Topic: Dutch - opinion

Some guy just told me that describing someone from the Netherlands as "Dutch" is offensive...

Is that true?

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Re: Dutch - opinion

Never heard of.

Re: Dutch - opinion

i know some dudes who get angry when i call them hollandaise

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Re: Dutch - opinion

Dutch \Dutch\, n.
      1. pl. The people of Holland; Dutchmen.
 
      2. The language spoken in Holland.

      3. The West Germanic language of the Netherlands

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Re: Dutch - opinion

I thought it was weird.

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6 (edited by zora 2010-07-06 14:40:52)

Re: Dutch - opinion

well, holland is only one part of the netherlands (or 2 parts (north and south holland)). some people living in the netherlands but not in holland maybe dont want you to call their city part of holland. i dunno, ive also heard that sometimes, but.. yeah..
but why "dutch" might be offensive.. i have no idea..

.."this world`s a bubble"..

Re: Dutch - opinion

@ytz maybe he misheard and thought you said Deutsch?

keep hackney crap

Re: Dutch - opinion

Nah, Holland and Netherlands are the same, even the Dutch refer to Holland and Nederland as being the same thing. There's plenty of Dutch songs that refer to Holland as the Netherlands, as well in sports, they cheer for Holland, not only the Netherlands.

Only thing that can make the Dutch slightly pissed of is when foreigners mix up Dutch with 'Deutsch'. It often happens in bad comedys, where a character from Holland talks with a heavy German accent.

Re: Dutch - opinion

I don't know Brian, I've heard people from the other parts of the Netherlands complain about the use of the word Holland because it refers to Hollanders. Historically the Holland provinces use to reign over the rest of the Republic.

Re: Dutch - opinion

and they still do.. big_smile

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Re: Dutch - opinion

@byron

lol!

although... maybe. judging by responses here that would make sense. he did act like you do when you suddenly realise you're talking to a racist.

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12

Re: Dutch - opinion

we're all dutch, but at the bottom of the netherlands we have zeeland, brabant and limburg
and its a saying that you cant call them Hollanders cause of the difference compared to the parts
in the uper side or like they say "above the rivers"

Its a bit lame, but if your like me a "zeeuws vlaming" then there can be a big difference cause i feel more connected to belgium than holland. If i want to go to the hague, amsterdam so then i have to go through belgium to get there. Now there is a tunnel but that isnt the fastest way and i have to pay to get through. at the cbs bbq some years ago IF said i live on an island and the man is kinda right about that.

Plus its anoying when you speak to someone from antwerp that dont know shit about where places are
and they laugh and try to speak with amsterdam accents and they dont know that antwerp is closer to amsterdam than it is from my house.

and indeed it sucks that dutch people in american movies always have a german accent.

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Re: Dutch - opinion

SUY

On the bright side, you do have a cool flag

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/54/Zeeuws-Vlaanderen-RvS.gif

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14

Re: Dutch - opinion

hehe cool smile its quite new that zeeuwsch vlaamse flag.

and its not like its a big issue to live in zeeuws vlaanderen, and i'm not offended when i'm called a "hollander" I am one after all. Its like having best of both worlds especially when belgium is 10 meters from my front door big_smile

Re: Dutch - opinion

The Dutch just dont care about 'manners'

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Re: Dutch - opinion

I worked as a waiter once in a place in Piccadilly Circus where tour groups used to come. We had a group of Dutch students once, and at the end of the meal they looked over at the serving staff and clapped. Is this normal? I think they were Dutch, maybe I remember wrong. In any event it was very nice.

I only worked there for a few weeks, and it was mostly Americans who came in.

Re: Dutch - opinion

Could very well have been Dutch. Dutch traveling in groups clap for anything in the service industry they appreciate. Restaurant service, safe airplane arrivals, movies at the cinema, stuff like that. But mostly this happens only in groups, the Dutch are very sensitive to peer pressure (they call it 'gezelligheid', and they are so sensitive to it that a single peer is already enough to change the social dynamics). When there's no pressure to be 'gezellig' and they sense some form of anonymity they can turn out to be rather self centered.

Re: Dutch - opinion

interesting hypothesis brian, 100000 mongols on a square watching football seems to support your idea, cos that cant be real fun.

19

Re: Dutch - opinion

bahahaha, the dutch, maaaan... i've been in r'dam since september last year and i figured i'll have to adjust to things, but after a few months i started realizing how much adjustment it will really take. almost a year now and i'm still a total noob...

Re: Dutch - opinion

is it that hard to adjust? examples...?

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Re: Dutch - opinion

hehe, i could write an essay. yeah, it's hard to adjust, it put me in some sort of cramp  where i got totally careful about how i say or do things to not be misinterpreted or to not insult people. i'm still trying to figure stuff out, but yeah things have been funny for me everywhere, school, social life, doctors, you name it. i seem to get along with foreigners best, or dutch people that grew up abroad or halflings.

but yeah, it's still gezellig, when it won't be anymore i'm outta here

Re: Dutch - opinion

SUY wrote:

Plus its anoying when you speak to someone from antwerp that dont know shit about where places are
and they laugh and try to speak with amsterdam accents and they dont know that antwerp is closer to amsterdam than it is from my house.

and indeed it sucks that dutch people in american movies always have a german accent.

JCVD doesn't. But for us Belgians Antwerp is another "country" too, believe me  wink

"A Real Music Hater"

Re: Dutch - opinion

Antwerp is indeed very different from the rest of Belgium. So is the french half of Belgium very different of the flemish side. It's a weird country. But what more weird is that we don't have much in common with Holland. We are so close to each other, we understand the language but even then we just have nearly nothing in common. The people are very different.

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Re: Dutch - opinion

Belgium is an artificial country indeed (even in politics and financial stuff)and that's a pitty, I have never felt myself as Flemish or Wallonian, I'm Belgian but most people in Belgium don't feel that way. The Netherlands aren't devided like Belgium, that's why they are always a step further than we are here (politics, finances, infrastructure etc).

"A Real Music Hater"

Re: Dutch - opinion

S.T.E.N.T.E.C. wrote:

is it that hard to adjust? examples...?

The most difficult thing is if you are not born in The Netherlands is to understand how some things work here, like waiting in line before you are getting served. Because the Dutch do not line up and there seem to be no rules, and it only 'looks' like there are pushing it but make no mistake although it looks chaotic... the Dutch can get quite upset if you -maybe by mistake- being served before someone else.
The thing is you have to really pay attention who is before you and wait your turn.

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