Lathyru
x-Garethp-x
Lathyru
Try watching black and white movies that have black face and then tell me it's not meant to be offensive. People "in character" while in black face act like simpletons. Try watching Birth of a Nation (where the KKK are heroes and "black congressmen" act like monkeys). It's horrible.
There's a large difference in culture between American blackface and Dutch Black Pete. Just because they look the same doesn't mean they are
So it's ok because a bunch of white people say it's not racist?
rofl He's a black servant to Santa! Please explain the history of that one because if wikipedia is accurate (ha) the character was originally an evil spirit. ( I am Dutch but don't read or speak it so my research is limited on this one.) Now in modern times he is "mischievous" huh... doesn't sound anything like our black face stereotypes.
rolleyes There are actually a lot of black people who like black pete and dont want the holiday to dissapear. This whole discussion stems from 24 people (who hapen to be black) making a big deal about one complaint sent in by an (also black) woman.
Besides that Sinterklaas is a statement AGAINST slavery. Sint Nicolaas lived around the 17th century in Spain, he originally came from Turkey. In Spain he bought child slaves and freed them. In return (as a thank-you) these children chose to work for Nicolaas and he
paid them. These children had the chance to leave but they stayed with Sint Nicolaas untill his death. That also explains why he is seen as someone who loved children very much.
If you are Dutch you surely know about this story, its part of our culture. We have been celebrating this for over 200 years now. Claiming to be Dutch is nice but not knowing anything about the culture is a bit.... stupid, I guess. I'd definetly recommend to come over and ecperience the party yourself. Its pretty awesome
smile
As a child, I always looked forward to Sinterklaas and Zwarte Piet. Believe it or not, I never thought of Zwarte Piet as a black person. Adults are the only ones who have second thoughts, kids dont.
Sorry if I made typos, I typed this on my cellphone xp