Pinkerton: Holland At A Crossroads Between Cross-Ethnic Group Hugs and Survival

Which is the same problem we face here, of course; only we don't seem to be quite as ludicrous as the Dutch:

Can a threatened society rally to its own defense? Or will political correctness paralyze the survival instinct? Those are questions being asked here in the Netherlands, where an experiment in no-questions-asked multiculturalism is coming to an end. ...

In the aftermath of the killing [of fimmaker Theo Van Gogh], there was a spasm of anti-Muslim violence. About 20 mosques and schools were vandalized. Fortunately, no serious injuries resulted. But then the Dutch reverted to their standard touchy-feelyness. Students at a high school held a "group hug" as a "tonic against hate and violence in the country."

And although the churches here are notoriously empty, the Nieuwe Kerk has been jammed. Why? Because of a Moroccan culture exhibit that lets ethnic Dutch empathize with their new countrymen.

...

Shouldn't there be a serious effort to get to the heart of the problem, and to crack down where necessary? Muslims loom huge in Holland's demographic future. In the cities, more than half of schoolchildren are Muslim, and new immigrants are steadily trickling in. Ethnic conflict is real, and it can't be solved by hugging.

Read the whole thing.

It seems to me, by the way, that "hugging" is the main culprit behind most of the world's ills. From TV family therapist John Gray to trees to my annnoying drunk friend Stinky "I Love You, Man!" Ketchum -- hugging is just vile.

It solves nothing. Arms aren't made for hugging. They're made for shaking hands, eating balogna sandwiches, foreplay, working a lathe, and carrying a gun. Period.

Okay... Hugs are nice-- between people who are traditionally supposed to hug. And I mean parent-child hugs, boyfriend-girlfriend hugs, husband-wife hugs, drunk-girls-telling-each-other-they'll-be-friends-forever hugs, best-friend-just-got-back-from-Afghanistan hugs, etc.

Strangers should not hug. Ever.

Also, I don't like no one touching my stuff. So just keep your meathooks off. If I catch any of you guys in my stuff, I'll kill you. And I don't like nobody touching me. Any of you homos touch me, and I'll kill you...*

*Corrected. It's still not the exact quote from Stripes, but internet political partisans are attacking me (probably on orders from Karl Rove) for screwing up "the flow" of Francis' line.

As I cannot verify my original quote to my satisfaction, I have to retract it, although I maintain the possibility that it was "accurate" even if not "authentic."

Another Correction: AndrewF provides the accurate and authentic quote, which I now use.

If I screwed up the quote before, I'd like to be the one to break that story.

posted by Ace at 01:22 AM

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