Good golly!
A gift shop, located near a slavery museum, has been criticised for selling golliwog dolls. The controversial dolls are on display at the Wizzard shop, part of the Albert Dock complex in Liverpool. Officials at the International Slavery Museum, also based at the site, said it was "shocking" and called for the dolls to be removed from sale.
So when exactly did golly become controversial? Or to rephrase that, when exactly did golly become controversial in the real world i.e. not in the op-ed columns of The Guardian or as the latest hobby horse for the Race-Guilt Industry?
Still, Richard Benjamin, head of the International Slavery Museum thinks that
These dolls reinforce out-of-date racial stereotypes which are deeply offensive to many people, particularly within the black community
Mind you, he also thinks
That they are still on sale in a supposedly progressive city such as Liverpool, and on the doorstep of the International Slavery Museum, is shocking and we would like to see them taken off the shelves
Liverpool, a progressive city?? Clearly Mr Benjamin’s sense of reality is in urgent need of recalibration. Mind you, the same can be said of Tim More, city councillor for Toxteth's Princes Park ward
It is clear to many people they are insensitive and offensive. It is a real shame in our Capital of Culture year, when we are celebrating diversity, our shops should be selling items which offend many people
Of course the entire concept of Liverpool being some sort of City of Culture is risable in the extreme as the only culture you get in Liverpool is car theft which the locals have turned into an art form - but set that aside for the moment & lets get Nanny involved
Trading standards officials have visited [the store] & have advised staff the dolls were likely to cause offence to many customers, but they said they had no power to confiscate them.
Caruthers, get me m’revolver & a cricket bat . It looks like we need to go to the dreaded north for the day to dole out a large dose of common sense.
Comments
Wasn't there a national screaming fit about these type dolls some 30-odd years ago? The then not-yet second Ex-Mrs Brown is from the midlands and I seem to recall her talking with friends about the row back in the late 70's. My impression was that the dolls had been pulled from the market by legislative decree.
Obviously not ...
Have they remained commercially available all this time or is Liverpool just trying to raise it's stature with the Austrian political glitteratti?
Posted by: Will Brown | October 7, 2008 10:35 AM
liverpool has one of the earliest ethnic population centres...Toxteth...it just means that the rest of the population of liverpool have known how much 'fun' cultural diversity is for longer than the rest of britain...ah those somalis...such comical colourful folk...honest.
Posted by: Thud | October 7, 2008 12:04 PM
Somalis seem to make friends wherever they go. Until the 60's, the U.S., while not a center for golliwogs like those depicted, had many representations of Black folks dating back to the Reconstruction period. Most had originally been intended to be comic figures. All were deemed offensive. Many have now become valuable collectors' items, although to avoid criticism, the collectors have to be either Black or have establishe liberal bonafides.
Posted by: Bomber Harris | October 7, 2008 2:57 PM
'These dolls reinforce out-of-date racial stereotypes which are deeply offensive to many people, particularly within the black community" What a load of poppycock,sorry Richard but a statment like that can only come from some 'doo-gooder' this is my heritage you'r trying to erase, I dare bet you would ban 'punch and judy' given the chance.
Posted by: D T Earth | October 12, 2008 12:06 AM