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Generally the Dutch like their system, and I think it works pretty well for them. But as the article suggests, it works because they have such a communal spirit
by nw 17y ago
Generally the Dutch like their system, and I think it works pretty well for them. But as the article suggests, it works because they have such a communal spirit and sense of shared values. Americans have that individualist spirit and we are a very heterogeneous group with little in common beyond our love of freedom to roam and make a buck.
Perhaps a small New England state could pull it off (and they do try) but to engineer a Dutch system from Washington is asking a bit much. The author perceptively observed that Dutch don't trust government any more than we do, but have a strong sense of communal responsibility to each other. That is only possible on a small scale, I think. After all, they only have 16m people on a tiny piece of land.
When I lived in Holland some years ago, one of locals pointed out this irony: "You Americans have only two political parties but can't agree on anything, while we Dutch have dozens but pretty much see eye-to-eye on everything."
- jules 17y ago> After all, they only have 16m people on a tiny piece of land. Do you think that matters? I feel no more connected to people living 100 km away than people living 300 km away.
- biohacker42 17y agoIndividualistic spirit my butt. Americans aren't a special and unique snowflake. Every country's system is largely an accident of history.
- iamelgringo 17y agoPlease, don't make comments like that. This is hacker news: http://ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html http://ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
- biohacker42 17y agoOh geez what was it, the "my butt"? I was too lazy to find more a classy way to call BS on a sweeping generalization that makes it sound like Americans have some special individuality gene, while the Dutch are all genetically predisposed to socialism. Pardon my French, but if you don't like it vote me down.
- Nwallins 17y ago> makes it sound like Americans have some special individuality gene, while the Dutch are all genetically predisposed to socialism. It's called culture -- not genetics. Would you agree that there are several important distinctions between Dutch and American culture?
- biohacker42 17y agoYes, but not in that way. Let me put it this way, if you have the choice between breaking laws and breaking customs, always choose laws. I see the biggest differences between the US and Holland as legal. Lets not forget that Holland basically invented modern capitalism and the US has many programs much more socialist then their equivalents in the so called social states of Europe.
- endtime 17y agoIt wasn't the language, it was that your comment was not thoughtful, interesting, intelligent, or even justified.