Do you consider Gollywog dolls to be racist?

[Phinners]

No, but how is saying sweet eff all adding to the conversation at all?

Oh I get it now, you're the posting police. Begging your pardon Ma'am.

 

[BlackBerry25]

Isn't a golly a black doll then?

No...typically dolls don't look like that.

We have Barbies, and Baby All Gones, etc here in Canada. Not sure what you have over there.

That is a doll that started off as an insult to black people. I don't get why someone would want one, nostaligic or not.

 

[Georgie90]

i dont think tehres any need to get rude...just discuss...people can have different opinions..xx

 

[BlackBerry25]

No, but how is saying sweet eff all adding to the conversation at all?

Oh I get it now, you're the posting police. Begging your pardon Ma'am.

Um...ok

 

[BlackBerry25]

i dont think tehres any need to get rude...just discuss...people can have different opinions..xx

I agree, and I don't think I was being rude. I was explaining how North Americans could see the racist connection.

 

[Georgie90]

wasnt aiming that at you hun...you have strong points. xx

 

[Nikkinoonoo]

Isn't a golly a black doll then?

No...typically dolls don't look like that.

We have Barbies, and Baby All Gones, etc here in Canada. Not sure what you have over there.

That is a doll that started off as an insult to black people. I don't get why someone would want one, nostaligic or not.

We have those dolls too, we also have rainbow brite dolls, cabbage patch dolls etc... none of them look like typically 'white babies' either. I don't really get your point? if a doll is a ragdoll or a more realistic newborn type doll I don't see the difference, if they made a baby doll with an afro, would that then be a racist doll? Of course not, so why would a rag type doll be different?

 

[Nic1107]

Yes, the word racist does get thrown around too much. But these dolls come from a time when it was a vicious daily reality. The meaning may have "changed" for people who weren't there, but it's the same for people still alive today who were. There are other black dolls on the market whose origin is not steeped in bigotry, so once again it's not a question of these dolls being the only ones available if you want your child to have a black doll. We should be able to talk about racism, but this thread has been so far dismissive and disrespectful. And we were ALL asked whether or not we found them racist; "yes" was one of the poll answers. Those of us who chose 'yes' have as valid a reason as those who chose 'no'. So should we just shut up?

 

[BlackBerry25]

I think Nic did a good job explaining Nikki

I think the difference to me is that Rainbow Brite wasn't created in a negative way, where as the dolls from that time were.

 

[Nikkinoonoo]

Isn't a golly a black doll then?

No...typically dolls don't look like that.

We have Barbies, and Baby All Gones, etc here in Canada. Not sure what you have over there.

That is a doll that started off as an insult to black people. I don't get why someone would want one, nostaligic or not.

I think it's great that people don't connect it to the original meaning of the doll and want to own them.... as most people wouldn't connect the racist intent with them, it will die out and our children can happily play with a rag doll, with a lovely big smile, who is black coloured. I think that's a lovely thing personally.

 

[Dragonfly]

Interesting. didnt realise there was so much behind the doll. I do remember buying gollywog bars as a kid , was an ice cream thing and had a gollywog on the front of it. They do not have a picture anymore and I think are called golly bars now.

 

[Georgie90]

no no you dont have to shut up!

Im going to research a little more I think...my dad has a Golly, so I will ask him to, its interesting x

 

[Nikkinoonoo]

I don't think anyone is saying that they approve of the original meaning of them, like I said I for one don't know the original meaningas as such (altho I could put 2+2 together) but I really think it's nice that people are ignorant to this and that it won't be carried down in generations and our kids can play happily with dolls or all shapes, sizes and colours without thinking anything of it.

 

[NuKe]

id just like to say that I am very pleased that a conversation that was starting to get heated was nicely diffused!! I'm reading with great interest too.

 

[BlackBerry25]

No, I didn't think that either. I instantly thought that it probably wasn't discussed there and wasn't known.

 

[NuKe]

No, I didn't think that either. I instantly thought that it probably wasn't discussed there and wasn't known.

i knew, thats why i started this thread!

 

[Nic1107]

I just want people to understand that the reason for considering these dolls racist to begin with wasn't because people are too quick to cry 'racism'. These genuinely were racist, terribly so. Their significance may change over the years, and certainly the sentiments have changed for many already as they see only a cute little doll. That's a good thing. But change should come from an understanding of the past and a purposeful effort to right it, not from ignorance and defensiveness. When you start talking about how it wouldn't be such a big deal if it were a white doll, and how you know such-and-such black person who is always crying 'racist', we're still talking about it as us vs. them, ykwim? And yes, race does need to be discussed with sensitivity on a multicultural forum, even if it annoys you to have to do so. That's just common decency.

 

[Georgie90]

i didnt mean to upset anyone xx

 

[Nic1107]

I hope someday the world moves beyond the topics of race and nationality as well. We're all human after all, right?

 

[NuKe]

I just want people to understand that the reason for considering these dolls racist to begin with wasn't because people are too quick to cry 'racism'. These genuinely were racist, terribly so. Their significance may change over the years, and certainly the sentiments have changed for many already as they see only a cute little doll. That's a good thing. But change should come from an understanding of the past and a purposeful effort to right it, not from ignorance and defensiveness. When you start talking about how it wouldn't be such a big deal if it were a white doll, and how you know such-and-such black person who is always crying 'racist', we're still talking about it as us vs. them, ykwim? And yes, race does need to be discussed with sensitivity on a multicultural forum, even if it annoys you to have to do so. That's just common decency.

i didnt mean to upset anyone xx

i dont think u did hun, afaik!