Thatcher's golliwog comment...

[spacechimp]

Why is everyone condemning her as racist, when nobody knows which player she was talking about and therefore whether the player does in fact bear resemblance to a golliwog?

[spacechimp]

Richard, Nick isn't saying the same thing as you. Nick seems to be saying that nobody should have the right to be mean to people, because it's just mean. You seem to be saying that it is scandalous that anyone would dare not first to consider the feelings of the political correctness lobby before speaking or thinking. You also, by the way, have steadfastly failed to answer the question.

[DrFilth]

Richard , Ethel is correct about the Golly it was from a book from around 1890 not 1950's as you stated.
The factory in Droylsden is still there. Gollies are still sold on ebay and other sites.
Early models and badgers are sold for over �1,000




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[CJ242]

Chances are, she didn't mean it as offensively as it has been portrayed. She's from a different time like most of us, when PC had not gone psychotic.
How many people out there can say they haven't called a young, slim blonde girl 'barbie'?
Does that warrant media coverage or a lawsuit??.

[Kleiber]

......blown up out of all proportion, if you ask me! I can't fathom why people who have nothing to do with a conversation and are not those to whom the person is referring should be "offended"!! It's a bit like that nurse who asked an elderly patient if she would like her to pray for her - the patient wasn't offended, but someone else (who wasn't even there & had bu**er all to do with it) was, allegedly!! This country has gone to the dogs!!!!!

[DrFilth]

me


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[Gromit]

Spacechimp

Can you not grasp why this is wrong? You remind me of the scarecrow in the Wizard of Oz, maybe you are similarly afflicted?

[Kleiber]

btw, I had a toy golly when I was little and I loved it! And if someone offered to pray for me, even though I'm not particularly religious, I'd think it was a kind thing to do.

[spacechimp]

Gromit, I can grasp why the hypersensitive perceive that she has acted wrongly.

[Gormless]

What's happening is that black and ethnic minority people (BME) are revving up to be outraged. Expect court cases and massive damages,

[spacechimp]

Gormless, could you just drop it?

[mcg]

you're a moron, a complete moron. and unfunny.

[Gormless]

Er, how about no? It's a public website, all opinions welcome.

[jno]

sp1814, I don't know which tennis player was referred to, though I wish the Australian cricketer Andrew Symonds wouldn't wear white lip protector

http://rambodoc.files.wordpress.com/2007/10/sy monds.jpg

Still, the word has long been found offensive and Thatcher should just keep her mouth shut. If she carries on 'private conversations' in a voice loud enough for other people to hear, what does she expect?

[Gromit]

It would appear that it is more than the hypersensitive who find the term unacceptable. Many people would regard it as impolite and the utterance of someone lacking basic manners.

Is the scarecrow a role model you follow?

[Richard1966]

Hi. bye heck this has become a busy forum.

Blackface minstrelsy was the first distinctly American theatrical form. In the 1830s and 1840s

Ok so i got my dates wrong by a hundred years. i was close.

Spacechimp. Your question was, Why is everyone calling her racist without knowing the identity of the person she was referring to.

The identity is irrelevant as it is her comment which has caused offense to others not the actual identity of the individual.

As I previously said I try to stay away from these arguments on AB as they inevitably break down into slanging matches.

For the record I believe all people have the right to be respected, and that no one should be subjected to abuse or hatred simply because of who they are.

This will be my last post on this.

cheerio.

[spacechimp]

Gromit, some would find making an opportunistic jab at an elderly woman with dementia a tad rude and unacceptable. But that is beyond the scope of the question I asked.

This question isn't about whether it was a nice thing to say. If you had read it, you would have seen that the question is about whether it is acceptable to condemn someone's comparison when we do not even know what was being compared.

[spacechimp]

Yes, Richard, it is nice to be polite.

And yes, that was my question. You didn't answer my question. My question wasn't about politeness.

If you could show how Mr. Unknown has been subjected to abuse or hatred (an absolutely gross exaggeration on your part IMO) I'd be thrilled to see it.

[DrFilth]

close ?

Ok so i got my dates wrong by a hundred years. i was close

i hope you don't work in precision engineering


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[jno]

spacechimp, as others have said, some words are just offensive , even when you aren't using them about anyone in particular. The N word and the C word - AB won't let me spell them out, and anyway I don't want to - are examples. It's the same here. Golliwog has been used for so long as a demeaning term for black people that the word itself has become objectionable. It wouldn't matter if you were talking about Thatcher herself, even though she's not black.

[Richard1966]

I was being ironic.

Still 100 years compared to the age of the planet is a blink.

and no i don't do engineering.