Fairly low.

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How does Danny Hart sit down with balls that big?

I'll second that.

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Long Chile was a silly place.

Black Peter, St Nicholas's companion is a Moor, therefore he has a black face... so in depicting Black Peter, the tradition is to blackface... it's in no way a racist intention, but... time change eh.

Zwarte Piet (pronounced [ˈzʋɑrtə ˈpit]; English: Black Peter or Black Pete, Luxembourgish: Schwaarze Péiter) is the companion of Saint Nicholas (Dutch: Sinterklaas,Luxembourgish: Kleeschen) in the folklore of the Low Countries. The character first appeared in his current form in an 1850 book by Jan Schenkman and is commonly depicted as a blackamoor. Traditionally Zwarte Piet is said to be black because he is a Moor from Spain.[1] Those portraying Zwarte Piet typically put on blackface make-up and colourful Renaissance attire, in addition to curly wigs, red lipstick and earrings. In recent years, the character has become the subject of controversy, especially in the Netherlands.[2][3]

At least now I know your perspective.

Do you think an Asian or Arab shop owner feels the same way? Or an Indian cabbie?

My perspective is that the most racist people I have met are from other countries (with Chinese people being the worst). Most black people I have met were born here. Most people born in toronto are not racist. Or not overtly racist anyway.

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How does Danny Hart sit down with balls that big?

America is, always was and always will be the most racist country in the history of the universe.

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Civilize the mind, but make savage the body.

- Chinese proverb

Really good point.

Chicago ghetto blacks vs suburban blacks... redneck trailer trash whites vs suburban whites - same race, but completely different species. You don't want to be the only black person in redneck land and you really do not want to be "not black" and in the Chicago ghetto when the sun goes down... and most days even when the sun is up.

Funny thing is that you can impersonate a cop just by being white in the areas I was in. The cop cars roll up and automatically assume you're a cop and start talking to you as though you're a cop. Or maybe it was because I was always wearing my Don Johnson collection down there?

That's racist (calling Chinese people racist, that is).

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Civilize the mind, but make savage the body.

- Chinese proverb

Just calling a spade a spade. D'oh, now that's racist.

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How does Danny Hart sit down with balls that big?

Funny how things are figured differently in different parts of the globe. My (UK) grandparents used to scare us kids by telling us that if we didn't behave, we'd get put on Santa's naughty list, and if we stayed on it by xmas eve, Black Peter would give us a piece of coal (rather than Santa and presents). If we were on the naughty list for a second year, Black Peter would take you away to work in the mines...

Oh, and they explained that he was black from coming down the chimney and due to the coal he carried about. Nothing about black people or Moors.

I still use the tale to scare my kids. I'm itching to give one of my kids a piece of coal, but the wife has told me not to as it would ruin Christmas for everyone. Killjoy.

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Swim. Overbike. Walk.

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Take a short break from ST and read my blog:
http://tri-banter.blogspot.com/

It can be a scary tale for young children, sort of like being on Santa's Naughty List, but the coal was the kicker.
Funnily enough, of late, the depiction of Black Peter in the Netherland has his skintone being lightened to more a golden or tan colour.
Is that a form of racism, to alter an existing historical folk story to meet the norms of current times....?
was Jesus the blonde fair skinned Being as represented by Christian Churches here in Australia and Europe as far as I'm aware, or would we have difficulty in recognising Him from the darker skinned, bearded look of today's Palestinian.
It seems to be more about currently accepted standards and norms than anything else.

That may have been me - I vaguely remember ranting about Black Peter a couple of years back.

There's an annoying habit in Dutch culture that everything "moet kunnen" - literally "should be possible/allowed". And that as long as you don't physically hurt anybody you can say or do anything. "Physically hurt" is defined loosely - in my opinion the absolute mayhem caused by fireworks around new years is hurting people with PTSD and noise sensitivities for example, but still those fireworks "moeten kunnen".

A lot of insidious racism is justified the same way: by claiming humorous intent, or "tradition", or thin-skinnedness by the offended minority. Or all of these together.

It's beyond annoying, and present under otherwise intelligent people as well. And while the (especially US) SJW narrative sometimes loses touch with reality, I currently prefer living in North-America (Canada) over the Netherlands, mainly for this reason. I've come to consider the Dutch to be impolite and inconsiderate.

(Aside: We currently have my in-laws over. My mother-in-law was born and spend her youth in colonial Africa, and her husband made his career in newly independent Africa where the ghosts of the English and French administrators were still very much present. One reason they are here is because we rolled a number of family festivities into a big vacation to Barbados, which reminded them of the colonial Africa of their past. It became perfectly clear that my MIL especially has zero understanding of slavery ("why do the blacks here all have English and not African names?") and colonial oppression, and that she liked the nice neat colonial architecture of the rich people resorts much better that the admittedly somewhat random and messy places inhabited by the locals, coming very close to implying that colonial rule was actually preferable. It annoyed me to no end. I'm never going to a place like that with them ever again)

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Citizen of the world, former drunkard. Resident Traumatic Brain Injury advocate.

Wow. You, obviously, know nothing about the countries of Africa and Asia.

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If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went. - Will Rogers

Emery's Third Coast Triathlon | Tri Wisconsin Triathlon Team | Push Endurance | GLWR

You need to get your mind right.

America is the worst. Obama says so.

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Civilize the mind, but make savage the body.

- Chinese proverb

Well, there is that. Thanks Obama!!!

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If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went. - Will Rogers

Emery's Third Coast Triathlon | Tri Wisconsin Triathlon Team | Push Endurance | GLWR

Ok credit you with making me laugh out loud. That was damn funny.

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Proud member of the MSF (Maple Syrup Mafia)

You explained to her that it was cultural appropriation I hope...

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How does Danny Hart sit down with balls that big?

America, being the geographical center of the universe, is both the best and worst of everything. Really, what happens in other countries hardly even matters, right?

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Slowguy

(insert pithy phrase here...)

Nope. Only the worst. Anything good that came out of America was stolen form Africans, Muslims, Canadians and was, of course, built by Mexicans.

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Civilize the mind, but make savage the body.

- Chinese proverb