Former U.K. Prime Minister’s daughter, Carol Thatcher, has called a black sports player a “golliwog” which is a racist term commonly used in Britian. Here’s more on why this word is so offensive from Wikipedia:
“The “Golliwogg” (later “Golliwog“) is a character of children’s literature created by Florence Kate Upton in the late 19th century, inspired by a blackface minstrel doll which Upton had as a child in America. The character, depicted in the books as a type of rag doll, was reproduced, both by commercial and hobby toy-makers as a children’s toy. The toy was known as a “golliwog”, and had great popularity in North America, Britain, Europe and Australasia, into the 1960s. While home-made golliwogs were sometimes female, the golliwog was generally male. For this reason, in the period following World War II, the golliwog was seen, along with the teddy bear, as a suitable soft toy for a young boy.
The toy golliwog has become a collector’s item. However, the image of the doll has become the subject of heated debate. One aspect of the debate in its favor argues that it should be preserved and passed on as a cherished cultural artifact and childhood tradition, while opponents argue it should be retired as a relic of an earlier time when racism against black people was blatant.”(End of Excerpt) Read the rest here.
Carol Thatcher was a contributor to a BBC program,but she was dropped from the show because of this incident. But, it has caused a backlash against the BBC. People feel that they are being too politcally correct. Really? I think that the golliwog doll is a part of racist memorabilia that should be a relic of the past. And anyone with good sense knows that this is offensive to folks who belong to the African diaspora.
But, as you can see from the picture above, golliwogs are still being sold today all over Europe! And some folks across the pond still want to claim that racism is an American problem! This type of stuff proves that we are not the only country dealing with racial issues. Here’s more on what happened from the Telegraph:
“She was sacked because her reporter role potentially brought her into contact with ethnic minorities, the insider added. However, she has not been banned from the BBC altogether and will continue to appear on other shows.
A friend of Baroness Thatcher said the affair was “very sad”, adding: “Carol would not have intended the word to be taken as a form of malice. She is just not that sort of person.”
Lord Bell of Belgravia, the PR guru who masterminded Baroness Thatcher’s three election victories, said: “Considering the issues facing Britain today, you would think people would have far more important things to worry about.”
Others said Thatcher’s remark had no place in 21st century Britain. Colleen Harris, the Guyanese former press secretary to the Prince of Wales, said: “I was shocked. It is completely out of step with modern, multicultural britain. No-one ever uses a word like that when I’m in the room. Maybe they use it when I’ve left the room. It makes me wonder.”
A spokesman for the Kick It Out campaign against racism in sport likened the comment to Ron Atkinson’s racist slur against black footballer Marcel Desailly in 2004, which was intended as a private remark but made public: “Use of the term ‘golliwog’ is completely unacceptable. The fact that Carol Thatcher doesn’t know the word is offensive is worrying. Whether it is said off air or not doesn’t really matter.”
The source of the leak is unknown. The agent of Jo Brand insisted she was not behind it. She said: “Jo heard the remark. She was offended and astonished by it. But she absolutely did not make any complaint.” (End of Excerpt) Read the entire story here.
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