One of the most notable cultural differences I’ve observed in the Netherlands is the remarkable tolerance of the Dutch people. From religion and ethnicity to soft drug use and even legal (albeit highly regulated) prostitution, it seems the Dutch keep an open mind about most things. What is really interesting is how this attitude seems to be historically ingrained into the history of the nation.
During the Eighty Years’ War, Dutch protestants fought against the catholic rule of Spain for their independence and for religious tolerance. Even before this war, many religions could find sanctuary within the Netherlands, including Judaism, due to the strong Calvinist presence. I think this is super interesting because many of the colonies that became the United States were founded to escape the religious persecution of the Anglican church in England, yet the United States has seemingly forgotten this legacy of tolerance, whereas it is still extremely strong in the Netherlands. Beyond religious tolerance, there’s also a huge international population in the Netherlands, especially in major cities like Amsterdam and Rotterdam. Due to the Dutch colonization of Suriname and Indonesia, there is a significant fraction of Dutch citizens who have Indonesian and Surinamese ancestry, and as we learned from one of our tour guides, Ian, these people are considered as Dutch as anyone else. Due to all the religions and cultures that have been present in the region, there is all sorts of wonderful cuisine, art, and music beyond just the Western European fare you might expect. It is obvious that the Dutch treasure all that they have gained from other peoples and cultures, and that they are working to right the wrongs they enacted throughout their past as a colonizing power. This is different than in the United States, where our current administration views immigration and cultural diversity as a detriment and is trying to sterilize our history books of any wrongdoing.
The Dutch exhibit other forms of tolerance as well. Generally, they are extremely accepting of the LGBTQ+ community, they allow sex work, and have decriminalized soft drugs such as marijuana and magic truffles (at least in the municipality of Amsterdam). Of course, Amsterdam has gained some infamy due to these things, but they are not nearly as prevalent as you might expect, especially the drug usage. I have to say that while walking around Amsterdam, I encountered the smell of marijuana FAR less often than I have walking around downtown Pittsburgh. Compared to cities like Chicago or New York, it isn’t even comparable. I think it is really amazing how this decriminalization and regulation has actually done more to diminish drug use, especially the usage of hard drugs, than America’s “tough on crime” approach. The authorities in Amsterdam aren’t worried about punishing the end-users of drugs or forcing them out of the public eye; rather, they are trying to make it a safer, cleaner experience, and hopefully keep them away from seriously dangerous substances like opioids. This approach seems to be working. Their tolerance of the LGBTQ+ community has also become a part of the cultural scene in Amsterdam, and this aspect of life manages to coexist with the city’s ancient churches, basilicas, and cathedrals without the entire upheaval of Western society and the nuclear family (shocker).
I will say that there is one area in which the United States seems to be more tolerant: public accommodations for people with disabilities. It hasn’t been for a super long time that we’ve actually encoded protections for people with disabilities into law–the ADA was only passed in 1990–but it has had a pretty remarkable effect. All of our public buildings have ramps, wheelchair accessible bathrooms, elevators, signage, etc. In the Netherlands, these features are far less common, not to mention that nearly every walkway and staircase is narrower, steeper, and more jagged. I think a great part of why this is so common is due to the age of the cities and buildings in the Netherlands, and due to a desire to preserve the historic and cultural integrity of these pieces of infrastructure. It would be extremely difficult to renovate or retrofit many of the old buildings in Amsterdam or the Hague, or any of the other historic cities in the Netherlands, without having to rebuild them from the ground up. I still think it is a very interesting difference, especially considering the differences between the U.S. healthcare system and the Netherlands’. The Netherlands uses a universal social health insurance system, which does a pretty robust job of providing every citizen with healthcare; as such, it may make sense that they spend less effort on disability accommodations as they put more emphasis on preventing disabilities from occurring in the first place.
