I remember watching a comedy routine by Stephen Hughes on the logic behind being offended. It was a good bit. I got his point, but his rationale was clearly that of a person that had never experienced the affects of institutionalized racism or sexism. The pro-Zwarte Piet stance is a very brave position to take in the contemporary world. Most people throughout the world are aware of the tradition of blackface in its many forms, but it is only the Dutch that continue to attempt to promote it as something innocent. Once the historical evidence is brought to the forefront and that ridiculous chimney soot story is ignored, what do the proponents of blackface have left as cannon fodder towards a rational argument? I believe that the proponents of Zwarte Piet get too emotional with religious-like fervor when this topic is approached, and that keeps them from being able to articulate their stance sensibly. As an outsider, I will attempt to give them an argument that I have yet to have heard from any proponent. The main question here is at what point do these artifacts of white tyranny cease being of concern to the victims of white tyranny? As an example I will use the word “nigger.” I will assume that the readers have a basic understanding of how this term was used as a derogatory moniker for us of the African diaspora. What is most interesting about the word was that it was appropriated by the same people that the epithet was directed towards, and in effect, the hatred was siphoned from it. Somehow “nigger” became a term of affection amongst Black people that white people wouldn’t dare to speak aloud in their midst. Hip-Hop music exponentially spread the usage and awareness of the word and we are currently nearing a point in which the younger generation uses it as a pronoun regardless of ethnicity. Zwarte Piet is an issue because we of the African diaspora are offended by his history and the blackface. At what point does this stop being offensive? The Dutch don’t sell slaves any longer-this much we know. Is it necessary for a multicultural society to have to consider every offensive bit that offends every single group? It must be noted that, at least on a conscious level, Dutch children do not associate Zwarte Piet with Black people. The racist connotations of the Sinterklaas holiday have been extracted from it, but for whatever reason, the blackface was left behind. Are we of the African diaspora offended by this because we see ourselves in it? Can the racist context of something be eliminated centuries later? I apologize for this half-witted attempt at justifying Zwarte Piet. It is especially difficult for me, because I truly see no rational argument for the perpetuation of blackface in the 21st century, but I do see it necessary to listen to the opposition’s argument…
