Do any of you actually live in Amsterdam?

sure you can, but i don't think tearing apart the arguments of a schoolgirl on a message board is going to help me make my point.

i have younger friends also, but you must surely acknowledge that the level of discourse of a post graduate 27 year old and a 17 year old is quite different. that doesn't mean that 17 year olds can't have anything interesting to say, but it's not necessary for me to tear apart her posts.

 

Like i said, I am half dutch. perhaps its genetic?

 

LOL.. right on sis!.. hehehe.. seriously.. I wouldn't want to talk to someone so age biased.. sheesh.. and I mean.. you're 17! It's not like you're a 5 y/o or sth.. seriously.

Ah well.. mister know-it-all probably thinks the world of himself.. telling everyone we should stand up and fight.. hmm..

hehe.. just occured to me.. if there is one country being intolerant towards refugees it is Australia.. seriously, for having so much different people in our country we're holding up pretty good.. just have to fight to make it a better place.

 

What did Myrtje say or do that makes you think she's less capable of engaging in this discussion than let's say.. you?

She seem to be a lot more openminded, friendly and dare I say, intelligent, than you are dear sir.

 

hehe.. that's funny..

You know, you did make some valid points.. But the way you say it makes everybody want to defend holland, even the non-dutch.. So it's not only the dutch that are "stubborn and don't want any criticism", but also you who can't discuss this subject without rubbing everybody the wrong way..

Think about that..

 

absolutely. i would never stand up and defend the australian government's treatment of refugees.

however, the fact remains that australia is not facing an identity crisis like the netherlands is. we are a young country and are used to change.

i would certainly say that in australia you don't find people who immigrated 20 years ago still not being accepted by the community like you find in holland. why? because australia is made up of immigrants (like my opa and oma).

 

yes, you have a good point there. it's often difficult to discuss issues with the necessary objectivity when you feel passionately about them.

i'm just frustrated that not enough people seem to care. maybe i should have started a thread about how they are closing down coffeeshops and people might start to give a shit.

 

But this isn't only happening in holland.. It's happening in almost all european country's..

 

Well thats not true.. But what I said before.. You started this discussion in the wrong forum.. Here mostly tourist come.. This might have been better in the dutch forum..

 

true, but holland is smaller than most. france might be able to fend it off though size and population, but holland is going to have a hard time.

that and i care more about what happens in holland.

 

Awww you think im still such a little baby that ill start crying when you say something bad about me? Really, i can handle it.

Pathetic sore loser.

 

i disagee. i think the tourists are the key. like i said earlier, i think the solution to this lays within holland's international reputation.

 

I care, but eh, some people seem to think that im too young for all this stuff.

 

Im sorry i offended you myrtje and no I don't think you'll run off in tears.

It was more that I didn't feel like refuting some pretty basic points. it was nothing against you personally, like I said, I think you come across as quite intelligent.

 

If you think i dont make valid points, just say so, i dont see why my age has anything to do with that.

 

Do those older immigrants speak english? Do they have an australian passport?

There ya go....

 

actually many of them still don't speak english. we have a very large vietnemese community who are very much a part of australian society, despite speaking very little (if any) english. (add to that, chinese, greek, italian etc).

a high percentage of them also don't have australian passports. my father for example (although he does speak english), has lived in australia for over 30 years and he still doesn't have an aussie passport. he could get one, but doesn't see the need to.

 

so how are they better integrated than let's say.. the Chinese or Turkish people here when they don't speak the native language nor have a local passport?

 

I mean, seriously.. we have so many non-dutch people here.. different skincolor, culture, religion.. everything.. and the level of violence and interracial trouble is still pretty low. There is a problem allright, but maybe you can start dealing with your own country first before coming here almost blaming us for not fighting hard enough against the current.

"Although Australians generally pride themselves on living in a tolerant, multicultural country, racial tensions are often never far from the surface."
http://www.spinneypress.com.au/180_book_desc.html

First fix the country you live in before you come bitching about another.. we are doing all we can here. What about the people in Australia with Dutch passports by the way.. are they voting? Are they helping changing things in Holland? Or is it just a convenience, having a Dutch passport? What parties did they vote for with the latest elections?

 

A lot of foreigners here doesn't speak our language either. It also annoyes me to get my mail in languages like turkish and arabic, just because they can't read dutch.