A councillor is protesting against a gift shop over its decision to sell controversial golliwog dolls.Good for the shop! Many others would have backed down.
Sutton Councillor Lester Holloway has organised the protest outside the Memory Lane gift shop in Times Square shopping centre, after branding the dolls rascist (sic).
He has asked the shop, near Sutton High Street, to take them off the shelves.
But a spokesman for the shop, which displays three of the dolls in its windows, defied his requests, and said it sold several hundred of the stuffed toys each year, and they were not illegal.
Councillor Holloway said: “Next month is black history month and as someone who is of mixed race, I find the dolls particularly offensive.Attention-seeking little twerp…
“They mock black people’s features and are reminiscent of colonial oppression and overt racism. They have no place in Sutton and should not be on display.”
Coun Holloway, a representative of Sutton North ward, has organised the protest on Facebook, and will be speaking on BBC radio this weekend to galvanise support for the protest.And no doubt all the activists and hangers-on and racemongers from Dale Farm will therefore have somewhere to go on Friday…
Police and Sutton trading standards have been consulted by Coun Holloway over the matter but have not taken action because selling the dolls is not illegal.Heh! Quite a snub there.
A Sutton police spokesman said: “There are no criminal offences. This is a matter between individuals and the store.”
A Sutton Council spokesman said: “We understand the historical origins of the golliwog mean some people find them offensive but no law is being broken and there is no action for the council or the police to take.”
Comments are illuminating:
john72 says...Quite…
What is going on with these so called elected officials?
Of all the issues effecting Sutton residents ,this one seems to be on the top of his list of priorities.
How about a campaign by Councillor Holloway to sort out all the litter, chewing gum and graffiti along Sutton High Street. Or how about providing enough police presence so that residents are not woken up by drunken yobs at 3 am every Fri/Sat/Sun morning. Alongside smashed up fences, car door mirrors and other private property?
Anyone else enjoy walking down the High Street late on a Friday evening? Can we diversifying trade in the the town so that it isn't all pubs, bars and gangs of drunken under-age being a nuisance?
How about organising an initiative to sort out Sutton's road congestion and the associated noise, pollution and traffic fumes. Does every police car have to blast its siren? even at 4 am in the morning?
Or trying to have a variation of business at the end of the High Street so that it isn't all just kebab shops, pubs, cash lending establishments and other fast food establishments.
Making sure our crumbling, third world roads and pavements with fading street markings and vandalised signs and properly maintained.
The list is endless regarding what these councillors could should be expending their energies on.
Ask them about these issues though and the silence would be deafening!
Local government councillor abuses position of power to pursue their own agenda SHOCKER…
ReplyDeleteSurely, in today's all-inclusive, multi-culti Britain it would be a racially aggravated offence NOT to sell Gollies ?
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile "John72" has hit the nail on the head & all the improvements and better use of the councillors time suggested by him will inevitably end up in the "too difficult" tray ...
"They mock black people’s features"
ReplyDeletefrom Wiki on the origin of the Golly:
"Robertson's introduced the Golly (Golliwog) in the early 20th century. It was in America, just before World War I, that John Robertson (son of James Robertson) first saw the Golly doll. Whilst on a visit to the backwoods of North America he noticed many young children playing with little black rag dolls with white eyes, made from their mothers' discarded black skirts and white blouses."
On the other hand, Barbie mocks white people's features with her blonde hair, blue eyes and unfeasible breasts. So?
ReplyDeleteBlack history month?
ReplyDeleteGoodness, what a condescending insult that we have a day for issues like breast cancer which affects all races, colours and creeds but a whole 31 days to remember that black people -- with the help of Muslims -- sent other blacks (from different African tribes) into slavery?
And you could even ask what happened to White History Month? Oh yes, silly me... that would be raaaaacist!
I am still the proud owner of a metal Golliwog badge - I wear it on the reverse side of my lapel, rather as 'Party members' used to wear them until 1933.
ReplyDeleteMy stuffed Golly was eaten by a huge snake in Malaya in the early 60's. Or, it seemed huge at the time...
"Or trying to have a variation of business at the end of the High Street so that it isn't all just kebab shops, pubs, cash lending establishments and other fast food establishments."
ReplyDeleteI live in Sutton and this bit is correct. As well as a grubby market selling chave wera, mobile phone covers and 1950s music compilations not by the original artists, pie and mash shops, greggs, a fruit machione arcade and a games exchange shop. It's the extremely grotty end of the High Street. The north end, where this idiot councillor represents. You can imagine the benefit-scrounging detritus that lives that end. Memory Lane is a fantastic shop selling beautiful items which all have a touch of class about them, and pricey too. Far too tasteful for any of his constituents to ever think of buying.
Chav wear, sorry.
ReplyDelete"They mock black people’s features"
ReplyDeleteI immediately thought: "It's not a bug, it's a feature"
As for black history month, I can't wait. Is it the one comprising only Sundays?
" .. remember that black people -- with the help of Muslims -- sent other blacks (from different African tribes) into slavery? "
ReplyDeleteOdd how that never seems to get mentioned though, isn't it ?
But as the facts don't match the script, I expect that's probably why ..
He's got form - used to edit the gla funded racist website Blink. Look it up.
ReplyDeleteAlso, through Blink Holloway agitated to stop Edge of The City - the C4 film about Asian paedo gangs - from being shown. Although the truth eventually emerged, one wonders how many vulnerable young girls were abused and raped because of Holloway's intervention.
ReplyDeleteSo that's where Lester got to. His constituents will get no change out of Lester, he's only interested in Black victimism issues.
ReplyDeleteI had a golliwog. I wanted a Little Black Sambo but at the time, my mother couldn't find one as a doll. Think I was hitting the grand old age of five at the time.
ReplyDeleteThe Black and White Minstrels - now there was a show...
ReplyDelete'Ole man ribba, he jus' keep rollin' along...'
"They mock black people’s features"
ReplyDeleteDoes it come with a free Operation Trident police doll then ?
Don't tell the professionally outraged concillor, but the wonderful Little Black Sambo book is available from Amazon UK - it's one of my favourites from childhood.
And under no circumstances buy a copy and send to him.
No please, don't. I beg you.
We're all mixed race. Racially I have the same amount of English blood (50%) as Obama.
ReplyDeleteAnd I loved my golly.
When I was a nipper, I had a cast iron money box, painted like a Black "Minstrel" complete with red jacket ..
ReplyDeleteThe arm of which held a flat metal plate & when loaded with an old penny, the arm went up and the "Minstrel" swallowed the coin ..
I sometimes wonder whatever happened to it & wish I still had it, I bet it would be worth a few quid by now ..
And when I got a bit older, I certainly had a few of the metal & enamelled Robertson's "Golly" pin-badges ..
I bet they'd be collectors items now too ..
When I was a nipper, I had a cast iron money box, painted like a Black "Minstrel" complete with red jacket ..
ReplyDeleteOooh yeah, I had one of those too... and enamelled gollies. I had one or two of the dolls also - but if you tell anyone I'll do you over, ok? ;-)
Thing is, and I know someone mentioned Barbie, but if we actually banned all black dolls, how long would it be before someone said that the lack of 'black representation' in the market/toy space was racist? I say we give 'em what they want.
"...from Wiki on the origin of the Golly.."
ReplyDeleteThere you go again, trying to confuse the poor chap with your facts...
"And you could even ask what happened to White History Month? "
The racemongers will tell you those are the other eleven.
"He's got form - used to edit the gla funded racist website Blink. "
I guess that explains why people voted for him...
" His constituents will get no change out of Lester, he's only interested in Black victimism issues."
Maybe that's what they want from a councillor?
"I had a golliwog."
ReplyDeleteMe too! Think it's still in the loft, in a box somewhere.
"Does it come with a free Operation Trident police doll then ?"
:D
"We're all mixed race. Racially I have the same amount of English blood (50%) as Obama."
Indeed!
"Thing is, and I know someone mentioned Barbie, but if we actually banned all black dolls, how long would it be before someone said that the lack of 'black representation' in the market/toy space was racist?"
What's the smallest amount of time? A nanosecond?
James makes an important point about why the Golly was so popular - right across the spectrum to the annoyance of bansturbators.
ReplyDeleteSee Craig Smith, original golly song
The fact is little boys like cuddly toys but most of the designs are inherently girly and therefore unacceptable - doubly so in black culture which places an almost mystical value on the quality of being mannish.
If a child is to have a comforter, the design must be acceptable to them.
The golly design happened to be male and featured that all-important smile which, as parents will know, is interpreted strongly by babies. Golly had the advantage of a high-contrast making it easy to see, as all wearers of black-faced watches confirm.
Combining cuddliness, mannish demeanour and that glow-bright smile, plus nobody owns the copyright as it is arguably an ethnic toy, made Golly a smash hit with both the customers and the manufacturers.
Gollies are a wee bit naughty, yes, but that's because boys are a bit naughty and the golly mediates this. He's a very moral toy - and he is always a he, which will annoy the heck out of people who don't like toys to have a gender. What was suprising was that girls like him for exactly the same reason, preferring naughty boy golly to naughty girl gollies, which just don't work as well as food for the imagination. Go figure, that's just how it is.
The Golly is rising again to do his proper job of comforting little children when they have been scolded for being naughty.
They lack empathy who would deny a child a smile in the darkness and a soft face to comiserate with them.
SBC said: young children playing with little black rag dolls with white eyes, made from their mothers' discarded black skirts and white blouses.
ReplyDeleteLogically speaking then....it's downright racist NOT to allow gollywogs. They are an integral part of black culture and we must start mass production immediately or the EU will fine us squillions.
Do you think she'd be interested in selling ash trays
ReplyDelete"Do you think she'd be interested in selling ash trays"
ReplyDelete:D
" .. remember that black people -- with the help of Muslims -- sent other blacks (from different African tribes) into slavery? "
ReplyDeleteOdd how that never seems to get mentioned though, isn't it ?"
Also rarely mentioned is that slavery is a universal human condition, the West is the only place on earth which independently thought to ban the practice, African chieftans vigorously petitioned Parliament while it was debating the ban to keep slavery going, slavery is still practiced in certain places in Africa and the Muslim world and where it disappeared in the latter, it was largely due to the Royal Navy's West Africa Squadron shooting the crap out of Suri slaver dhows throughout most of the 19th century.