HowlRound: I thought I was writing a simple holiday play for young audiences, the story of a young homesick girl who misses her mom and fights with her grandmother over the politically incorrect holiday character Zwarte Piet, or “Black Pete.” I didn't realize I had touched the third rail of American theatre: blackface.
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The topic of racism in the Netherlands is very interesting. I went to the Netherlands this summer and I did notice some oddities in terms of how the country deals with and handles race. Being Asian-American, the word 'oriental' is definitely not okay when trying to describe people who's ethnicity originates from East Asia. It's not okay at all to describe an Asian in America as oriental because it's an outdated term left behind from the age of colonialism. However, when I went to Holland, I was slightly appalled (mainly surprised) at the fact that a couple of Asian supermarkets were straight up named "Oriental Supermarket" or "Amazing Oriental." It truly is strange because a lot of context depends on where you grow up. In Holland, the word 'oriental' carries no harm in its name. It's not meant to offend at all-- it's just how it is. Because of that, there was a strange disconnect that I felt because I knew that back in the States, this would cause outrage (due to America's history with East Asia) . But in Holland, it just wasn't a thing. I think that this issue at hand in the article is similar to what I experienced, but probably still remains more touchy of a subject. I'm not saying in any way shape or form that blackface is alright even if "tradition" says its okay because really-- it's 2015. But what I do say is ponder social context because it's a really interesting topic, the way that culture and location can severely impact one's views.
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