There is an on going debate on the quilt list about a quilt called "Gollyville", that won for 'best handwork' in the PIQF quilt show. It features Golliwogs in a little village doing everyday life things. Several people argued it should be removed as offensive and racial. I found it online and saw it as a well done, appliqued quilt, even kinda cute. Yes, in the US Golliwog was a demeaning name for blacks in some parts of the country, I still have a topsy turvy doll from my childhood that is half golliwog and half white and sorta Golliwog in appearance, a doll made my my mom with the assistance of my best friend Mary's mom (she sewed). Mary was black and one of my 2 best friends in a small Illinois town where racial tension was not an issue. They made us each a doll to remind us we were connected to each other, we loved those dolls and Mary and I are still in touch with each other. Because of my life experiences I guess Golli dolls have no racial slur connection for me, I find it hard to believe they still have one for anyone, apparently they do. My doll looks a lot like this one except it had knots for hair on the black side, like a golly:



Anyway it suddenly occurred to me this morning the people calling it offensive were white women. I think this occurred to me today because a black quilter said she had seen it and felt no need to write the organizers of the show to register a complaint about it. This got me pondering the whole debate... what is it that makes Caucasians get offended or outraged on behalf of other races, even when the races they are defending are showing little or no outrage over what they are being defended against? Misguided historically-induced-guilt activism perhaps... after all we DO owe blacks, Native Americans and the Japanese Americans a HUGE apology and then some.

Yes there is racial prejudice in the world still today, there is also bigotry and prejudice acted out again different financial classes, women, gays, Muslims, pagans, Jews, Mexicans, the obese and you name it... every day. It's not right, none of it... but I think people get carried away by what or who offends them, so why they take it upon themselves to defend and why or from what is a mystery to me.

The Golliwog actual came to life as the result of a children's book by Florence Upton in 1895, later the figure and name were used as an insult to blacks... but it did not start out as a racial slur. Times change and so do meanings, and it seems to me the only people keeping the racial slur that was connected to this doll alive are those outraged by it and trying to force it to be a racial slur again. Life is complicated, so are people.... ignoring the past or glorying it with negative commentary will never change the past. Oregon is a fine example of this, a couple elections ago someone placed a measure on the ballot to remove the N word from the Oregon Constitution. For those who do not know much about Oregon, this state was founded on bigotry... and IMHO removing that word from the constitution, at great expense I might add, did NOTHING to change the history of this state, the south coast or Oregon still has a VERY limited minority population, and removing the offending word from the state constitution will never change that, people will, eventually.

Oddly enough, in the course of the debate someone posted a link to a boob scarf... and no one found that offensive. It must not have been riding under the 'outrage' radar. LOL

My new phone is suppose to get here today! UPS says it is out for delivery...yay!!!
Off to clean house so I can make time for art... still on track for AEDM, go me!