Posted on 12/08/2014 11:52:29 AM PST by 11th_VA
Edited on 12/08/2014 12:04:33 PM PST by Admin Moderator. [history]
Two years ago, I was a freelance reporter on the island of Curacao, a former Dutch colony and a territory once key to the European slave trade in the New World. Within a few months, I began making friends, picking up some Dutch and Papiamento (the local, Creolized language) and absorbing a bit of the culture. Before arriving there, I had been aware of the Dutch holiday tradition of Sinterklaas (something like Santa Claus) and his mischievous helper-slave Zwarte Piet (or Black Pete). I knew that many white Dutch loved to dress up as Zwarte Piet by painting their faces black and their lips bright red and donning curly wigs. I thought I was ready to face this character, who is bumbling, mischievous and dimwitted, but nevertheless kind to children.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
She’s an intolerant liberal!
No surprise.
Who asked you anything, Karen. Keep your pie hole shut about other countries’ affairs.
GO ZWARTE PIET!
Apparently the “tradition” of de-heading “non-believers” is okay though.
Well, you could hope. The GNO bridge would be a great jumping off place.
Some people brighten a room by entering it; others, by leaving.
I’ll bet the Dutch were happy to see her go.
Big pre-holiday sale at the local kwanza hut.
shes obsessed with this issue... as well as anything else to do with blacks
She probably figured out that so is the Washington Post. Are you a young ‘reporter’ who wants to get your story published? Whine about white racism.
Someone goes down a chimney and gets soot on their face and this is somehow racist... really not
I agree they should dump the blackface. They must have started making him “african” back in more racist days. In Switzerland going around with SamiKlaus (the Santa Claus / St. Nick character) are several Schmutzlis. These guys have “dirt” on their faces a la the chimney sweeps, and they are the ones carrying the bags of coal for the “bad children” (SamiKlaus carries the tangerines and chocolates for the good kids, who apparently are 100% of the kids they visit...).
Stupid stretch to make the Piet guy a fake african and should be dumped.
BS! Give an inch, and they’ll take a mile, they’ll just move on to the next thing that “offends” them.
Okay, so from now on I guess the North Pole needs to be a White’s Only club? Oh wait, that’s no good either. I guess we have to have a quota system so that every minority group in a country is proportionally represented with one elf each - is that it? And what about the whole debate over the race of Santa Claus himself, what do we do about that?
Maybe Santa and Zwarte Piet can altnerate, and occasionally be replaced by Korean Kringle or Saudi Claus, just to make everything fair. And then what about all those reindeer who all have Germanic names - we definitely need to do something about that too!
My next thought was, what if midgets or little people started complaining about Santa's helper's at the North Pole? Do they also picket and protest at Disneyland and DisneyWorld about the ride "It's a Small, Small World?"
My opinion is that liberals take their politically correct language and positions so far to the extreme that they become a mockery of themselves. This woman has done that in her editorial and needs to keep her immature, bigoted nose out of another country's business.
I’m black, and I don’t care what they do for their festival. We have enough concerns of our own in the states. People do not have to conform to what a small group considers as ‘correct behavior’. Lighten up,(no pun intended) and let the Dutch handle it.
You mean the 'vertically challenged?'
You got it Lee - some people don’t like Scots running around in skirts ... who are we to tell them ...
Why can’t other countries mind their own businesses when it comes to foreign traditions. Sheesh!
What must be most alarming to her, is that the whole of that society doesn’t grovel at her feet like the rest of the human race does in the U. S.
Shocking I tell you!!!!
Black meets reality, the horrors.
Where’s the United Nations when one of it’s many citizens needs rescuing?
Hint lady, if you don’t like the customs there, don’t go there. DUH!
Why she’s an expert on the subject, after all...
Other people’s opinions don’t count. I’m sure you know that.
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