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my opinion of dutch people is while they are every bit as socially liberal as Scandinavians , when it comes to economic policy , they are much less statists than swedes etc and more pro the free market , in other words they are both socially and economically liberal , a very pragmatic people all around , I think their support for legalised prostitution and weed is rooted as much in economic benefit as civil rights etc
blunt and to the point aswell so in this regard they are quite similar to germans
Linda generally summed it up pretty well. The Netherlands as a whole tend to be more liberal, open-minded and laid-back than Germany, however, the one also has to distinguish between the specific regions. For instance, the Northwestern part of Lower Saxony is in fact VERY similar to the (Eastern) Netherlands in regard to the culture, language/dialect, lifestyle, politics and character. Obviously, the other areas of Germany less so. The differences get obvious if you take a look at the regional architecture and the topography:
The counties of German Ostfriesland look like this:
Looks practically the same like the Dutch provinces of Groningen and Drenthe.
In comparison, nobody would perceive Brandenburg, Thuringia and Saxony as similar to Netherlands or the Nordic countries but as typically "Central European":
Acknowledging the distinctive richness (in the European context of course) of the Dutch society, and taking for granted that the Dutch are, broadly speaking, already particularly "German/Germanic," are the Dutch then OTHERWISE closer culturally to Danes, Brits, or the French? (If, for some reasons which you'll make clear, you'd prefer to challenge the German assumption, that might be constructive too.)
Also, one might phrase it this way: Are the Dutch, culturally, more Nordic, Continental or Anglo-Saxon --holding aside the fact that they're obviously quite physically already on the Continent proper (howsoever tenuously!).
All responses appreciated, and thanks in advance!
Dutch are Dutch. Their origin is clearly Germanic, but during their history they attracked a lot of migrants: Jews, protestants from what is now Belgium and France, more recently lots of people from the former colonies and all over the world. In this respect they are more close to Anglo-saxon peoples, who also soaked up lots of migrants, but their original language and culture resembles more to Germany. (but don't say that to Dutch people, who dislike Germans). In the northern regions such as Friesland there are also many resemblances with Denmark. In the very south people have resemblances with Belgians, in the east they speak a dialect which is close to German.
As in other Germanic countries, blonde people are common in the Netherlands, become more frequent in the north.
indeed, original Dutch people who have not mixed with migrants tend to be tall, blonde and have blue eyes. If you come from Belgium (even Flanders) the difference is striking.
for what its worth, they love to vaccation in sweden. we're flooded with them every summer. many even chose to live here. there are lot of them in norway, too.
You're posting pictures of kids haircuts. Quite questionable, if you ask me.
Don't focus too much on the hair styles, rather read first what is written. The pictures are there to emphasize or support the quote that stated " blonde-haired people are common in the Netherlands". There also many Dutch people who have very light green eyes and medium/dark blonde hair. My own mother of Dutch and Belgian(Flemish/Vlaams) ancestry is of that colouring. So for me when I am in the Netherlands is a little like being at home, I see more people that look like people in my maternal family. My pictures only serve as proof. Nothing is questionable, don't get easily confused! [/quote]
Last edited by saxonwold; 10-12-2013 at 11:11 AM..
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