Crime is an interesting social phenomena in Holland. In a society where few things are considered crimes, there are far fewer criminals. Makes sense, no? And criminals are treated very well in Holland. When someone gets arrested, they release a minimum amount of information. No name or just a partial name is issued to the public. When convicted a person can look forward to a very nice stay in one of Holland’s jails which allows every convenience including a room for sex. It’s truly a humane system and treats people like human beings, not animals.
The Dutch system of crime and punishment, that rarely makes a big deal out of petty crime (like theft), is responsible for a society amazingly free of violence. The Dutch are truly shocked when there is a violent crime or a murder. That’s because there is little reason to commit violent acts. Indeed, often the law itself is to blame in other countries where violence is committed to commit or cover up lesser crimes. The Dutch have discovered the amazing truth that if you don’t make criminals out of people for personal vices, they won’t be compelled to break more serious laws or be violent to keep their vices secret .
Grime is another crime story. The Dutch won’t tolerate it at all! Dutch housewives spend a lot of time on their knees scrubbing floors. Their houses shine. Even in public places like restaurants and pubs you rarely see a nasty toilet. Speaking of toilets, the Dutch are fond of outdoor public toilets for men. These pissoirs can be found in the bigger cities and are usually a bit smelly. But then I’ve seen them come by with a portable device and hose them down regularly. You can be walking on a street and see someone behind a metal facade taking a piss, hear it, even smell it. At least it gives people an option so they don’t go in the alleyways (hell, they do ANYWAY!) risking a €45 fine. This is because if you go in a pub, a snack bar, McDonald’s) or a shop (HEMA, V&D, Bijenkorf) you often have to pay €0.25 to a €0.50 to use the facilities.
You should see the Queen’s Day celebration in Amsterdam! It’s a drunken riot (but a nice riot). The entire country is out celebrating consuming vast quantities of beer and buying and selling their unwanted stuff in a huge countrywide flea market. Afterwards the mess on the city streets in literally ankle deep. It takes a couple of days for an army of street cleaners to clear it all away. I think this can account for the Dutch attitude towards trashing public places like the beach. They just assume someone (ma, the street cleaners, the tide) will come clean things up for them.
UPDATE: I’m sad to report that things are changing in Dutch cities since this was written. Now they are more trashed out and grimy than they were just a few years ago. Is this new attitude due to lack of cleaning funds or has the younger generation abandoned the national obsession with cleanliness and order?
Worse still, violence has increased noticibly around the country (my guess is far more violence on TV & movies here for a few years now). It’s so bad, with many more guns being used that now the Dutch police have become Nazi like, swooping down streets in large groups, frisking people for weapons with no cause. America’s unbridled paranoia has now permeated Dutch psychology. Are yesterday’s freedoms in this liberal society to become no more than tomorrows nostalgic memories?