Ask a Dutchman!

as in Thai food or Thai girls?
 
What do the Dutch think about Napoleon?
 
Not much, I reckon. There are some tourist spots, like the hotelroom where he's supposed to have slept when visiting. (He wasn't overly popular at the time, as in most occupied regions, as the Continental System was detrimental to all Dutch trade which didn't involve smuggling. There was, ofcourse, a Dutch contingent in the Grande Armée, but that shouldn't be surprising as it consisted for a large part of non-French. And the Dutch/Orange role at Quatre-Bras, as a footnote.)
 
article-2230697-15F1842D000005DC-775_306x404.jpg

General Petraeus, currently in the news for his resignation from the CIA, is apparently Dutch-American.

"David Howell Petraeus is a retired U.S. Army four-star general and the most celebrated American soldier of his time. Born in Cornwall-on-Hudson in New York in 1952, Petraeus is the son of small town librarian Miriam and Sixtus, a sea captain who had emigrated from the Netherlands". -BBC

I had always thought "Petraeus" was Latin. Could you Netherlanders enlighten us on word origin?
 
Probably one is his ancestors was called something along the lines of 'Peter' or 'Peters' and to fancy it up, he Latinized it.
It used to happen when people had a proper education (university for instance) and they wanted to show off a bit.

From what I read (Dutch) it's a humanist thing.

Although there were also people in professions that latinized their names, like Bakkerus from 'Bakker' (in English: "Bakerus" from "Baker").
But as the root of Petraeus doesn't point to a profession I know, I think it's from the name 'Peter' or 'Peters'
 
He is from Friesland btw, they tend to have their own names.
 
He is from Friesland btw, they tend to have their own names.

Yes, but Frisian names usually have the "-stra" or "-ma" suffix. For example, you have "Endstra", "Hoekstra", "Oenema" and "Talsma".
 
'Oenema'? :faint:

I'm not making this up.

Not all Frisians are called like that. Douwe Kroeske is Frisian. ;)

I know this, being of Frisian descent myself (my maternal family has "-stra" surnames all over it). However, Frisian identity also works as such in that everyone who comes to live in Frisia becomes a Frisian as well.
 
I see. But I'm half-Frisian and we don't have any -stra's.

As for Frisian 'identity', simply going to live in Frisia doesn't make you Frisian. (Although it helps if you speak it.) ;)
 
Ask a Dutchman? Yes.

And to kick things off, a controversy that has recently arisen in the Jewish community. The supreme rabbi of the Amsterdam Jewish Community signed a declaration issued that mentions that homosexuality is a disease, and can be treated. While the rabbi in question, Ralbag, who is also a psychologist, declared that he personally does not think homosexuality is a disease, he also admitted having treated ´some persons´ succesfully. As a result, first the Jewish Community has suspended their supreme rabbi, following which the Community itself has been threatened with a ban, should they not reinstate their supreme rabbi.

Lie. The media wants to cast it that way, but all he said was that a homosexual person could be made straight. He said nothing about a disease.
 
Coming from a discussion on #fiftychat, how do you all feel about "Zwarte Piet"? Racist or a nice tradition?
 
My personal feeling is that the Black Peter being racist is a bit ridiculous. That said. the tradition in the Netherlands seems to be no older than the mid-19th century, so I wouldn't be surprised if racism was involved there. But since Black Peter is Santaclaus' helper, and not seen or depicted as evil... :dunno:

Lie. The media wants to cast it that way, but all he said was that a homosexual person could be made straight. He said nothing about a disease.

Can you read Dutch? No? Then don't say "Lie" if you don't know hat you're talking about. The lie here would be "that a homosexual person could be made straight". Either you are gay, or you are not. "Treating" homosexuality would imply that it is some sort of disease or biological "malfunction", which it is not.

At any rate, the matter has been settled quite some time ago, so feel free to ask any question concerning the Netherlands.
 
Well, I mean, we could have picked a slightly more politically correct tradition. But I don't see any easy alternative that won't look totally ridiculous. I also don't think any of it is particularly harmful, black people are not depicted in a bad way or anything.
 
Drugs are Bad, OK? It's even the title of a TVTropes entry.
 
Back
Top Bottom