The "Old Country"

The Virginian ^ | 1/21/2009 | Moneyrunner

[moneyrunner]

What happened to the Dutch?

The answer is, not much since the 1600s.

A very small country, the Netherlands has tried very hard to accommodate its larger and more powerful neighbors. My personal family experience is with the NSB.

The NSB is short for the National Socialist Bond, a party that admired the German Nazis and did much to run the Netherlands during World War 2.

Thanks to immigration for its former colonies in Asia and Morocco, the Dutch are busy accommodating its Muslin population, much as it did its Nazi neighbors in earlier times.

We think of the Netherlands as being a peaceful country of pot smoking hippies and elderly burghers, advanced enough socially to legalize not just drugs but the flesh trade and the duty to be snuffed out if you get too old and sick. As I get older and my memory and hearing isn’t as good as it once was, I’m glad my parents moved me to a country where I don’t have to fear that nice young man in the white coat with the needle.

About that peaceful part, it seems to have more than its share of high profile killings. Van Gogh and Fortuyn were both killed by within a few years of each other, one by a Muslim, the other by a Leftist. The rest of the population is terrified by “youths” with exuberant ideas.

To keep the natives docile, the Dutch political establishment does what it can...

[ChinaThreat]

I’ll be in the Netherlands in a few weeks. I’m looking forward to seeing for myself.

[moneyrunner]

Tourists don’t get the picture. The eldery Dutch do. To people passing though, it’s a postcard place ... modern, clean, sophisticated. Try the smoked eels.

[PeterPrinciple]

I expect you will find a remnant of the good old dutch but you will have to look for them. In the mean time “throw the cow over the fence some hay” as I used to hear a lot in my youth.

[ChinaThreat]

Lol. I’m gonna pass on the eel. Maybe some salted herring! I’m not planning on going to the hospital, so i see your point. I was hoping to get to talk to some locals and get their take. Ik spreek geen Nederlands. Maar ik propeer Nederlands te leren. Tot ziens!

[muawiyah]

Don't have a heart attack. Over the years I've known a couple of guys who were there on business who had heart attacks and died on the ambulance ride to a hospital.

BTW, I've only known TWO people who've ever visited Nederland and had heartattacks ~ so this statistic is highly improbable without human intervention.

[moneyrunner]

throw the cow over the fence some hay

That sounds like a "Pennsylvania Dutch" expression which is not really Dutch but German.

[PeterPrinciple]

throw the cow over the fence some hay

---

I grew up in one of the dutch colonies where you ain’t mutch if you aint dutch.

[moneyrunner]

Good luck on learning to speak Dutch. Last time there I spoke Dutch, but with my American accent, they answered me in English.

The Dutch are perhaps the most multilingual people in the world, many speaking German, French and English as well as Spanish.

It comes from being an hour or so away from another country in any direction.

Trust me, smoked fish or eel is better than the salted herring.

[ChinaThreat]

I’ve been told my attempts to speak Dutch will be met with incredulous reply.... But that never stopped a bull head like me from trying :-). I always try and learn enough of a language and culture to be respectful. Just a simple gesture to show that i have respect for their way of life. It goes a long way with most humans and most cultures.

Don’t get me wrong. I don’t have any chance of learning enough to converse for more than a few exchanges. Heck, the word ‘alstubleift’ gets you a long way, but Dutch is a very tough language to learn. At least thats my impression.

[moneyrunner]

The word is “alstublieft” and is pronounced “als ...juh... blieft.” It’s the Dutch version of “if you please.”

There are also the two versions of “you.” The very polite “U” (pronounced sort of like “ooh” or like the German U with an umlaut, you’ll need help with this) and “ju” (pronounced “juh”) which is the more familiar form of “you.”

The problem with Dutch pronunciation is the use of gutterals which do not come naturally to non-Germanic speakers. Conversely, people who grew up speaking Dutch will always have a problem pronouncing “th” as in “the” and “this.” It will always sound like “duh” and “dis.”

Have a great time and visit Scheveningen, where I was born. Then try to pronounce it.

[ChinaThreat]

Thanks for the info!