Comments by "Lynott Parris" (@DenUitvreter) on "10 Santa Alternatives from Around the World" video.

@LindsayHoliday Not that I support Zwarte Piet, but he hasn't been the bogey man anymore for a very long time. He would never made it into the 21st century like that. The fact that he has become the friendly most loved one who helps out the old bishop who forgets a lot is part of the explanation why it has been under the radar until the 2010's. I can see how the American and British tradition of deragatory blackface has made face painting problematic for everybody, but let's not forget that the Americans changed it to Santa Claus because they couldn't stand the idea of a black fictional character bringing presents and entering their houses at night. Racial hatred has never been part of Zwarte Piet. On the contrary, it started out as an attempt to bring up children with a positive image of blacks by an abolitionist. It made a very effective disguise to fool the little kids of course.
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