How people perceive the Dutch

How people perceive the Dutch

Well my very best friend has nothing good to stay about the Americans.  I am from South Africa and could not give a shit about other countries and their people.  In my opinion there is too much going on in the country I am living in.  The ANC has been in power for the last 24 years.  Zuma was recalled and then forced to resign.  We have a new president.  Only time will tell if he is better than Zuma. Something good did happen.  The rand is a lot stronger.  Were the recent events that helped the rand getting stronger or did Donald Trump help weaken the dollar?  Anyway, carry on Donald Trump.  Or was the ANC timing due to the fact that the election is close by?

Corruption is very bad in South Africa.  It’s not only Zuma but many others.  Zuma is waiting to hear if he will face charges.  The municipalities are just as corrupt.  Eskom is the sole electricity supplier in South Africa.  There is corruption in Eskom also.   So you see ………

My father originated from the Netherlands.

Most people regard the Dutch as rude.  The Dutch have no tact.  As I said, my father was Dutch.  My father was a very proud man, a very compassionate man.  Yet my father had a violent temper.  My father had plenty of time for others but not really his own family.

Here are some comments from around the world about the Dutch that I got from the internet. http://www.businesspsychologistconsulting.com/article%20howforeignersperceivethedutch.html

 

How foreigners perceive the Dutch
"If anyone here sticks out from the crowd, his head is chopped off. There is always criticism. They always tear people down, good performance is played down. Everyone must be the same; there shouldn't be anyone brilliant" (Argentine)

"British people will not say what they think, except to very good friends. Here in Holland it may happen that someone asks you "Why is your hair so long, why do you wear that tie with that shirt? I wouldn't be surprised if they told me: what an awful tie you're wearing!" (An observer from Britain)

"Dutch people are nice, but criticise other people too often and too fast. Even when they discuss a match they won, they will constantly talk about the five minutes that things went a bit less. I don't know whether this is because they all know how to do things better, or because they just want to fuss." (An observer from Iceland)

"the Dutch are very serious and they take everything seriously. You must be careful with jokes; they may easily get it wrong. This serious attitude is good for business; Dutch people are good at that" (Nigeria)

"In other countries conflicts easily escalate. Here stay people calm. The company council, the trade unions and the company directors take decisions in relative harmony." (Switzerland)

"In the Dutch company where I work, I exclaimed: for heaven's sake, let's stop talking about it and DO something!" (An American observer)

There is also a good side, however, as expressed by this Frenchman "Yes, decision-making in Holland lasts awfully long, but everybody is heard in the process and once the decision is finally taken, all seem to recognize their point of view in it somehow, so they will implement it."

(The following quotations are from German and Norwegian observers.) "It is striking how there's always a price tag attached here. In Holland people immediately ask what things cost. Whether it is the shortage of prison cells, a new railway line or a UN building in The Hague: how much will it cost? That is a kind of scrooginess you also meet on a small scale."

"There is a certain order in Holland that makes things easier. Society functions well and is also quite stable. If the government changes, nothing else really changes. This order leaves you free to develop yourself the way you want to" (Chili)

"Everything here goes in time. Two o'clock is two o'clock, not earlier, not later. I like it, it is easier. You know how things will go and you can plan your day better" (Zambia)

"Everything is cultivated, over organised. You can't lose your way, even in a forest here you keep seeing signs like: "The pancake restaurant turns right." (South Africa)

"Even inside the house everything goes on schedule: dinner at six, coffee at seven. In Suriname we eat when we're hungry and we drink when we're thirsty." (Suriname)

"I wouldn't miss the Dutch meeting culture. If you phone someone, unavoidably the answer is: he's in a meeting, can you phone again? That disturbs me right from the beginning of may stay. They only meet here for the sake of meeting. The positive side is that everyone is seeking consensus with one another, although often the opinions are fixed beforehand. It becomes a ritual; sponsored by coffee producers" (Germany)

"People here don't seem to feel much respect for police officers or for people in uniform. They just talk to them or ask questions. It is all very simple and open, very normal" (Argentine)

 

Apart from only knowing my father and his parents I don’t have much experience with Dutch people.  I talked to a Dutch man for a while.  From my own experience from this is that the Dutch are very compassionate people.  They find forgiving nearly impossible.  They are very proud. They are inclined to hold grudges forever.  They don’t hold back in what they say.  Last but least they are always right.