Besides the familiar, commercial images of wooden clogs, tulips fields and wheels of cheese, a Lithuanian student said, ‘The image of the Netherlands in Europe is that it is a liberal country with legal prostitution, drugs for sale and gay marriages, but actually the Dutch are quite conservative.’ Calvinism, tolerance and equality were also mentioned.
According to Montanus, when you scratch beneath the surface, the Dutch culture can be best described in one word: independence. She emphasized the ability of the Dutch to respect differences and recognize the importance of striving for a common goal. At an early age, children are ‘trained’ and educated to fend for themselves, developing and expressing strong opinions to adults, who in general listen to their arguments.
Most elderly prefer to live in a retirement home instead of burdening their family with the obligation to take care of them. The downside of this sense of independence is feelings of loneliness. Thirty percent of old-age pensioners, said Montanus, are lonely; the same goes for fifteen percent of young people in the Netherlands.
Historically, where are the roots of this independence? Montanus argued the war against Spain created a necessity for the Dutch seven provinces to cooperate together, develop trade and form a common ground. At that time, she says, ‘Different people had to work together and respect one another’s independence, and you still see that today in Dutch politics.’
In today’s society one can find the inclination to maintain independence back in the various political parties in the Netherlands. Montanus contends, ‘No party is able to form a government on their own, they have to work together. It’s not like in the United States where you have democrats and republicans or in England, where you have the labor and conservative parties. The Dutch keep their identity and independence. There aren’t many strikes; we just sit around the table and work out our differences to find a common ground. For decades we’ve had at least three political parties that had to work together to legislate policies.’
On the surface, said one member of the audience, the Netherlands is a seemingly egalitarian society, but there are hidden lines of inequality. She said, ‘In other societies when there is inequality, you can accept it or revolt against it, and this is happening all over the world, but in the Netherlands, there are class differences.’
