The Dutch continue to be ridiculously racist and in denial about it

[Baron von Schtinkenbutt]

Yep. Maybe even by him.

Yes, but by me.

He can call Tim a dumbass in threads all he wants.  However, I'm not going to stand for him or anyone else starting threads specifically to do that.

[katmai]

I guess Martinus' attention-whoring thread was deleted?

He only has one?

[Valmy]

The article, for reasons I don't understand, included the tweet:

"I have no idea how my Black Dutch friends get through the day. These aren't microaggressions, this is outright violence."

I goggled the author, Siddhartha Mitter, who apparently went to Havard and worked for the Boston Globe, so it seems he should be smart...But then he has such an odd understanding of what constitutes outright violence. And then was quoted in an article discussing language usage.

I just assume when I hear stuff like this they are making mountains out of molehills (or mountain ranges out of mountains perhaps in this case) intentionally for the purposes of activism and ideology. Fighting the good fight as it were.

I am pretty sure black dutch people have a thick enough skin to not let a few N-words said or printed someplace in the Netherlands to destroy their lives. I suspect they have the appropriate level of contempt for the sayer or printer that matches the circumstances.

Besides he has no idea how his friends are coping with a circumstance? He cannot ask his friends about how they feel?

[Valmy]

Yep. Maybe even by him.

Yes, but by me.

He can call Tim a dumbass in threads all he wants.  However, I'm not going to stand for him or anyone else starting threads specifically to do that.

Well done. Tim is still our friend no matter how big of a jerk he was about the 2006 Rose Bowl.

[Martinus]

The article, for reasons I don't understand, included the tweet:

"I have no idea how my Black Dutch friends get through the day. These aren't microaggressions, this is outright violence."

I goggled the author, Siddhartha Mitter, who apparently went to Havard and worked for the Boston Globe, so it seems he should be smart...But then he has such an odd understanding of what constitutes outright violence. And then was quoted in an article discussing language usage.

I just assume when I hear stuff like this they are making mountains out of molehills (or mountain ranges out of mountains perhaps in this case) intentionally for the purposes of activism and ideology. Fighting the good fight as it were.

I am pretty sure black dutch people have a thick enough skin to not let a few N-words said or printed someplace in the Netherlands to destroy their lives. I suspect they have the appropriate level of contempt for the sayer or printer that matches the circumstances.

Besides he has no idea how his friends are coping with a circumstance? He cannot ask his friends about how they feel?

You do realise that the sentence with "nigger" in it was a direct quotation of the book by a black author this article was reviewing, right? And the article was about racism. I am not sure why they should have "the appropriate level of contempt" for the author of the article.

[Martinus]

Yep. Maybe even by him.

Yes, but by me.

He can call Tim a dumbass in threads all he wants.  However, I'm not going to stand for him or anyone else starting threads specifically to do that.

The thread was a direct copy of this thread, only the word "Dutch" was replaced by "Tim" and "racist" was replaced by "dumb".

[Martinus]

The article, for reasons I don't understand, included the tweet:

"I have no idea how my Black Dutch friends get through the day. These aren't microaggressions, this is outright violence."

I goggled the author, Siddhartha Mitter, who apparently went to Havard and worked for the Boston Globe, so it seems he should be smart...But then he has such an odd understanding of what constitutes outright violence. And then was quoted in an article discussing language usage.

Because, as we used to say in the Eastern Bloc, "the class warfare intensifies just as the revolution progresses". It seems chasing "institutionalised racism" in the US is not enough anymore, so the revolution needs to be exported to those damnable, racist, slave-owning Dutch.

It only takes a bunch of easily agitated cretins and social justice warriors to sharpen the pitchforks.

[Martinus]

For the record, Washington Post seems to be quite happy using other slurs, such as "wetback" or "faggot" in headlines or text (as quotation - i.e. in the same way the author of this article did). So again, I ask what is the gist of their problem here.

Is it about the word "nigger" being a taboo, no matter the context and the fact that it was used in quotation? If so, the critique is both misguided (as the word does not carry the same level of stigma as it does in the US, and is no different from other racial, ethnic or homophobic slurs in the Netherlands) and hypocritical as Washington Post happily uses other slurs in its text itself.

Is it about the Dutch article being itself racist? The Washington Post article does not even try to establish that.

[Valmy]

You do realise that the sentence with "nigger" in it was a direct quotation of the book by a black author this article was reviewing, right? And the article was about racism. I am not sure why they should have "the appropriate level of contempt" for the author of the article.

The appropriate level being zero if it 'matches the circumstances'

I intentionally wrote it that way.

Is it about the Dutch article being itself racist? The Washington Post article does not even try to establish that.

It is the word paired with the 'blackface' picture. It was all in the American context.

[Martinus]

You do realise that the sentence with "nigger" in it was a direct quotation of the book by a black author this article was reviewing, right? And the article was about racism. I am not sure why they should have "the appropriate level of contempt" for the author of the article.

The appropriate level being zero if it 'matches the circumstances'

I intentionally wrote it that way.

Fine, but I think if you word it this way you are giving field to the crazies like the guy. I think we have reached the point when they should be actively opposed, as otherwise people like that will soon shout down any meaningful and diverse discourse.

[Martinus]

It is the word paired with the 'blackface' picture. It was all in the American context.

Again, it may be inoffensive in the Dutch context. If someone wanted to publish that article in the US, then you could take offence (although, it may also be explained by cultural differences) but they didn't. Perhaps asking the Dutch people how they felt about the article would be a good start before declaring that "the Dutch continue to be ridiculously racist and in denial about it".

[Eddie Teach]

The blurb about the writer mentions she worked for AP in Curacao previously. So even if she is American (unknown to me), her thoughts on Dutch race relations will be based on experience. Also, not sure the Post necessarily shares her views.

[Valmy]

Fine, but I think if you word it this way you are giving field to the crazies like the guy. I think we have reached the point when they should be actively opposed, as otherwise people like that will soon shout down any meaningful and diverse discourse.

I doubt that dude would give two fucks what I think even if I wrote him a personalized letter and hand delivered to him, much less posting it here on some tiny message board

But rather I was just saying it was odd he brought up his black Dutch friends while announcing his ignorance of how they managed the situation. I mean why not direct this article to them and let them post a comment if they feel strongly about it?

[Valmy]

The blurb about the writer mentions she worked for AP in Curacao previously. So even if she is American (unknown to me), her thoughts on Dutch race relations will be based on experience. Also, not sure the Post necessarily shares her views.

Oooh good to know. She might be know a few things about Dutch race relations. That change your view a bit Marty?

[Martinus]

The blurb about the writer mentions she worked for AP in Curacao previously. So even if she is American (unknown to me), her thoughts on Dutch race relations will be based on experience. Also, not sure the Post necessarily shares her views.

Oooh good to know. She might be know a few things about Dutch race relations. That change your view a bit Marty?

Possibly. I am still willing to trust The Brain more.