Black Pete (Zwarte Piet), part of a 160 year old Dutch tradition to signal the arrival of St. Nicholas (Sinterklaas), is under threat again:
An Amsterdam court ruled Thursday that the traditional figure known as Black Pete–the sidekick to the Dutch equivalent of Santa Claus–is a negative stereotype of black people and the city must rethink its involvement in holiday celebrations involving him…
Black Pete is usually portrayed by white people in blackface makeup, with thick red lips and a frizzy Afro hairstyle. Opponents say that’s a racist caricature. Most Dutch people — around 80 percent of whom are white — are fiercely loyal to their holiday tradition, saying he is a harmless fantasy figure and no insult is intended.
The court said Thursday that Black Pete’s appearance, in combination with the fact that he is often portrayed as dumb and servile, makes it “a negative stereotype of black people.”…
Amsterdam has begun discussing possible solutions, including using different colors of face paint for Pete, or merely smudging his cheeks with soot.
More chipping away at Dutch national identity.
And, as I’ve said many times before, those ‘offended’ by such ‘racist’ depictions tend to not be minorities themselves, but liberal whites.
Sinterklaas & Black Pete
