News: Tomorrow is Netherlands' RACIST festival

MaRy

Quote:

HE Dutch festival of Sinterklaas on December 5th, the country’s most important children’s holiday, is turning into an annual slugfest of racial politics. The problem is the figure of Zwarte Piet, an impish clown with a black face who accompanies the bearded St Nicholas (“Sinterklaas”) on his rounds, distributing presents and biscuits. The character is derived from 17th-century paintings of Moorish slaves, and many Dutch with African ancestry find it offensive. Most white Dutch fail to see the problem, and react angrily to accusations that their tradition is racist.

Quote:

he film also stages an experiment in which three young men, one white, one black and one of Moroccan ethnicity, each nonchalantly try to smash a bicycle lock at midday in an Amsterdam park. Passers-by question the black and Arab men and phone the police; they assume the white man has simply lost his key. Park employees even help him to cut the chain.

http://www.economist.com/news/europe...e/ed/blackedup

nihility

How disgusting of them. And I don't care if blackface doesn't have the same history there as in the US, people still find it offensive and racist so they should stop.

Quote:

and many Dutch with African ancestry find it offensive. Most white Dutch fail to see the problem, and react angrily to accusations that their tradition is racist.

NLX

I can't help but laugh because they look like fools.

Kisuke

I was walking to the supermarket and saw the Pieten i forgot it was Sinterklaas today

Its a mess tho but their downfall has clearly started

Gui Blackout

Quote:

Zwarte Piet, an impish clown with a black face who accompanies the bearded St Nicholas (“Sinterklaas”) on his rounds, distributing presents and biscuits

Seems like really nice characters, I don't see the issue.

Auraeolux

Waits for people who think tradition is more important than racism. And don't tell me that they are not racist because they are clearly wearing afros and they are modeled after "moors".

Tylerbv

See now this seems like something actually racist, not the Grammys

Ressti

Can't wait til it's banned and seeing all the white parents cry over not being able to dress up as a slave to entertain their children

Kisuke

Quote:

Originally posted by Auraeolux

Waits for people who think tradition is more important than racism. And don't tell me that they are not racist because they are clearly wearing afros and they are modeled after "moors".

They used to fake Caribbean accents

Javan

Yeh. That's not cool. But they have a very small black population so they are easily silenced and ignored.

IBeMe

Mimie

My family is starting early!
We got our costumes on already, typing this while waiting for my face paint to dry.

JORDYZOLANSKI

It was tonight (it’s 2:45am rn) and if you actually knew the story behind you wouldn’t find it racist. Which is why this holiday has never been a problem up until foreigners that don’t know anything about it started talking about it. I wouldn’t mind it if the tradition changed though. It has to be fun for everybody, and if (black) DUTCH (!!!) people have an issue with it then it should be changed.

MaRy

Quote:

Originally posted by JORDYZOLANSKI

It was tonight (it’s 2:45am rn) and if you actually knew the story behind you wouldn’t find it racist. Which is why this holiday has never been a problem up until foreigners that don’t know anything about it started talking about it.

i don't know the story, but all i can say is do not make mockery of others, like italians in the jersey shore or in il padrino. it's bad taste

Eternium

Quote:

Originally posted by JORDYZOLANSKI

It was tonight (it’s 2:45am rn) and if you actually knew the story behind you wouldn’t find it racist. Which is why this holiday has never been a problem up until foreigners that don’t know anything about it started talking about it. I wouldn’t mind it if the tradition changed though. It has to be fun for everybody, and if (black) DUTCH (!!!) people have an issue with it then it should be changed.

Care to share more? Why do you not find it racist?

JORDYZOLANSKI

Quote:

Originally posted by Javan

Yeh. That's not cool. But they have a very small black population so they are easily silenced and ignored.

You DO know that about 90% of black people in my neighbourhood celebrate this holiday, right? And black kids get painted black too lmao. But again, I wouldn’t mind if the tradition changed but I’m just so sick and tired of foreigners that know nothing about the holiday complaining about it.

Golden

This really annoys me. People who don't live in the Netherlands or people who aren't Dutch talking about OUR traditions like they know ANYTHING of it. People who find it racist are cry babies who whine about everything.
The Dutch have adapted to multiple cultures' traditions, varying from Eid al-Ftir to Buddhist and Hindu festivals. Children don't even know what race is. Don't ruin their traditions and holidays..

RomanNavy

Yaass sinterklaas

I love Sinterklaas
Better than Xmas tbh

RomanNavy

BTW it's not only The Netherlands our sistren from Belgium love a good Sinterklaas party as well

JORDYZOLANSKI

Okay I’m not looking for an entire discussion so I’ll just say this. Finding Sinterklaas racist is like saying that Christmas (the commercial holiday) is racist because Santa’s elves are small and that’s offensive to small people.

Also in the OP you’re trying to portray SInterklaas as a holiday hated by 75% of the black population which is just not true. It’s maybe 5% of the black population. Most black people celebrate this holiday.