After years of an “unprecedented” (ugh, not that word again) coronavirus pandemic, the unthinkable has happened: the Dutch government has actually been told to respect conspiracy theorists? 🤯
Or at least, to approach them with what the Social and Cultural Planning Office (SCP) calls a more “curious attitude”, reports NOS.
You can’t sit with us
Why? Because the 20% of Dutch citizens who are anti-corona policy (ranging from full-blown “anti-vaxxers” to those feeling mildly sceptical) felt “excluded” and not “heard” during the COVID era.
After all, their disbelieving posts were flagged, demonstrations were banned, and they must have been told they were clinically insane at every family function on Zoom.
With their self-expression stifled, anti-establishment voices felt completely alienated from society, even during an already lonely lockdown, according to SCP findings.
Adding fuel to the fire
Researcher Joep Schaper believes social and political alienation experienced by sceptics in the past few years has only “fueled distrust” in the government even further.
READ MORE | Coronavirus in the Netherlands: all you need to know
Interviews from the SCP study (which surveyed over 2800 people) reveal that sceptics are convinced corona policies had more to do with some kind of totalitarian, sadistic “control” rather than “health”.
COVID-related skepticism also bleeds into other issues, apparently causing some to doubt whether the Ukraine war or “nitrogen debate”, or virtually anything the government tells them, is even real. Eek! 😬
Who are the sceptics? (And why do we all know one?)
Conspiracy theorists are said to be a “diverse” group of people with a range of backgrounds, “mental health” and social media usage. It turns out that distrust towards the government doesn’t discriminate.
READ MORE | ‘Prikspijt’ meaning ‘vaccination regret’ voted Dutch Word of the Year
However, according to corona sceptics, vaccinations do? That’s right, one interviewee believes those with COVID vaccinations were treated as superior and “pure” by management, while the unvaxxed were perceived as… dirty?
Worst riots in decades explode across Netherlands over Covid restrictions as PM calls rioters “scum of the earth.” @washingtonpost
— Reimagining Politics (@MeurerCommunity) January 25, 2021
Biden assessing domestic violent extremism among “Far-right, corona skeptics & neo-Nazis.” @nytimes
Painting with a broad brush. pic.twitter.com/01ri4cPvID
It was almost likened to being in a minority — despite the fact that being vaccinated is actually a choice. 👀
Where did we go wrong?
Still, the Dutch government has been instructed to take a long, hard look in the mirror. They want to reevaluate how they managed to become the subject of so much suspicion in the last few years, which SCP points out, doesn’t happen “overnight”.
Regardless of differing views, the SCP notes that the “government is there for everyone” and no group of people should be dismissed as “lost” — especially if that group comprises one-fifth of the Dutch population.
Do you agree with this shift in governmental attitude? Sound off in the comments below!
Thanks God I am not vaccinated. And no it was no choice.
They closed everything for not jabbed people.
Insane.
Finally the moment we’ve been waiting for, a bit of balance in this whole sorry story. It’s time the government (& journalists) explore why such a diverse cross-section of society has such grave concerns about the handling of covid. We were gagged & lost our rights to airing alternative valid views throughout. Outcast as merely ‘anti-vaxxers’ was even more isolating & unfair.