Black Peter / Zwarten Piet

DutchJamesBondFan

Hi there,

In Holland we have 'Sinterklaas'. It looks like 'Santa Claus', that's because SC (Santa Claus) comes from SK (Sinterklaas).
SC is a man who walkes on all the roofs in the Netherlands with a white horse. He gives children presents, but not alone. He got helpers, they named 'Zwarte Pieten', in English 'Black Peters'. They going in to the chimney and put the presents into the shoes of the children. Because of that, going in and out the chimney ther're black, not of a natural skin color or discrimination. But that's what everybody thinking, it's the same if SC stopped with his reindeers, because it's poor for the animals. Children like them very much, is not like we want to discriminatie black people in Holland. Ofcourse I'm Dutch so for me is SK with his Zwarte Pieten very normal. But I really want to know what your opinion is, is this discrimination or not?

Greetings from Holland.

Sinterklaas and his Zwarte Pieten/Black Peters: https://www.google.nl/search?q=Sinterklaas&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=dmVlUqK0NsfW0QXVkoGwCA&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ&biw=1920&bih=979#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=sp-KWoPQCiOwNM%3A%3B1fjINmcWpOnfMM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww2.genneperzijde.nl%252Fwp-content%252Fuploads%252F2012%252F05%252FSinterklaas.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww2.genneperzijde.nl%252F%253Fpage_id%253D72%3B801%3B533

Thunderpussy

Very interesting, DutchJamesBondFan. . It's amazing what you learn on AJB007.

Number24

I allready knew this and I like local christmas colour (parden the pun :v ). Zwarten Piet is a positive character and I think it would be too politically correct to stop this tradition due to accusations of racism.
When a Scandianvian thinks something is too politically correct it goes without saying that it must be far too politically correct.

Hardyboy

The Dutch can avoid charges of racism simply by adopting the similar--but far more sinister--character of the Krampus, a horned demon who accompanies Santa and subjects bad children to whippings and even drags extreme cases off to hell. He's a creation of the Germans and really gained popularity among German communities in America. Gotta love those Germans! (That's my heritage, so no charges of anti-German bias, please!)

minigeff

Brilliant stuff.

To be honest, I don't think 'Black Peters' is anything close to racist, it's a traditional phrase and if anyone takes offence they need a kick in the ****.

Ring-a-ring-roses is out as it's classed as too tragic and in bad taste to sing about the black death (wonder if the black death is in itself racist?).

You can't have a brain storming session as it offends people with epilepsy.

You can make a film about the dambusters, but you can't call Gibson's dog nigger, even though he was.

You can have kid's sports day, or football matches etc, but there can't be anybody classed as 'winners' as it degrades anyone who didn't win.

Seriously, all this PC crap is doing my head in. You literally can't talk, fart or do anything without some soft arsed over sensitive nerd getting all tearful.