Last night on TV, I was introduced to one of the most racist tv shows I can think of ....and so many questions come to mind as I was just totally flabbergasted by this idea..that they even could put it on tv.
This show is called Groeten Terug (Greetings Back), and its on the SBS6 channel. They take these innocent people from the bush of Africa or jungles of SE Asia, who obviously don't live like us or even know about the ways of life and technology in the industrialized world, and they bring them to the Netherlands, and have them do some sort of 'normal' activity (what would be normal here in Holland I guess)...and then film it and show it on tv. Yesterday's episode had some people from Papua New Guinea and Ethiopia. I only saw the part with the people from Ethiopia. I couldn't even watch that whole part. There were 4 or 5 boys/men, and they stayed with a family, who then dressed them up as Zwarte Piets ('black petes') and then go to a school and toss candy to the teenagers for Sinter Klaas (St.Nick's Day). I have issues with Zwarte Piet to begin with. Usually the (white) Dutch paint themselves black and wear these sort of bright clown type costumes and have big red lips, big black afro wigs, a hat with a feather, and gold earrings. I'm told they're from Morocco..as Sint was on his way to Holland from Turkey? Sure. Sounds familiar...black people on boats with the Dutch. Hmmm...
Anyways, it was quite painful for me to watch these Ethiopians, who have never even experienced electricity before..be thrown into these costumes for the entertainment of the white dutch. I think they also paid a visit to the dentist. I felt really sorry for them, that they were being totally exploited but they don't even realize it.
I think those from Papua New Guinea had to join some driving school or something...what a wonderful, entertaining idea! NOT.
Who thought of this show to begin with? Did they think it really was a good idea? Did they think they'd get lots of viewers? And really...how did they manage to get visas (much less passports) to come to Holland...what was the reason..."entertainment show" ???? I mean, the Dutch government has been throwing thousands of asylum seekers out of this country for the past several years, and I have a hard enough time getting a residence permit! Plus, many native white Dutch people seem to have a problem with immigrants to begin with. But yet they 'ship in' several 'exotic' men, and they after they use them for their entertainment, they ship them back out again....and I'm sure these guys don't even know what they are getting themselves into when they board a plane for Amsterdam...who tricked them to begin with? How did they get them to come there? Its so wrong in all ways possible! I am still shocked that someone would even think of this to begin with, and then actually go through with producing it. What kind of country am I living in?
