Today Walt was saddened (but not surprised) to learn of the latest attack of the PC police on European Christian tradition. The target this month is a character from Dutch-Flemish folklore, an important part of the Santa Claus and Christmas tradition of the Netherlands and the northern part of Belgium.
The big day for good little Dutch boys and girls is December 6th. That's when Sinterklaas [= "Santa Claus"! Ed.] comes to town. Families gather together to read poems ["The Night Before Christmas" maybe? Ed.] and exchange gifts.
Jolly old Saint Nick doesn't come by reindeer-powered sleigh. No sir! He comes by boat, not from the North Pole but from Spain. And he has company, too -- a comical helper known as "Zwarte Piet". As you can see in the picture, "Black Pete" (as he would be called in English) has a black face, red lips and curly hair. So, as was bound to happen eventually, the chairthingy of a UN Human Rights Commission yesterday condemned Piet as "an offensive caricature of black people".
"The working group does not understand why it is that people in the Netherlands cannot see that this is a throwback to slavery, and that in the 21st century this practice should stop," Verene Shepherd told the Dutch television programme EenVandaag.
Many of the horrible racist Dutch -- including many dark-complected folks from the Dutch bits of the Caribbean -- disagree. Piet's supporters say he's a positive figure whose appearance is harmless. At one time, Piet was referred to as a "servant" of the elderly saint, but in recent years those references have been replaced with the idea that he gets black from soot as he climbs down chimneys to deliver toys and candy for children who leave their shoes -- wooden, of course -- out overnight.
Those opposed to tinkering with tradition have set up a Facebook page, with a "Pete-ition" [geddit? Ed.] to preserve the traditional appearance of Zwarte Piete. According to the Economist the page has already had over 2 million "likes", showing the strong emotional attachment that most Dutch have to the character. Being the last person on earth who refuses to join Facebook, I can't give you the link, but if you're on FB it shouldn't be hard to find it. Please do!
Further reading: "Christmas in Holland / the Netherlands".
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