h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Your Guide Entry has just been picked from Peer Review by one of our Scouts, and is now heading off into the Editorial Process, which ends with publication in the Edited Guide. We've therefore moved this Review Conversation out of Peer Review and to the entry itself.

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By Golly!

That took a while.... Well done

CONGRATULATIONS

'bout time.

Well done. I am so glad this made it eventually.

Websailor

wooo hoo!

to Nother without whom this Entry may not have materialised and well done to everyone involved, helped and applauded. all round

This Entry was picked to go into the Edited Guide, but the BBC Editors then changed their minds, and we, the h2g2 Guide Editors agree with them.

This entry isn't quite ready to be published yet, as it doesn't really address the single most important issue about golliwogs, which is their total unacceptability today due to their in-built racism.

The entry mentions racism in passing, but we feel it should be more the central issue of the entry.

So we're moving this over to the Flea Market, where someone may take it on and do the necessary changes to address these issues.

I'm confused. the bulk of the article seems to be about how unacceptable they are, from the politician who had one in his office, to not taking one to work, Robertson's dropping one, Naomi Campbell being referred to as one...

how much more should there be?

the epitome of racism seems to be different in the UK and the US.
In America most people would know know who Jim Crow was but almost nobody would now the term golliwog unless they were a collector or had been watching our PR column. The following article never even uses the word.
http://www.jimcrowhistory.org/resources/lessonplans/hs_es_popular_culture.htm

and then there was this
http://etext.virginia.edu/railton/huckfinn/kemblee.jpg

Thanks for that link, Shagbark

lil x

Both of them

and the issue of two different subeditors seems to be downplayed here.
Did the BBC give it to one who objected and refused to do it, so they then made another copy and gave it to someone else?

I thought it was making considerable progress in the right direction.

Originally it didn't acknowledge the issue at all, but it was (for once ) 'gently pushed' in the right direction.

Even so...from my perspective it still has a slight tone of 'What a peculiar fuss!'...which I'm not sure is quite right. Can I suggest the following 'story arc':

- Yes, they were taken as lovely, cuddly, treasured toys, *except* that people didn't know about their origins in Minstrel sterotypes (shagbark: is that the comparison that makes sense?)

- Even accepting that the owners of the dolls absolutely meant no harm, people had to go and ruin it. Those were the people who started using 'golliwog' (and its abbreviated form) as a term of racist abuse.

- Controversy still exists because some are not yet up to speed with history. They think it's a matter of busybodies making a fuss about an innocent, traditional toy and ruining it for everyone.

Quotes such as Ms Campbell's would be useful at the end, maybe?

Hmm. Have I just volunteered to rescue this?

Would I be considered a safe pair of hands? Could I be trusted not to stamp my biases all over it?

I'm not entirely sure what happened.

It looks likes Icy North picked it up from the Flea Market, then stalled on it.

Galaxy Babe took it up and attempted to make it a collaboration entry, again stalling on it.

Optie finally got hold of it and attempted to keep it light. But the issue of racism needs to be acknowledge more fully.

lil x

I thought lil was the one entrusted with this rescue.

In which case - go for it Ed. It looks like everyone else has had a go already, and not got anywhere. Maybe yours will succeed.


Geggs