#cosplaying piet

[videogamesincolor]

The amount of big name white cosplayers defending Leon Chiro (Italian cosplayer) darkening his skin to cosplay Bayek. Uuuuuugh.

The AssCreed fandom’s being racist trash? That doesn’t surprise me at all. Brownface and blackface are all the rage among Assassin’s Creed cosplayers, and it’s a pretty common practice among Italian cosplayers (and Italy’s pretty well known for its anti-Black racism).

If you were in the fandom back in 2012, there were plenty of white cosplayers and AssCreed fans (white, Black, and non-Black) bending backward and twisting themselves in knots to defend big name cosplayer Rick Boer (who used zwarte Piet as a defense when he got called out for it) and his light-skinned wife when they brownfaced for their Connor Kenway and Aveline de Grandpre cosplay (and as Ubisoft’s official character reps IIRC). 

The fact that people protected them from the consequences of their racism just emboldened other AssCreed cosplayers to do the same, which was more than enough reason for me to stay the hell away from the AC fandom.

[rosedosed]

NAGISA, because we met at eff when you were cosplaying him, ezra because i havent seen a second of content with him in it but he feels like a dumbass son thanks to your art, and finally sabine because i panicked and couldnt think of another one but it still counts in my mind!!!! also httyd but thats not a character skhgbskrhgb WAIT also piet piraat if that counts because im still not over what a fucking visionary you are to name him that

BOTH EZRA AND SABINE DANTE YOU HERO.... Piet Piraat sends his fucking regards from beyond the grave (unless you meant the other one in which case, once again, you hero)

[littleapachi]

Ok here’s the story of Schwartz Piet. Originally he was not a chimney sweeper. He was a morish king from (Islamic?) Spain. He was aloes with Saint Nick if not good Freinds.

If you where a naughty child you didn’t get coal you where taken by Schwartze Piet back to his kingdom in Spain(Netherlands was still under Spanish rule) for a year to make toys for Saint Nick to give to good kids. (That’s where santas “elves” come from. )They did this so that you whould learn from hard work, to be kind and responsible, and to work hard in life to achieve your dreams. To not be lazy.

Dutch people have a parade where Saint Nick (guy dressed up as him like a mall santa) arrives on a boat from Spain with his Freind peat. Since there arnt many people of color or particularly morish people in Netherlands they paint their skin to look like him. Now a commen misconception usually Americans is that in America we have a history of slavery. Black : slaver, racism, discrimination. And in America black face was used to mock people of color and was extremely degrading.

Meanwhile in Netherlands black is not really associated with slavery. (Netherlands indipendence was won by a Dutch pirat Piet hein who hated slavery and when capturing slave ships he freed all the slaves, and beat the Spanish) netherlands where merchents and mostly wanted to trade more than dominant other races and cultures. So much so that in japans isolationist period the only people they traded with where the Dutch. Because Dutch wanted to sell stuff not judge and dominate like the brits of Americans or most other European countries at the time. Netherlands was to small to pick fights. Also Netherlands was the first country to stop monarch rule. The opted for a more democratic parliamentary system. All men ar equal. (See admiral on Netflix) Netherlands also dosnt have the same history of using black face to mock people of color. Schwartz Piet is not Saint nicks slave. He’s a moorish king that people revered. In this case they painted their skin because they admired him. A case of “ imitation is the best form of flattery”. People I think see all black face as mockery and negative. Sortof like cultural appropriation but for skin. But I feel there is a difference between appropriation and apritiation. People only see the appropriation. And imidiatly connotat it with the negative things you see in America. Now because of this there’s been a lot of outcry from people who don’t understand the history, culture, heratige and attitude of the practice or the Dutch. Because of the pressure and no one seems to understand the good will and intensons. Who only see a mocking racist black face man who beats children and kidnaps them. That now adays people say “oh he’s not a morish king… he’s just a poor chimney sweeper…. covers in soot. While this has stated to appease the international community. Many find this to be more degrading. Your taking a morish prince, who is a respected educated awe inspiring individual. And you’d striping away his power, education and status by making him a simple chimney sweeper. If anything I’d say Schwartz Peits color empowers him. So it’s frustrating when people don’t understand that when people cosplay as him (people generally cosplay people they admire) that theyr not mocking him at all. I think this is a good example of looking at a cultural practice. And not bothering to learn its history and based off that ignorant assumption making an incorrect judgement. And saying "I don’t understand this this is evil” it’s something you see a lot in history and generally leads to the oppression of said culture. Now granted every country has its bad apples. But in this cases I’d say the tradition isn’t racist

But it’s poorly understood and thus incorrectly judged

C: In Belgium and The Netherlands we have this holiday for children called ‘Sinterklaas’ on December 6th. Now, I know December 6th is far gone but this holiday has actually been bothering me for a few years. It basically consists of a saint and his ‘helpers’ (called 'zwarte pieten’ or 'black Petes’ you can look them up on Google) delivering children presents. The 'helpers’, or more accurately, slaves, are white people doing blackface, putting on red lipstick, hoop rings and wigs with kinky, curly hair. All of this gets excused by 'They’re black from going through the chimney to deliver the presents to the children!!!’ while it’s obviously racism. It’s upsetting knowing countries this modern and progressive can’t see it’s racism. Every year December comes around and black people get bullied being called black Petes. Protestors or people who are against these figures get banned from events and ridiculed.Facebook pages against it get constant hate while Facebook pages for it get glorified by all these white people who want to keep their 'oh so beautiful tradition’. I just can’t believe/get over how all these children (including me at the time, I too, thought this was okay and 'just a figure’) get to grow up with symbols this racist thinking it’s okay. I wish Belgium and The Netherlands would open their eyes.

[littleapachi]

Ok here’s the story of Schwartz Piet. Originally he was not a chimney sweeper. He was a morish king from (Islamic?) Spain. He was aloes with Saint Nick if not good Freinds.

If you where a naughty child you didn’t get coal you where taken by Schwartze Piet back to his kingdom in Spain(Netherlands was still under Spanish rule) for a year to make toys for Saint Nick to give to good kids. (That’s where santas “elves” come from. )They did this so that you whould learn from hard work, to be kind and responsible, and to work hard in life to achieve your dreams. To not be lazy.

Dutch people have a parade where Saint Nick (guy dressed up as him like a mall santa) arrives on a boat from Spain with his Freind peat. Since there arnt many people of color or particularly morish people in Netherlands they paint their skin to look like him. Now a commen misconception usually Americans is that in America we have a history of slavery. Black : slaver, racism, discrimination. And in America black face was used to mock people of color and was extremely degrading.

Meanwhile in Netherlands black is not really associated with slavery. (Netherlands indipendence was won by a Dutch pirat Piet hein who hated slavery and when capturing slave ships he freed all the slaves, and beat the Spanish) netherlands where merchents and mostly wanted to trade more than dominant other races and cultures. So much so that in japans isolationist period the only people they traded with where the Dutch. Because Dutch wanted to sell stuff not judge and dominate like the brits of Americans or most other European countries at the time. Netherlands was to small to pick fights. Also Netherlands was the first country to stop monarch rule. The opted for a more democratic parliamentary system. All men ar equal. (See admiral on Netflix) Netherlands also dosnt have the same history of using black face to mock people of color. Schwartz Piet is not Saint nicks slave. He’s a moorish king that people revered. In this case they painted their skin because they admired him. A case of “ imitation is the best form of flattery”. People I think see all black face as mockery and negative. Sortof like cultural appropriation but for skin. But I feel there is a difference between appropriation and apritiation. People only see the appropriation. And imidiatly connotat it with the negative things you see in America. Now because of this there’s been a lot of outcry from people who don’t understand the history, culture, heratige and attitude of the practice or the Dutch. Because of the pressure and no one seems to understand the good will and intensons. Who only see a mocking racist black face man who beats children and kidnaps them. That now adays people say “oh he’s not a morish king… he’s just a poor chimney sweeper…. covers in soot. While this has stated to appease the international community. Many find this to be more degrading. Your taking a morish prince, who is a respected educated awe inspiring individual. And you’d striping away his power, education and status by making him a simple chimney sweeper. If anything I’d say Schwartz Peits color empowers him. So it’s frustrating when people don’t understand that when people cosplay as him (people generally cosplay people they admire) that theyr not mocking him at all. I think this is a good example of looking at a cultural practice. And not bothering to learn its history and based off that ignorant assumption making an incorrect judgement. And saying "I don’t understand this this is evil” it’s something you see a lot in history and generally leads to the oppression of said culture. Now granted every country has its bad apples. But in this cases I’d say the tradition isn’t racist

But it’s poorly understood and thus incorrectly judged

visiting the zwarte piet tag on tumblr isnt really good for my dutch blood pressure.

(FACT: Santa Claus exists because of Sinterklaas, not the other way around) (source)

Also If anyone reading this (religiously) believes it’s racist or isn’t sure, please let me know why, I’d like to hear your arguments and maybe I can learn something too. I’d just like Tumblr (and you) to see this children’s tradition shown in a more positive light than just an annual worldwide news topic.

I won’t bite