This article is based on this Dutch article of Martijn Benders
Alright, so this map represents the Netherlands as a devil from a box, a so-called ‘Jack in the Box,’ which is actually more of a British invention, but this Italian saw the British chiefly as merchants. Germans were primarily seen as grain farmers, the French as men sleeping on a basilisk, tickled by a woman with a feather, and even here, in 1871, the eternal enemy, Russia, was prominently visible.
An interesting detail is that Tsar Alexander II was known for his efforts to implement reforms, including the abolition of serfdom in 1861. But, but… 1861? That was the start of the American Civil War, which was precisely about slavery. Exactly. The Russians abolished slavery, and right then a conflict broke out among the Americans. Peculiar.
France was one of the first countries to abolish serfdom in 1318, when Louis X was King of France. He declared that France should be the kingdom of free people and that any slave who set foot on French soil should be considered a free person. This decree did not immediately result in the complete and uniform abolition of serfdom throughout the country, but it marked an essential step towards the eventual elimination of serfdom in France.
But here’s the thing, capitalism pays hundreds of millions of people 1 euro a day, and we aren’t allowed to call that slavery because of that single euro. But of course, it is slavery: and if you look at who benefits from it, you end up in the West again. And when they cry out ‘sorry sorry sorry’ about slavery 300 years ago but do nothing about the current slavery and facilitate one genocide after another, yes, then you think: was it perhaps better in the past? Is that single euro a good compensation for the ‘privileges’ a slave once had? Not that I would want to return to those times, absolutely not. I just think paying people 1 euro a day is far worse, it’s not an improvement but exploitative nihilism in its entirety.
A devil from a box. If we consider genocides not just on people but on other beings as well, we find ourselves in the heart of ‘dirty energy’ in the Netherlands. Completely innocent creatures are condemned to a life full of pain and lack of freedom, all to serve a class of ‘superior beings.’ Let me pull out a devil from a box, let’s talk about the separation between writer and state:
What exactly is the separation between writer and state? Well, we must return to Voltaire, who certainly had a strong aversion to that idea: the writer should be actively involved in social issues, serving as a critical voice against the powers that be. Voltaire himself used his sharp pen to expose the hypocrisy and corruption of authorities and advocated for freedom of expression and justice. For him, the role of the writer was not just that of an artist, but also of an activist challenging the social and political order.
Of course, I hear you say, but this walking Mossad-beneficiary isn’t a real writer at all? No, of course not, but Lientje thinks otherwise. Lientje from the Monsatan Party Build Back Farmers poses for a photo with him as if he were a world-renowned celebrity.
A critical voice against the powers that be, indeed, Mr. Voltaire.
How odd is it that you spend over eight months negotiating for a right-wing cabinet and then immediately go on ‘vacation,’ sitting there posing with this figure as if it’s the most normal thing in the world to stay with him? I think the Literature Fund will soon, besides the holy war in Ukraine, also bring a nice piece of meat as a writing theme to the forefront. Is it perhaps an idea to also earmark writers? I recently suggested in my latest objection letter to start a registry for loners because being a loner as a writer appears to be a pressing issue for the Literature Fund. But that’s all easy to solve. Writers as a friendly critical group activity against the powers, so to speak. Voltaire would clap his little French hands together at this animation trick.
Oh, nothing wrong with it, Benders, this great love of Lientje for the Famous Writer! Angry White Man, earmark art, and a balloon. Could this be the beginning of the flourishing of the right-wing (junk) writer? Will they all camp out in Komrij’s abandoned house, as befits decent literary folks?
Oh no, these are puzzles I prefer not to stick my nose in. When the deranged ex-boss of the news broadcast Bauke Geersing, who still directs the rightward shift from his villa in France like a noble knight – when Bauke crowed this yesterday:
“Ah,” I replied, “America, the country that is miles ahead of us in terms of prosperity.”
Bauke-Boomer of course isn’t talking about this America, which he prefers not to see. An America that we owe to science, which has allowed itself to be so led by commerce that it has managed to infinitely strengthen opiates, making it impossible to ever escape addiction. Yet another genocide, a genocide on the poor, but who talks about it? Not the six million addicted pill poppers in the Netherlands—they’re always busy, busy, busy. Busy with a rosy cloud!
Fun, cozy. When can I register for the singleton registry?
Martinus 22-07-2024