Changing Things I Cannot Accept

“Black Dolls, Gollywogs and Dictionaries”

A common refrain people of non-European descent hear when we voice offense or concern is “political correctness gone mad”. Somehow nostalgia and tradition have become trump cards for the continued promotion and consumption of racist paraphernalia and vernacular. It’s no wonder then that for a lot of my peers and including myself, it’s easy to fall into a routine cynicism. However this is not the way it has to be, I want to share in this piece, moments of change in 2015, where taking action and reasserting our right to not be dehumanized in public spaces or institutions has resulted in progress. The first experience is a personal one, when I was in a local Darwin chemist and stumbled across this.

(Figure 1, racist shit)

It’s almost impossible to convey the emotion that one feels when confronted with ‘othering’. I’ve heard all the arguments for why I shouldn’t feel upset by golliwogs, Including ‘they make white dolls and we don’t get offended, they’re not intentionally racist anymore, and it’s just an innocent doll” ad infinitum, ad nauseam. The emotion is hard to express, a fraction of my personal disgust comes from the fact that while golliwogs can be accepted into white Australian homes with loving arms and fond memories. Memories of the same sort of exaggeration and dehumanisation of ‘black’ features that helped justify the attitudes that lead to brutal massacres, dispossession, and oppression are either conveniently forgotten or worse yet, wilfully erased from history. I digress, after having a vitriolic rant through my social media platforms, I decided I didn’t want other people of non-European descent to feel that same way if they saw this anachronistic children’s toy. So, knowing the power of social media, I wrote a letter to the parent company of the outlet I was shopping in, highlighting the problematic history of the toy, related history of ‘blackface’ and how as a multicultural country (and Darwin especially so) we shouldn’t have to deal with or perpetuate this sort of violence. What shocked me and my cynical sensibilities is how quickly the company responded, I was followed up with a phone call on the same day, as well as a sincere letter apologizing and outlining steps that the company was taking to remove the toy ,educate staff and educate other franchise outlets.

In another incident, founder of IndigenousX and dear friend Luke Pearson called out ABC on a drum article by Macquarie Dictionary editor Susan Butler.

This is another example of “othering”, where an editor of a significant institution has failed to comprehend the emotional, historic and social contexts in which she has appointed herself arbiter of offensive terminology. Similarly, for such an important institution (how many times has somebody tried to derail you with a dictionary definition?), we can’t allow violence to be given a greenlight, and in this context, give a greenlight to so many others. Luke’s article and subsequent discussion with the folks at Macquarie Dictionary, ensured that the term “boong” was amended to reflect its actual derogatory nature as well as an editorial note and amendment on the ABC Drum article.

So what’s the point? Well I can’t speak for Luke and others who have written letters, posted on social media pages of companies and or tweeted people, but I’m not anyone special. The thing is, doing this stuff doesn’t really take anyone of high calibre intellect or social status etc. It takes you, whoever is reading this right now, to voice your concern, online or in person, write a letter, write to your local MP, whatever it takes. We can’t let our collective cynicism prevent us from taking action when we see instances of racism no matter how trivial we may think it is to the bigger picture. It’s not just a simple removal of offensive items or language. When we are consistent in asserting our rights, we empower ourselves and the communities that we may identify with, we challenge the hegemonic notion that “political correctness” is a frivolous pursuit void of any real world consequence. We especially challenge the status quo idea in this country that by saying something isn’t intended to be racist somehow makes it not. When we as individuals start to reassert our rights and dignity and are successful in doing so, we empower ourselves and those around us. Here’s the reality, as I hope has been highlighted here. Businesses don’t want to lose customers and therefore money, MPs don’t want to lose votes, and for every individual there are family members and friends who are affected by the same issues, and in my experiences, these family members and friends have also been willing to add their voice to mine. There are numerous examples of the power of media (traditional and otherwise). So please, don’t walk past the next Golliwog you see, don’t walk past an offensive T-shirt in Woolworths etc. Write a letter, speak to the store manager, take a photo and post it on their Facebook or Tweet them. The more of us challenging the status quo, the more we take away the free ride from racists and racism in this country.