What’s next Pak N Save?

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No. Way.

Sale of golliwog dolls at Pak’n Save an ‘error’

Race Relations Commissioner Dame Susan Devoy has applauded Pak ‘n Save for pulling golliwog dolls from the shelves of one of its stores.

Pak’n Save said one of its supermarkets made an “error of judgment” in selling the dolls, and has apologised to customers.

When Pak N Save aren’t treating their workers like crap, they are selling racist toys???

What’s next Pak N Save?

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14 COMMENTS

      • Stickman Frank – get with the programme.

        He does have a transparent head full of nothing though, so …..

    • RA

      Paul Ego is fairly pale and corpulent as I recall. The animators may possibly be polynesian, but I doubt the ad execs are. If Israeli cartoonists depicted; Obama as saying that he was on the side of the continued occupation of Palastinean territories, would that be a black cartoon in your book?

  1. This is the first time I haven’t agreed with a post by TDB

    To be honest, I don’t have a problem with golliwogs. I don’t think they are ‘racist’. I think that’s an overly sensitive/emotional, reactionary, politically correct view to take. They’re an adorable physical representation, actually springing from a series of children’s stories originally. They’re a popular cartoonish caricature, like many others which nobody seems to complain about and I think people need to look upon them a bit more rationally, because there’s ultimately nothing wrong with them as far as I can see. Black folks have railed against toy manufacturers for years for not making African American dolls, as well as ‘white’ dolls. So toy manufacturers have started making racially mixed toys, and guess what – nobody complains. Because they don’t have afros and big red lips, nobody gives a rats ass about those toys. So why single out the golliwog?

    As for Pak N Save. I don’t quite understand why TDB is railing against Pak N Save. Whenever I have shopped there, the staff actually seem A LOT happier than the staff at Countdown. They’re more talkative, friendly and seem fairly comfortable. So I reckon it can’t be all bad to work there. The article you link to is ONE location, where some dickhead was bullying people. You can’t generalize that all Pak N Save employees are treated like crap based on a lone incident of someone being an asshole.
    On top of that, they literally are giving poor NZ families lower food prices – which is a huge help to many in our community who are on tight budgets.

    • Yes, count me among those a bit confused about the outrage. Presumably these will mostly be given to children to play with, and given that children are inherently NOT racist, I don’t see how them playing with a black doll over a white doll destroys race relations and promotes racism. Indeed, forcing both white kids AND black kids to play exclusively with white dolls seems a hell of a lot more racist to me. Yes these dolls are caricatures, but then so are Cabbage Patch and Bratz dolls. No doubt I’m missing something.

    • I agree about the actual soft doll – quite likeable. But the problem is that the name ‘Gollywog’ contains the word ‘wog’, which was definitely used as a pejorative by racists. It can no longer be worn.

    • Kiwis don’t understand how offensive these dolls are to African Americans. They are a symbol of slavery to them, as harmless and cute as they look.

  2. People claiming these dolls “aren’t racist” need to reflect on the history of African peoples. These dolls are inherently racist because of the history of slavery and colonialism. A similar example is comparing someone to an animal…. you can say a person with a long face looks like a horse, but no matter how much you think a black person looks like an ape, because of the history of black peoples, it is a racist statement.

  3. Some of those above may be a lot younger than me (66) and may
    have missed Martyn’s point.

    The name golliwog does carry a racial slur, a bit like the word nigger.

    In my upbringing (might I say indoctrination) my dad taught me the
    song,
    “eenie, meenie, minee, mo.
    Catch a nigger by his toe.
    If he squeals let him go.
    eenie, meenie, minee, mo”

    I have only repeated this song to make my point and have no idea if this is done today.

    This song was taught to very young children when they were learning to count. My father did not know any difference because
    that was what he was taught.

    When we were a little older we had Noddy and Big Ears to read.
    May I suggest that even those two names had slurs.
    What I remember most was the Golliwog and he was the Bad,criminal
    sort of character.
    Hence, a bit older still, all black people were called Golliwogs.

    I believe now,that this is how we were taught racism, on purpose.
    Like a form of social engineering to divide and set us all apart.

    I guess it’s all about what’s been put in your head will determine
    what your perspective is.

    Cheers.

    • Children in the 1980s were saying “Catch a knicker by the toe” apparently with no idea what it meant or where it had come from. (Perhaps they thought of pantihose?) I don’t know what they say today.

      I don’t think it was teaching racism on purpose, just without thinking.

      • HUGH YOUNG;

        What about this one,when we all made a Guy(with parents help)
        or dressed my younger sister as one,and pushed it around the neighbourhood in a trolly,shaking our tin of money(noise) and
        singing at the top of voice;

        “Guy Fawkes,Guy.
        Stick him up on high.
        Stick him on a lamp post,
        and there let him die”

        There were two more verses (I think) and another song.
        Can’t remember, but do know that they were pretty gruesome
        and vicious.

        My dad told us not to go to that house up the road or that
        one down the road but we were sent to by our milk tokens on
        a weekly basis to one of them so we went anyway.

        Even after receiving extreme hostility we never understood
        the why until latter years they were Catholic families.
        You are right. Children can have no idea of what they are saying.

        And the moral of the story?

        Webster Tarpley believes it was a false flag anyway.
        ie the King set him up to go to war against Catholic’s.

        See the power of these memes that get stuck in our heads
        and can last for generations.!

        And the finale?
        The enjoyment of seeing the Guy get burnt on the bonfire and
        the celebration with fireworks.

        Bloody terrible.

        Cheers.

        PS:How many centuries did that last?

        • HUGH;
          I think that would be the sexualization of young children.
          I bet they would all giggle and think it was ‘naughty’

          I believe in the USA it has got as far as teaching 5,6,7yr
          olds about masturbation!

          The Bastards!

          Cheers.

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