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I am also from NL, and first of all, you are blaming a big and diverse group, the 'left', for unnuanced statements and regrettable actions of some individuals.

I am also from NL, and first of all, you are blaming a big and diverse group, the 'left', for unnuanced statements and regrettable actions of some individuals. Every group has its crazies. Doesn't mean the whole 'left' is like that. Second, they may be right. Which groups with 'different opinions' are you talking about? Geert Wilders has been convicted for libel against ethnic minorities. And Baudet has said that he wants Europe to be mostly white [1]. Third, now overgeneralizing myself, the 'right' does the same thing too: calling people on the left 'profiteers', crazy and lazy hippies who wanto to avoid any labor, etc. In fact, you are blaming the political left in your post right now for the murder of Pim Fortuyn, based on vague and unsubstantiated claims. You are doing the same thing you blame the left for. And lastly, the original ideals from the left are very much needed in this neoliberal climate where the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. The economic divide is growing. Even the VVD is moving towards the left, seeing that the capitalist race has gone too far. One example: the Netherlands has a very serious housing crisis right now caused by neoliberalism. From the credit crisis to selling and reducing out the social housing stock, investors only wanting to build high end apartments, etc. In the last debate about it, the VVD was advocating for a bigger role in housing, that ideal is tradionally associated with the left. So please, don't polarize, overgeneralize and blame the whole left for murder and name-calling. Using your line of reasoning again, it is not like the 'right' is in a good place right now with their corona denial and Qanon conspiracies. [1] https://www.ad.nl/politiek/baudet-verliest-zaak-tegen-buitenhof-mede-door-zijn-eerdere-uitspraken-over-blank-europa~aca39409/ https://www.ad.nl/politiek/baudet-verliest-zaak-tegen-buiten...

the-dude 6y ago
I will only respond to one part of your rebuttal : do you think being called 'crazy or lazy' is in any way comparable to being called a fascist, nazi or murderer? I don't think so.
- throwaway_hey 6y ago
  I agree. The President’s son, a prominent figure in the right, shouldn’t be comparing Democrats to Nazis. Surely that would upset you. =="You see the Nazi platform in the early 1930s and what was actually put out there ... and you look at it compared to like the DNC platform of today, and you're saying, man, those things are awfully similar, to a point where it's actually scary," Trump Jr. said.== https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/02/politics/donald-trump-jr-dinesh-dsouza/index.html https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/02/politics/donald-trump-jr-dine... Also, there was the time the President called people who cross the southern border as “rapists”. == They're sending people that have lots of problems...they're bringing drugs, they're bringing crime. They're rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.== https://www.cbsnews.com/news/election-2016-donald-trump-defends-calling-mexican-immigrants-rapists/ https://www.cbsnews.com/news/election-2016-donald-trump-defe...
- blablablerg 6y ago
  Name calling is wrong either way and leads to polarization. It doesn't matter what term is worse. Calling people lazy and crazy is also a form of subhumanization. Besides, you only have to check geenstijl.nl (https://www.geenstijl.nl/5155500/et-tu-francisco/#comments https://www.geenstijl.nl/5155500/et-tu-francisco/#comments) for worse: the left are terrorism enablers, etc. I can't link directly but I quote: "Moslims zijn beter te vergelijken met linkse activisten, andere meningen worden niet getolereerd en desnoods met geweld onderdrukt." (Translation: You can compare muslim with leftist activists, other opinions are not tolerated and are repressed, with violence if needed). So your point that the left is somehow worse at demonizing is invalid. People of both sides do it, and both are wrong. So I hope you can focus on policy instead, because the statement that one party is worse at name calling is biased and doesn't lead us anywhere.
  - the-dude 6y ago
    I disagree with you in that it doesn't matter what term is worse. Calling somebody lazy or crazy is something fundamentally different than calling somebody a fascist, nazi or murderer. Or disguised dead threats like Roep dan pang. > "Moslims zijn beter te vergelijken met linkse activisten, andere meningen worden niet getolereerd en desnoods met geweld onderdrukt." What is your beef with this quote? I don't see the problem.
    - blablablerg 6y ago
      Violent repression of speech is a hallmark of oppressive regimes (putting intellectuals in the gulag for example) and saying such a thing about the left is just as bad as calling them nazi's or murderers. The commenter in question uses more words but it essentially boils down to the same. But nitpicking about what insult is worse is beside the point for me. It is not as if most of the left is out to demonize the right and vice versa, and I regret it if you see it that way, and even more so if you think that one side is worse at it. Putting the whole of society in two camps and ascribing behaviour to them which are exacted by a minority as if they are a homogeneous unit.. oversimplified and prejudiced.

the-dude 6y ago

I will only respond to one part of your rebuttal : do you think being called 'crazy or lazy' is in any way comparable to being called a fascist, nazi or murderer? I don't think so.

throwaway_hey 6y ago
I agree. The President’s son, a prominent figure in the right, shouldn’t be comparing Democrats to Nazis. Surely that would upset you. =="You see the Nazi platform in the early 1930s and what was actually put out there ... and you look at it compared to like the DNC platform of today, and you're saying, man, those things are awfully similar, to a point where it's actually scary," Trump Jr. said.== https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/02/politics/donald-trump-jr-dinesh-dsouza/index.html https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/02/politics/donald-trump-jr-dine... Also, there was the time the President called people who cross the southern border as “rapists”. == They're sending people that have lots of problems...they're bringing drugs, they're bringing crime. They're rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.== https://www.cbsnews.com/news/election-2016-donald-trump-defends-calling-mexican-immigrants-rapists/ https://www.cbsnews.com/news/election-2016-donald-trump-defe...
blablablerg 6y ago
Name calling is wrong either way and leads to polarization. It doesn't matter what term is worse. Calling people lazy and crazy is also a form of subhumanization. Besides, you only have to check geenstijl.nl (https://www.geenstijl.nl/5155500/et-tu-francisco/#comments https://www.geenstijl.nl/5155500/et-tu-francisco/#comments) for worse: the left are terrorism enablers, etc. I can't link directly but I quote: "Moslims zijn beter te vergelijken met linkse activisten, andere meningen worden niet getolereerd en desnoods met geweld onderdrukt." (Translation: You can compare muslim with leftist activists, other opinions are not tolerated and are repressed, with violence if needed). So your point that the left is somehow worse at demonizing is invalid. People of both sides do it, and both are wrong. So I hope you can focus on policy instead, because the statement that one party is worse at name calling is biased and doesn't lead us anywhere.
- the-dude 6y ago
  I disagree with you in that it doesn't matter what term is worse. Calling somebody lazy or crazy is something fundamentally different than calling somebody a fascist, nazi or murderer. Or disguised dead threats like Roep dan pang. > "Moslims zijn beter te vergelijken met linkse activisten, andere meningen worden niet getolereerd en desnoods met geweld onderdrukt." What is your beef with this quote? I don't see the problem.
  - blablablerg 6y ago
    Violent repression of speech is a hallmark of oppressive regimes (putting intellectuals in the gulag for example) and saying such a thing about the left is just as bad as calling them nazi's or murderers. The commenter in question uses more words but it essentially boils down to the same. But nitpicking about what insult is worse is beside the point for me. It is not as if most of the left is out to demonize the right and vice versa, and I regret it if you see it that way, and even more so if you think that one side is worse at it. Putting the whole of society in two camps and ascribing behaviour to them which are exacted by a minority as if they are a homogeneous unit.. oversimplified and prejudiced.