Racist and Hateful? or Much Loved Toy

[imastawka]

Ebay have removed listings, worldwide, in the last couple of days

for Golliwog/Golly citing the 'hateful or discriminatory policy.'

Aunt Jemima dolls (mammy dolls)  have also gone

The weird part is, there was a sub-category in Dolls/Bears for Golliwogs

All things Golliwog have disappeared.

Books including ones by Enid Blyton have gone. 

It's ok to sell them, just don't put golliwog/golly in the title.

I have been informed that I need to be educated on the matter,

and have been given links to things like the Jim Crow Museum

 http://www.ferris.edu/HTMLS/news/jimcrow/golliwog/

My own opinion is, I love gollies.    I can see no relevance to them in Australia.

I think they are/were a much loved toy with no underlying racial tones.

A lot of people may be upset by the images, but I think Ebay has just made

them worth a lot more money on other sites.

I'm not looking for an argument, and you won't get one.

I would just like some more opinions.

It started on the Selling Boards

http://community.ebay.com.au/t5/Selling/Item-specific-Listing-Removed-Sick-Of-It/td-p/1834945

I would hope that opinions do not run too hot,  and turn into arguments.

[imastawka]

So far, there's over 100 replies to that one on the US boards.

But someone did bring up an interesting point.

Why aren't Raggedy Ann and Andy offensive?

The look like white gollies to me

Howl me down, I'm getting tired and have to move on - I'm hungry

[azureline**]

Much ado about nothing.

I had dolls of all descriptions as a child, black babies, white babies, gollywogs, teddies, they were all toys to me, not representative of people at all.

At the EKKA on Thursday, there was a stand selling the dolls on sticks, like I used to get at country shows, as a child. They had fairy dolls and gollywogs of all kinds for sale. I admit to being surprised.

[twyngwyn]

just went to .co.uk site & there's not many for sale there either.....most that have 'survived' have their listings as 'golly' or 'golli'

[azureline**]

---

@imastawka wrote:

So far, there's over 100 replies to that one on the US boards.

But someone did bring up an interesting point.

Why aren't Raggedy Ann and Andy offensive?

The look like white gollies to me

Howl me down, I'm getting tired and have to move on - I'm hungry

---

Oh, I hated those dolls, I told my mother they were ugly. she gave them to my cousin.

[nevynreally]

---

@imastawka wrote:

So far, there's over 100 replies to that one on the US boards.

But someone did bring up an interesting point.

Why aren't Raggedy Ann and Andy offensive?

The look like white gollies to me

---

Because they are the same, just use different fabric. Everything is offensive to someone these days.

I had a Golly, was my favourite, I don't know why, just was. I was 4 or 5.

Fifty years from now pony representations might be frowned upon.

[azureline**]

pony representations.

That reminds me of.....the Bronies.

If you've heard of My Little Pony, you've probably also heard about “Bronies,” the zealous (and somewhat suspect) brotherhood of adult male fans. But to focus too closely on the Brony phenomenon is to wade in shallow water and pretend to know the ocean.

http://nymag.com/thecut/2014/11/understanding-the-cult-of-my-little-pony.html

[nevynreally]

Okay then. 

Am now worried about The Wiggles.

Yes, already know about those rumours.

[iapetus_rocks]

---

@opmania wrote:

Well I'm referring to either really

I know indigenous people don't 

Like whites to do indigenous 

Style paintings 

---

What about if those paintings by indigenous people are only painted in order to exploit the non-indigenous person's attraction to "indigenous art"?

Before white settlement of Australia, there was no art for art's sake. It all had a meaning and a meaning in a particular cultural context.

It has only been since non-indigenous people have been buying this stuff that it has been deliberately produced to appeal to a non-indigenous market.

So, while it may still be artful, I doubt that the majority of it has any artistic merit.

Art for art's sake?

[opmania]

Exactly 

Makes perfect sense to me

Bit of a one sided coin if you 

Happen to be white

A white man teaches the likes of

Albert namatjara to paint

And do you have any idea how

Many indigenous people with that name

Put their name to a similar 

Style of art

[opmania]

I motion that the word 

White supremist be struck

From the English language

Because I find it very offensive

And while we're about it

**bleep** **bleep** wog spick

Spook 

Why should black people

Have a monopoly on sensitivity

White people have feelings

Too you know

We are not always being 

Superior

Sometimes we have to fight

The feelings of down right

Inferiority because all them 

Colored folks is picking on us