The popular perception of Holland

InsanityAddict

I'm not even talking about the stoner image, but the tolerance and liberalism of the Dutch is greatly overstated. We've got one of the worser case of anti-islam populist parties of Europe sitting de facto(if not de jure) within the government, and the other parties are actually chiming in with their soundbites to cash in on that piece of the electorate. Discrimination of Arab minorities is widespread, and you can casually make racist remarks without someone batting an eyelash, since we all assume Holland is so open-minded the discrimination can't be serious, right? A lot of 'soft' racism goes unchallenged because we dismiss it as not systematic or overt enough, and no-one will understand the concept of privilege if you explain it to them.

Myrmidon

I just think clogs and windmills.

InsanityAddict

Windmills, yes, though the polders(dyked marshes) are a characteristic sight you see way more often. Clogs are never worn except for touristic displays.

Chagen

I barely remember that Holland exists in general.

Nyarly

glennmagusharvey

> I'm not even talking about the stoner image, but the

Up to this far, I thought you were talking about Holland Novak.

Chagen

"Trailer and horrible football players come to my mind."

ITS CALLED SOCCER DAMMIT

/notserious

glennmagusharvey

Well, Holland played soccer too.

TheMightyAnonym

I just don't like the dutch culture because they are intolerably boring in comparison to every single other culture ever. Something about the aesthetic of the place. Given that they are Michigan's main thing (with stuff like tulip time and all that jazz), I can say with reasonable certainty that they are intolerably lame.

Why can't we have Russians and a week called vodka time? Or Japanese and ninja time? Or tool time? Or Eskimos and igloo time? Or Scotsmen and kilt time?

I know the dutch for windmills, tulips, wooden shoes, and being uninteresting. Also they seem to have a tendency to disregard people that are not fellow Dutchmen. Call me crazy, but dealing with people who tend to be xenophobic towards non-family.

glennmagusharvey

The Dutch did give the Spanish the what-for.  That was pretty cool.

GG Philip.

TheMightyAnonym

That doesn't change the fact that Michigan lacks vodka time.

Nyktos

Holland gave the world Epica, so that's nice. (Although some Epica lyrics do suggest that Mark Jansen may be kinda Islamophobic...)

glennmagusharvey

Damnit, now I just can't even stop thinking about Holland Novak when reading this thread.

I'm wondering how Holland had so many cool points he gave the world Epica.

Ghilz

Epica is from Limburg, which is elsewhere in the Netherlands than Holland. So no, Holland doesn't get Epica-brownie points.

Nyktos

I always forget that there's a difference. >_>

CaptainFargle

The Netherlands has Chocolade Hagelslag which automatically makes it the best country ever. Dutch food is AWESOME. 

Nyarly

^^ A lot of people do. I always try to say Netherlands when I mean the entire of, well, the Netherlands.

InsanityAddict

Holland is shorthand for the Netherlands because everything outside of Utrecht and North- & South-Holland is countryside anyway. Limburg has good pie, but is the main voterbase of the islamophobes and only old people live there anyway. If you want an even wackier province, take Friesland: the Frisians still speak Old English.

Nyarly

Although not the entirety of Friesland is in the Netherlands...

InsanityAddict

Not yet anyway...

CaptainFargle

I think eventually I do want to move to the Netherlands. It may have serious Islamophobia but it's also apparently the most gay friendly place on Earth. 

Hatter

... Really? That's your most important criterion for whether or not you want to move to a country? What they think of gay people and Muslims?

That's... really silly.

InsanityAddict

If you can tolerate the fact that people think gay automatically entails camp. The Gay Parade and popular gay tv-celebrities have firmly rooted the image in the public's mind.

GLORIOUSLeader

Switzerland actually banned minarets. And Europeans call us the intolerant ones. 

InsanityAddict

Europeans bash each other even more than they do the Americans, trust me.

Tnu1138

I've considered moving to Nederland as well. I hear it's a loveley place to live. Just plain free and pleasent and a good friendo f mine lives there.

IanExMachina

Arggh gay= camp ruins everything. Damn you netherlands!

CaptainFargle

The general opinion on Gay people IS extraordinarily important to me. Probably THE most important criteria to me. 

I do have other reasons, such as:

1: The Netherlands is a peaceful, stable country with a very low violent crime rate. 

2: The Netherlands has a very high proportion of English speakers and Dutch is an easy language to learn. Communication difficulties would be minimal.

3: Most of the transportation infrastructure has been built with bicycles in mind, making it easy to get about without a car.

4: I really love Dutch food.

5: The Netherlands is a very secular society. 

5: There's a lot of beautiful and interesting architecture in the Netherlands.

5:The Netherlands has a strong economy and has a long history of strong economy. 

6: Dutch foreign policy places a very high emphasis on international co-operation. 

etc, etc, etc

Tnu1138

as long as it's not American style Imperialism/Interventionism it's fine with me.

InsanityAddict

On point 3: That, plus public transport(especially the trains) is quite good. Especially in the Randstad, most of the major cities are connected to the Nightnet, meaning you can grab a train at 4 a.m.

On point 5: We actually have quite a few Christian parties(CDA, Christenunie, SGP): the first one is so watered down that the term Christian is an artifact title, Christenunie only whines about shops being open on Sunday and that sort of tame drivel, and the SGP is so backwards they won't even let women hold a function within the party, but their voterbase are vaccination refusers so they won't last for long anyway.

glennmagusharvey

> but their voterbase are vaccination refusers so they won't last for long anyway.

I find this amusing, the same way I found Shakers amusing in history class.