Kavi Ugl Posted March 13, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 13, 2012 ^ I think you'll find that the majority he's referring to are people who can determine for themselves what's right and what's wrong without searching for something that someone somewhere may take offence at. Thanks Infiltrator and thank goodness there's a little common sense left in Shetland. Only, and I mean only, on Shetlink could my previous post be twisted, mis-construed and deliberately mis-interperated. Man alive...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stilldellin Posted March 13, 2012 Report Share Posted March 13, 2012 der is shop on Onst selling peeire trowie dolls – trows!!! Wha da hell said dat you coud caa aa wis groilick hill folk trows??? Dat is surely as racist as you can get - bit is ony o you complainin aboot dat or writin tae da ‘News’ or settin up a petition – na wan tae hell, you ir just a shoor o hypocrites. Wiz windrin if du wiz takin ony oarders ? neest aff dey'll be startin aboot da moorit yowes ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shetlandpeat Posted March 13, 2012 Report Share Posted March 13, 2012 Yes I have lived else where, though born here. Sure I don't have to worry about racist stabbings here, or full blown riots with the police on the streets, but it doesn't stop my daughter being called Pakki at school (a problem she never experienced at Happyhansel or her school south) and it would never have been excused by a teacher south. Maybe it shows how bad the education really is up here if they insist on calling someone with African descent an Asian slur. Kavi, a post you may have missed. MJ has mentioned this or similar in other posts in the past. I find it a bit much for you to think that he or his daughter do not experience this. I also do not think they were looking for it either. A bit much for a Scotsman I believe! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kavi Ugl Posted March 13, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 13, 2012 No, no I would never dispute the experiences of someone and MJ's post is strikingly sad. What his daughter has experienced is not the Shetland I live in and I can only hope that it is just the mindless venom of one or two id**ts. I found from my own bitter experience that school can be one of the worst places for cruelty of whatever shape or form. However, I've come to see that most Shetlanders are decent, friendly and welcoming people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaquelinehyde Posted March 13, 2012 Report Share Posted March 13, 2012 People are offended because the golliwog was born out of racism and then used by racists as a slur. This is why people are upset, this is why people get offended by golliwogs because of where they came from. How can people not understand and accept this, to you the petition may be pc gone mad or a ridiculous over reaction by a professionally offended person. But to others this really matters, you may never have seen or experienced racial abuse but surely you can appreciate that to some who have suffered the golliwog will only ever represent racism. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shetlandpeat Posted March 13, 2012 Report Share Posted March 13, 2012 There can be a more direct attitude perhaps in Shetland, though school and parents are the mould makers of the next generation. I have heard comments as well, be it in the pubs or of a certain generation. The dolls do come from an iffy past, folk will still think of them as that. It is a representation of how we were as a country, and as a world. You do have to keep in mind as well that South Africa is still recovering from racism, which came from a minority to control a majority.I used to live in areas of mixed races, to be honest, it was a great time. The sad times were running through the riots trying to get to safety, on more than one occasion. Sentiments can be enhanced quite easily, we see this from some of the posts throughout this site.During WWII, many American soldiers came to Shetland, they also brought their segregation. It has been on the islands, and it may have stuck with some of the older generations. Although folk may think that is remote to what is going on now, we are still recovering from it. The Stephen Laurence case is part settled, it will take many years for folk to get over it, it does not mean they are over sensitive, they realise it can become very serious very quickly.Shetland has had a proud history regarding incomers, as every Shetlander is one. I never heard any racist remarks in all my years of visiting until recent visits. As folk come up from the South, they will bring a bit of the South with them, as we spread a bit of Shetland where ever we go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delts Posted March 13, 2012 Report Share Posted March 13, 2012 Wall of text = not going to read! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Infiltrator Posted March 13, 2012 Report Share Posted March 13, 2012 People are offended because the golliwog was born out of racism and then used by racists as a slur. This is why people are upset, this is why people get offended by golliwogs because of where they came from. How can people not understand and accept this, to you the petition may be pc gone mad or a ridiculous over reaction by a professionally offended person. But to others this really matters, you may never have seen or experienced racial abuse but surely you can appreciate that to some who have suffered the golliwog will only ever represent racism. Sorry, but to me it's an inanimate object. It's how the object may be used, not it's very existence, that's the issue here. If the object is used in an intimidating manner to deliberately incite tension, then the persons involved are at fault, not the item itself. Another example being the Swastika - Should I wish, I can purchase a Swastika badge or T Shirt quite easily, however, should I then be stupid enough to wear them in public, I could, at the very least, find myself accused of inciting all sorts of racial tensions. Gollywogs in a shop window for sale in Lerwick are unlikely to raise local racial tensions enough to start a riot - Gollywogs in a shop window for sale in Brixton probably would raise racial tensions and would almost certainly be seen as a deliberate act of intimidation. It's how the item is used, not it's existence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unlinkedstudent Posted March 13, 2012 Report Share Posted March 13, 2012 ^^ And likewise, look at how history (Oops, another objection - "His story" as opposed to "Her Story") in relation to nitty gritty. http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/nitty-gritty.html Nowadays, "nitty gritty" is referred to in a totally different light to its original meaning. Whilst the web page refers to slavery, I was taught on a Masters course in Women's Studies at Ruskin College, Oxford, that it actually referred to the rape of female slaves. If anything, this demonstrates how language has evolved. There are other examples, such as "Who let the cat out the bag" "Not enough room to swing a cat" and so forth. So, own up, how many peeps say "nitty gritty" and are aware of its origins? Therefore, even if the golliwog did have a dubious start in life, the fact it was adopted by a leading retailer and became a much loved character should be embraced as a positive thing - or was the marmalade manufacturer encouraging everyone to be racist? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biglad Posted March 13, 2012 Report Share Posted March 13, 2012 Honestly! Grow up.http://cdn.memegenerator.net/instances/400x/11729239.jpg Dear God, the same people bickering about who's right and who's wrong and trying to win the morale high ground......fookn pathetic! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icepick239 Posted March 14, 2012 Report Share Posted March 14, 2012 Just when you think things can't sink any lower in As a peerie boy I enjoyed looking for the different character each time a new jar arrived in the hoose........OMG, Kavi's a man Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DizzyKipper Posted March 14, 2012 Report Share Posted March 14, 2012 On my 6th birthday I was given a book called the Three Little Golliwogs, by Enid Blyton, by the children next door. I still have it somewhere I think. I was knitted golliwog mittens. I never thought anything of it. Gollys... While they may have dubious origins and we shouldn't forget that, I don't think demonising them helps either. Should a child ask about it, tell them the origins, by all means, but tell them also that it's a doll and the doll itself isn't to blame. If you don't make it balanced then, as others have said, baa baa black sheep (now baa baa rainbow sheep) , black coffee (coffee without milk) and everything else that can be misrepresented, will be. --Brings to mind a story a friend told me, he was friends with two middle aged ladies, one white and one black. They were the best of friends, and regularly argued using very strong racist language, especially places like supermarket checkouts where everyone one was watching. Then they used to leave arm in arm. Would love to see the reactions of the bystanders Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shetlandpeat Posted March 14, 2012 Report Share Posted March 14, 2012 Another example being the Swastika - You could buy this one.. HERE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohanofNess Posted March 14, 2012 Report Share Posted March 14, 2012 Another example being the Swastika - You could buy this one.. Unfortunately a bunch of people hijacked the symbol and its notoriety comes from Nazism and not the Hindu faith. Which is why Inflitrator was suggesting it's not a good idea to wear one in public because the first thing (most) people think about a swastika is Nazi and not oh that guy must be a hindu. This is a little different to the gollywog as the first thing I think is oh look it's the guys from Noddy and the marmalade jars and not oh look that shopkeeper is a dirty racist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scorrie Posted March 14, 2012 Report Share Posted March 14, 2012 Sounds like a bunch of guilt-tripping whiteys being offended on behalf of the black man. You couldn't get more patronising towards black people if you tried. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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