I Collect These

Why?
I'm not sure.
I had a bunch of them in the kitchen when I inherited the house.
Some of my darker cousins are offended whenever they enter my kitchen and see them prominently displayed on some of the shelves and counters.
Some just say", I remember those".
Some of my lighter cousins ask if I had these left over from when my grandparents lived here.
Some are disgusted and tell me that I should break them and throw them away.

But why?
They're not ugly.
I have several caricatures of many ethnic groups.
But the one's that seem to draw the most debate are my little Black chefs.
Even white friends can't believe that I have these little guys in my kitchen.
But what's the difference between collecting these and the little Sarah's Attic or All God's Children figurines.
My cousins have hundreds of the latter figurines in poses that have them; eating watermelon, taking baths in tin tubs, fishing, playing the "squeeze box" - all in tattered clothes and often toothless.
But still, they're more offended by my older figurines.
Is it the intent or the image itself that offends?
Is it that my figurines remind many of a time when these stereotypes were controlled more by those other than ourselves?

But as restaurants go - Bob's Big Boy and Sambo's were about the same.

Both (along with Denny's) offered low cost greasy food for those who lived in California (and some other parts of the country).

Did Bob offend fat people?

Or was it different because it wasn't called "Bob's Fat Ass Gay White Kid"?

(I always thought Sambo's had a blacker Black guy.)

Are Asian Indians offended at the image of an Indian kid with his tiger?

But When Sarah Palin says, "So, Sambo beat the Bitch!" - everyone knows that the use of either epithet wasn't meant as a compliment.

I had never heard of a "Golliwog".

http://www.ferris.edu/JIMCROW/golliwog/

I had never heard the term used.

But when I first read that Margaret Thatcher's daughter used the word to describe a non-white tennis player - I knew that that was no compliment either.

But the comment didn't shock me as much as the fact that these little dolls are still sold in stores throughout the UK.

WTF?

Didn't the UK get the memo?

Do they still believe that their Empire exists?

Is the fact that worldwide, non-white culture is on par with with white culture, a shock to the Brits?

I've heard London described as being "20 years ahead but 100 years behind" concerning pop-culture.

In the case of the younger Ms Thatcher and the sale of these Golliwogs - it's still a case of London being 100 years behind.