Does Holland Exist?

[Annie]

One does tend to wonder at the insanity:

http://www.peaktalk.com/archives/001045.php

Friday, February 4, 2005

BAN THE FLAG
On a regular basis I get the question asking why Europeans are not able to pro-actively deal with the threats of Islamist terror and prefer to turn their back in the hope that somehow the danger will pass. There are many reasons and one day I will list them all in one mega-post but via the invaluable Dutch Report I found this disturbing piece of news which tells us that at some schools in Holland it is now forbidden to put the Dutch flag on display or for pupils to carry Dutch colors for fear of upsetting minorities. This is not new, the politically correct cultural relativists made their mark on Dutch life as early as the late 1970s by equating proud national feelings with fascism and other inappropriate urges that could weaken the fabric of a tolerant nation.

To hide your national colors is no small matter and it is arguably even a little bit too potent for Canada – that other paradise addicted to cultural relativism – where the red and white maple leaf is force fed on a continuous basis, no matter what side of the political aisle you are on. Americans have had their brush with self-denial too, the most recent and memorable one occurred when renowned columnist Katha Pollitt got headlines after not allowing her daughter to fly the Stars and Stripes in the days following 9/11 as it apparently stood for all the things Mrs. Pollitt herself did not believe in. This is what she wrote in the Nation on September 20, 2001:

My daughter, who goes to Stuyvesant High School only blocks from the World Trade Center, thinks we should fly an American flag out our window. Definitely not, I say: The flag stands for jingoism and vengeance and war. She tells me I'm wrong--the flag means standing together and honoring the dead and saying no to terrorism.

The fact of the matter is, a national flag represents a nation, a people and by that virtue transcends ethnic and political boundaries and is essentially a multi-purpose tool. Especially in times of difficulty a flag has proven to be a rallying point to unite a people behind a common cause, the Dutch for instance forged a deep bond with their red-white-and- blue when German occupiers made it a crime to fly it. It was a symbol for which many people gave their lives and as liberal as I am on some social and cultural issues I can not stand nor tolerate flag burners, wherever they are. To prohibit school youth from carrying the flag for which many of their grandfathers died fighting for the Dutch resistance or in German concentration camps is nothing short of obscene.

The flag has equally been a focal point in America’s regained sense of confidence after the crisis years of the 60s and 70s as the nation was able to see the value of the colors without associating it with one particular activity as someone like Katha Pollitt did. It unites all Americans in their fight against terrorism and in honoring those who have given their lives to do so. In Canada it has helped to serve an equal purpose, forging a nation and a common destiny where at first none existed. Suppressing a national identity or a culture comes at a price, the late Pim Fortuyn wrote about the dangers of cultural relativism in 1995 in his book called “The Orphaned Society” as follows:

Cultural relativism and the lack of identity have far reaching consequences in our dealings with foreign cultures. It makes us defenseless in the approach of these, indeed Islamic fundamentalism being one of them. The average Dutchman does not realize what a battle it was to ensure that church and religion are part of our private lives and that the state is completely separate of that, as the church has no influence on the state and its affairs. That is completely ignored by many Muslim fundamentalists, as they also ignore the equal treatment of men and women. With our relativism and resulting indifference we don’t even notice that. However, we will get a violent reminder down the road.

As indeed the Dutch have. Asking a young generation – or indeed any generation – to negate their flag, their cultural and historic heritage out of fear and to accommodate others (who haven’t even asked for that extreme form of hospitality) is tantamount to saying that a nation and a culture and the fight to defend it were aberrations of history on which it is better not to dwell. Forget freedom, forget the past and ignore your ancestors, we are nothing.

Many argued in the wake of 9/11 that the Islamist terrorists had no idea whom they had taken on, in Europe’s case however it seems to me they are very well aware of who they are dealing with.

 

[Annie]

Seems to me we are watching the makings of a clash of civilizations. onedomino was talking about Indonesia, http://www.usmessageboard.com/forums/showthread.php?p=239455#post239455

I found this other link dealing with Holland's reaction or rather attempts to 'roll up the game', http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/31/i...html?oref=login

I get the feeling that it is a matter of time before citizens of other nations are going to be faced with some very hard choices.

 

[dilloduck]

Couldn't they all just call themselves California ?

 

[theim]

I wonder how long before Berkely or San Francisco or Madison get this brilliant idea.

 

[Johnney]

what a slap in the face... hiding your colors.
are they embarassed by them?
one word comes to mind... disgusting