Folk le

Thanks for your post.

I made the following point in a PM to another catter with an equally enquiring mind.

"I do believe in drawing clear distinctions though, and characters like the golliwog are caricatures of racial stereotypes as opposed to individual characteristics.

That is how they can be defined as racist.

Just as discriminating on grounds of race as opposed to other more legitimate grounds is considered racial discrimination.

The humour value in racial caricatures is racist humour as it hones in purely on racial characteristics.

Big lips, fuzzy hair, white teeth, white eyes ... etc ...

There is a distinct lack of individual characteristics, as these are unimportant. All blacks are the same - they don't have individual characteristics and the dolls therefore don't need to caricature them to be funny.

Piccaninies, gollywogs etc are to black people what nazi propaganda films are to jewish people - as funny as a kick in the teeth and representative of nothing more than contempt and derision for black people.

I hope that helps you to understand why there is so much anger towards carol thatcher."

The Gollywog is just one of the many forms of the same caricature of black people.



On a seperate tack, Here is an interesting link.

Blue clicky