Don't even mention it! I can't imagine the Dutch giving away a part of their tradition for a ridiculous reason like that. Don't international bodies have anything better to do!? I don't have anything against black people or immigrants (at one point I was the latter myself for a short while when I lived in England), but I do think that they should leave the culture that hosts them as kindly as the Dutch one does, intact in their traditions. So what if Zwaarte Piet is black!? Who cares if he's green!? It shouldn't bloody matter! What matters is, that kids have fun and get passed some of the tradition in the process. And what do you achieve if you make them white - effectively make people forget a piece of very real history - and slavery was part of that. So make them white and we all happily forget it was there. How stupid is that!? Eh... these kinds of things just piss me off and I kind of have a temper, sorry about the rant!;) Personally, I enjoy seeing the kids in Holland getting all dressed up as well! BTW - we have a carnival in Slovenia today - do you have one, too? Cause my Frisian tells me they don't have one up north, but down south you might. Heh, I've just seen a new still of Rupert from the Enemy of man! What a cutie! He should play in a few "rough" movies, I like his stormy grumpy face. :)
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I don't have anything against black people or immigrants (at one point I was the latter myself for a short while when I lived in England), but I do think that they should leave the culture that hosts them as kindly as the Dutch one does, intact in their traditions. So what if Zwaarte Piet is black!? Who cares if he's green!? It shouldn't bloody matter! What matters is, that kids have fun and get passed some of the tradition in the process. And what do you achieve if you make them white - effectively make people forget a piece of very real history - and slavery was part of that. So make them white and we all happily forget it was there. How stupid is that!? Eh... these kinds of things just piss me off and I kind of have a temper, sorry about the rant!;)
Personally, I enjoy seeing the kids in Holland getting all dressed up as well! BTW - we have a carnival in Slovenia today - do you have one, too? Cause my Frisian tells me they don't have one up north, but down south you might.
Heh, I've just seen a new still of Rupert from the Enemy of man! What a cutie! He should play in a few "rough" movies, I like his stormy grumpy face. :)