There are those programs that are nothing more than spewing misery. Strange Bailiffs UK (RTL), that for some reason is broadcast every working day, is such a program. We follow British bailiffs who will collect money. “Many debtors do everything they can to get out of their payment, but the bailiffs don’t just let themselves be beaten,” is the accompanying text on Videoland.
The bailiffs are often very respectful, as well as the debtors. But it is the Dutch voice-over that gives it its own unique, poisonous twist and makes it miserable. For example, the bailiffs visit this episode with a farmer who had his sheep graze on the land of another farmer. The 4,500 pound lease has never been paid. When the bailiffs arrive, the farmer is friendly to them. “I don’t know anything about it,” he says, after which the voice-over suddenly shouts: “The farmer can come with so many excuses, Craig comes to collect the money!” Before an exciting music is used. That he knew nothing about it was the only thing the farmer had said. He paid neatly.
This program is about people with business and companies with uncomfortable arguments and annoying feuds. The debtors almost always pay everything back immediately. Nevertheless, they are put down every day as unscrupulous crooks that “do everything to get out of their payment.” A business view is a battle between good and evil on RTL. That seems harmless, and who cares, it’s pulp television, but it does normalize the dehumanization of fellow citizens.
That happened last night on another channel. The Oranjezomer (SBS) showed the latest propaganda from Geert Wilders, an AI video that should depict the ‘ghost image’ of the Netherlands in 2050, taken over by Muslims. It was shown in response to an article full of voting makers of De Telegraaf About the relaxation of visa rules for Turks who want to travel to the EU. In the AI video we see mannequins with burqas, signs with forbidden gays and the House of Representatives decorated with the flag of Pakistan. Let’s not turn around: this is Nazi propaganda, anti -Semitism exchanged for Islamophobia.
But spin doctor Raymond Mens said laughing during the movie: “These are just images from this afternoon from The Hague.” After the video, he didn’t dare to repeat it because someone in the audience had called that that comment really couldn’t. “No, no, now you’re going to make him, Jawelll !!”, presenter Thomas van Groningen, almost out of breath of enthusiasm.
Man tried to nuance and made it worse: “We are all a Western society. At least we try to be. We are not Islamic society. We also have a separation between church and stands here. And we want to keep it that way. So the video is over the top? A fact: 18 percent of the Netherlands are Catholic, 13 percent are Protestant, less than 6 percent is Muslim. Van Groningen still tried: “But of course there are neighborhoods that life does look like, in the Netherlands, in Belgium.” Lale Gül, who was also there, mentioned something about low gay acceptance in Amsterdam. Jan Slagter nodded in agreement but looked defeated.
Maybe I should ignore such dredger. But what’s The Oranjezomer happened is not just a game of polarizing for the viewing figures. It is more than dredging. After all, it was a well-considered, editorial choice to use the disgusting AI propaganda of Wilders, good friend of the proud homophobic Viktor Orbán, as a reason to talk about ‘understandable fear’ for Muslims in the Netherlands. It is reminiscent of Antonio Gramsci, who wrote in 1929: “The old world dies, the new world is struggling to be born: now the time of monsters is.” This summer they are at SBS, head of the table.