Offensive or not?

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/5296198 /Golliwog-doll-row-breaks-out.html

Mr Clarke, chairman of the Ipswich and Suffolk Council for Racial Equality, said: "It is offensive � all the people I have talked to about it say it is."

He should get out more and speak to more people, I find them rather cute.

Anyone live anywhere near Thing-Me-Bobs in Sudbury, Suffolk,?

[TCL-MUMPING]

"Clowns paint their faces white, should we take offence that the white race are being made fun of ?"

I'm not aware of a long history of black folk being made up as clowns.

[pastafreak]

Did you know that those Robertsons goLLyw*g tokens were awarded to the soldiers of a particular Scottish regiment durring WW1 for each Arab they killed??

[legend.isgod]

sometimes i'm amazed by the complete ignorance of people who only need to google a subject to become enlightened.

But they'd rather continue to post ill-informed unadulterated racist rubbish.


Is there any hope ?

[Quinlad]

This again...

Another chance for short-sighted idiots to show they have no understanding of history or context.

Keep telling yourself they're just cute little dollies and it might come true.

[pastafreak]

Like leggy says..they just seem to ignore the truth...can't be bothered I suppose.

[legend.isgod]

To see apparent university students on this thread spouting illinformed racist crap really doesnt bode welll for the future does it ?


i guess cheap drink and student discounts on pizzzas must take up a lot of time ???

[New Judge]

It is quite easy to find something offensive, even if it �does not reference you�, sp1814.

In fact, the ludicrous Macpherson Report into the death of Stephen Lawrence almost enshrines such philosophy into law. It said (among many other things) that a racist incident is one which any person deems to be racist, whether that person was involved with the incident or not.

Similarly, therefore, one can take offence at something that one is not involved with or not affected by. The clearest examples of this are the liberal classes who decree that things such as crucifixes and events such as Christmas are offensive to Muslims, when, as far as I know, Muslims in general do not hold such a view.

So, although I am not black I could well be offended by golliwogs, but I am not.

Sorry if that is unbloodybelieveable, legend. Perhaps you�d care to take it up with Sir William Macpherson.

[sp1814]

New Judge

I hear what you're saying and you're 100% correct about the philosophy behind the MacPherson report, and most younger people I know welcome the idea that you don't have to be black (or white or Muslim) to be offended by racist remarks.

I think I posted this before, but to summarise - a white mate of mine said that racist remarks said in front of him offend him because the speaker assumes that he is 'in the club'.

He grew up in Peckham which has a very mixed community and he said that when a bigot starts spouting their usual stuff, saying nothing would be a betrayal to his black and Asian mates.

Understandable.

[anotheoldgit]

To add to this, I have a rag doll that I bought from a Black person in Cuba.

It is a portrayal of the typical well rounded Black female house keeper, the type that is always shooing Tom (of Tom & Jerry fame) out of her kitchen. She has a white headscarf, long red dress and white apron.

Was the Black Cuban racist also, to make these dolls and to sell them?

[pastafreak]

But gollies were NOT made by Blacks FOR Blacks......don't you see the difference??

[Tizzi247]

I had a golly as a child and I don't find them offensive. I abhor racism and I think Thatcher's remarks were uncalled for, be they in private or not.

Mr Clarke must be a very narrow-minded individual, he should get a real life. Unfortunately, this is the type of person we have serving on councils all over the country.