Okay, I'm ready to talk about this now - this turned out to be the worst present given or received in our house this Christmas. It's a Golliwog. Those with an English background will be familiar with him. I think he's cute, but I bought him for my husband. He hates it and has rejected it like " a red-headed step child" (is that also not politically correct?)As a collector of antique things, I thought he'd appreciate it - but he does not. To me he is a fictional character that came to life in stories and in children's minds, like the beloved Teddy Bear. But alas, he is not wanted. He was once a hero, but now he is banished. This is not a story of racism, people - or is it? What do you think?
4 comments:
It is probably like giving a Winnie-the-Pooh to a little Polish child. There must be English parents around who'd like it for their kids? Can you regift it?
It's so upsetting to give a heartfelt gift that isn't received graciously!! (Hugs to you.) Unfortunately it sounds like regifting/reselling is the way to go.
Hmmmm...I'm at a loss for words on this one. Seriously. Blackface is so...scandalous. I'm surprised mostly. Yup. Surprised. That's it.
mmmm....delicate subject. You could be opening a can of worms on this one. I'm surprised you don't have a million comments by now, like on another blog where a woman showed a picture of her Hallowe'en costume with a fox tail (a real one) ... which wasn't even the subject of her post ... and boy did that get a TON of responses!
Back to your Golliwog. Our varied backgrounds can really cause a stir sometimes. When something that is so NOT weird to one is taken by another to be offensive ... it's upsetting ... and confusing. I know. Many times I've been left saying "whaaaat???" when someone is outraged at me for something "nothing" in my eyes. And some of us whites are more prickly about racism because we're told we should be. I worked with a woman from Trinidad and we talked about this stuff often. Other cultures than here look at the whole subject quite differently. She said she had a childhood friend that was black and it was not offensive or derogatory in anyway to call her n*gg*r-child. I guess your Golliwog will just have to stay in your childhood.
Post a Comment