The Mental Abyss

Last weekend a sociopath by the name of Anders Behring Breivik murdered 76 people in Norway. Without a shred of doubt a horrible act. Personally, I wonder how a person can reach a point in his mind where brutal, senseless violence and murder is perfectly justified. Because disagreeing with an ideology or politics and taking extreme violent action are two separate points widely apart on a linear scale. Disagreeing is one thing but making your disagreement known in barbaric fashion is quite something else. I truly wonder how a person can fall into the mental abyss like that.

Breivik seemed to disagree with the social-liberal policies of the Norwegian Labour Party. He is very much anti-Islam and against a multi-culture society which of course involves non-Christians. Yet in all that widespread hate he picked out his fellow countrymen, the young and the innocent of the Labour Party. Clearly we're dealing with a full blown psychopath here who wants to make a statement and maybe leave some sort of legacy behind for the like-minded. The latter is what scares me the most because what he is advocating on some level is that people should become a terrorist like him if they really want to change anything.

This we must avoid.

What scares me somewhat is that on a Dutch newspaper website 'de Telegraaf' (the Telegraph) similar to identical right-wing sentiments can be found in the commentary section of articles. Often these people are advocates of Geert Wilders' right-wing party PVV, which Anders Breivik listed as 'the only true conservative party in Europe.' That kind of makes you wonder since some of the commentary on the newspaper website is not that different from Breivik's rhetoric. Wilders also aims his sights on Islam and protecting the Christian identity, combined with verbal attacks on left-wing parties. Make no mistake, similarities are there.

The mental attitude of some people can be quite disturbing. Void of critical thought a number of Wilders supporters often make the shallow comment; 'he's right!' Another seemingly constant thrust of critique is to put blame on left-wing parties and also make them responsible for political decisions decades ago. 'It was leftist policies that got us into this mess!' Never mind of course that there never was a full left-wing government. The Dutch Labour Party, when it was in control, always had to share power with right-wing parties such as the CDA (Christian Democrats) and VVD (Liberals). Right wing influence was always there in the Netherlands but these people seem to be in denial over this fact.

That kind of mindless finger pointing and assigning blame is really scary. It displays a lack of insight and ultimately if we are not careful radicalization. Breivik apparently showed us the next step after becoming radical and extreme. I sincerely hope that a lot of disgruntled folks agree that we should not go there. Continuing the dialogue and re-examining our positions is the way to go.

Blowback Cartoon

Above is a cartoon made by Adriaan Soeterbroek depicting Dutch politician Geert Wilders and as you can see it's quite charged and politically incorrect. There's a background story to this. Last week Wilders opted to round up all the scum from the streets and put them into specially constructed villages (made out of containers) so that they would no longer be a danger to society. Wilders heads the right wing party PVV here in Holland. Not everyone took that comment very well including the aforementioned cartoonist.

In the cartoon itself there are a number of references to WW2 and the persecution of Jews yet the people displayed are off Muslim descent. That's because Wilders is a staunch anti-Islamist. The figures also wear the letter T on the chest which is a reference to the Dutch word "Tuig" meaning scum. The placement is also reminiscent of where the Jews had to wear the Star of David. The cartoon clearly depicts a fenced camp site and the guard (Wilders) is halting them and pointing towards a sign named "douche" which means shower in Dutch. The references are there for anyone to see.

Naturally Geert Wilders was more than a little bit upset and called the cartoon 'disgusting and sickening.' Which is quite weird since he had no problem defending Danish cartoons depicting Mohammed in less than flattering ways in the Jyllands-Posten newspaper. Back then Wilders harped all about freedom of speech. It's causing quite a stir here in Holland. There are a number of people who defend him and there are those that attack him. What's obvious, at least to me, is that Wilders is a "do as I say - not as I do" kind of person. Freedom of speech apparently wasn't a main concern for Wilders when the negativity was focused on him.

He has no problem criticizing Islam on a regular basis and was also heavily involved with the controversial film Fitna. The fallout of such actions are highly predictable, even for Wilders - make no mistake. Clearly he loves to tackle but if he's the one on the receiving end he screams bloody murder. But then again he's a politician who loves to create waves in the masses but when accountability knocks on the door he's not home. Personally I think that although the cartoon is distasteful, it is food for thought on multiple levels.

Origins

Guess who the guy with the extended cigarette&holder is? It's Dutch right wing politician Geert Wilders who's often in the news the last few years criticizing Islam. He's 20 years old in the shot above and personally I don't mind his appearance, after all, we were all young once. What's so fascinating about Wilders, and what many Dutch voters don't know, is that he has strong ties to Israel. After school and in his late teens Wilders moved to Israel and lived in a moshav called Tomer for a while. It's not illogical to assume that his anti-Islamic views were developed there. Below he's at the Western Wall in Jerusalem paying his respects. Some ideologies can have a clear origin. There's already some talk that Wilders is a stooge of Israel or on the payroll seeing how his views coincide with hardline Israeli views. Don't think that is the case here. I think Wilders, although a politician and a populist, really believes what he is saying regarding Islam.

Wilders On Trial

He's on trial now, Geert Wilders, for inciting hatred. Wilders is a right-wing politician and I suppose he can be compared to hardliners of the American Republican Party although I suspect the latter are more wise in public - generally speaking. The Dutch politician however spews out the most hard speech, particularly against Islam, that you have to wonder about things. One of the most remarkable matters is that he receives a lot of support, from the voters that is. Around 1.5 million people voted for him at the last elections. That in itself is a remarkable phenomenon.

I suppose a lot of people are attracted to his political program because of two things. The first item is the anti-Islam rhetoric. In Holland there are about one million people who are affiliated with that religion, mostly immigrant workers and their families who were brought here during the 1960s and 70s. The other 15 are (mostly) Christian all be it divided into Catholics and Protestants (and others). Once you contemplate the religious angle you'll realize that different religions don't mix well and that this has always been the case. Nowadays of course with terrorist attacks stemming from followers of Islam this division is inflated to massive proportions. This is one aspect. The fear of Islam is augmented by the fact that Muslim couples tend to have many children. I know for a fact that the most common name for newborn children in Amsterdam is Mohammed.
This is for some people an indication that Islam is on the rise in Holland since the indigenous Dutch don't have that many children anymore in our modern, expensive, fast-paced society. In the long haul it is feared that Muslims one day will surpass the Christians and will shape a nation according to their own religious ideology. For Christians this culminates in the potential loss of identity and culture. This is one aspect why Geert Wilders manages to gather so much support, from my perspective.

Secondly, and far more clever, Wilders drives the economic angle and connects the deficit to unwise, leftist spending which he calls "hobbies". Politicians from the left of the political spectrum tend to tax and spend more money on matters such as the environment, foreign aid, charitable causes, social security and so on. During these difficult economic times he claims that expenditures such as these are totally unfounded and even hints towards the notion that they are (partially) responsible for the current economic climate. The latter of course isn't exactly the truth since we all know that the financial system and the banks caused the crisis. Still, cutting back on (perceived senseless) government spending is something that sits well with many people and this factor also accounts for some of the support Geert Wilders is getting. Holland is a country with many forms of taxation and over the years many people from all walks of life got totally fed up with the system. I'm sure that goes for many other Western countries as well. A politician can score easy points by stating that he will tax the people less.

To be honest, I'm not totally insensitive to what Wilders is saying. Cutting down taxes is something that sits well with every person, myself included. Yet I'm experienced enough to know that this is half of the equation because what you don't pay in taxes that goes to government related programs, you'll eventually wind up paying the same amount (or more) in the corporate world because there is where it's going to be outsourced. I look at the political wings, left and right, as two wings of the same bird - the political/financial system. Left may tax more but right will lay the same bill in the corporate world. The left makes taxes mandatory while the right leaves you the choice but in the end you'll need those utilities and possibly wind up paying even more. Looking at it from a distance it resembles more of a financial game - for me - and it doesn't matter if you go right or left because you wind up paying anyway. From this perspective I find Wilders solutions to financial problems to be superficial. Many people have labeled him as a 'populist,' saying those things that attract voters but in reality don't offer any real solutions to long term problems.

The anti-Islam rhetoric is potentially far more dangerous and could have serious implications. I myself am a Roman Catholic although not a practicing one. I have no religious affiliation with Islam whatsoever, but I do understand and support the notion of freedom of religion. Having the freedom to practice leaves far more room for dialogue than imposing restrictions. When you start doing that people will automatically have a negative reaction.
I'm sure there are folks that will say that Muslim countries don't have freedom of religion and it's true to some extent, but while some countries have Islam as the sole religion and forbid the rest, other countries allow all religions. You can't lump everything together. Imposing restrictions here in Holland could result in similar measures being taken in moderate Muslim countries. The world often works with quid pro quo.

Like I mentioned before, I don't think Geert Wilders offers any real solutions. He's a politician in the truest sense of the word and will say those things which he knows will gather support. All politicians are bound to the financial system and climate, therefore automatically limited in what they can do for the people. There's never enough money to fix all the problems. Once you realize that you might also realize that there our no saviors in the political system. Wilders doesn't add any real value to the political process. Personally, I think he does the opposite.
How his trial will go is anyones guess. His lawyer managed to suspend the trial on the basis that the judge might be partial (based on some things he had said) and another judicial body is examining the matter. Wilders actually took the right to remain silent at the beginning of the trial. Quite remarkable since he's very vocal at practically every other venue. I'm not sure what he's trying to accomplish with that. But he is a showman, make no mistake.

Wilders Friends In The U.S.

Today an article appeared in the Dutch newspapers that Geert Wilders, the (extreme) right politician and leader of the Dutch PVV party, is in fact being sponsored by conservative American groups and multi-millionaires. In the last few months within the U.S. six-figure amounts have been raised for the defense in Wilders upcoming trial. (The PVV leader has to appear in court for spreading hatred and for insulting muslims.) The David Horowitz Freedom Center in Los Angeles raises funds for Wilders. The organization claims to have collected substantial figures.
What's interesting to note here is the international support for right wing parties in other countries and the fact that it's being done so openly. There's definitely a huge effort going on spreading the conservative philosophy both in the U.S. and internationally. Fox News might come very soon to your own country. But come to think of it, the right wing is where the big money is in the first place so it's not that unusual. Guess they are afraid the world will become too left (for their taste). The money needs to keep coming in. No spreading the wealth, of course.