Results are in! A year has been and gone but Zwarte Piet is still here. A recent survey has revealed that 20% of young Dutch people continue to support Zwarte Piet and we are just as fed up as you are.
It’s the year 2022 and here comes that dreaded time of year again when many of us debate the age-old Dutch tradition of Sinterklaas’ little blackface ‘helpers’, Zwarte Pieten.
READ MORE| Zwarte Piet: the full guide to the Netherland’s most controversial tradition
The latest survey by I&O Research investigates how many Dutchies won’t back down from the view that the tradition of non-black people smearing black paint and red lipstick across their faces is just A-OK.
Good or bad news?
The results? Hurray! Only 1 in 5 Dutch youths support blackface.
Or should we say: Booo! 1 in 5 young Dutch people still support blackface.
READ MORE| Dutch Quirk #50: Disagree all the time about Zwarte Piet
While 20% is far better than the whopping 65% that this figure stood at just six years ago, we are scratching our heads at this sizable percentage.
Even so, at least we can see that the number of supporters of the controversial character are dropping (slowly). Phew!
Old traditions die hard
If this is true for the youngins, then it’s no surprise that 39% of Dutch people aged between 50 to 65 still support the Zwarte Piet.
After all, you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.
A christmas miracle
Dear Sinterklaas,
All we want for Christmas is to abolish the Zwarte Piet tradition.
READ MORE: Support for Zwarte Piet drops significantly, new survey finds
We can only hope. Zwarte Piet has long since been an integral part of the Dutch Sinterklaas celebration which year after year shows a habit which is hard to kick.
What do you think of the survey’s findings? Let us know in the comments below.
This is the 4th article at least you have published! Most kids born in recent years have never heard of it! If you want it ti go away STOP TALKING ABOUT IT !