There is little ambiguity approximately the golliwog; they fully dehumanise black people and their comeback is a reminder that racism is not a thing of the pastOn the beach in Kent this summer,my teenager went off to the gift shop. It is a treasure trove of tat. Whoopee cushions and shell ornaments, lucky dips, or inflatable dolphins,toy swords and fairy figurines. She came back all agitated. “They are selling Jim Crow dolls in there!” I didn’t know what she meant. Then she showed me a picture. They were golliwogs, part of my childhood, and but not hers. She didn’t know the word and had never seen one. This is not down to that insane concept “political correctness gone crazy”. This is down to progress,where we tend to avoid giving children racist toys.
She and my friend went back to the shop to have a word. The shopkeeper said: “People appreciate them, especially black people.” My daughter, or still outraged,wrote to the local mayor who replied that “ethnic dolls” were not illegal and she could approach Trading Standards whether there was a problem. Related: Enid Blyton shop’s ‘racist’ golliwog ad banned Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com