Gollywogs - is this guy for real?.

[klanky]

........., a call for the English Defence League to sort him out on the Shetland Times page (thankfully now moderated, but someone allowed it to be published in the first place),        ..... Absolutely pathetic. Sad, sad times folks.

 

 

To think that someone in Shetland would suggest that the EDL should be used to 'sort him out' is absolutely shocking. What did it say, exactly?

[Davie P]

 

Perhaps you can provide some direct evidence or quotes?

 

I did quote him.  Besides, he is reported as saying  "she was guilty of “wilful racism†for selling golliwog toys."  I ask again, why would we need his 'gift' if he didn't deem us to be racist?

 

You did indeed quote him although the quote you chose does not seem to back up your assertions. Then you pose a question that boils down to "why would he do 'x' if he didn't mean 'y'"?

 

Nope, I just don't see it and you seem to have found some hidden meaning in what he said. 

 

He certainly isn't backwards in coming forward with his opinion and, as you requote, he accused the lady in question of "wilful racism" amongst other things. So if he did "deem us [all] to be racist" then what didn't he say so, and instead go about it in a cryptic way that requires illogical deduction?

[Davie P]

While there I noticed a witch toy with a hook nose. No doubt a Jewish poet will now claim racial stereotypes for this being on sale. Then there is the 'protect the troll society' worried about their image when some are scary and frighten children and others are friendly. Also the electricity board could object to her sale of oil lamps as it suggests the possibility of needing them for powercuts and this could cause distress to those without any. some of her vintage toys represent war and this could be distressing to pacifists. Also lack of money distresses me since I can't afford most of it.

An interesting example of one of the many irrelevant analogies I've read on the subject. 

 

You infer that a hook nose is symbolic of Jewish people (careful with that one!), so therefore Jewish people should / could take exception to any doll with a hook nose. I agree that that would be ridiculous, but it doesn't serve your point well.

 

Perhaps your analogy would carry some comparative weight if the hook nosed doll in your analogy had a clear history and lineage to a period of Jewish persecution and segregation, was called a Golli-hymie and wore a Star of David armband.

[unlinkedstudent]

@Davie P - I take it you're not familiar with 'passive aggressive' then eh?  Judging by many comments, I'd say it's pretty obvious what Lemn was conveying to us.

 

Edit:  If he didn't intend to insinuate that Shetlanders are racist, then why does he comment about us not being self-sufficient and bleat on about what is good for Shetland?

Edited September 19, 2013 by unlinkedstudent

[Davie P]

Unlinked student, whether or not he displays 'passive aggression', offers us a 'gift' of 'critique' or comments that Shetland isn't 'self-sufficient' I really don't see how you can draw the conclusion that this infers he is accusing the whole of Shetland of being racist because one shop sells golliwogs.

 

Again, your point consists of 'if he doesn't mean x then why did he say y?'. Why did he not just say x if he meant x as he certainly seems to be forthcoming with his opinions?

[paulb]

davie there is a doll with that nose. mr punch.

[Davie P]

You've completely missed the point paulb. Compare the history of Golliwogs - http://lmgtfy.com/?q=history+of+golliwog - with the history and Mr Punch - http://lmgtfy.com/?q=history+of+Mr+Punch and see if the analogy still stands up.

[paulb]

are you not also falling into the trap of associating a toywith racist thinking. my sister had a black doll 40 odd years ago was she racist nope was the person that gave it to her. nope same with the golliwog doll its origins are unpleasant however is just a doll it causes no harm.

 

lets wiki it

 

Florence Kate Upton was born in 1873 in Flushing, New York, the daughter of English parents who had emigrated to the United States three years previously. Following the death of her father, she moved back to England with her mother and sisters when she was fourteen. There she spent several years drawing and developing her artistic skills. In order to afford tuition to art school, she illustrated a children's book entitled The Adventures of TwoDutch Dolls and a Golliwogg. The 1895 book included a character named the Golliwogg, who was first described as "a horrid sight, the blackestgnome", but who quickly turned out to be a friendly character, and is later attributed with a "kind face." A product of the blackface minstrel tradition, the Golliwogg had jet black skin; bright, red lips; and wild, woolly hair. He wore red trousers, a shirt with a stiff collar, red bow-tie, and a blue jacket with tails — all traditional minstrel attire.

Upton's book and its many sequels were extremely successful in England, largely because of the popularity of the Golliwogg. Upton did not trademark her character, and its name, spelled "golliwog", became the generic name for dolls and images of a similar type.^[2] The golliwog doll became a popular children's toy throughout most of the 20th century, and was incorporated into many aspects of British commerce and culture;^[3] for instance, some ofEnid Blyton's books feature them, often as a villain and sometimes as heroes. Upton's Golliwogg was jovial, friendly and gallant,^[1] but some later golliwogs were sinister or menacing characters.

The golliwog contributed enormously to the spread of blackface iconography in Europe. It also made its way back across the Atlantic in the form of children's literature, dolls, children's china and other toys, ladies' perfume, and jewellery.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/57/Perfumegolli.jpg/220px-Perfumegolli.jpg

http://bits.wikimedia.org/static-1.22wmf15/skins/common/images/magnify-clip.png

A 1920s golliwog perfume bottle

British jam manufacturer James Robertson & Sons used a golliwog called Golly as its mascot from 1910, after John Robertson apparently saw children playing with golliwog dolls in America. Robertson's started producing promotional Golly badges in the 1920s, which could be obtained in exchange for tokens gained from their products. In 1983, the company's products were boycotted by the Greater London Council as offensive, and in 1988 the character ceased to be used in television advertising. The company used to give away Golly badges and small plaster figures playing musical instruments or sports and other such themes. The badge collection scheme was withdrawn in 2001.

According to an editorial in The Times newspaper golliwogs were banned in Germany in 1934, on the grounds they were inappropriate toys for Aryan children.^[4]

In a statement reported by the BBC, Virginia (Ginny) C. Knox, previously brand director for Robertson's and later Chief Operating Officer of the Culinary Brands Division of RHM, told The Herald Newspaper in Scotland in 2001 that the decision to remove the Golly symbol from Robertson's jam and marmalade jars was taken after research found that children were not familiar with the character, although it still appealed to the older generations. "We sell 45 million jars of jam and marmalade each year and they have pretty much all got Golly on them," said Ms Knox. "We also sell 250,000 Golly badges to collectors and only get 10 letters a year from people who don't like the Golliwog image."^[5] Today, Robertson's Golly badges remain highly collectible, with the very rarest sometimes selling for more than £1,000.

An aniseed flavoured chewy confection called a Blackjack was marketed in the United Kingdom from the 1920s with a golliwog's face on the wrapper. In the late 1980s, Trebor, the manufacturer, replaced the image with the face of a black-bearded pirate.^[6]

The noted art historian Sir Kenneth Clark said that the golliwogs of his childhood were, "examples of chivalry, far more persuasive than the unconvincing Knights of the Arthurian legend."

A classic Contortionist act is the Rag doll act often performed in a golliwogg costume, therefore also called the golliwogg act.

 

 

now i would not have bought one as i do feel that they are dated but thats the only problem. 

[trout]

As a complete aside anyone remember this advert?
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UB2xYdjt7bE

[Ghostrider]

This man has a different upbringing, a different culture he sees racism in things where others do not. Reading his blog he comes over as bitter and angry so he wishes to project this on to others.

 

Its long past time this side of Mr Sissay, and how his actions and opinions may well be influenced by it came under the spotlight.

 

Assuming published biographical information on Mr Sissay is correct, he experienced what would in most cases be described as a "troubled" early life. While most right minded people will have sympathy for Mr Sissay's unfortunate experiences during this period of his life, it would not be unreasonable to suspect that during and probably after them Mr Sissay experienced some level of personal identity, and in particular personal cultural identity crisis. Should this have occurred it would also not be unreasonable to suspect he may well carry an ongoing legacy from then, which still manifests itself as an over-sensitivity if not paranoia for anything he perceives as in any way "attacking" his perception of his own cultural identity, resulting in an over-reaction to any such "threats" by him.

[Davie P]

lets wiki it 

Let's wiki it indeed, but let's not just selectively wiki the bits that don't mention racism. Here's the rest of the article - the two sections that you seem to have missed out.

 

 

 

The golliwog, golliwogg or golly was a black character in children's books in the late 19th century usually depicted as a type of rag doll. It was reproduced, both by commercial and hobby toy-makers as a children's toy called the "golliwog", and had great popularity inNorth America, Europe and Australia into the 1970s. The doll is characterised by black skin^{[citation needed]}, eyes rimmed in white^{[citation needed]}, clown lips^{[citation needed]}, and frizzy hair^{[citation needed]}. While home-made golliwogs were sometimes female, the golliwog was generally male. For this reason, in the period following World War II, the golliwog was seen, along with the teddy bear, as a suitable soft toy for a young boy.

The image of the doll has become the subject of heated debate. While some see the golliwog as a cherished cultural artifact and childhood tradition, others argue that the golliwog is a destructive instance of racism against people of African descent, along withpickaninnies, minstrels, mammy figures, and other caricatures, and has been described as "the least known of the major anti-Black caricatures in the United States".^[1] In recent years, changing political attitudes with regard to race have reduced the popularity and sales of golliwogs as toys. Manufacturers who have used golliwogs as a motif have either withdrawn them as an icon, or changed the name. In particular, the association of the golliwog with the pejorative term "wog" has resulted in use of alternative names such as "golly" and "golly doll".

 

 

Golliwog as racist insult[edit source | editbeta]

After the publication of Upton's first book, the term "golliwog" was used both as a reference to the children's toy and as a generic slang term for black people. In the UK and theCommonwealth, "golliwog" perhaps became "wog," a racial slur applied to dark-skinned people worldwide.^[7] In Australia many young people of Greek, Italian, and otherMediterranean descent have reclaimed the name "wog" as a humorous identifier. An example of this from Australian popular culture is the 2000 movie The Wog Boy starring the actor Nick Giannopoulos.

In the early 1980s, revised editions of Enid Blyton's Noddy books replaced Mr. Golly, the golliwog proprietor of the Toytown garage, with a visibly white character named Mr. Sparks.^{[citation needed]}

In March 2007, Greater Manchester Police seized two golliwogs from a shop after a complaint that the dolls were offensive.^[8] In September 2007, retail chain Zara put a T-shirt on sale in its UK stores with a little girl resembling a golliwog printed in the front.^{[citation needed]} The design spurred controversy, coming only weeks after the company had been forced to pull a swastika-emblazoned handbag from its shelves, although the swastika is also a religious symbol for Hindus and Buddhists.^[9]

In September 2008, Amanda Schofield from Stockport claimed she was arrested for keeping a "golly doll" in her window. Greater Manchester Police denied this and said she was arrested after a series of complaints of alleged racially-aggravated behaviour were made against her.^[10]

In February 2009, Carol Thatcher, daughter of a former British Prime Minister, in an off-air conversation at the BBC, referred to the black French tennis player Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, competing in the Australian Open, as looking like a golliwog.^[11] The comment was considered by the BBC as "wholly unacceptable" and Thatcher was informed that unless she apologized she would no longer be a reporter on BBC's The One Show. Thatcher stated that it was a silly joke and declined to make an "unconditional apology". Thatcher claimed that her comment was a reference to the golliwog motifs that she saw in her childhood on "jars of jam" (i.e. Robertson's Marmalade).^[12] In April 2009 she appeared on the BBC in an interview on The Andrew Marr Show for the first time since the scandal, defending her use of the word.^[13] The French publication Sportsweek' claimed that Thatcher, in talking about a previous competition, referred to another player as "the one who was defeated by the golliwog in the previous tour." The French publication, which showed a picture of Tsonga above a picture of a toy golliwog, claimed that Thatcher was "mortified" and that her comment was about the similarity of Tsonga's appearance to the doll that she had as a child.^[14]

In March 2011, two prospective Conservative local councillors resigned from the party after their membership was suspended following complaints from fellow party members that they had used images of golliwogs as part of a protest against political correctness. Bill and Star Etheridge, a married couple from the West Midlands who were due to stand in council elections for the Dudley borough, criticised the Conservative Party for going back on a pre-election pledge to curb political correctness, and felt that the action taken against them was "stifling" the right to free speech. They then defected to the UK Independence Party.^[15]

[Clooty Cap]

I don't know if any of you are aware of a comedian called Reginald D Hunter, if you are you'll know he is an African American and he was brought up in Georgia in the 1970's, the reason I bring him up is because he probably has a lot in common with Lemn Sissay, a black man brought up in the 1970's who has probably been a victim of genuine racism. Reginald though has taken his experiences and used them in a totally different way than Lemn. When talking about people using the N word at him this is his take on it

 

"that word was designed to hurt me, in fact it was on this planet before me. So if something is designed to hurt you, what do you do? You don’t let it. Like, if I was a woman, I wouldn’t let words like “b+*@h†or “c&@-†or “fat†upset me. I would be more offended by words like “you’re gonna be paid lessâ€."

 

The reason I bring this up is it kind of shows that what is offensive is very subjective, no doubt how Lemn would react to the N word would differ significantly from how Reginald reacts to it even though they have both probably had a very similar experience with it throughout their lifetime. As such it's a shame that this Golly issue has snowballed into where we now are, purely because one person has decided that their views on the subject are the correct view and that the rest of us need to be educated as to why our views are wrong and how only his opinion can be the right one.

[MuckleJoannie]

Mr Sissay has now written about the subject in the Guardian

 

ww.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/sep/20/golliwog-shetland?CMP=twt_gu

[Apehanger]

Loving it!

 

http://www.shetlink.com/index.php/classifieds/item/3210-poet/

 

[Apehanger]

I don't know if any of you are aware of a comedian called Reginald D Hunter, if you are you'll know he is an African American and he was brought up in Georgia in the 1970's, the reason I bring him up is because he probably has a lot in common with Lemn Sissay, a black man brought up in the 1970's who has probably been a victim of genuine racism. Reginald though has taken his experiences and used them in a totally different way than Lemn. When talking about people using the N word at him this is his take on it

 

 

 

The term 'Brits' was also used as a form of abuse, most recently by the ira (no capital letters). It is now taken on as the norm. Listen, if you must, to ©rap music, the word <uuh uhh anality!! moo! sproot!> is used time and time again. Fighting fire with fire springs to mind.

 

As for Reginald D Hunter, I think he is one of the best 'off the cuff' comedians of modern time.

I never realised until today that he was black!    Can I say that? Coloured? Non caucasian? One of my best friends is .... etc etc