Racism in Europe

Since humans all over the world are constantly fighting for justice and equality, I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to tackle the topic of racism in Europe, and how many people are not seeing the occurrences that are taking place.

Stereotypical assumptions

When I speak to many individuals from other countries they frequently tell me how they have encountered racism in different ways, which in some cases is not always immediately noticeable, but still has racial intentions (subtle remarks that usually seem as innocent and complimentary while they are very racial and stereotypical).

Inhabitants from other cultural ethnicities are never able to have regular conversations, unless they have to hold conversations about their culture and what their respective believes and traditions are, but frankly these comments are never meant to be kind in any matter.

For example, when somebody believes in Islam they are immediately obligated to answer questions regarding their religious believes, while their course of actions are very inappropriate and generally offensive.

In the Netherlands, they usually repeat the same questions revolving Islamic traditions when they are having annual celebrations, like Ramadan for instance, while they have answered these questions on a regular basis and are basically exhausted to always have to explain what it consists of, but however Dutch people think that they are being considerate, but in reality they are only being offensive due to the fact that they do not want to do some dedicated research about these traditions or even Islam in general.

One of the main difficulties that foreigners are also affiliated with is that Dutch people are having trouble identifying diverse countries, ethnicities, and cultures that are completely distinctive from each other, and they have the assumption that they all have the same morals, believes, and traditions.

This generally occurs when people are not properly educated, which creates a lot of stereotypes and misconceptions that are easily avoidable when schools, universities, and high schools prioritize these important narratives.

How do these misconceptions even occur?

Objectively speaking, I personally do not feel connected with my Dutch heritage for multiple reasons, the first reason being that Dutch people will never accept the fact that you’re basically a Dutch citizen once you’ve integrated and once you’ve received your passport.

Living in this country for precisely my entire life, has never really made me realize how much racism is actually occurring, and also how well hidden it is, Dutch people are very strategic when it’s regarding racism and the undertones of it, for instance, the exhibit that I have tackled in the paragraph above where I was explaining about how the Dutch people tend to make statements, or comments while sugarcoating the actual definition and message they are trying to convey.

As a child, it’s not easy to determine racism or to immediately notice it while you’re still undeveloped, and it has created so many misconceptions in my own perspective, but also of other young millennials that originate from other nations or continents.

This also includes education and the way it has been executed for years, Dutch schools do not really cover the topics of other nations, ethnicities, religious believes or any subject regarding the history of other places within the world, due to the lack of knowledge people will quickly believe in assumptions that are created by the white media, which the Dutch media and the educational institutions are also participating in.

Later on, I started to recognize the constant pattern that Dutch people follow especially the educational system, which usually pushes negative narratives towards foreigners, showcasing incorrect statistics of the crimes that ethnic people have committed, and the number of people who are unemployed, they generally make it seem like these individuals are the only ones that have no serious ambitions or aspirations, and are usually only involved in criminal activities.

Why have they never enlightened us about the positive matters that people of color have been associated with? This question kept following me once I was getting past my adolescences, and with these experiences, I’ve already collected so much evidence that racism has been normalized within the Netherlands and several other European countries because they are encouraging it, and they are not trying to reduce or prevent racism with actual consequences, but only light punishments that are not really essential since they will simply proceed with these racist actions without being disciplined for these unacceptable comments or even in the worst cases physical actions.

Dutch authorities have never really held anyone accountable when it’s revolving racism, as I initially said that they deliberately do not care about these incidents because they have never been prioritized and they, unfortunately, will never be especially when racism is not being perceived as a serious matter, but just “something that we need to cope with” and because of that particular mindset, it’s impossible to expect change when it’s seen as something “innocent” and something that can easily be resolved by simple conversations when in reality it requires so much more.

Initially, we were talking about how racism is taking very lightly and not as something that needs to be discussed, media outlets and schools purposely arrange these incorrect perspectives to make it seem that whites are the superior ones among the human race but little do they know that we have actually provided these resources for them to even have the luxury of wealth and opulence.

Hidden truth

As I have confessed before media outlets and educational institutions are purposely avoiding any interaction when it’s regarding black history, or just history all together, unless it’s about the superior “hero’s” predominately white individuals that have executed “impressive contributions”, and usually explaining the same repeated narrative that they have done amazing things and how we should be thankful for these ‘explorers’.

What they do not bring to the topic is that these explorers have assassinated several innocent human beings to confiscate their lands, and to occupy several nations to change them into colonies that are obligated to adapt their languages, and that’s why many countries mostly in African nations happen to speak a language that actually never resonated with them, and basically has no association with their cultures.

Obviously these explorers that are perceived as hero’s have definitely contributed to the reimbursements that Europe profits off today, they didn't become rich all of the sudden, due to the fact that they have stolen many resources and even other possessions like statues and national treasures that technically do not even belong to themselves, these are clearly very valuable, hence why these countries took advantage of these “less sophisticated” nations to benefit from these extraordinary resources like gold, copper and diamond and in some cases even oil.

Because many of these developing countries have been occupied by European nations it’s clearly one of the causes why these countries have become developing nations overall, if they would still have custody over these valuable resources, they would’ve been more stable economically, which currently is almost unachievable regardless of the amount of help that they would get.

These are all historical occurrences that have been taking places for centuries, and sadly enough slavery is this something that is still happening in different nations across the globe, despite the fact that it’s basically not even legal anymore, however European education systems do not teach their citizens about these issues and unless their people are willing to be informed, they will never have any acknowledgment about what black people have been coping with for centuries, but also in the current time, and unfortunately if the system keeps dispatching black history out of existence this will never change.

The use of the N-word

This problem is technically an issue that happens in several countries and continents, but also something I’ve frequently experienced in the Netherlands, when I was younger I usually thought that the N-word was not really an offensive term, but rather a word that is being used to describe a person you’re acquainted with as a special person or a ‘brother’.

The mainstream media and a lot of music that is being consumed globally still tends to contain these words, so it’s difficult not the be tempted to use it, however, it’s still very inappropriate, but since people are using it as a regular reference people never had the assumption that the word could have a negative meaning, but it has been associated with slavery, and that alone is a direct indication that white people or people of other ethnicities shouldn't even feel entitled to use the word in a casual way and should be completely restricted from them altogether.

However, many people are still using the word, despite the fact that they have been educated on the actual definition of the N-word, but still manage to create several excuses to still use this word in their daily vocabularies, and some black people are not taking any precautions whatsoever, and tend to give their white friends the permission to use the word.

Black people have managed to make a term for themselves, and only to be embraced by themselves, and nobody else since it has been an offensive term.

We took it and made something remarkable out if, but only for our consumption and not to used as a general term that everybody is permitted to use, and just because black artists and rappers are using the world regularly in their music, because they have the entitlement for it does not mean that you as a white individual have any reason to even use it, or to even consider arguing about it, they are not in the position to use it and that is something they need to accept, especially those who have black friends should really take it into consideration on how it has affected the ancestors of their black friends, and then they will realize why they have no entitlement to use it.

When will we be considered as human beings?

As a black individual, I’m assured that I’m not the only person who has experienced this, but however, I can definitely recall the amount of times that these instances have been bothering me to a certain degree that I became very resistant and defensive when it’s regarding my race, culture or ethnicity.

While you’re being defensive, white people will immediately make remarks like “why do you need to be angry when I asked you a very formal question?” but are questions as well as statements like “once summer is arriving I’m becoming as dark as you” or “is your country poor?” or “can I touch your hair” formal questions to begin with?

We as Black people are already negotiating with the fact that we always need to experience unpleasant situations, and that we will always be oppressed, which in general is something that we have been dealing with for ages, and that’s why we as black individuals do not want to be surrounded by people who ask these diabolically offensive questions. Because they lack comprehension unless it’s about a typical subject like European history.

Black individuals, but also other ethnic groups are extremely exhausted by these unnecessary and racially related questions, because we are not an experiment, but we are actual human beings.

Those who also consist out of blood and bones just like every other person on this planet, we don’t like to be separated and we surely do not like to be categorized because of our different cultures.

White individuals do not have to deal with issues like these, purely due to the fact that they have a lighter complexion, but they will never understand that until they will have the ability to comprehend our struggles and their own privilege.

Aside of that, when they ask questions like “can I touch your hair it looks so mesmerizing” I’m just genuinely wondering why they are lacking so much understanding when it’s regarding black people, and the things that we cherish about ourselves, especially since our hair is one of the things that we have learned to embrace over time.

White people are not being asked about their hair or complexion mainly because they are being perceived as “regular delicate human beings” while black people are “edgy and tropical” with all due respect Karen.. we have invested a lot of time and dedication to take care of our hair and we are proud of our sumptuous looking curls, hence why you are not allowed to touch it, I’m not a doll in an exhibition center!

Black Pete

This particular issue needed to be highlighted since the Netherlands still doesn’t understand how insanely offensive this is, and why it is being perceived as racist, they constantly repeat the narrative about Black Pete being Santa Claus’s assistant, and that he achieved this dark skin tone by jumping into chimneys, but however.. why are they being painted so remarkably dark that they even get cherry red lips and hoop earrings, just by hoping into a chimney? (both things that depict black stereotypes).

Not to mention when children witness any black person within their streets or surroundings they tend to call us ‘Black Pete’, because these children are assuming that every black individual is the assistant of Santa Claus, and frankly enough I cannot really blame these children, but I do blame their parents for their lack of understanding, and the lack of parenting skills because they are not educating their children about black people in general, and how to separate a fictional character from an actual living human being.

And last but certainly but not least, the audacity to even call this a children's celebration when it actually unintentionally showcases what slavery entails without the children realizing it, and the fact that they do not give them minimal dark spots as everyone would get when they are covered with soot due to a fire onor when they are jumping in a chimney.

If it’s not associated with anything that is racial, why do they have 4C hair and why do they have these intensively dark tones instead of some dark spots as I previously mentioned? They are literally mimicking black people and that is exactly why it’s so undeniably offensive.

Closing this article to remind all my black readers to not always be in agreement with what they are saying, if you personally cannot endorse something, please speak up and be heard, otherwise they will only degrade us more.

Lots of genuine and sincere love,

Nathaniel