Editorial: Waste of energy
POSTED: 10/23/13 7:54 PMIt seems a bit of a stretch to devote so much ink and energy on the non-discussion about Black Peter – the naughty helper of Sinterklaas in the Netherlands. As we pointed out yesterday, there is a perception of racism and that at least this perception is real, but one may well wonder why suddenly the United Nations gets involved with a tradition that has been alive for more than sixty years.
The outcome of the UN-investigation is already clear, because the committee that has to do the work is chaired by Verene Shepherd who made her predisposition about this non-issue already clear on Dutch TV.
Why bother about an investigation then? And why leave the very white Sinterklaas and Santa Claus alone?
We suspect that this discussion will become a tradition all by itself – something to chew on in the fall for lack of better things to do. What a waste of energy.
