Real Talk BLOG

July 1, 2022 

U-ICON Editorial

---

Disrespectful

 

This was not intended. 

We got a message. We were asked: “What do you think about the Dutch Bank’s apologies today for the Slavery past.”

We were like: “Why should we think something about this? We are global citizens and we work together with young people from different cultures.” Then we thought okey, we’ll write our blog about this and give our honest opinion. While this blog with this topic was not intended at all.

So we immediately set out to investigate. The first thing we found was an article in the Trouw of February 12, 2021. The headline is “Rutte: This cabinet makes no apologies for the slave trade. The caretaker cabinet will not apologize to the relatives of slaves from Surinam, the Antilles and Indonesia for enslaving their ancestors.”

We read it carefully and thought wtf. Why not even apologize. They also did that for their mistakes about corona, whether they really meant it is another matter. Corona lasted two years and slavery two hundred years. So hello! Slavery is bad bad shit. If you know that why not just be humble? That is disrespectful and shows no understanding.

‘As long as people can be judged by the color of their skin, the problem is not solved.’

Oprah Winfrey

Soft chatter

What does it matter that Rutte or anyone else did not do it themselves. The Netherlands has enriched itself with the blood and sweat of slaves. So indirectly, Rutte, his cabinet and many from the Netherlands benefited financially from this exploitation. Because of their ancestors, all Dutch people are involved. That is reason enough to show respect and understanding. We must see things as they are and not twist or hide them

It’s soft chatter. We understand a lot, but not this nonsense that Rutte spews. Apparently you have to come from a good family to be humble, a university education is separate from that. It has to do with character and consciousness.

‘It is certain, in any case, that ignorance, allied with power, is the most ferocious enemy justice can have.’

James Baldwin 

Lost their way

Either way, all cabinet members are ordinary civil servants. May sound a bit silly but they are not entrepreneurs. No bosses. No proactive approachers. Everything takes forever to go through a hundred thousand mills and backroom politics. Constantly colluding.

The VVD means: The People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy. If this is the meaning, they should be the first to apologize to the relatives of slaves from Surinam, the Antilles and Indonesia, for enslaving their ancestors. Slavery is anything but freedom and democracy. They stand for Freedom and Democracy, right? Or not?

They don’t suffer personally, they have a good life. So they feel and know nothing at all. They have no empathy. They don’t understand the people they are supposed to serve. Just look at the issue of childcare allowance. Endless drama and the criminalization of people in which politics and Rutte are involved.

And all that ignorance and poor communication about corona. They also don’t know what to do with all those different things, they just do what they want. They have lost their way. They experiment with the lives of others. How can we take these people seriously. Isn’t it strange that many young people don’t vote?

‘Not everything that is faced can be changed, but noting can be changed until it is faced.’

James Baldwin  

Hendrik Verwoerd

During our research we also come across Hendrik Verwoerd. This is due to one of our editorial staff. He is whatsapping us: check this too. Wow we are totally flabergasted and in shock. A Dutchman from Amsterdam turns out to be the Architect of Apartheid. He is the creator of the apartheid system in South Africa. We look at each other and at the same time say: ‘Did you know this? Nope!’

This man comes all the way from focking Amsterdam to organize apartheid in South Africa? He was a journalist and politician. OMG that too! Wrong thing Prime Minister Rutte.

We hereby send you 2 links so that you know who this disrespectful man was. Because we didn’t learn this history lesson at school. Hmmm… strange by the way. This gives us a better understanding of Dutch arrogance. Hendrik Verwoerd did suffer from an enormous delusion of grandeur and also a disrespectful and understanding vision. We also see this behavior at Baudet and Wilders. What a mess.

https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hendrik_Verwoerd

https://historiek.net/apartheid-1948-1990/6826/

‘A riot is the language of the unheard.’

Dr. Martin Luther King 

We are against injustice

We are anti-discrimination, anti-racism, anti-child labour. Anti-pollution of the environment and the earth and we are against many more injustices. And especially against not being inclusive even though it is always said we are so inclusive, that is still not the case.

Because that means that Rutte must realize that the Netherlands was indeed exclusively engaged during slavery and that it still is in many things the case. Apparently it’s hard to be honest and aware. There is so much misery in the world that we don’t understand why you don’t apologize when you know it was wrong. So mistakes are always repeated.

We love the Netherlands, but unfortunately not everything is as it should be. We are all citizens of the world. We know very well what our origins are, why deny that. We are all a super mix of many beautiful cultures.

It makes us who we are and it also teaches us that change is necessary. Therefore U-ICON. Because media must and can be done differently. Young people need to be much more involved in order to realize change and enrichment. Because no one will do that for us. We have to do it ourselves, but we can only do it together.

We are fans of justice so slavery is not possible, never is. Always stand up & speak up about injustice, and let’s do that much more together.