Julian Deathblow - Or - Changes In The Dutch Culture
You can judge the developments in a country by remarkable events.
In Italy the return of Berlusconi is a sign that the country is in deep trouble, people hope that an previous hero / leader will be able to change the situation.
In the Netherlands a recent incident sheds some light on the progress of cultural integration of various ethnic groups.
Julian Deathblow is a pseudonym (of a pseudonym) of a cartoon-artist that has been jailed for 30 hours on publishing discriminating cartoon on his blog.
I and many others had never heard about him, but his arrest made him world famous.
It shows the complexity of politics when an action that is taken influences the problem much more than thought and the original problem grows out of proportions.
Many views on this topic have been broadcasted, some blame government (the minister of justice) to have the man locked-up and think that freedom of expression is sacred, others agree that freedom of expression cannot derail some basic values as respect for other cultures.
In this case most cartoons are offending the islam religion, but don't forget the cartoon where Dutch society is at stake; one where the prime minister and the queen are shown, would immediately be removed if the country was Spain and not The Netherlands.
The Dutch society has been famous for its "tolerance.
" In an interview on youtube, the artist replies that "I make people laugh.
If people laugh they are not afraid and if they are not afraid they are free.
" How this matches the cartoon of the minister and the queen is still a riddle to me.
When looking at his website I found one of the first contributions (dated from September 2006) dedicated to the Danish cartoonist.
His cartoon shows a piece of Lego where the last O is transformed into a bomb ...
The association is obvious.
In my opinion his motive must come from the cartoon affair that took place in Denmark in the year before (September 2005).
And his message must be: provocation is what artists do, If you (referring to a muslim) don't like it don't watch it.
The other day I met someone I recognized as having done the plumbing at home.
I asked him whether he was allowed to look at western (dressed) girls, because I saw him looking at a girl who was passing by on the street.
He didn't respond.
The truth is that in Spain there are hardly as much muslim women that cary a veil, they seem to be more integrated than those who live in the Netherlands.
(in my opinion).
But anyhow ...
The internet is full of sex pictures and so are newspaper-stands...
I personally think that Julains' material is like that - a combination of sex (that sells good) mixed with some ideology.
But should be a reason to arrest him for this? The fact of giving it attention is what made it an issue, where it would otherwise receive nearly no attention.
As all those funny things on youtube.
You watch for an hour and then you have had it and go back to work.
Life is waiting.
But in the Netherlands life seems to have stopped.
Something more must be going on there.
I think it is about getting a new balance between accepting new cultures and defending an own identity.
Especially this last seems an issue; what is the Dutch identity? Whatever it is ...
or was, it seems to be changing.
Hans Bool
In Italy the return of Berlusconi is a sign that the country is in deep trouble, people hope that an previous hero / leader will be able to change the situation.
In the Netherlands a recent incident sheds some light on the progress of cultural integration of various ethnic groups.
Julian Deathblow is a pseudonym (of a pseudonym) of a cartoon-artist that has been jailed for 30 hours on publishing discriminating cartoon on his blog.
I and many others had never heard about him, but his arrest made him world famous.
It shows the complexity of politics when an action that is taken influences the problem much more than thought and the original problem grows out of proportions.
Many views on this topic have been broadcasted, some blame government (the minister of justice) to have the man locked-up and think that freedom of expression is sacred, others agree that freedom of expression cannot derail some basic values as respect for other cultures.
In this case most cartoons are offending the islam religion, but don't forget the cartoon where Dutch society is at stake; one where the prime minister and the queen are shown, would immediately be removed if the country was Spain and not The Netherlands.
The Dutch society has been famous for its "tolerance.
" In an interview on youtube, the artist replies that "I make people laugh.
If people laugh they are not afraid and if they are not afraid they are free.
" How this matches the cartoon of the minister and the queen is still a riddle to me.
When looking at his website I found one of the first contributions (dated from September 2006) dedicated to the Danish cartoonist.
His cartoon shows a piece of Lego where the last O is transformed into a bomb ...
The association is obvious.
In my opinion his motive must come from the cartoon affair that took place in Denmark in the year before (September 2005).
And his message must be: provocation is what artists do, If you (referring to a muslim) don't like it don't watch it.
The other day I met someone I recognized as having done the plumbing at home.
I asked him whether he was allowed to look at western (dressed) girls, because I saw him looking at a girl who was passing by on the street.
He didn't respond.
The truth is that in Spain there are hardly as much muslim women that cary a veil, they seem to be more integrated than those who live in the Netherlands.
(in my opinion).
But anyhow ...
The internet is full of sex pictures and so are newspaper-stands...
I personally think that Julains' material is like that - a combination of sex (that sells good) mixed with some ideology.
But should be a reason to arrest him for this? The fact of giving it attention is what made it an issue, where it would otherwise receive nearly no attention.
As all those funny things on youtube.
You watch for an hour and then you have had it and go back to work.
Life is waiting.
But in the Netherlands life seems to have stopped.
Something more must be going on there.
I think it is about getting a new balance between accepting new cultures and defending an own identity.
Especially this last seems an issue; what is the Dutch identity? Whatever it is ...
or was, it seems to be changing.
Hans Bool