- #31
Husaaved
- 19
- 1
I think it's really important to contextualize before accusations of hypersensitivity are levied and remarks to the effect of "I actually have never understood the entire notion of 'being offended'" are made.
The Netherlands, although certainly not as "guilty" as the United States for its reliance on slave labor, is nevertheless a country with a long legacy of colonialism in Africa, involvement in the slave trade, and active civilian white supremacist organizations. And although Zwarte Piet may very well be a tradition whose origins have nothing to do with white supremacy and anti-black racism (I doubt it), its resemblance to similar caricatures used to instill notions of black incivility is striking and should be taken into consideration. Nothing exists in a vacuum in this day and age, and we should not fool ourselves into thinking that we're offering critical analysis by saying "The Netherlands doesn't have the same racial politics as the US".
Earlier in this thread someone demanded scientific sources explaining why Zwarte Piet is bad -- and I found this to be the perfect illustration of the difference between how white folks conceptualize racism and how the people who actually experience racism conceptualize it. Racism is not a purely objective experience which can be quantified and qualified. For those who experience it, racism is personal, degrading, and even traumatic. It is important to remember that there are people alive today who have lived in countries where segregation and discriminatory practices were not only legal, but codified into law. There are people alive today who have lost friends or family members to hate crimes. And there are people alive today who, whenever they turn on the TV or watch a movie, find that most of the characters which resemble them or their parents and friends and loved ones are caricatures -- criminals, buffoons, or worse. Being surrounded by these depictions for year after year takes a toll, and makes one "sensitive".
Because white folks usually have the privilege of never having to think about or notice race, they are understandably shocked when they see people reacting to something apparently inoccuous and inoffensive. To be clear, I am a white male, but I've learned that in general it's a good practice to trust people when they say that their feelings are hurt, to listen to them, and to realize that I can never understand their experience because I have not been in their shoes.
The Netherlands, although certainly not as "guilty" as the United States for its reliance on slave labor, is nevertheless a country with a long legacy of colonialism in Africa, involvement in the slave trade, and active civilian white supremacist organizations. And although Zwarte Piet may very well be a tradition whose origins have nothing to do with white supremacy and anti-black racism (I doubt it), its resemblance to similar caricatures used to instill notions of black incivility is striking and should be taken into consideration. Nothing exists in a vacuum in this day and age, and we should not fool ourselves into thinking that we're offering critical analysis by saying "The Netherlands doesn't have the same racial politics as the US".
Earlier in this thread someone demanded scientific sources explaining why Zwarte Piet is bad -- and I found this to be the perfect illustration of the difference between how white folks conceptualize racism and how the people who actually experience racism conceptualize it. Racism is not a purely objective experience which can be quantified and qualified. For those who experience it, racism is personal, degrading, and even traumatic. It is important to remember that there are people alive today who have lived in countries where segregation and discriminatory practices were not only legal, but codified into law. There are people alive today who have lost friends or family members to hate crimes. And there are people alive today who, whenever they turn on the TV or watch a movie, find that most of the characters which resemble them or their parents and friends and loved ones are caricatures -- criminals, buffoons, or worse. Being surrounded by these depictions for year after year takes a toll, and makes one "sensitive".
Because white folks usually have the privilege of never having to think about or notice race, they are understandably shocked when they see people reacting to something apparently inoccuous and inoffensive. To be clear, I am a white male, but I've learned that in general it's a good practice to trust people when they say that their feelings are hurt, to listen to them, and to realize that I can never understand their experience because I have not been in their shoes.