2023-05-02 02:00:36
A society is shaped by different systems: culture, religion, legislation, language, et cetera. Less tangible but at least as important is the influence of the economic system, writes Roxane van Iperen.
This column can also be listened to.
With the election victory of the BoerBurger Movement in the provincial elections of 15 March 2015, Dutch citizens once once more chose a new identity to express their dissatisfaction to The Hague. At least: that was the often heard explanation for the victory of the party with one seat in the House of Representatives, which became the largest in the Senate from scratch.
Politics is currently mainly explained in terms of social identity – white, black, man, woman, gay, straight, farmer or hipster. Some see it as the emancipation of emancipation movements, others as a baton for the conservative right to beat with. But rarely is the discussion regarding whatever it is: a smoke screen for economic interests.
A society is shaped by different systems: culture, religion, legislation, language, et cetera. Less tangible is the influence of the economic system, which raises or suppresses certain values and behaviors of individuals. A tax system, for example, that taxes labor much more heavily than wealth hits not only the pocketbook, but also the pride of the middle class. Core values such as work ethic, discipline and solidarity are punished, while the handy investor spreads his tips in a podcast from a sunny island. The message: anyone who participates and contributes to society is a loser; you should celebrate retirement.
After more than thirty years of living in a system that focuses on selfishness and a dog-eat-dog mentality, it is not surprising that citizens now find themselves in a constant state of competition with each other. A competition that is often unfairly fought on identity grounds.
A recent example was the comment by State Secretary Van Ooijen on the overloading of Youth Care: too many children rely on ‘light care’. Van Ooijen talked regarding divorces, parenting problems and sensitivity to stress. The reaction on social media was predictable. ‘Spoiled’, ‘gender madness’, ‘identity crisis’, ‘absent (working) mothers’ and ‘woke generation’.
The fact that the profit of the agro-industry is now seen as a victory for the ‘normal Dutchman’ is the completion of the identitarian smoke screen.
The real reason was simpler, but remained largely unnamed: the decentralization and subsequent large-scale privatization of youth care has created a proliferation of commercial parties that focus on light care, because that is where the profit lies. The waiting list for specialized psychological help is now irresponsibly long – with heartbreaking consequences.
The BBB vote was brought in most comments as a protest vote once morest The Hague and the nitrogen policy. The farmer once morest the plush sticker, the countryside once morest the city, the barbequer once morest the climate dram, the migrant versus the ‘original’ inhabitant – all flattened identitarian contradictions came to the fore.
Rarely has it been regarding thirty years of demolition of public facilities, a lopsided tax system and a business community that holds the most important political files hostage. The fact that the profit of the agro-industry is now seen as a victory for the ‘normal Dutchman’ is the completion of the identitarian smoke screen. That victory is not a protest once morest the Rutte cabinets, it is the product of it.
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