(edit title) Would this be acceptable today? What was OK 60 years ago Options

[Rick Methven]

We have been sorting out some books that my wife had as a child and my son had when he was young for our grand daughter. She has taken to taking books of our bookshelf when she comes to visit so we decided to replace the boring words only books on the shelf she can reach with something more of interest to her.

Among the books we dug out was a series 'Golden books' that my wife got for birthdays/Christmas 55/60 years ago. it included this one.

[Bender B Rodriquez]

A translation of this I presume? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Story_of_Little_Black_Sambo

From the cover alone, I don't think this book is very offensive in Sweden. Sambo bears no other connotation than cohabitant partner and the picture is not especially offensive, neither is the word black...

[skogsbo]

perhaps there is someone here fluent, but I know from my travels in Africa that mambo and jambo are greetings, so perhaps sambo has a perfectly acceptable meaning too?

[byke]

Eva Braun 60+ something years ago ...
I guess dating the Führer just wasn't enough to prove her racist credentials.

 

 

[entry]

We have been sorting out some books that my wife had as a child and my son had when he was young for our grand daughter. She has taken to taking books of our bookshelf when sh ... (show full quote)

We have been sorting out some books that my wife had as a child and my son had when he was young for our grand daughter. She has taken to taking books of our bookshelf when she comes to visit so we decided to replace the boring words only books on the shelf she can reach with something more of interest to her.

Among the books we dug out was a series 'Golden books' that my wife got for birthdays/Christmas 55/60 years ago. it included this one.


... (hide full quote)

Rick, my wife just joined me at the computer as I unconsciously said awwww! I had now idea that the Golden books series was here in Sweden. Here too we have placed items of little ones interest books included on the lower shelves.

A translation of this I presume? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Story_of_Little_Black_SamboFrom the cover alone, I don't think this book is very offensive in Sweden. Sam ... (show full quote)

A translation of this I presume? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Story_of_Little_Black_Sambo

From the cover alone, I don't think this book is very offensive in Sweden. Sambo bears no other connotation than cohabitant partner and the picture is not especially offensive, neither is the word black... ... (hide full quote)

Very much agree with you Bender. I couldn't care less about someone's skin color or country of origin. I am however greatly offended by groups and individuals feigning indignation.

[skogsbo]

Dress up as the Fuhr, you are accused of being for facism, cover your face in shoe polish and you are against, ie racist... It can't be both ways? Clearly Eva was both, but seems the rules swing both ways.

[Mzungu]

perhaps there is someone here fluent, but I know from my travels in Africa that mambo and jambo are greetings, so perhaps sambo has a perfectly acceptable meaning too?

Haha ... partly correct,Jambo is a greeting, mambo normally used to indicate an object or affair, sambo, not that I know is used in Kiswahili or Swahili ...

*kwa heri*

[Pursuivant]

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/259/8e69302503c5.jpg
@ Eva Braun

[John.Smith]

"Sambo" was a general name given to native Africans (not quite slaves) who worked for English colonials in the 18th century. It was then used as a 'mild' degenerative term for any person of African origin in the early and mid-1900's.
I heard my English grandfather use this term a few times i.e. a Sambo family just moved in down the road.. He wasn't racist, he just thought that using the words 'black' or 'white' were rude!

Personally I think the book in a gem if to serve no other purpose but to educate our youngsters that racial stereotypes existed and still do exist. One should consider the context of how and why the book was originally written, i.e. to help educate kids back in the 40's/50's that there were kids in Africa too and that they lived in a different way. I don't find the book offensive, but I do find it has historical and social value.

[NyDag]

Why would it be racist? It's just like neger, not a racist word, just our Swedish vocabulary. It was fine before the floods of immigrants and I don't think it's right to complain about it now - these words existed a long time before they came and are not racist.

[John.Smith]

The funny thing about vocabulary in all languages is that it changes over time and words do take on different meanings and contexts. I should think that most young Swedish people would consider 'neger' offensive. The english version of 'Nigger' was not considered offensive until the banning of slavery and even then it took a long time before the word was widely accepted as being degenerative.

Let's put it this way, would you walk up to a Swedish person of African ancestry and call him or her a 'neger'? Would you be surprised if they were offended?

[NyDag]

Sure, why not, it's the Swedish word for a black person. Nothing offensive about calling someone black if they are. It's a way of describing someone. The only problem with your example is that "neger" means "negro" and not "nigger". Negro is perfectly acceptable to use in English, and if it's not, then those people are in fact ashamed of their own skin colour, I'd say.

[John.Smith]

The word 'negro' in English is widely regarded as being derogatory. The same with the word 'coloured' for example. It was a widely used word to denote a black person until the 1960's and indeed used by blacks themselves at the time as I understand. By strict definition the word is harmless, by social definition the word is a throw back to the days where blacks were perceived as having a lesser social ranking.

You obviously seem to honestly believe that the word is not offensive on any levels but then I would ask why would so many black folk be offended if you used it? I refer you back to my statement that vocabulary changes over time and this (whether you like it or not) also includes the Swedish language just as it includes English, Spanish etc...

Perhaps a good example of the changing perception of the word 'neger' is the fact that chokladbollar are now rarely marketed as negerbollar? Why would this be so if the word is in fact so harmless?

Anyway, I don't think I will change your perception on the topic so rather than go back and forth in circular arguments I think I will bow out of this one.

//J:S:

[NyDag]

Because the world is bowing to political correctness. I would not mind if someone called me white. It's just a way to describe me. What it tells me is that they are ashamed of their own skin colour.

[johnjohn]

I dusted off my childhood copy of ¨Sambo¨and plan a cozy read with my coffee and negerboll.