Judging by the cast list, it doesn't seem like Zwarte Piet is a character in this. Is that right? Do they leave it open that he might appear in a sequel, if there is one? It seems like they could do a lot with that.
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They should be his henchmen, like the Phantasm balls or something.
Sint 2: Zwarte Piet ging uitmoorden
Dick Maas avoided a discussion about racism, by replacing the original Zwarte Pieten (i think Black Petes would be the best translation), who were originally said to be Moorish, by caucasian henchmen who only appear to be black because of the burning wounds they suffer at the beginning of the movie
Years ago some people who had no lives at all decided to protest against the Sinterklaas celebrations because they felt Sinterklaas was a racist holiday and de Zwarte Pieten should be replaced by "Bonte Pieten", Pieten with red, green and blue (and so on) faces.
They claimed that de Zwarte Pieten were St. Nicholas black slaves, but according history they were just Ethiopian orphans he adopted when he was in Africa. They help him delivering presents to the children, but they are not slaves at all (just think of them as Santa's elves)
In some versions the Zwarte Pieten were once bad children, that were taken in Zwarte Piet's bag and taken to Spain, were there skin turns dark because of the sun, becoming a new generation of Pieten themselves, kidnapping other bad children, and so on and on and on.
This is why we tell our children to be good, otherwise they will be taken to Spain ;)
But if you come to think of it i can understand why people, especially Americans compare them to the minstrels (white actors with black facepaint) from the 1830's and '40s
I know this is not really the answer to your question, but like someone already said before; the Zwarte Pieten in this movie were actually the burned henchmen
When I was a kid, I learned of Zwarte Pieten about the same time I was getting into Norse mythology.
When I saw the words Zwarte and Svartálfar I thought they were somehow related. So I always saw Zwarte Pieten as a Svartálfar or Dark Elf. Not a human of African origins.
As a result I never saw Zwarte Pieten as racist and am somewhat surprised that others do.
Josh
Yes, it is
Especially Americans always seem to think Zwarte Piet is a Dutch/Belgian version of the blackfaced minstrels from 19th century America.
Instead of realizing there's other cultures besides their own, they start commenting on how racist the Dutch are, while it was the Southern part of their own country who whipped black people and had them work as slaves on cotton farms
The Zwarte Pieten (plural) help Saint Nicholas deliver candy and presents to children, which is something completely different than serving white plantation owners.
If the Pieten where white, there wouldn't be a problem, but because they're black, everyone of colour or political correct leftists gets off on how racist the annual Saint Nicholas celebrations are
How about we all ban Santa Clause for animal abuse because he has his sled pulled by reindeers, or putting his elves into forced labour in his Arctic sweatshops? And language, because he says HO all the time
I'm an American but I never imposed my culture onto any others. It was just how my dad brought me up to be.
Too many American are brought up in a cultural bubble. The only frame of reference they have is their own, so they project it onto the rest of the world and get angry when the world resists.
Josh
Your dad is a wise man, Josh
I know not all Americans are the same, and over the years i have met many American free thinkers like yourself, and it's always nice to meet new ones
And it's always nice not being called stupid and ignorant for ehmmm...
NOT being American for a change ;)
I just figured as a kid, that the black Petes were black because they always went down the chimneys to deliver presents;
now all of a sudden you are called a racist when you are calling Sint's helpers Black Pete.
Exactly. Stupid idiots every year now trying to ban Sinterklaas. *beep* off!
shareHaha, too funny, because I was told the same exact thing growing up in Belgium. Now that I live in the US and try to introduce the tradition of Sinterklaas to my friends, I always feel the need to explain them that the Zwarte Pieten are not men in black-face representing black people, but Sinterklaas' helpers whom's faces are black because they go through chimneys!
shareI couldn't care less about Sinterklaas and Zwarte Piet (only fun thing about it when I was a child were the presents I got), and I don't really care about if its racist or not (although I think people who complain about it, should get a life), but stating that Zwarte Piet is black because of the chimneys he gets into for delivering the presents is somewhat strange. Because, if so, why aren't his clothes dirty at all?
shareSo going down chimneys also gives you curly black hair, bright red lips and gold hooped earrings??
The story about the saved Ethiopian slave makes sense - so stick with that. The chimney story just makes it all look like a big cover up!
And come on its 2013 lets stop with the black face people. It's not "political correctness gone MAD" it's just not in great taste.
Have a black person dress up in the ridiculous outfit, others can dress up too but leave the black face paint and curly wigs at home.
Paddy, are you an American? If so, you're giving us a bad name--first by resurrecting a long-dead thread and second by being so PC it makes my eyes hurt. It doesn't matter what *you* feel about Zwarte Pieten. Those of us who actually know a little about St. Nicholas (I'm Eastern Orthodox Christian and celebrate St. Nicholas Day) know that this movie is 1) just fiction and 2) simply the Dutch/Belgian version of something like "Bad Santa" or something. Some of the statements they made in the movie were quite outrageous (the Bishop of Myra did not exist, St. Nicholas Day is a made-up holiday for commercial reasons). Add to that that the real St. Nicholas actually lived in the 3rd and 4th centuries and the movie is just a mess. However, it wasn't all that bad as a horror yarn and I actually enjoyed the dubbing, despite its rather flat tone. And that horse, he would have made a nice hunter/jumper if he weren't ridden by this evil saint-guy-thing. ;)
shareThey're just in denial for the sake of holding onto their "precious traditions", despite the negative truth behind their origins:
http://www.humanityinaction.org/knowledgebase/434-whitewashed-slavery- past-the-lost-struggle-against-ignorance-about-the-dutch-slavery-histo ry
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_Slave_Coast
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/dec/05/black-pete-race-netherlan ds
I wonder how they would feel if people of color dressed up in white face/white makeup and blonde straight hair as a festive holiday practice. New traditions have to start somewhere, right?
Mistakes make exceptional possible.... Sometimes the wrong path leads to the right path.
"I wonder how they would feel if people of color dressed up in white face/white makeup and blonde straight hair as a festive holiday practice. "
Nobody would give a shit. Please go educate yourself or put a gun to your head and pull the trigger. Thanks!
There are many Zwarte Piets in the movie. Two different types - 1) The back-from-the-dead Piets, which are burnt to a crisp, and 2) The regular people dressed as Piets for the celebration. Many of them are offed by the real Piets.
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