Tuesday 25 October 2011

What’s In A Name?

Or for that matter, an apostrophe?

A child's wig on sale at a budget store for Hallowe'en has been branded "racist" and "horrifying" by a grandmother.
And you’ll never guess why…
Furious Norma Taylor, 48, is calling for the 'Sinister Black Childs (sic) Wig' to be taken off the shelves of 99p Stores in Croydon.

She was so surprised by the wigs that she bought one to show to her friends in case they didn't believe her.
You’ll note the lack of an apostrophe there, that the newspaper helpfully notes ‘(sic)’.
"It just blared out at me – I was very shocked and horrified and I demanded to speak to the manager.

"He just laughed it off even though, as a black person, I was trying to show him where I was coming from.

"Even on the receipt I have it says 'Sinister Black Childs Wig' (sic) – I couldn't believe it."
Well, no, because you read it as ‘Sinister Black Child’, not as a sinister black wig meant for a child, FFS..!
Ms Taylor, from West Croydon, thought of her three-year-old granddaughter, Mercedes, when she clapped eyes on the controversial item.

She said: "I thought 'if she was to come in and see this, it would be so sad'.

"She's such a positive, bright and lively girl and I think if she saw that it would upset her so much.

"It would make her think 'is this really how the world sees us?'

"It is very negative and it would really be a downer for her and all the other children going into that shop."
Only if they are as dim as you, love. And possess such a huge chip on their shoulders. Which is probably a damned good bet!
But bosses are adamant there is nothing wrong with the product.

A spokesman said: "It is quite obvious that this wig is in no way at all meant to be racist."

He refused to comment further, but said there are no plans to remove the wig from the shelves.
Well, thank god for that. But I wonder how long that’ll last, when the racemongers and dimwits start their Twittermobbing?

Place your bets, ladies and gentlemen!

29 comments:

Mrs Erdleigh said...

That is why punctuation is important. You laugh at us internet grammar nazis ... :-)

Tory Aardvark said...

the clowns have taken over the circus

Anonymous said...

/headdesk
/headdesk
/headdesk
/headdesk
/headdesk...

Anonymous said...

"She was so surprised by the wigs that she bought one to show to her friends in case they didn't believe her."

Hilarious. You can just imagine the coffee morning:

"Look at dis, Winifred. I bought dis at de pound shop. It's raycis is what it is, raycis. Dey might just as well as put a golly in th de picture.

Ah'm going to go straight to the newspeppah"

SBC said...

Ladies and Gentlemen, we has a winner:

"I also suspect that Ms Taylor will eventually indoctrinate Mercedes until she sees racist white propaganda everywhere, instead of teaching her about contraception so she doesn't become a teenage breeder like her mother and grandmother.”

*is still snorking over the 'topless black mercedes' comment cos he's a very sad lonely old man*

SBC said...

"/headdesk
/headdesk
/headdesk
/headdesk
/headdesk..."

Cos sometimes ' /double facepalm' just isn't enough.

Gallovidian said...

"as a black person, I was trying to show him where I was coming from"

Africa presumably.

Anonymous said...

"/Jadedhead/desk
/Jadedhead/desk
/Jadedhead/desk
/Jadedhead/desk
/Jadedhead/desk..."

(Economy NHS treatment. Psychotic patient receiving shock therapy combined with relief for another, by proxy.)

Anonymous said...

Yep it's a terrible racist country, I sure she can see racism by the whites against the blacks displayed everywhere she turns. Doesn't put off Africans by the tens of thousands trying to get into this country every year though.

Macheath said...

It gets even better when Ms Taylor really gets into her stride, describing the (white) child depicted on the packaging:

"The garment he is wearing looks a little bit like a Klan outfit crossed with an African white garment church outfit."

Still, I suppose we should be grateful she didn't get started on the wigs labelled 'Sinister Black Male'...

Woman on a Raft said...

It's a bit out of their area, but I suggest two birds with one stone.

Can someone please make sure that this lady's complaint is transferred to PC Stubble and Greg George over at the N.Wales Rainbow-Worrier Grievance Compo Unit, where highly-trained officers have been seconded from Beccles nick to help them bring peace and harmony to Croydon as they have so successfully done in Suffolk.

BTW, there's a dip in this desk as if somebody has tenderised it with their head.

Longrider said...

Yup, eats, shoots and leaves...

Dr Evil said...

That would be 'we internet grammar Nazis surely, Mrs. E? :-)

Dr Evil said...

These sinister black children and their wigs. Just so damn sinister!

Bucko said...

Mercedes? Isn't 3 years old too young to be a pornstar?

Trevor said...

Furious Norma Taylor, 48...
A compelling argument for 144th-trimester abortions. Or is 48 her IQ?

Anonymous said...

Complain about a black wig but name yer child after one of Uncle Adolf's favourite cars ?

Thick as pigshit.

Captain Haddock said...

Sinister Black Childs wig .. well, Voo-Doo credit it ?

Still, with Chrimbo not far away, every bit o' compo will help ..

James Higham said...

You have to watch those little black children - they're everywhere.

Captain Haddock said...

Ms Taylor, from West Croydon, thought of her three-year-old granddaughter, Mercedes, when she clapped eyes on the controversial item.

She said: "I thought 'if she was to come in and see this, it would be so sad'.

So, Norma Taylor would have the world believe that she's the proud grandmother of a 3 year old prodigy .. who can not only read a big word like "sinister" .. but can fully understand its meaning .. both in the popular & original context ?

Come on, Norma .. I challenge you to prove that you're not merely a "compo-grabbing chancer" by supplying us with the original definition of "sinister" ..

Anonymous said...

I see from the somewhat underexposed photo they also sell terrifying halloween masks for 99p too.

Anonymous said...

"her three-year-old granddaughter, Mercedes"

Nuff said!

busted flush said...

hmm..... The Voice say Norma is a "Businesswoman" who runs a "mentoring and coaching organisation". What sort of organisation is it?

Mind you the spokesman for the shop is another BME...

"Hussein Lalani, 99p Stores Ltd’s commercial director, told The Voice: “There is no racial connotation whatsoever. This is a toy. You can see it’s a Halloween dress up item. The way they have written the wording... it’s a sinister black wig for children.”

so it looks like another attempt at victim poker between minorities.

busted flush said...

well i'm shocked...whilst looking for more about Norma and her wig horror I found.....

"Monkeying around for 70s-style laughs"

on the Croydon Today news site as the title for an article about black actors putting on a show....Croydon hotbed of racist inuendo.....

JuliaM said...

"That is why punctuation is important."

I'm not sure it'd have helped, given busted flush's description of her. I suspect a professional member of the Offended Brigade.

"You can just imagine the coffee morning..."

:D :D :D

" Doesn't put off Africans by the tens of thousands trying to get into this country every year though."

Odd that, isn't it?

"..to help them bring peace and harmony to Croydon as they have so successfully done in Suffolk."

Heh!

JuliaM said...

"I see from the somewhat underexposed photo they also sell terrifying halloween masks for 99p too."

SNORK!

"The Voice say Norma is a "Businesswoman" who runs a "mentoring and coaching organisation". What sort of organisation is it?"

I think we just got a damned good idea, and I'm just waiting for Jasper to jump on the bandwagon.



""

Anonymous said...

SNORK!
Heh!
SNORK!
Heh!
SNORK!
Heh!

Try 5ml of Covonia at 5:40 am.

JuliaM said...

"Try 5ml of Covonia at 5:40 am."

Nah, I'll stick to gin...

Dexter said...

Sinister, as in left-handed?

The wig slopes to one side?

I am outraged.