The Guardian is, nowadays, an avowedly left-wing newspaper.
However, John Edward Taylor, who founded the newspaper in Manchester in the early 19th century, made his fortune out of profits made from a cotton plantation in America that used slaves.
The Guardian supported the South (aka the Confederacy) in the American Civil War and depicted United States president Abraham Lincoln as “abhorrent”.
Nine other of the eleven initial backers of the Guardian were in the cotton trade, in Manchester. One was the part owner of an estate in Jamaica where over 100 people were enslaved.
While the golliwog incident is much more recent, I would suggest that The Guardian's racist past also deserves some transparency.
Despite its mediocre circulation, The Guardian is very influential thanks to the web. I lot of people rant about the UK Daily Mail which I very rarely look at but I do look at the Guardian quite regularly. It is IMO toxic, divisive and seems intent on spreading fear in a number of areas, while encouraging people to focus on whatever chips on their shoulder they are brooding over.
I used to sometimes comment on the few articles they allow the people they are 'guarding' to comment on, but unless you are agreeing with their stance comments are deleted, even if you are providing links etc refuting the article. I am now under 'pre moderation' meaning I'm on their naughty chair for not conforming.
There's a whole media class - The G, plus NPR, PBS etc in the USA - who are constantly rattling the tin cup for cash pretending to be plucky folks challenging the man.
I grew up with Jackdaw folders about slavery and Golliwogs.
There were lots of Jamaicans in Coventry where I grew up, no one I knew from the Caribbean had the slightest issue with Gollys. As a kid Gollys actually made me feel warm and fuzzy about black people. It seems to me with have a large group of pernicious busy body people intent on divide and rule based on racism, climate anxiety and anything else they can get their hands on to 'Guard' everyone else.
The Guardian is, nowadays, an avowedly left-wing newspaper.
However, John Edward Taylor, who founded the newspaper in Manchester in the early 19th century, made his fortune out of profits made from a cotton plantation in America that used slaves.
The Guardian supported the South (aka the Confederacy) in the American Civil War and depicted United States president Abraham Lincoln as “abhorrent”.
Nine other of the eleven initial backers of the Guardian were in the cotton trade, in Manchester. One was the part owner of an estate in Jamaica where over 100 people were enslaved.
While the golliwog incident is much more recent, I would suggest that The Guardian's racist past also deserves some transparency.
Despite its mediocre circulation, The Guardian is very influential thanks to the web. I lot of people rant about the UK Daily Mail which I very rarely look at but I do look at the Guardian quite regularly. It is IMO toxic, divisive and seems intent on spreading fear in a number of areas, while encouraging people to focus on whatever chips on their shoulder they are brooding over.
I used to sometimes comment on the few articles they allow the people they are 'guarding' to comment on, but unless you are agreeing with their stance comments are deleted, even if you are providing links etc refuting the article. I am now under 'pre moderation' meaning I'm on their naughty chair for not conforming.
There's a whole media class - The G, plus NPR, PBS etc in the USA - who are constantly rattling the tin cup for cash pretending to be plucky folks challenging the man.
I grew up with Jackdaw folders about slavery and Golliwogs.
https://www.jackdaw.com/p-324-the-slave-trade-its-abolition.aspx
There were lots of Jamaicans in Coventry where I grew up, no one I knew from the Caribbean had the slightest issue with Gollys. As a kid Gollys actually made me feel warm and fuzzy about black people. It seems to me with have a large group of pernicious busy body people intent on divide and rule based on racism, climate anxiety and anything else they can get their hands on to 'Guard' everyone else.