Netherlands

Hello, I'm from the Netherlands and I'm curious what people here think about the Dutch, especially about their liberal stance on cases like drugs and prostitution.

 

Do they all eat their own skin like Goldmember?

 

I haven't seen the movie yet, but I can assure you, we don't.

 

I have read nothing indicating these liberal attitudes have harmed Dutch society in any way.

Do you feel the results have been entirely benign, or at least done no harm?

There is no political possibility of the US adopting Dutch policy on these issues in the foreseeable future.

 

The results of the Dutch policy are very positive.

I understand there's the US will not go the same way we did, and I think something similar can only work in a smaller society. American society in my opinion is just too large for such a thing to happen.

 

Because of smaller population densities?

 

No, higher! the Netherlands are one of the world's most densily populated area's!
And because of the homogenity of the people.

 

I am not sure the illegality of prostitution has done much if any harm in the US.

US Drug policy is, however, a hundred billion dollar a year total fiasco, just from the monetary standpoint, and we would do well to assume a more rational approach, as the Netherlands has.

 

I was referring to Dutch policy with respect to drugs and prostitution. You said they wouldn't work in the US because of size, I assumed you meant population.

 

I meant size of both population and area.
I mean California is probably very different from Maine, in population size, area, people and climate. They are also different in political preference probably (A. Schwarzenegger). In the Netherlands it's more compact: Zeeland (in the South-West) is nothing different from Groningen (North-East) in all those matters.