The violent act of necklacing, sometimes used by South African lynch mobs against offenders and political opponents, is a harrowing reminder of a history we have left behind. Although we have not forgotten about it, we aren’t too keen on reliving it all.

Unfortunately, it was brought up again in the most unsuspecting place: a Hello Kitty dictionary.

Yup. In a dictionary aimed at children, “necklace” was one of the words defined, and along with the jewellery association there appeared another definition

1)A piece of jewelry which a woman wears around her neck. 2)In South Africa, a name for a tyre filled with petrol which is placed around a person’s neck and set on fire in order to kill that person.

A spokesperson for Harper Collins explained that as soon as they had been made aware of the content, they immediately withdrew it from sale, pulping all copies.

If you are familiar with Hello Kitty, you will know that it’s all pink, kittens, hearts, and other cute animals – so seeing such a harsh definition is pretty shocking.

Check for yourself:

How’s that for a little shock?

Not cool guys, not cool.

[source:boinboing]