The ethnic diversity in the Netherlands would not tolerate a sooty Black Pete (zwarte piet). This player is given a stereotypical image of dark-skinned people: black and subordinate to a white person, i.e. Sint-Nikolaas. How humiliating. How shameful. Year in, year out, endless discussions. Away with that servant. It seems that the Zwarte Piet should remain to maintain the acclaimed diversity in our society.

By Aart G. Broek
During the Sinterklaas celebration, we hardly worry about issues such as women's emancipation, sustainability, dental care and health, history, truth and densification, animal suffering, sexual morality, religious sexuality and the like. However, we should be very concerned about discrimination based on skin colour.

This is how I understand that a group of activists, politicians, and scientists, even up to the stronghold of the United Nations, should wave goodbye to Zwarte Piet: away with that man from the Sinterklaas celebration. It is unenforceable.

The fight against racism seems to justify the dismissal of Zwarte Piet. Zwarte Piet is said to be the symbol of racism. Symbols evoke the practice of humiliation and rub the feelings of shame like salt in the wound. Get rid of it. Will we all participate in clearing away such symbols?

Dreadlocks
A random example: Isn't it time to start a fight against wearing dreadlocks? Letting the frizzy hair grow into a wild mane symbolises dictatorial power, exploitation, and racism.

For the religious movement of Rastafarianism, which originated in Jamaica, wearing dreadlocks is a symbolic rapprochement with their god, who - concerning the Bible book of Jeremiah - should have a black skin colour. That God is generally called Jah and was said to be a 'living' god at the time of the rise of the Rastafarian movement.

It was Haile Selassie, or Ras Tafari, the Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah (and another set of honorifics). In the dreadlocks hairstyle, the Rastafarian imitates the mane of the lion and thus connects with the spirit of the Lion of Judah. The 'moons' underline men's dominant role in this movement: women are there to conceive and bear children, cook, and serve.

In addition to this black god, Rastafarianism also has as fundamental principles that whites are inferior to blacks and that the black race is destined to rule the world. Bob Marley sang about that downfall to light reggae rhythms while enjoying ganja (hash). Enjoying what is also called 'the herb' would find justification in the Bible; look at Psalm 104 (in the English King James Bible).

Dreadful

The sight of dreadlocks is a horror to me and anyone who even remotely realises what a potentate Haile Selassie (1892-1975) was and what Rastafarianism stands for. People criticise racism, white privilege and troubled white consciousness, many of whom cultivate the dreadlocks on their heads. Can the criticism of Zwarte Piet still be taken seriously? Can dreadlocks be tolerated while they are a symbol of dictatorship, exploitation and racism?

It seems justified to say: first, take the beam out of your eye before you concern yourself with the mote in mine (see the Bible again for this expression). No, I'm not calling dreadlocks into the picture for that purpose. What concerns me is the scope of tolerance in a highly diverse society.

Tolerance
If tolerance means anything, it is putting up with expressions that offend you for whatever reason. This is not a plea for doing your 'own thing' without limits. The constitutional system is and remains leading. Nevertheless, we must realise that all social, ethnic and religious groups in our society are involved in matters hardly noticed by 'the other' - figuratively and sometimes even literally.

In addition, combating the supposed symbolism of exploitation - such as Zwarte Piet or dreadlocks - seems to be, above all, fighting the symptoms. This usually leads to continued dissatisfaction or even worsening of the condition.

Respect seems to me to be equivalent to pruning, curtailing, and cutting off. Under pressure from dark-skinned Dutch people, we add water to the wine. The development that threatens can be depicted with some cynicism, and then I'll stop with Zwarte Piet. And then you get rid of your dreadlocks. And then I stop eating meat and drinking alcohol or stop calling for prayers from a minaret. And then I stop ringing the church bell. And you stop wearing headscarves. And then we don't include 'piggy banks' in school textbooks. And then I got circumcised.

And then... then it will be a party for everyone, right? After all, the flip side of shaming is respect, right? That's what we're going for! Are we going for that? For North Korean equality, unanimity, and harmony? Living together in harmony. Merciless pruning. Down to the root.

Source: this is an adaptation of a review from my collection: Schaamrood; Aantekeningen over angst, agressie en ambitie (Haarlem: In de Knipscheer, 2017).