In the Netherlands Being Racist to Asians is the New Black (Darling)

Being racist to Asians is the new black

Greetings dear readers. I hope that while cycling headlong into Storm Ciara that you survived. I sometimes like to write about trends in the Netherlands so am happy to let you know that the latest and hottest trend in this windy flat land is being racist to Asians. It the new black darling!

The joy of being racist to Asians

In the limited minds of some, all Asians look alike, therefore there’s no problem in picking on anyone who looks remotely like a Chinese.

The rapid spread of the coronavirus throughout Europe and the rest of the world has made being openly racist to Asians in the Netherlands a regular occurrence. My inbox, Facebook group and page are full of comments from Asians living in the Netherlands who are having to put up with the most outrageous and disgusting comments and behaviour.

Racist incidents at student accommodation where lots of Chinese people live. (From Facebook)

South Korean asked to leave a tram in Amsterdam for “public safety” reasons

Read the screenshot from a Facebook post by a South Korean man in Amsterdam.

Carnival Song recorded called ‘Prevention is better than Chinese’/Voorkomen is beter dan Chinezen

As it’s carnival season, Dutch radio station NPO Radio 10 played this jolly party song. I’ve translated part of this hilarious and masterful piece of modern satire.

,,Hé Jongens, dat virus dat neemt geen pauze, we motten dat niet hebben in ons land, het komt allemaal door die stinkChinezen, honderden dooje, het loopt nu flink uit de hand,

Hey boys, that virus that doesn’t stop, we must not have it in this country, it comes entirely due to the stink Chinese, hundreds dead, it’s getting out of hand.

Corona, het was een lekker biertje, maar nou krijg ik de zenuwen dervan, bij twijfel moet je al in quarantaine en uit te nassie straks, als dat dus niet meer kan,

Corona, it was a tasty beer, but now I get nervous about it, if you’re not sure you have to go into quarantine.

Vreet geen Chinees, dan heb je niets te vrezen, want voorkomen is beter dan Chinezen,

Don’t eat Chinese food, then you have nothing to fear because prevention is better than Chinese

Lex Gaarthuis, the DJ who felt that it was absolutely fine to play a song that in many parts of the world would be considered as hate speech, was barely able to suppress a smile while apologising. He claimed that it was meant only as satire, in other words, ‘dat was niet de bedoeling’.

“It’s carnival time, what’s the problem? It’s meant as satire”

There’s no racism in the Netherlands

As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, allegedly, there’s no racism in the Netherlands. Neeee! Echt niet.  What often happens here in this racism-free utopia is that far too often some people respond to incidents of racism with the following responses:

1.”Dat was niet de bedoeling“.

2. Blame the victims of racism

3. Tell people who complain about discrimination to go back to their own country

4. Claim that racist remarks were in fact “a joke”.

Anouk, Jeroen and Mieke didn’t understand why Asian people were complaining about racism when it was only meant as a joke

Sign the petition

The Asian community in the Netherlands has had enough and have started an online petition called we zijn geen virussen.  28,000 people have signed it so far. It speaks out against the casual and deliberate racism against Chinese people and those who are assumed to be so.

No poisonous bigots were hurt during the writing of this post.