Terrence Green-America

Hallo, ik ben Terrence. Ik kom uit Ypsilanti, Michigan, maar ik woon in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Ik ben 18 jaar oud. Ik studeer Nederlands als een van mijn lessen hier aan de Universiteit van Michigan. Nederlands is heel lekker. Ik hou van sport, eten, en praten met mijn vrienden.

Ik was shocked to learn about Zwart Piet. As an American, I found it quite offensive.  Here in the United States, that is unacceptable. I am surprised such a tradition has been around for so long in Nederland. I think it is racist but I do understand why it exists and why it still goes on, what are your opinions on it?

Soms Vraag:
Wie is je favoriete voetballer (Mine is Arjen Robben)?
Doen jullie rookt marihuana?

Oh and here is a picture of me and some friends before a football game, if you ever come to Ann Arbor, go to a tailgate party.

Amerika- Joey Hildebrand

Hallo! Ik ben Joey Hildebrand. Ik kom uit Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. Nu ik woon in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Ik studeren aan de Universiteit van Michigan. Ik houd van sports, ik spelen hockey, tennis, en golf. Ik hoop om te studeren economics. Mijn favoriete eten is pizza. Ik graag televisie krijken en met vrienden. Volg mij op twitter @therealhildog.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRCjJi_uDp8https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRCjJi_uDp8

                                                mijn familie bij een basketbalwedstrijd

Zwarte Piet:
When we watched a documentary on this in class I was caught off guard. It made me realize that the way things are viewed vary from country to country. If this happened in America things would get pretty hectic because most people would see this as racist. It is Netherlands tradition and I respect that. One thing that I think puts the holiday a little over the top is that not only does the skin color change to black but the hairstyles and lib structures also represent what an African American would be expected to have. I also don't think that the skin color should change completely black because going down a chimney would only smear a little black dust on the skin not change ones skin black all together. It is hard for me to say my opinion because of how hard it is to understand other cultures belief.

Question:
Hoe vaak ga je rijden in een auto?

Amerika - Sarah Zdrodowski

Hallo! Mijn naam is Sarah en ik ben negentien jaar oud. Dit is mijn eerste jaar aan de Universiteit van Michigan en ik ben in het College van Literatuur, Wetenschap en de Kunsten.  Ik komme uit Cadillac, Michigan, en klein stad noord van Ann Arbor.  Ik houd van zwemmen en fietsen.

Dit is mijn vriend, mijn beste vriend en haar vriend op prom. Ik ben in de groene jurk.

Zwarte Piet:

While I understand the difficulty of moving away from beloved traditions, I believe it is important for the Netherlands to move away from Zwarte Piet.  It is racist and offensive, especially to black people.  In America dressing up with blackface is likely to get one beat up because it is found so offensive.  Some people would like to say the Zwarte Piet is only zwarte because he came down a chimney, but his clothes aren’t dirty, and he also has large red lips and tribal earrings.  I think it is good that the Netherlands is making attempts to make the tradition less offensive, and I think toning down the makeup and costume and integrating Piets of all races would help.  Here is an interesting article I found on the activism towards tradition.

What do you all think of the American traditions surrounding Christmas?

America: Anya Vaporciyan

Hi! My name is Anya Vaporciyan. I'm a freshman at the University of Michigan, but I'm from Houston, Texas (and I actually lived in Amsterdam for 3 years when I was younger). I am thinking of majoring in something in Math and Science, although I'm not completely sure. I like to hike and do outdoor activities. And of course, I love to watch Netflix and eat!

This is me at a crawfish boil: basically a huge outdoor party featuring these yummy guys (crawfish are shellfish, kind of like a small lobster, and a typical spicy Cajun food) 

This are my friends and I (3rd from right with the giraffe) at Homecoming, a school dance, with mums (a tradition item for this dance in the south) 

This is a coral snake (super poisonous) in my backyard by my pool because I live by a bayou (small, dirty river)

What are some traditional food festivals you have? Do you enjoy your type of food or food from other cultures (and what do you think about American food)?

Growing up as a young child in Holland, I did not see a problem with Zwarte Piet. He was just a helper to Sinterklaas, and I saw them as no different than elves (Santa's helpers). However, when I returned to America at the age of 8, I slowly realized just how racist this tradition really was. Painting your face black is one thing, but adding the full lips, hoop earrings, and afro hair takes it to another level. They are also portrayed as fun and goofy but also somewhat stupid. As a child, this is fun. But seen from a different perspective, this is incredibly demeaning and rude. African Americans should not be portrayed in this way. 

This article discusses the effects of Zwarte Piet and how some people are trying to change this tradition.

America - Ben Woodruff

Hallo, ik ben Ben Woodruff! Ik ben achttien jaar oud en ik kom uit Jackson, Michigan. Ik woon in Ann Arbor een ik studeren politieke wetenschappen aan de Universiteit van Michigan. Ik houd van football en lopend. Ik ben lid van de hardloopclub van de Universiteit van Michigan. Ik ben de eerste persoon in mijn familie te leren nederlands een ik vind it geweldig.

Dit is mijn familie.

dit is mijn basketbalteam van de middelbare school.

Dit ben ik het spelen voetbal

Zwarte Piet:
Though this tradition seems appalling to most people in the United States, they tend to forget some of the traditions we have used in the past. It is not my position to tell another group of people their culture and traditions are morally wrong, but I will question the motives behind the practice as it is seen as offensive to many people. It seems this was an older tradition based on traditional values and as the time progressed the people changed the reasoning behind it to keep the practice alive. I would encourage people in the Netherlands to look at Zwarte Piet from the perspective of those who feel it is a racist and offensive tradition and determine whether they feel it should be changed or continue. I believe they could continue this with simple changes such as rainbow colored faces. Regardless, this is a culture completely different from our own and people should understand this before they make judgments on how they live.

My vraag is waarom doen de Nederlanders drinkt zo veel koffie?

America - Ethan Jannott

Hallo! Mijn naam is Ethan Jannott en ik ben een tweedejaars aan University of Michigan. Ik kom uit Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, maar ik geboren in Chicago, Illinois. Mijn verjaardag is 19 maart 1995, zo ik ben negentien jaar oud. Ik studeer informatica, en ik werk ook bij de bibliotheek. We hebben over 36,000 films waar ik werk, dus er is veel uit te kiezen. Mijn favoriete film is Inception. Ik hou ook van auto's en het rijden mijn skateboard. Mijn favoriete automerk is Lamborghini. Ik wil een motorfiets deze zomer krijgen. Mijn Twitter en Instagram namen zijn @edog51 als je me wilt volgen!

Ik en mijn auto in Detroit, Michigan

Mijn neven en opa en ik bij een honkbalwedstrijd

Ik en mijn moeder

When I discovered what Zwarte Piet was, I was surprised at first, but then I began to understand why it is still a tradition today even though it is very offensive. It is something that has been a tradition for so long that it just seems normal at this point. I don't think the way that Netherlanders celebrate Christmas should be changed, with Sinterklaas arriving on the boat and all of that, but I do think that the Zwarte Piet characters need to be changed. Saying that they are covered in the ash from the chimney just seems like a cover up for an obviously racist tradition. I think that it's good that this year will be the first that the Zwarte Piets will be fading away. I think that painting the Piets in a rainbow color scheme is a good transition because nobody can be offended by that. Having them be a multitude of colors will actually make them appear to be more diverse, which would actually have the opposite affect of what they're doing now. Changing the color of Zwarte Piet is a step in the right direction for the Netherlands, if you ask me.

Mijn vragen u:
Wat is je favoriete autobedrijf?
Wat is je favoriete soort fiets?
Wat doe je voor het plezier?

America: Afina

Hallo! Ik heet Afina. Ik kom uit Portland, Oregon en ik ben vierentwintig jaar oud. Ik ben een PhD natuurkunde student aan UM, waar ik lesgeef en onderzoek doen.

Ik was geboren in Amerika, maar mijn moeder komt uit Amsterdam. Haar familie verhuisd naar Amerika toen zij was een kleine kind, en nog kan zij Nederlands spreken. Mijn oma en opa ook nog hier wonen. Ik wil Nederlands leren, omdat spreken met mij zal hun blij maken. Het is een kerstcadeau.

In Ann Arbor, woon ik met een vriend en een katje in een appartement. De katje heet Bo en zij is heel leuk. Ik heb heel veel foto's van haar. Je kunt haar hier zien.

Maar nu moet ik schrijf over Zwarte Piet. Ik heb een unieke gezichtpunt op Piet. Toen ik was een kind, mijn familie vierden niet met Santa Claus, maar met Sinter Klaas. Daar zijn pepernoten, en mijn zusje en ik zongen "Sinter Klaas kapoentje," en zo voort.

Maar wij nooit Zwarte Piet zien.* In Amerika, het is heel slecht. Piet lijkt hij stapt uit een historie boek, uit een hoofdstuk over racisme in de jaren vijftig, of iets.

*Dit is niet helemaal waar; daar was een vrouw die in de Nederlandse winkel in Portland werkte, en zij was Zwarte Piet soms. Maar ik wil niet dat mijn vrienden dat kennen, en ik wil liever niet naar de winkel gaan in november en december.

Daar zijn veel racistische mensen in Amerika nu ook, maar het is anders dan in Nederland. Hier, meestal, wij praten veel over ras, en het is belangrijk. De meeste Afro-Amerikaanse zijn niet immigranten-- hun voorouders waren slaven. In Amerika wij hebben zo veel racistische geweld in onze historie, wij kunnen niet zien een persoon met een geschilderd, zwarte gezicht en rode lippen, zonder denken op ras.

In mijn leef, heb ik heel leuk viering gedaan zonder Zwarte Piet. Jullie kunnen ook!

America - Zach Vance

Hey guys, 

My name is Zach Vance, I'm 18, and I'm from Chicago, Illinois. I am freshman at the University of Michigan. I love playing soccer and I have played viola since I was little. I'm involved in a student organization on campus called MUSIC Matters. Over the past 3 years, we've brought J. Cole, Ben Folds, and 2Chainz to perform on campus.

This was gameday August 30, the first football game of the year against Appalachian State University!

I understand Zwarte Piet is engrained in Dutch culture, but in America blackface is extremely racist in any form. If you wear it you are instantly alienated. I believe that over time the tradition of Zwarte Piet can be transformed into a holiday that is less racially inclined, like the black face could turn into smudges that are from going down all of those chimneys. 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2014/11/13/why-the-dutch-tradition-of-blackface-at-christmas-wont-go-away/

This is an article from an American newspaper explaining how Zwarte Piet won't go away, it is biased to the American view that blackface in any form is never acceptable.

I've been wondering, how is it not being able to drive until you're 18? Do you just use bikes or walk everywhere?

America AJ Ferzo

Hello Dutch friends.

My name is AJ Ferzo, I am from a small time town in Michigan called Corunna. I am an Engineering student at The University of Michigan, and I plan on going into Biomedical Engineering. My hobbies include woodworking , playing video games and listening to hip hop. My favorite video game is Portal 2 and my favorite artist is Kanye West. Also here is picture from Prom my Senior year of High School with my group of friends

I am second from the right, next to the red jacket.

My perspective on Zwarte Piet tradition is under embarrassment that in a modern tolerant country there is the display of white people in black face and absurd red lipstick to portray "helpers" of Saint Nicolas. Despite the tradition behind it, it is blatant racism and is highly offensive. The fact that it is still "for the children" makes it that much worse as racism taught/learned not a genetic trait, so when you portray the "helpers" as stupid, highly stereotypical looking black people, you are innately teaching them that all black people are stupid and that they are all slaves. A solution to this would be to follow one of the ways to tell the story that the helpers are simply dirty from the chimney and to do that you would not fully paint the face but make it look like the blackness came from chimney ash.

Here is an article I found about Zwarte Piet, do you support the attempt to stop Zwarte Piet or to keep the tradition?

My question is what is your perception of America and what type of music do you like?

America: Jay Dutcher

Introductie:

Hallo! Mijn naam is Jay Dutcher. Ik kom out Alpena, Michigan. Ik woon in Ann Arbor, Michigan en ik studeren aan de Universiteit van Michigan. Ik studeer PPE (Politiek, Filosofie, en Economie). Ik houd van sporten. Op de middelbare school, ik speelde hockey, voetbal, honkbal, en golf. Ik werk bij een schoenenwinkel en verkopen schoenen. Ik ben in een broederschap op de campus. Ik houd van Twitter (@JayDutch44), Kentucky Fried Chicken, Amerika, Vineyard Vines, en Boardwalk Empire.

Foto:

Dit is een van mijn senior fotografie.

Dit is mij voetballen.

Dit is me hockey spelen.

Dit is mijn beste vriend, Riley.

Zwarte Piet:

                

                     I believe that every country has it's respective traditions. It is very difficult to understand other cultures at times, but we have to respect what others believe in and practice. Personally, when Zwarte Piet was initially presented to me, I thought it was questionable immediately. I wasn't sure if I found it offensive or not. I thought it was similar to Native Americans and how they paint their faces for tribal activities such as dances and ceremonies. After I was informed that it was based off of African American people, I could see how many people could find it offensive. I try to keep an open mind and look at both sides of cultural debates and I truly can't figure out if I believe the tradition of Zwarte Piet should be changed or stopped. I believe it is best to look at both sides of the argument and obtain for opinions from both Dutch people who practice Zwarte Piet and African American people. It has been a tradition for so long, but society is evolving and generally becoming more touchy about racial subjects. I would have to talk to both sides before taking a firm stance on the Zwarte Piet debate, but I will stick to the, "it's hard to understand other cultures" belief for now. 

Question:

      Wat is je favoriete sport? Wie is je favoriete sporter?   

   Mijn favoriete sport is golf. Mijn favoriete sporter is Bubba    

   Watson. 

America - Lauren Hubbard

Hi,

My name is Lauren Hubbard. I am from Northville, Michigan which is very close to the University of Michigan where I am currently a freshman. I have one sibling, an older brother who also attends the same school as me. In high school I was a cheerleader and competed competitively. I am in the sorority Zeta Tau Alpha at my college. I go to all of michigan's football games and love watching all kinds of sports. My favorite thing to do to relax is watch Netflix...a lot.

Here is a picture of me and my best friends from high school on prom. I am the one is the middle with the blueish dress with sequins.

My personal opinion about Zwarte Piet is that I can see why many people believe that this is a racist tradition. It is a very sensitive topic especially to those who have ancestors who were involved in slavery. It would even be slightly better if they had black people play Zwarte Piet rather than painting white people with black face. It makes it more racist because they are still having white people play Zwarte Piet which are seen as slaves. I think many people believe that this tradition came about during a time when this racism was accepted, but since it has changed greatly since then that the tradition should be changed. I understand the point of view of both parties regarding Zwarte Piet. 

Here is an article I found about Zwarte Piet. http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2014/10/zwarte_piet_dolls_tied_to_lamp.php

I was wondering how you felt about this display of the dolls because I believe it is an interesting way of protesting. 

My question for you is how do you feel about how tolerant Amsterdam is? Do you like the tolerance and being informed about all the tolerance from a very young age, or would you rather wait and learn about things like prositution, safe sex etc. when you were older?

America- Shane Gordon

Hallo, ik ben Shane. Ik studeer bij de universiteit van Michigan. Ik kom uit Brandon, Michigan. Brandon is een klein dorp. Ik ben 18 jaar, en ik heb twee broers en twee zussen. Ik vind skateboarding en eten heel gezellig.

Deze is een spel van voetbal Amerikaanse bij de Universiteit van Michigan.

Zwarte Piet? Ik vind het niet goed. I can respect that it is a long standing tradition, and that Christmas has been celebrated this way in het Nederland voor veel jaar. However, from an American perspective it is a shocking and very offensive practice. I don't say this to be condescending, because I'm sure that there are aspects of American culture that may seem offensive from a Dutch perspective. I just believe dat het is niet goed to dress up as a stereotype, even if it is not meant to be offensive, it still is offensive. Ik vind het vreemd dat St. Nicholas woont in Spanje. In Amerika we geloven dat hij woont in het noorden paal.  

Nu, ik heb een vragen voor jouw.

What are some aspects of American culture that seem strange to people in the Netherlands? 

Amerika - Ethan Bledsoe

Hallo!  Mijn naam is Ethan Bledsoe en ik ben negentien jaar oud. Ik woon in Ann Arbor, maar ik kom uit Midland, Michigan. Midland is een stad in de midden van Michigan. Ik studeer computer science en ben een student aan de Universiteit van Michigan.  Het is mijn tweede jaar. Ik vind de Universiteit erg mooi.

                                                         Ik ben in de midden

                                  "The tridge" in Midland Michigan, (tri + bridge)


Zwarte Piet:

Before I get into the topic of Zwarte Piet, I think it's only fair to mention America's habit of sometimes going overboard in trying to make everything "politically correct" so they don't seem racist or insensitive. For example the need to call everyone that is black, African American. Regardless if they are in fact African or American. In other words no it is not cool to call someone from England African American just because they are black. But this is a whole other topic, I just wanted to acknowledge that yes, the U.S occasionally has a more sensitive approach to issues considering "political correctness". In my opinion Zwarte Piet is not one of these situation. Regardless of a countries history it is not really acceptable to walk around in blackface. Blackface is more than just the paint on a persons face it is the portrayal of a black person as having a lower level of intelligence and a subservient personality. This singling out based on race is what makes the tradition unacceptable in my mind and in the minds of many other Americans.

America: Michelle Lu

Hi there!
My name is Michelle Lu and here are some of my opinions on Zwerte Piet, some questions for any of you, and a little spiff about me.

Zwarte Piet:

I was very shocked when I first learned about the Zwarte Piet tradition! After we watched a video of several people being interviewed in Amsterdam regarding how Zwerte Piet came about, I immediately thought of how many racist connotations are associated with the holiday. The "black slaves" and how they came to Spain to help Sinterklaas is the main shock factor for me. However, at the same I can understand why for many, the holiday isn't meant to be racist. It is just simple tradition and people don't associate black people with the slaves. It's a tradition made for the children.

However, I know that if an event like this occurred in America, huge controversies would break out! At the same time though, thinking about our Christmas tradition, we have elves that help Santa Claus, and all the elves appear to have fair skin which could also connote racism where Santa discriminates against other races.

This is the article I was skimming through to try to get a better understanding of what is exactly happening regarding Zwerte Piet. Check it out!

http://www.newstatesman.com/world-affairs/2014/07/dutch-court-has-ruled-black-pete-offensive-how-did-it-take-so-long

Which provokes me to ask any of you what you think of Zwarte Piet or even Christmas. In addition, how do you compare your values and views with both the Dutch culture and American culture? Do you feel that some aspects of American culture fit you better than those of Dutch culture? If so, what? Also just curious, what do you think about American food? Only if you want/have an answer :)

Okay, now a little about me:

I am currently a freshman attending the University of Michigan. I was born and grew up in Dayton, Ohio. I am currently studying Biology: Ecology and Evolution, French, Slavic, and Dutch: Amsterdam Culture.

I don't know what I want my major to be yet; however, I think I want to go to a Physician's Assistant school after my studies at the University of Michigan.

I love arctic animals of all kinds, and I love puppies, especially huskies and labs!

This is a picstitch of my senior prom. 

This is my sister and I at a Maroon 5 concert (my favorite band) 

This is my boyfriend, Alex, and I on vacation together this past summer at Myrtle Beach.

High school graduation photo with my family and my best friend. The blond girl, Laura, is one of my best friend's since I was 7 years old! 

Mike Black-America

Howdy y'all! My name is Mike Black and I am 18 years old, I like the rest of my classmates am a freshman (first year student) at the University of Michigan. I am from Long Island, New York (about an hour and a half east of New York City). My interests revolve around athletics. I have played soccer all of my life and was on the academy team for the New York Cosmos, so needless to say soccer is my first love (so feel free to talk soccer to me!). In high school, I also ran cross country and track and raced in High School National Championships for the steeplechase. I have also begun competing in triathlons, probably my favorite of which was the World Triathlon Series Race in Hamburg two summers ago.

When I first learned about the Zwarte Piet tradition, which is a big part of the Dutch holiday tradition, I was taken aback, because to me this is racist, and I think that it is clear by the rest of these posts that most Americans harbor similar feelings. Living in a country with such a deep history of division between blacks and whites, something like this a "zwarte Piet" I think would never be accepted. But, clearly it is just holiday tradition in the Netherlands, which began right around the same time that the Dutch pulled out of the slave trade (middle of the 19th century). To me, and I may be completely wrong, a country like the Netherlands without such a history of strife and oppression of Blacks, as that exists in America, can have such a tradition of blackface, without a huge political backlash (although there is definitely some now). I was happy to find out that in Amsterdam there is a 5-year step-down plan in place to stop the painting of the zwarte Piets black. I hope that doesn't anger anyone too much. I can't wait to hear back from y'all!

In researching the zwarte Piet tradition I found this article http://www.economist.com/news/europe/21588960-debate-holiday-tradition-exposes-racial-attitudes-zwarte-piet-racism

This is my prom date and I

This is my teammates and me after winning the 4x800m relay at the New York State Indoor Track&Field Championships

Also if you get the chance check out this youtube clip (yea thats me number 13 in white, not my best work but its still pretty sick!) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VeO9-vpcCJ8

America- Nicole White

Hallo vrienden! Mijn naam is Nicole White. Ik ben achttien jaar oud en mijn verjaardag is op 23 december. Ik kom uit Rochester Hills, Michigan. Ik woon in Ann Arbor voor school. Ik studeer aan de Universiteit van Michigan. Ik studeer nederlands, scheikunde , psychologie en medische terminologie .Ik hou van de campus is het zo mooi. Mijn favoriete sport is voetbal. Ik speelde voetbal voor vele jaren.

Dit is een foto van mijn ouders en ik na mijn laatste voetbalwedstrijd.

          

Dit is mijn vrienden en ik voor prom!

Speldag! Gaan blauw!

Zwarte Piet: 

          In my opinion, I think that there is a cultural barrier that prevents many cultures from understanding one another. This "cultural barrier", makes it difficult to put ourselves in other's shoes. It is hard for me to imagine how I would view Zwarte Piet had I been raised in the Netherlands. Would I still find it racist, or perhaps would I deem it as normal? In America a tradition such as Zwarte Piet would never be tollerated. However sometimes I think that America trys so hard to eliminate all forms of racism, that we end up actually being racist in the process. Racism is never going to go away, at least not until everyone is entirely the same. It's easy to point fingers and for me to tell you why Zwarte Piet is an act of racism. However, what is not so easy is for me to understand from a Netherlander's perspective why Zwarte Piet is not racist. 

          To me, Zwarte Piet represents singling out the black population. I think that I can best compare Zwarte Piet to the American holiday, Halloween. Halloween, where you can be whoever you wanna be no questions asked. Children dress up in costumes and go door to door getting bags full of candy. Zwarte Piet is similar to this in the sense that the Netherlanders dress up for the day, laugh, joke, celebtrate the holidays, and have a great time. The only difference is Zwarte Piet is at the expense of others. Zwarte Piet is at the direct expense of the entire black population. Us American's find Zwarte Piet unsettling largely due to the fact that we cannot as a country ever forget the terrible times where countless were enslaved. For American's, it's not that we can't forget, it's that we dont want to forget. Remembering allows us to ensure such tragedy never becomes acceptable again. It is my understanding that the Netherlands try to do the exact opposite. The Netherlanders want to forget all aspects of their torubled past, and focus on the here and now. The wonderful aspects that they can now pride themselves on. Perhaps this is why Zwarte Piet is accetable? 

On a lighter note...

Vraag: Wat doe jij en je vrienden doen voor plezier ? Wat zijn sommige dingen die jij en je vrienden doen in het weekend ?