History Class
Reader beware
This post is the result of high risen levels of deep resentment and utter annoyance. I did *not* try, nor did I even wanted to try, to offer you a well balanced objective and historically correct opinion. After reading this I could be considered by some to be incredibly rightwing... I am not. I believe in social-liberal values but those are not the point here and if you want me to defend them I'll do it some other time when I am less infuriated. Anyway, don't take me too seriously and don't take it personal... after all this post is just a rant :)
Today I swore a solemn oath... never, ever, ever again will I sit through a history lecture, *any* history lecture, in which over 50% of the students were conscious participants of the time, dates and events. In short: they were alive and kicking during the topic of the class.
What happened? Well, I study part-time; and more than half of the students are retired men with too much time and money on their hands. Today happened to be my last class in Dutch history and since we started with the rebellion against Spain in 1568 it was to be expected that the last class would be about our beloved nation during the 60s and up till today. This so happened to be the time that these people were (young) adults and actively engaged in student protests, flowerpower, provo, kabouters (literally the garden gnome movement), witte fietsenplan (white bicycleplan) and any other such events worth studying in lengthy books.
These people are really incredibly arrogant. During the last classes whenever we had a debate on modern times they supported rightwing policies against Islam, against foreigners, against overspending (but weirdly in favour of welfare and early retirement), against Bush (fashion I guess), against Balkenende (who is really all they should wish for, but I again hold fashion to blame), against France (don't ask me), against (and I am serious here) young people who no longer have any ideals and a whole tirade of other stuff.
Now lo and behold! To my utter astonishment when we got to the dutch 60s they simply SWITCHED sides and were the all progressive bunch, leftist sexual liberationists, against the establishment, Stones versus Beatles, who were participating in Maoist communes (really!) and wearing the famous flower in the hair when they'd be goin to San Fransisco. These were the people that supported van Mierlo in the elections of 1967 and were there during the 'Maagdenhuis'-occupation and during the (nude) sit-ins (*tooooo much information!*) at the World War II memorial at the Dam in Amsterdam. I mentioned during class (a bit too loud) that I found it very disappointing that they never planned those sit-ins in say... late November or early December and that it smelled like they were a bit too attached to luxury and materialism. This of course resulted in a storm of protests which were (I must honoustly say) quite amusing.
Still, this is the generation cudled by the welfare state. The generation with subsidized rights from cradle to grave. People who lived for ten to fifteen years at the expense of the state because they were supposed to be studying but were actually doing well... very little, other then protesting against the very same institutions that kept them alive. People who, after they eventually got a grade or something, went on to spend the next 20 to 30 or so years at the same company. Eventually making promotion after promotion to become very well-established parts of the same society that they had ridiculed and spit on but were now actively defending.
Those very people are now at the end of their careers and looking for welfare funds for early retirement. Grasping at the last straws of the old medicare system and sketching apocalyptic visions of impending doom when we (the young without ideals remember) dismantle *their* welfare state (how *dare* you claim this for just yourself!). These people leave companies with huge benefits and bonuses because nobody else wants them, while we (the young without ideals) can hardly find a job and if we find one must work for short-term 1 to 2 year contracts.
Now of course if you happen to explain this to them you are logically blamed for being a young person without ideals. No matter how much in favour of a well balanced welfare system for the people who really need help you are! If you don't believe *anyone* has the natural right to be supported by the state let alone tolerate a DEMAND on welfare simply because *they* worked for it, you are simply a young person without ideals .
Cut the crap and accept that you are old fossils who just realized that your lives have been more void of ideals than you ever imagined in your worst (pod filled) nightmares on the Dam.
Above all fuck up with your personal idolized version of the 60s and let me read my books. Maybe we (the young without ideals) can fix some of the blunders you made since that time...
"When you are young, and you do not believe in leftwing politics you are heartless... when you are old and you do not believe in rightwing politics you are brainless..."
Talking about heart- and brainless....
This post is the result of high risen levels of deep resentment and utter annoyance. I did *not* try, nor did I even wanted to try, to offer you a well balanced objective and historically correct opinion. After reading this I could be considered by some to be incredibly rightwing... I am not. I believe in social-liberal values but those are not the point here and if you want me to defend them I'll do it some other time when I am less infuriated. Anyway, don't take me too seriously and don't take it personal... after all this post is just a rant :)
Today I swore a solemn oath... never, ever, ever again will I sit through a history lecture, *any* history lecture, in which over 50% of the students were conscious participants of the time, dates and events. In short: they were alive and kicking during the topic of the class.
What happened? Well, I study part-time; and more than half of the students are retired men with too much time and money on their hands. Today happened to be my last class in Dutch history and since we started with the rebellion against Spain in 1568 it was to be expected that the last class would be about our beloved nation during the 60s and up till today. This so happened to be the time that these people were (young) adults and actively engaged in student protests, flowerpower, provo, kabouters (literally the garden gnome movement), witte fietsenplan (white bicycleplan) and any other such events worth studying in lengthy books.
These people are really incredibly arrogant. During the last classes whenever we had a debate on modern times they supported rightwing policies against Islam, against foreigners, against overspending (but weirdly in favour of welfare and early retirement), against Bush (fashion I guess), against Balkenende (who is really all they should wish for, but I again hold fashion to blame), against France (don't ask me), against (and I am serious here) young people who no longer have any ideals and a whole tirade of other stuff.
Now lo and behold! To my utter astonishment when we got to the dutch 60s they simply SWITCHED sides and were the all progressive bunch, leftist sexual liberationists, against the establishment, Stones versus Beatles, who were participating in Maoist communes (really!) and wearing the famous flower in the hair when they'd be goin to San Fransisco. These were the people that supported van Mierlo in the elections of 1967 and were there during the 'Maagdenhuis'-occupation and during the (nude) sit-ins (*tooooo much information!*) at the World War II memorial at the Dam in Amsterdam. I mentioned during class (a bit too loud) that I found it very disappointing that they never planned those sit-ins in say... late November or early December and that it smelled like they were a bit too attached to luxury and materialism. This of course resulted in a storm of protests which were (I must honoustly say) quite amusing.
Still, this is the generation cudled by the welfare state. The generation with subsidized rights from cradle to grave. People who lived for ten to fifteen years at the expense of the state because they were supposed to be studying but were actually doing well... very little, other then protesting against the very same institutions that kept them alive. People who, after they eventually got a grade or something, went on to spend the next 20 to 30 or so years at the same company. Eventually making promotion after promotion to become very well-established parts of the same society that they had ridiculed and spit on but were now actively defending.
Those very people are now at the end of their careers and looking for welfare funds for early retirement. Grasping at the last straws of the old medicare system and sketching apocalyptic visions of impending doom when we (the young without ideals remember) dismantle *their* welfare state (how *dare* you claim this for just yourself!). These people leave companies with huge benefits and bonuses because nobody else wants them, while we (the young without ideals) can hardly find a job and if we find one must work for short-term 1 to 2 year contracts.
Now of course if you happen to explain this to them you are logically blamed for being a young person without ideals. No matter how much in favour of a well balanced welfare system for the people who really need help you are! If you don't believe *anyone* has the natural right to be supported by the state let alone tolerate a DEMAND on welfare simply because *they* worked for it, you are simply a young person without ideals .
Cut the crap and accept that you are old fossils who just realized that your lives have been more void of ideals than you ever imagined in your worst (pod filled) nightmares on the Dam.
Above all fuck up with your personal idolized version of the 60s and let me read my books. Maybe we (the young without ideals) can fix some of the blunders you made since that time...
"When you are young, and you do not believe in leftwing politics you are heartless... when you are old and you do not believe in rightwing politics you are brainless..."
Talking about heart- and brainless....