America - Nick Campbell

Hey there!

I'm Nick, and I am a freshman here at the University of Michigan. Right now I am studying clarinet performance as well as international studies. My dream is to play in an orchestra some day, but if that doesn't work out I'd love to work in politics or run the National Endowment for the Arts here. While music takes up most of my time, I do manage to procrastinate with other hobbies. First, soccer. The greatest sport in the world. I am a huge Chelsea fan, so 2013 was perhaps the greatest year ever. I also am a huge TV nerd so I wastes lots of time on Netflix. I like to think I have decent taste, but secretly (or not so much) I am obsessed with cheesy teenage shows on MTV like Akward and Teen Wolf. I don't know if you guys have heard of those or not, but they aren't exactly high drama TV... I live in Virginia, at the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains, so I decided to share a picture of my friends and I at the peak of one of the mountains.

So on the topic of Zwarte Piet..

I'm sure you've read a lot of the same stuff from us, but its all true. To me, Zwarte Piet is a racist stereotype of black people. I grew up in a very conservative, white area of Virginia where a lot of racsim was tolerated. But black face? Not a chance. The relationship between white and black people here is buit on years of slavery and hate. So now, any action against another race is taken very seriously. I understand that your culture is very different, though. Your society isn't founded on the same racial undertones. I'm also impressed that you guys are finally starting to tone down the black face for Zwarte Piet...How do you feel about that? Was Zwarte Piet an important part of your childhood? When you look at Zwarte Piets what do you actually see? A black faced white man, or just a fun character of the holidays?


http://www.dw.de/dutch-court-rules-in-favor-of-black-pete/a-18058433
I found this article that discusses the issue of Zwarte Piet in the courts? Was this ruling a big headline in the Netherlands? Was their outrage? Happiness?

Thanks for reading! If anyone wants to talk soccer, music, or tv, I'd be happy to!