I honestly don't know what you're all mad for. Zwarte Piet is not derived from 17th-century slaves, get your facts straight. Due to the controversy, this year's Pieten were actually not just black. It seems like the Dutch are trying to adapt to other cultures, so please... this thread makes no sense.

Also, the festival was today.

Never forget when the black Pete discussion turned violent

This is the real problem here

On a different note, Sinterklaas is also popular in several independent Caribbean countries where overwhelming majorities are of African descent.

Lol. I'm sorry. There isn't anyway to make a holiday that consists of whites painting their face black and pretended to be slaves sound ok. A "tradition" can be racist, just as a tradition can be sexist and homophobic, and just because the masses are contempt with it, doesn't make it right.

Whew. I couldn't imagine

Europe is getting worst because of the Arab/muslim and African people. Gone were the days were you see all whites in Europe.

True. However, they're not slaves. Zwarte Piet is black because he went down a chimney to get the children's presents inside, and that's it. I know foreign media have been portraying Zwarte Piet in a different light, however, he is not a slave, nor is he seen as one.

Um what? . I may have read this wrong, but it seems like you're implying Europe is getting worse because it's not almost all white. I hope that's not what you meant

That's what I meant.

Worst?

Servant, slave same difference. You're saying his black because he went down a chimney but why does he have afro hair, and big red lips? But I mean regardless of his character, he's clearly a mockery of black people with those golliwog, blackface like skin, hair and lips. Why do you have to paint your skin? That's so gross and insensitive. We are not a costume

My step mom has told me about this
Kind of disgusting

Clock them!

Let me drop this here too:

Sinterklaas in Suriname:





Sinterklaas on Dutch Antilles (Curacao, Aruba) :





Even black people celebrate and participate in this and paint their lips too, like do they hate themselves?
It's a childrens tradition and white AND black people celebrate it.

This we're so welcoming to other cultures and now some foreigners all of a sudden take an interest in Dutch affairs (while 95% couldn't even pin point our country on a map) just to feel politically correct. The tradition has existed for many many decades and now in 2014 people are offended all of a sudden. It's not a racist holiday like who even associates black pete with slavery here? I can't. Part of our Kingdom is located overseas in the Carribean where most people are black and they celebrate it too. Ain't none of our island sistren who gives a ****.

You better strap your seatbelt then, cause the colored people are gonna keep coming