Friday, July 28, 2006

FLOYD LANDIS, AND THE EFFECTS OF VENEREAL DISEASE ON DUTCH BRAINS

The Labrab (http://labrab.blogspot.com/) in a posting about Floyd Landis and the doping allegation (see here: http://labrab.blogspot.com/2006/07/how-floyd-landis-is-like-jack-abramoff.html ), mentions that groups are often viewed in light of the actions of one individual.

This, of course, is something that Jews are particularly aware of, but black people and Asian-Americans are also often viewed darkly when one of their members strays.


Most Christians “remain” blithely in the dark about this tendency, and members of the majority ethnicity in any country almost always deny that they stereotype in this manner.


I doubt that their denial is much comfort to Arabs in Europe or Chinese in insular South-East Asia (Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines).


History shows that such stereotyping is more common, and leads to more bigotry, discrimination, and violence, than any other factor.
There is no evidence that society has unlearned this habit – and much evidence that in some benighted regions it thrives like never before.





Now, getting back to Floyd Landis.


I commented on Labrab’s blog that the Dutch coverage and commentary stresses that he is American, and has suggested that Americans are all dishonest cheaters and loudmouths.The Nether-rabble-commentators have really taken up that argument, and I'm baffled as all git-out how someone managed to link a nasty crack against Bush, and a reference to Israel, into a venomous spew about Landis and alleged American cheating proclivities.


You think I exaggerate?

Herewith a sampling from the commentary on the Weblog of Jan Marijnissen (http://www.janmarijnissen.nl/weblog/), underneath this posting http://www.janmarijnissen.nl/weblog/2006/07/27/wonderen-bestaan-niet/#comments :



“Ja, ik vond het toch al zo verdacht dat Bush-vriend Armstrong 6 x, geloof ik, de Tour won, terwijl hij kanker zou hebben gehad, iedereen die ik ken van zijn leeftijd die kanker had is allang dood, alleen al omdat er geen geld was voor dure medicijnen, en nu F.Landis. Het verbaast me niks.”

[Yes, I really did find it suspicious that Bush' friend Armstrong won, six times I believe, even though he had cancer, everyone I know who is of his age and had cancer has been dead a long time, merely because there was no money for expensive medicines, and now there’s F. Landis. Doesn't surprise me a bit.]


“Ik heb er tot nu toe mijn mond over gehouden, en werden de mensen die het hier al eerder op die manier zagen verweten “dat” zij er zo over dachten,ik ben het in ieder geval met u eens, de zogenaamde superhelden die door Amerika altijd maar naar voren worden geschoven, altijd moeten ze koste wat kost de grootste de beste de sterkste etc etc zijn over de hele wereld. Kotsmisselijk word je er van, en dat terwijl voor het grootste deel,alles wat ze bezitten gekregen en afgepakt hebben, om maar niet te spreken van zogenaamde amerikaanse uitvindingen die door teams van veelal buitenlandse mensen worden gedaan...”

[Till now I've held my tongue about it, and people here who had this view already were chastised that they though about it thus, (but) in any case I agree with you, the so-called super-heroes put forward by America always just have to be the best and the biggest etc etc all over the world. It just makes you sick (literally: nauseous to the point of puking), and that while most of what they possess was given to them or stolen, not even mentioning the so-called American inventions, made by teams of mostly foreigners...]


“Is er dan nog een ander soort amerikanen?”

[Is there even another kind of American?]


Bush heeft zeker ook alsmaar de `verkiezingen’ gewonnen na zo’n extra boostpil.

[Bush surely won the ‘elections’ after an extra boostpill.]


“Erg domme Amerikanen”

[Very dumb Americans.]


“Landis’ moeder…… wist dat miljoenen Amerikanen voor zoon Floyd aan het bidden waren.
Tenenkrommend, nu nog een interview voor Fox door Ann Coulter, en morgen keilen de Amerikanen weer massaal Franse wijn en frieten in de goot, ja, want kritiek op de oorlog van Israël hebben die Fransen ook al….”

[Landis’ mother…… knew that millions of Americans were praying for (her) son Floyd. Toe-curling – all it will take now is an interview on Fox by Ann Coulter, and tomorrow the Americans will again toss massive quantities of French wine and fries into the gutter, uh huh, ‘cause those French also got criticism about that war of Israel’s…]



[Note: Jan Marijnissen is a Dutch Socialist Party Parliamentarian. He is from North Brabant (a territory of particular interest to me), and, being a socialist, naturally tends towards the radical.
As such he is, like many Dutch, hyper-critical of the United States and Israel.
But unlike many Dutch he is not an idiot but actually very intelligent and well-read - believe me, that is extremely unusual. It also sets him apart from most of the prominent members of the Dutch socialist fringe. Many of the commentators under his blog, on the other hand…… rabid idiots.]



Now, here, for your wry displeasure, is a sampling from the barely literate morons who infest the comment-sections of Het Algemeen Dagblad (a major newspaper which can be found here: http://www.ad.nl/ - the article in question is here: http://www.ad.nl/sport/tour/article500829.ece ):


“Ach, die amerikanen trekken de lijn van de laatste jaren gewoon door. Enige verschil is dat ze inmiddels ook zo stom zijn om zich te laten snappen”

[Oh well, those Americans just do things in the way they've done them for years. Only difference is that by now they're so stupid that they get caught.]


“Weer een Amerikaan die de Tour niet clean wint!!!!”

[Another American who didn't win the tour cleanly!!!]


“Die nep-cowboy verbannen naar de grotten van torra bora.”

[Banish that pretend-cowboy to the caves of Tora Bora.]]


“Het is toch zo een verdomd achterbaks volkje ook hé, Carl Lewis werd op het gebruik van dope betrapt maar hoefde zijn medailles niet in te leveren. Maar het leven van Ben Johnsson ( Canadees van geboorte) werd door de Amerikanen onmogelijk gemaakt.
Armstrong heeft, dat moge nu wel overduidelijk zijn, dope gebruikt om de Tour 7 keer te winnen. Volgens de Amerikanen heeft Armstrong de tour op klasse gewonnen en niets dope !
Tsja, wie herinnert zich niet de rel omtrent Pieter van Hoogenband toen hij de Amerikaanse topfavoriet in Sydney versloeg ? Volgens de Amerikanen was het onmogelijk om zonder dope zo een puike prestatie neer te zetten. Af en toe zijn de Yankees net als kinderen.”


[They're such a damned sleazy nation, eh, Carl Lewis was also caught using dope but didn't have to turn in his medals. But the life of Ben Johnson (Canadian by birth) was ruined by the Americans. Armstrong, as should be abundantly clear by now, used dope in order to win the tour seven times. According to the Americans, he won on his strengths and no dope! Well, who doesn't remember the racket when Pieter van Hoogenband whupped the American favorite in Sydney? Per the Americans it was impossible without dope to deliver such a splendid achievement. Now and then they're just like children.}]


“Godvrezende Amerikaan beduvelt de hele kluit en gaat er met de tourzege aan de haal ( tenminste dat dacht hij). Het kan bijna niet anders, immers zagen wij ook niet zijn eveneens Godvrezende President voor het oog van de hele wereld om Gods zegen en steun vragen teneinde met succes Saddams nucleaire arsenaal te kunnen vernietigen.”

[God-fearing American screws the lot and makes off with the tour victory (at least he thought he did). Hardly possible otherwise, after all did we not see his equally God-fearing president, in full view of the whole world, ask for God's blessing and support for success in destroying Saddam's nuclear arsenal.]


“Ja,Greg Lemond heeft ook zijn 3 zeges niet schoon gereden,toen Amstrong nou dus malle pietje Flooyd Landis,als ik de Tour directie was,boycot al die Yankee Doodles,ze gebruiken doping als snoepgoed in de states!”

[Yeah, Greg Lemond also didn't achieve his three victories cleanly, then Armstrong though now the moron Floyd Landis, if I were in charge of the tour, boycott all those Yankee Doodles, they use doping like it was candy in the States.]


“De laatste 20 jaar 11x een Amerikaanse tourwinnaar. Terwijl ze daar amper weten wat wielrennen is.
Je ziet ze het hele jaar niet en ineens staan ze er omdat ze zich zogenaamd maar op één koers richten. De Tour de France.
Ammahoela, 49 weken experimenteren met verboden middeltjes en hoe ze de UCI kunnen misleiden en dan alle Europeanen naar huis fietsen."


[The past twenty years eleven times an American winner of the tour. While they have scarcely a clue what bicycle racing is. The whole year they're nowhere, and then all of a sudden they're there, because they claim to gear themselves for just one race - the Tour De France. Pull the other one, forty nine weeks of experimenting with illegal substances and how to fool the UCI, then bulldozing all the Europeans.]





Well, what can I say about my fellow Dutch-speakers?

All I can offer is that not all of them are stark-raving mad, and that as with any group the percentage who are half-way capable of rational thought are outnumbered by cretins. And in this case, unfortunately, outnumbered by a huge majority.

But some of them are, believe it or not, actually quite decent folk.

Even though many (most) have not fully realized their potential, gotten an education, read much, developed any sense, or achieved anything all.


I had, long ago, thought much better of them – but then I thought better of everybody at that stage in my life. I remain optimistic that human societies will improve (scant evidence of that in Europe, but never mind), and there are always bright spots. One can but hope.



Regarding the Dutch tendency towards fevered pronouncements and insane illogic, as evinced by the statements cited above, the two most likely explanations are syphilis and mercury-poisoning. Both of those eventually affect the brain. And I know that at least in parts of the country the water is clean, so not all of them have mercury-poisoning……….


I have no explanation for their hatred of Americans. It is totally baffling, especially as they consume so much that is American, and ape Americans in so many ways.
Perhaps it is a bizarre form of self-loathing.


Tzarich iyun.....

5 comments:

Lab Rab said...

If it's any consolation, I don't think it's just the Dutch; anti-Americanism seems popular all over the world.

In college I was forced to read a painful journalistic take on the matter called Jihad vs. McWorld by Benjamin Barber. It seems that even as American culture is spreading across the globe, there is a great deal of resentment over the loss of local ethnic custom, and a turn back inwards to those ways.

Anonymous said...

Backofthehill... I wish you had also quoted some of the pro-American comments. Now you make it sound if all Dutch hate America(ns) and that is so untrue. Saturday August 20th thousands of Dutch cyclists will take part in the Ride of the Roses in Utrecht. And I can assure you many again will wear the livestrong yellow wristband of the Armstrong Foundation.
And how do you explain the popularity of American tv shows and movies in Holland? I only know a few Dutch who watch French television of French or Italian movies. American authors are still well read in Holland.

Next time try to be more objective.

Kind regards,

Cobi van Mourik (Dutch, great admirer of American literature, love many American singer songwriters, fan of Lance Armstrong).

The back of the hill said...

Cobi,

You have a point. But please bear in mind that while there are many Dutch who are pro-American, it is the multitude whose attitudes are negative who get my goat. And they are the most vocal (and over-represented in print and on the net).

When I lived there it was not the ones who were positive whom I heard from (no-one opens up a conversation with "there is much about America we appreciate..."), but the ones who loathed America and all Yanks (who confronted one with "you rotten Yanks...").

The pro-Americans may be numerous; the anti-Americans are legion.

You say you are an admirer of American literature. Then you probably realize that many average Netherlanders maintain firstly that there ain't no such critter, secondly if there is such a beast it is the bastard-imitator of everybody else's literature, and thirdly that in any case there isn't anything there worth reading that hasn't been written better by someone else.

To put it bluntly: open-minded Dutchmen are not my problem. Ignorant Dutchmen are (and yes there are some horribly plank-headed Americans, but they are subjects of different rants).

I appreciate your comment, Cobi. And I hope that you comment here again. People like you are the ones who encourage me to not drop the country and foreswear her language and literature.

Oh, and also Bredero, de Merode, Karel van de Woestijne, Ischa Meijer, and several others - but they don't talk back.... ;-D

Floyd Landis said...

Friday, July 28, 2006

Anonymous said...

Allemachtig, man, je hebt wel erg de pest aan ons.

Ge lijkt wel 'nen vlaming.

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