Now, something that David didn't mention in his telling of Sinterklaas is that the "6 to 8 Black Men" are actually blonde haired, blue eyed, Dutch people in black face. Yup, you heard it right. When discussing this issue, which happened quite often, the Dutch people I talked to said that they weren't supposed to be black, but rather they were black from the soot of the chimneys. I question this reasoning simply because of the fact that they have clearly painted on big, red lips. Actually, the Zwarte Piet (which literally translates to Black Pete) dolls that I saw in the store windows looking remarkably similar to the incredibly racist dolls from long ago in America.
I think the biggest thing that frustrated me was when Dutch people would ask if I thought the the whole concept of Sinterklaas and Zwarte Piet was racist, and when I said "yes", they in turn got defensive and thought I was being unreasonable. The thing is, I don't care what your culture does with its traditions, and as long as it's not hurting anyone, then I won't say anything about it. But when you outright ask an American whether she thinks white people dressed in black face is racist, you have to expect that she's going to say yes. Our country has been through years and years of racism and attempting to get past it, and we've made some pretty great steps. So, I guess what I'm saying is that you can choose to teach your children whatever you want, and I understand that a lot of traditions come from some racist and sexist ideas and stories from long ago, but they adapt and change with time. I just, personally, don't think this story has changed enough in order for me to accept it.
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