquence and poise today that you have shown on here when you make your complaint today you will have no problems at all.

Thanks gamer !

"I was born in a multicultural town"
Is this the new ‘I have loads of black friends’

If a member of staff had come to me with this issue when I was a manager I'd have been apoplectic. I'm appalled that someone has actually displayed that on their desk in 2018.

It looks as though it might be.

Thinking

If you want GoodNews to leave you alone, don't come on her thread.

And do you know what a non sequitur is?

I came out of a multicultural mixed race vagina, do I win? Seriously. I've lived in London and Birmingham and can tell you that I came across many, many people in both places who were incredibly racist or ignorant. Being born in a 'multicultural town' means absolutely nothing and the fact that a person thinks that being born in a multicultural town makes them exempt from any sort of criticism needs their head checked!

Sorry. Was that aggressive? 🙄

GoodNewsToo

What type of place do you work? It's seems odd that you can't just ask the woman again that she should remove it. You've said how 'nice' she is.

Just tell her that if she doesn't you are going to report it. Tell her to have a look online if she doesn't think it's a weird and offensive thing to bring into work (especially where you have black colleagues). There is no need for a big confrontation (although I'm sure some MN'ers would LOVE that)
If you leave it for HR to deal with then you are prolonging the drama (also good for MN but BAD for you).

Are you real going to sit there all day not addressing it. I find that odd.
I think you are dealing with it very strangely. I'm baffled why you doubted yourself.