I hope you don't mind but your mail is going to be my LJ post for this
evening. Your story is something to share, although I also think
we have some serious discussion ahead, simply from my very different
perspective of Dutch society... Especially from talking with so many kids that felt rejected...not for who they are... but for who they are perceived to be. It is a difficult situation, no doubt... I have to dig up some of the crazy emails I have been getting from the middle east lately... Arafat's departure is worrying, but also an opportunity I pray is seized.
That rally sounds like an amazing experience, I wish I could have seen it with my own eyes. Thanks for sharing your reflections with me and I look forward to sitting in the good old RLD and having a long chat...
From: Edward
Date: Thu, 18 Nov 2004 08:30:40 +0100
To
AVID KEKONE <dkekone@cantofive.com>
Subject: Re: AT5 nieuws: Verbroederingsconcert Museumplein
H David,
Just hours after Theo Van Gogh was found shot and stabbed on the street,
the entire city was gathered en masse on Dam Square for a "herdenking" -
a kind of memorial service. Mayor Job Cohen (a target of anti-semitic
attacks from van Gogh) spoke powerfully and I remember his words clearly
because he spoke in short sentences: "Hij maakt ruzie met veel mensen.
Ook met mij. En dat mag in dit land!"
"He picked fights with a lot of people, including myself. And in this
country, that is allowed!" The crowd went wild. He struck the chord
that was already in everyone's heart. There was a formal period of
shouting and banging of pots and pans and drums in anger, and then after
that a period of silence. It sends chills up my spine again remembering
it.
Last night I was having an apple juice at The Greenhouse with Thmy, a
Dutch guy I know who also happens to be Morrocan and a Muslim. He is
also an accomplished boxer/kickboxer and all-around tough guy so I
usually keep it light with him but last night he was on a tear. He was
walking through Dam Square that evening and a couple of Dutch guys spit
in the street in front of him. He began explaining to me that this is
how it is in the world after September 11th "thanks to America." I took
a deep breath and reminded him that women and gays have endured much
worse in Islamic countries since long before that. What America has to
do with it, I don't know.
Over the murder of Theo Van Gogh it seemed to me that he was unable to
muster much outrage. He said that you just have to "expect these kind of
murders in the world today. It's what happens what you piss people off."
This is where I steered the conversation to a brief refresher course in
democratic values - the best I could at my level of Dutch.
You fight words with words in a democracy. I reminded Thmy that Van
Gogh criticized everyone: Christians, Catholics (considered as seperate
from Christians here), Jews, Muslims, the monarchy, the government, the
voters - everyone. Only these Muslims sent death threats. Interestingly,
Theo van Gogh did not take previous death threats seriously. He even
declined an offer of protection, saying "Who would want to kill the
village idiot?"
The Trouw had a front page picture of Theo Van Gogh lying dead on the
street with two knives sticking out of his chest and the note left
behind by the killer. The very next day schoolchildren were taking field
trips to the crime scene to see the blood stains and white chalk. They
want their kids to know why this is important. Don't get me wrong - Theo
Van Gogh was no Martin Luther King. He was a grumpy, opinionated,
provocative filmmaker, columnist and favorite of the TV talk show set.
You know what it is like here - they sit around a big round table
drinking scotch and smoking cigarettes for an hour, bloviating over
politics and current affairs. Watching these shows is how I came to know
him.
But Dutch people (many of whom do not agree with his views and thought
he was a windbag) identify with him anyway BECAUSE he was big-mouthed
and opinionated. You know that is a VIRTUE here and the Dutch encourage
it in their children. They do not want to live in a country where you
can get killed for it. It goes against who they are deep in their bones.
This little society is heading for a major face-off with the radical
elements of Islam. I will be watching to see how intolerant they are
willing to be in order to protect their tolerant society. The backlash
already has been severe. Will they develop draconian measures of their
own or will they do something smarter, more creative? Will it translate
into more support for America and "Boosh"?
As I type this, the local Arabic television station is airing
inflammatory old interviews of Theo van Gogh, complete with Arabic
subtitles. I just heard him call all Muslims "geitenneukers." (means
people who have sexual relations with goats.) Not what I would call a
productive contribution to the debate.
I don't get to Amsterdam Oost very much but last week, Beatrix (who is a
class act) showed up unannounced at a meeting for youth in a Moroccan
neighborhood in Amsterdam, and just started talking to people. This was
not a cynical gesture, but the real thing. Yesterday I sent you a
message about the "Verbroederings Concert" (Concert for Brotherhood) was
just announced for this Sunday on the Museumplein featuring my favorite
Dutch band BLOF and a handful of other pop artists including that young
Dutch rapper of Morrocan descent named "Ali B." Even with short notice,
I have a feeling this event will be huge. I really can't stand rap but I
will definitely be there.
Mzzls,
Edward
evening. Your story is something to share, although I also think
we have some serious discussion ahead, simply from my very different
perspective of Dutch society... Especially from talking with so many kids that felt rejected...not for who they are... but for who they are perceived to be. It is a difficult situation, no doubt... I have to dig up some of the crazy emails I have been getting from the middle east lately... Arafat's departure is worrying, but also an opportunity I pray is seized.
That rally sounds like an amazing experience, I wish I could have seen it with my own eyes. Thanks for sharing your reflections with me and I look forward to sitting in the good old RLD and having a long chat...
From: Edward
Date: Thu, 18 Nov 2004 08:30:40 +0100
To
AVID KEKONE <dkekone@cantofive.com>
Subject: Re: AT5 nieuws: Verbroederingsconcert Museumplein
H David,
Just hours after Theo Van Gogh was found shot and stabbed on the street,
the entire city was gathered en masse on Dam Square for a "herdenking" -
a kind of memorial service. Mayor Job Cohen (a target of anti-semitic
attacks from van Gogh) spoke powerfully and I remember his words clearly
because he spoke in short sentences: "Hij maakt ruzie met veel mensen.
Ook met mij. En dat mag in dit land!"
"He picked fights with a lot of people, including myself. And in this
country, that is allowed!" The crowd went wild. He struck the chord
that was already in everyone's heart. There was a formal period of
shouting and banging of pots and pans and drums in anger, and then after
that a period of silence. It sends chills up my spine again remembering
it.
Last night I was having an apple juice at The Greenhouse with Thmy, a
Dutch guy I know who also happens to be Morrocan and a Muslim. He is
also an accomplished boxer/kickboxer and all-around tough guy so I
usually keep it light with him but last night he was on a tear. He was
walking through Dam Square that evening and a couple of Dutch guys spit
in the street in front of him. He began explaining to me that this is
how it is in the world after September 11th "thanks to America." I took
a deep breath and reminded him that women and gays have endured much
worse in Islamic countries since long before that. What America has to
do with it, I don't know.
Over the murder of Theo Van Gogh it seemed to me that he was unable to
muster much outrage. He said that you just have to "expect these kind of
murders in the world today. It's what happens what you piss people off."
This is where I steered the conversation to a brief refresher course in
democratic values - the best I could at my level of Dutch.
You fight words with words in a democracy. I reminded Thmy that Van
Gogh criticized everyone: Christians, Catholics (considered as seperate
from Christians here), Jews, Muslims, the monarchy, the government, the
voters - everyone. Only these Muslims sent death threats. Interestingly,
Theo van Gogh did not take previous death threats seriously. He even
declined an offer of protection, saying "Who would want to kill the
village idiot?"
The Trouw had a front page picture of Theo Van Gogh lying dead on the
street with two knives sticking out of his chest and the note left
behind by the killer. The very next day schoolchildren were taking field
trips to the crime scene to see the blood stains and white chalk. They
want their kids to know why this is important. Don't get me wrong - Theo
Van Gogh was no Martin Luther King. He was a grumpy, opinionated,
provocative filmmaker, columnist and favorite of the TV talk show set.
You know what it is like here - they sit around a big round table
drinking scotch and smoking cigarettes for an hour, bloviating over
politics and current affairs. Watching these shows is how I came to know
him.
But Dutch people (many of whom do not agree with his views and thought
he was a windbag) identify with him anyway BECAUSE he was big-mouthed
and opinionated. You know that is a VIRTUE here and the Dutch encourage
it in their children. They do not want to live in a country where you
can get killed for it. It goes against who they are deep in their bones.
This little society is heading for a major face-off with the radical
elements of Islam. I will be watching to see how intolerant they are
willing to be in order to protect their tolerant society. The backlash
already has been severe. Will they develop draconian measures of their
own or will they do something smarter, more creative? Will it translate
into more support for America and "Boosh"?
As I type this, the local Arabic television station is airing
inflammatory old interviews of Theo van Gogh, complete with Arabic
subtitles. I just heard him call all Muslims "geitenneukers." (means
people who have sexual relations with goats.) Not what I would call a
productive contribution to the debate.
I don't get to Amsterdam Oost very much but last week, Beatrix (who is a
class act) showed up unannounced at a meeting for youth in a Moroccan
neighborhood in Amsterdam, and just started talking to people. This was
not a cynical gesture, but the real thing. Yesterday I sent you a
message about the "Verbroederings Concert" (Concert for Brotherhood) was
just announced for this Sunday on the Museumplein featuring my favorite
Dutch band BLOF and a handful of other pop artists including that young
Dutch rapper of Morrocan descent named "Ali B." Even with short notice,
I have a feeling this event will be huge. I really can't stand rap but I
will definitely be there.
Mzzls,
Edward
It's certainly help more if I was familiar with T Van Gogh, or at least Holland.
I'm sorry I can't use better terminology; I'm in the process of getting a bit loaded. I also don't mean to sound strident; once again, bourbon.
You don't have to feel obligated to write in my Journal. I realize I lead a pretty silly little life and write about small matters. You know, I was going to put in my Boards comment that I admire you more than anyone on SG. I didn't because, well... there are people I've hung around quite a bit more who might take that as a diminution of them, and I don't know you that well yet... but I don't mean it as a diminution to anyone else when I say that I should've written it anyway, because I think it's true. I admire WhiskeyFightPit and BrookeLynne a lot, too... and klaire and 730A_trixel_fem... people living more than myself.
Yeah, I looked up "diminution." www.m-w.com saves my bacon again.
[Edited on Nov 19, 2004 5:36PM]