Did Leaving US for the Netherlands Actually Make me Happier? #27
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 13 ก.ค. 2024
- This week I sit down with David Wen, an Asian-American expat who has left the US in order to explore life in the Netherlands. How his approach to life shift with the move? Did moving to one of the happiest countries actually make him happier?
David's TH-cam: / @hidavidwen
Each week I will interview guests from all around the world on the topics of culture, connection and of course, dating. The goal is to go as deep as possible and to really understand where we all come from and how much culture influences our life.
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Intro: 0:00
2:14 Why did David decide to move to the Netherlands?
6:00 Work culture in US vs the Netherlands
11:37 Education system in the US vs the Netherlands
12:40 Question that is most asked in the US
16:52 Are Dutch really that direct?
21:00 What do Dutch think about small talk?
23:36 Customer service in the US vs the Netherlands
30:00 Are the Dutch really "happy"?
40:00 What do you miss about American culture?
42:40 Is it difficult to make friends with Dutchies?
45:00 Hospitality in the US vs the Netherlands
54:30 How is it being laid of in the Netherlands?
59:15 How did the Netherlands change you? - บันเทิง
I’m one of those Dutchies who might say "you look tired today". That’s not feedback; that’s telling you that I take real notice of you. It reveals perhaps a slight worry about your wellbeing - not that you should’ve applied more makeup…
Haha, I agree!!!
Exactly!
He gets it. By the way. No Dutch person would call David Asian-American. Just American.
Exactly. Well said. We do not segregate society by appearance or descent.
Aziatisch_Amerikaan straight up sounds so weird to even say in the Dutch language.
He is (almost) Dutch with an American background.
@@dutchman7623 He is not even close to being Dutch, just for the fact he lives in an Amsterdam enclave.
He is American in almost every facet with a Dutch orientation at best.
@@Arjay404 Because we are not used to segregate humans on the basis of their appearance or descent.
Same as the word "Dutchies" is a belittling, deteriorating term, just as blackies and fatties. Just because Australians call themselves "Aussies" is no justification whatsoever.
The word "Dutch" doesn't even exist in the Dutch language, merely in (American) English and is only a foreign, biased characterization of the unknown, basically confusing "Duits" and "Deutsch" with Germans (which is a name that doesn't exist in the German language either).
Moreover, all one-liners and expressions in the US including "Dutch", are of a negative origin, intent and often of a condescending statue.
40 minutes waiting for a coffe is in not a normal thing. A Dutchie would make a very direct remark like: Did you go to Brazil to get the coffee beans? I wouldn't accept it. No way!
We'd have called the waiter over multiple times already.
This is one of the best interviews concerning the balance between the pros and cons of US life. As an American who has lived outside the United States for many years, many similar interviews are too harsh on US life. Trust me, I know the downsides of American life. But, there are positives, also. He did a good job highlighting those.
I have been following David on TH-cam for a while. Very nice guy. Did you know that David is the inventor of the English word of the year? "Niksening", that's what it becomes.
David, if you read my comment: You will probably find a new nice job. There is work everywhere for someone like you.
"In my opinion, Dutch people are not very interested in competition because they prioritize other things in work and life over earning money. Dutch people value finding enjoyment in their work and being able to make a difference for others. It's no coincidence that 40 to 49% of Dutch people volunteer at least once a year without expecting anything in return. We feel happy when we see others benefit from our contributions. There are hardly any teachers who go on strike for more money because they don't want their students to suffer from their conflict over money and because teachers find their work important. Almost no teacher wants to move up the ladder to earn more money. In primary education in the Netherlands, few people want to become principals anymore because climbing the ladder is not seen as important. Making a meaningful contribution and belonging are what really matter."
'The mindset of chasing the goal' is neglecting the fact that goal is always moving into the future.
Don't fool yourself. Always view yourself in the bigger picture.
In my experience happiness is not a constant state of being, but more like certain moments that you feel happy.
In The Netherlands I feel I am content and satisfied with life
All the companies I worked at in the US had 3 weeks vacation upon starting since 1982 with one exception. In that case, I was about to get 4 weeks after 5 years at my first company. But, I made a change to move to another company that had a much greater career potential that only had 2 weeks vacation. Turned out to be a great decision. So, it’s definitely less, but most companies had 25 total days off counting holidays.
1. As a child and living in The Netherlands, all schools were government schools. Everbody has the same books and the teachers were government certified and supervised. So every child started with a level playing field. I thought that was the norm everywhere. How wrong, but lucky, I was! 2. An employer will never ask you about your grades as those will not reflect on how well you will do your job. So you just comply in school and you're o.k. 3. Vacation means getting 25-30 days paid vacations. Also some official holidays, like Easter and Christmas, consist of 2 days. If those fall in the middle of the week you thake 1 of your vacation days and you get 5 paid days off. 4. Now, after living for 44 years in a different part of the world and being able to look into the country from the outside, I can say that life in The Netherlands is a secure life, with a social safety net for everybody, without anxiety and stress. On the other hand, for me, it would also be very boring :)
Subscribing, the yt algo sent me this since I follow David. Excited to listen to the full thing.
What the hell does "yt" mean?
Hmmmm. I was not very satisfied at his explaniation of why Americans do not tend to take their respective vacation days they're entitled to. The fact is, and he knows this so I query why he is reluctant to call a spade a spade really, but the fact is is that the American labor law is very weak with at will employment laws parevalent in nearly all 50 states so one could be replaced or fired at the pleasure of the company at any time. In other words, Americans live in fear of losing their jobs so don't want to 'rock the boat'. I'm American from NYC, worked in law and finance for years and have seen this more than I can shake a stick at. Now I live in Stockholm and like the Dutch people , Swedes don't live in fear and take their full complement of their days or rather weeks; 5 weeks in the summer and live happily.
Well said... and don't forget that European co-workers cover for each other while being absent or on a holiday and there is no fear to return being faced with big pile of work, discoveries and mistakes that takes many hours and days, if not weeks, to catch up with, if one still has a job to return to begin with.
That's the fearful truth. Many employees in America would rather not take their full holiday off than lose their job when they come back. Many companies in the US specially in the deep south view employees as disposable. Easily replaced.
I think attitude to health is interesting in the Netherlands. I lived there 6 months and going to the doctor there, it’s the expectation that you shouldn’t visit a doctor till one week has passed . This is because they say that your own body heals most things in this timeframe. The Dutch are also unique I think in that they wish you happy birthday when it’s not your birthday but it’s the birthday of someone in your family. It’s definitely a less individualistic culture within Europe and less hierarchical. Like a cultural island within Europe. I love the Dutch , they have great humour. Just watching their commercials is hilarious. This is one of my favourite channels. Culture is fascinating to me.
A birthday is a community celebration. You are invited to be part of the company celebrating one's birthday.
So you happily join by "a felicitation' on that person's birthday
I always congratulate someone with someone else's birthday. It makes total sense to me. 😅
Loving this podcast format for this information. It's so interesting and calming to hear conversations about personal experience. It really gets me thinking about culture, where I would fit in in the future and all of the different ways to live.
I am happy you enjoyed it! David also has such a calming way of speaking that it calms me down too
That was great, thanks for the interesting vid. David's channel brought me here. I really enjoy the outside in view in "us Dutchies" and I particularly appreciate the time you took to dive a bit deeper, than just those stereotypes of directness. I did like the closing statement of David where he concluded that people are attracted to any culture that fits them best and that can even change over time. Do you value status, do you value time or just "good weather". keep it up!
Happy you liked it!
I am Finnish and in Finland if you have a full time job you usually get 4 weeks summer holiday and then two extra weeks, one for the skiing holiday around February/March and the other fex. around Christmas. Those are paid holidays. Then you can always negotiate for extra days as unpaid holiday. When I was in South Korea I met this local girl with whom we talked quite a lot about the cultural differences between our countries and one was this. In Korea they also get 2 weeks holiday in a year and when I told her that in Finland most of the people have 4 weeks summer holiday, she was quiet for a while and then said: "I don't even know what I would do, if I had such a long holiday..!!??" Koreans are also used to working a lot, so many of them do not even think they would need longer holidays..
It's simple Americans live to work Europeans work to live.
I can't believe I watched the whole thing! This is very insightful and listening to David's calm and intelligent demenor makes the experience better. Thanks.
So happy you liked it!
He gets it. By the way. No Dutch person would call David Asian-American. Just American. Bedankt Lennart
Exactly. Well said. We do not segregate society by appearance or descent.
@@AlexK-yr2th We do, but not openly. And quickly abandon prejudice when we get to know each other.
@@dutchman7623 Humans are humans without exception, good or bad. We point out differences as we joke merely about someone being bald, has a big nose or is way too beautiful or your college is so much better than ourselves. Dutch people are straight forward but also very critical of themselves and others, fortunately most of the time in a playful and humorous manner. Dutch people all know the phrase "het beste jongetje van de klas".
Unfortunately with this woke culture making it over the big water where everything can be explain wrongly, everybody is walking on egg shells and the moment someone uses his or her words not 100% perfect, there is a direct jump to the worst case scenario as if humans are no longer allowed to make mistakes, have emotions or simply say the wrong thing at the wrong time and we all have behave and present ourselves as perfect androids.
Specifically in the US, so proud of freedom of speech, everything can be explained in a manner that suites someone else's objectives. Pirt that we start to see that in Dutch public figurers as well where almost everyday someone did something wrong, talking too harshly or have their zipper open.
Woke is, per definition, woke itself!
What you really said, about 21:28 , was: I don't care how you are sometimes, but sometimes I care how you are and I like being asked.
I have worked in Dutch customer service, both on the phone (at a customer service agency) and in a restaurant. One thing that holds true here: The customer ISN'T king/queen, because the company or business will not bow down to threats, and it doesn't affect you as an employee if the boss feels like you've done the right thing in situations with obnoxious customers. He will probably applaud you for it, and say something like "we don't want that kind of customers here anyway".
Other than that, it is definitely very normal to "service with a smile", but the difference is that you as an employee (or your employer) set the standard, not the customer.
The 'excellent service' of the US is a myth, companies in the Netherlands are rarely sued, in the US claims are standard procedure. Service in fear of losing a claim, isn't customer friendly, but mutual extortion.
@@dutchman7623 Customer Service is all about legal liability in the US and nothing more. Nothing to do with a customer though.
Well said.
There is a saying that says "Customer is King but only when they act Royal...!"
I really admire the straightforward culture. I hate dishonesty and fake kindness.
-In the Netherlands, every student, at school and at university, starts with a 0. 0 points. Nothing, nada, noppes. You have to do the work yourself and earn points. Not only this, but exams and projects are weighed against each other. Although a 9.5 is the same for everyone in the Netherlands, the requirements for answer quality are higher if there are many good children in a class and the teacher sees that many people have achieved a certain answer quality. A Dutch teacher, for any subject, almost never gives a 10.
-In the American system, every student starts with a 10. You put in work to maintain this, and every mistake earns you negative points. Exams are assessed on central answer keys where good answers often lead to a bonus. I was often allowed to take resits, and projects received a high grade very quickly. If you averaged an 8, you were one of the worse students in the group.
The difference in mentality is very large, and this is also noticeable in the international assessment and in the assessment of grades within the cultures. The Dutch always complain about the 'six culture', but this is partly because a 6 in the Netherlands is a number that indicates that you understand everything and have done enough. A 7 means you've done more work, 8 means you're really good, 9 means you're one of the best, a 10 is just incredible. In the US I didn't have to come home with an 8.5.
This is also partly mentioned in the Nuffic assessment, which considers grades up to and including 7.5 as an "A" equivalence. This difference in mentality was a big difference for me.
Really interesting conversations and insights.
I think we express optimism and thinking big, differently.
If the dutch were not optimistic, and taught big. You would be in the middle of the ocean. Winning against the ocean, you need to be a optimist. Just look at our history and all the amazing things we did to "make" the Netherlands. And the huge projects, to get there. i mean we been raising our country up out of the ocean from around 1600 up to now. And we probably continue to way into the future. Like a second coastline is a topic.
The Statutory holidays are calculated in the Netherlands by hours you work in a week times 4. So 40 hours (full time job) times 4 = 160 hours divided by 8 = 20 days these days are called wettelijke vakantie dagen = statutory holidays. The employer can offer extra days (called boven wettelijk) non-statutory holidays up to 5. And then there is this holiday's you "earn "by working a number of years for the same employer. its like a kind of reward for being loyal to your employer.
Used to be at age (at 40 you got an extra day then at 45, 50, 55, 60 and 65) but this has changed to working years so younger people get a benefit of it too. This is depending on the employer you work for and if he is offering this extra. You can't claim this if the employer doesn't offer it there is nothing to do about but well just find a employer who does. If he wants to keep good employees he will offer these extra's. You are entitled to two consecutive weeks of holiday per year. It's not mandatory to have these two consecutive weeks but an employer can't refuse them if you like to do so. If you deside not to take these two weeks but prefer to have other day's / one week no problem that is allowed. The expect you to have these day's consumed by end of the year until the next year June. You can't safe up these day's, the empoyer is paying your salary and thus makes a reservation to pay your salary during these holiday's, if you save them to retire early at the end of your working career, it is to much financial burden to an employer. And that;s why you have to use them until the next half of the next year.
Wow, imagine that. Enjoying life outside of a work mindset.
About the education culture; the idea is that someone with lower grades can still be a better doctor, a better lawyer etc. Maybe more social, more creative etc.
The full quote from Harry Selfridge is "The customer is always right, in matters of taste," 😅
I am third generation of Indonesian/Moluccan descent. I, but also my parents, were born in the Netherlands. My grandparents come from the former Dutch East Indies. Indonesian and Moluccan culture will be similar to Asian culture.
I grew up in a white neighborhood in the 80s, I only have Dutch friends and classmates. When my Dutch friends were at my house and it was dinner time, my mother would ask if they wanted to eat too. But when I was playing with my Dutch friends in their house and it was dinner time, their mother said: 'We are going to eat!'. This meant leaving. Not all my Dutch friends were like that, but at least 90% were.....
As a teenager I gained more life experience, Dutch dinner times were often between 5 and 6 o'clock in the evening, and when I was still visiting my Dutch friends, I would count the plates at the dining table. If there was no (extra) dinner plate for me, I knew I had to leave, or at least the mother didn't have to tell me to leave. Do I mind what my Dutch friends did? No. But maybe it was bad for my mother who didn't dare tell my friends to leave when we went home for dinner.
I was also able to join my Turkish and Surinamese friends and classmates for dinner when I unexpectedly visited them at their home.
If Americans would only able to learn from experiences like this how Dutch society doesn't function on the basis of your descent or color of your skin.
Personally, i do not see color other than as a feature, like the color of your eyes or the shape of your nose.
I had a discussion with someone about it in my teen years and they asked me "do you have any friends from different countries or cultures" and I thought I had to admit I didn't.
Later, I realized that my best friend in primary school was from Suriname, one of my friends was from China and another one from Hungary, had Turkish neighbors and I had many friends from Indonesia and, later, girlfriends as well. I been married to a Malaysian and have a Chinese girlfriend for ages now. My own children are part Indian, part Chinese and part Dutch.
I just didn't realize that my friends were native (if that term would apply here) because I am not wired to quantify society or people like that and I am proud that most Dutch think and feel alike. But how to explain that to an American?!
It differs a lot for each household, my aunt and uncle had a 'zoete inval' house, everyone was welcome, friends, family, friends of friends, even for drinks and diner. My mother would get angry if I ate at my aunt!
On Friday my aunt made fish and chips, but the entire neighborhood had to swear they wouldn't tell their mom when they received their portion! Saying 'I'm not that hungry...' wasn't an option when coming home.
But 'going home for diner' is very common, and when everyone does it, it isn't noticed that easy.
@@dutchman7623 Funny enough, my aunt has a household like that as well and she is married to a husband of Indonesian descent. Can't be a coincidence...
This is because the Dutch plan everything. You would be more than welcome to stay for dinner if they were expecting you to be there so mom could peel an extra potato so to speak.
23:26 Now you see, it may be true that it's not always the case, but the mere fact that in the US there is something to gain from being nice apart than just doing it to be nice makes it difficult to know when the person is being genuine instead of doing it because they can get something out of being nice.
If you go to a restaurant in the US you can never know if the waitress is being nice to because they are nice, because they like you, because they are having a good day or if it's because they want to to give them money.
Capucino not being served: He has been at a bad service café ! That's not the way it should go or normaly goes.. Yes I'm dutch and living in The Netherlands.
The cafe was empty…🤷🏼♀️ logisch
yeah he described the cafe to be empty. with such bad slow service I can see why.
as a fellow dutchman I would not tolerate such slow service either. can't recall the last time it was like that either.
It's very difficult to get good personeel here when running a restaurant, bar or café. Most Dutch are 'overqualified' due to our accessable schoolsystem
you look like a happy guy! ( david )
The point about good service is TRAINING and education! Sorry to observe but too many youngsters behind a cash register at a supermarket don't even greet.
My feeling is: lack of basic parental guidance in the form of basic politeness, lack of motivation (it's just a job to pay for a weekend out), bad/no training training by employer.
In short social skills are slipping and no one corrects these bad habits, if corrected an immediate defensive or even aggressive mode.
I find it intterestting how David is describing personal devalopment and growth when he is talking about work culture. Like when he says why shoud you be avarage. 🙂 I never thougt about my self or others like avarage. My personal devalopment and growth is bound to my core values in life and the things I experiance. As a exampel I might want to be a better father, boyfriend or husband. I want to improve my self in a ways that are not connected to my work identity. Im still growing as a human being though my life experiances, my cultural and spiritual devalopment. Im sure David learned more about him self just by moving to another county then if he stayed in US for another 20 years and worked hard to achive even more. You can also say its Dave who thinks you are avarage becouse David is colored by he`s cultural background. One of the biggest life lessons for me was to learn and trually understand that there is nowhere you are suposed to be in life.
21:24 It's amazing how people abroad naturally assume there are no Americans who are concerned with how others are doing. Many of us do care. A few don't, but many do. To be labeled as "fake" for being American is as off-putting as labeling Eastern Europeans as nihilistic and emotionless.
So David is still getting only part of the sixes-culture. It is a vital part of your training in efficiency. The estimation on what amount of work is enough to get the job done? If you do more than is required, then your product is more expensive, eating into your profit or impacting your prices. Work smarter, not harder! This goes for customer service as wel, but not getting the orders out is not acceptable, even in the Netherlands.
Why are Americans so focused on race?
There is no right or wrong regarding Netherlands vs USA. If you value money and status above all else then the USA is the best choice. If you value cheap healthcare, more freetime and sharing is caring then Netherlands is the best choice imho.
The term friends does not have a lot of meaning to Americans. We in the Netherlands would not see someone we have met just a couple of times as a friend. It takes some time. But once you call someone a friend it can last a long time.
Frankly, I don't care about "small talk" from servers. Like asking questions when you have your mouth full and an answer is required. I don't tip, but if the food is very good I'll send a beer to the cook in appreciation. It's a common courtesy in countries such as France, Italy or Spain. Most of the time the cook will appear in the kitchen door and lifts his glass as a "Thank you". After all he, or she, did the job and deserves a reward. Not the server. The purpose of going to a restaurant is getting food. Good food means the customer will be back. Nobody goes to a restaurant for the server. For your information, the basic social security system, like state pensions, orphan and widow pensions, unemployment insurance, health care, etc. was implemented by the Germans during the 30-40s. After the war the occupied european nations implemented the system too.
I had a Dutch post-doc in my lab in graduate school. She wasn't terrible, but she had an edge to her. She complained loudly that it was a lot of trouble to get her partner on her work visa so he could come with her. They weren't married, but she couldn't imagine why that should make any difference. Then she went on and on about not being able to bank at the post office like she did in the Netherlands, although there were multiple banks closer than the post office. She was just a bad traveler - if things weren't the exact same as at home, she complained. Over and over. People talk about the ugly American traveler, but we aren't the only ones who do it.
That's weird because in the Netherlands there used to be only one specific bank that you'd had to go to the postoffice for. And that is literally ages ago. Nowadays all banking is done on your phone or laptop, most bank offices are closed and it's very rare that you need to visit one ever. Complaining is a Dutch national sport, we take that very seriously.
@@hunchbackaudio But that 'bank' was part of the 'Post Cheque en Giro Dienst', one of the first that enabled payment transfers to all others. All people with old age pensions, student loans, or social security were obliged to have an account at that institute. After merging with the 'Rijkspostspaarbank', it became a true bank and was privatized.
@@hunchbackaudio a day of not complaining, is a day not lived.😎
With Reduction of Working Hours (atv) or Reduction of Working Hours (adv) you work more hours each week than stated in your contract. For example, according to your contract you work 38 hours per week, but in reality you work 40 hours per week. You then build up 2 ADV hours per week.
This means you can take those hours like on friday to get of work 2 hours early. Or you can save them up. Think its a real Dutch thing. You can also save them and at the end of the year let them pay out those saved hours. Yes you lose them and the new year you start over again.
If someone here in USA asks me how are you doing? and really shows that couldn’t care less - and I can sense it- that really doesn’t make my day any better. It only reminds me of the shallowness and makes me feel even more isolated. I say if you don’t care don’t ask. If you really care ask me but I am going to know of you’re genuine or just being ‘polite’. But that’s just the European in me I guess. I appreciate honesty much more than ‘forced kindness’
The remark on 6's culture. vs bragging I think the point you are missing is that there is still a standard that is being applied. We ( the dutch ) just don't compliment or take credit for a job normally well. that is expected and is and should be the standard. If you take credit for something that is just average people will just smile and ignore you. or you get a sarcastic slow clap. Really outstanding work is actually seen appreciate and is considered profession and it is credited.
The feedback in the workplace tends indeed to be direct, but it is rarely personal. it might be on the work you did, but not on the person you are
Complaining is a way to addres problems and get things fixed.
The thing about happiness is that it if it expected of society to be happy you are more likely not to. With the US you are expected to work and everything is great this facade that US has built as the "greatest country" drives me crazy to no end, by no metric is it the greatest country.
Quality time or Money and career.
Imagine you, at the end of your life and thinking back. What would give you real comfort?
The fact that you made 2% more profit for the company you worked for or the leisure holiday time you had with your family and friends?
There you have it !!!
around 34:00 the dutch love to complain, because we have it pretty good here we always complain that we want it better.
That is how we move forward, we complain until the end of time until enough people complain, we fix it, and we find something new to complain about.
We dutch people are a different kind of breed.
It is our National Sport! And you are correct to say it's also our way to solve things. Talking about things that keep us busy, finding a compromise acceptable to most, and doing it until it needs adjustment.
That is how we got the most free abortion law, but joined with education, the lowest abortion rate.
That is how marriage became open for almost all adult couples, with all rights attached to it.
Why would you just sit around waiting 40 minutes for a coffee, just get the servers attention and ask what the ETA is on the order or say “hey i’ve been waiting a while did you forget about my coffee” keep it light and friendly no need to get frustrated or angry about something like that just ask 😊
We do work hard. But we have a more normal balance between life and work. We do work! But we find a social life or a family life very important.
I'd love to complain about a late train. Instead I complain about $30,000 per year for healthcare, and not having a train at all.
My personal opinion: because we have a good pension-system (you build it up while you work), there is no need for us to grab whatever we can. We know that ones we reach a certain age (67 for most) we will get money, montly, from the government to live (our pension money). Eevn if you have never worked, you still get AOW from that age (the 67), which isnt much, but enough to stay alive. If we didnt have that (like USA, right?) it would make way more sense to grab whatever you can and sell yourself as best as possible. The Dutch way gives people more options to do whatever they want in life, making them more laid-back. Not saying it is better, its just different 👍. We work to live, not the other way around 😁
👍
As we say here in the Netherlands. "There are no pockets in you last clothing" !!
Waiting 30 minutes for a capuchino is not normal. If it is not there within 10 minutes than just call the waiter and ask him where is my capuchino. That is not rude. And yes i am Dutch.
Just speak out.
I find it odd David mentions a 40 minute wait for a coffee seemingly as a standard for European service. This is definitely not the standard and poor service! A normal European would've called them out on it.
I also dislike the idea that European service is somehow subpar and the US/North American service is the golden standard as if nothing goes wrong there. First, there's a totally different mindset when going out for eating. In Europe you want the company of your friends and/or family, not the waiting staff. Secondly in general costumer service, if you are kind, you'll almost always get a kind treatment in return. Third and definitely not less important... I've been to NYC and in those 5 days, I've only once gotten the exemplary service many Americans speak so highly off. As far as my geographical knowledge goes, NYC is still in the US.
In short: comparing apples and oranges when it comes to costumer service and in the end, just like you've talked about in the video, people are more than often to complain about the few bad experiences they've had instead of all the good ones. I can't imagine European service is that bad, or they'd be all out of business.
I reserve but one sentiment for Americans: Pity.
We don't have much of a food culture here. Think slice of bread with cheese. Food is like not important, it's an after thought.
Dutch people who are friends will ask "how are you?" and will be actually interested on what you answer.
A cashier at a supermarket that asks "how are you?" couldn't give 2 shits about the answer.
What do you do = Let me be able to put you in a box on income and how much money you make and can consume and own. I can then feel either superior or inferior to you based on your answer. That is the US for you.
About the service in cafes and bars its gone down the drain since covid it was already going down in the last 20 years but nowadays yup things aren't that great in The Netherlands.
He did have a really bad experience with that coffe even for dutch standards or it might be even worse in amsterdam.
As for dutch people you know when they are really not happy. They aren't complaining.
Good service to me is to get what I order fast and that it is good to great quality. I couldn't care less if the waiter is friendly or not since it is irrelevant to what I ordered and my enjoyment of it.
as for Customer Service at bike shops or with help through telephone with insurances etc I never had a bad experience. As long as you approach them with respect they'll treat you with it as well. If you yell I can understand the CS to be bad and it is on you.
When it comes to small talk it isn't that we are against it. As long as it is genuine we enjoy small talk about the "weather and the bees". However the american small talk doesn't feel genuine and is just a summary of shallow positive affirmations. no wonder so many seem to be delusional and out of touch with reality. It is over the top and fake which causes me to not being able to take it seriously and enjoy the interaction.
Our directness is also about being Open and Transparent, Honesty, Respecting someone else's time instead of wasting it and we don't take everything personal. So we're not in a constant state of looking for things to be offended about nothing like americans seem to do. So what if you got an opinion. Good for you. Doesn't impact me in any way so why should I take it personal.
Making decisions in consensus is nice in theory. However I think we've gone too far in it. Especially with the idiotic concept of "knowledge/education economy" for the past 15 years. More and more people are "highly educated" and have become increasingly more useless. Lots of think tanks and consultancy groups etc that do nothing but talk and never come to any meaningful conclusions. We're going nowhere fast. And when decisions are made, especially in political sense, it is surprisingly poorly thought out and shortsighted. I find that extremely frustrating.
Ah yo, David. This is a compilation of your previous videos but you completely ignored (although you responded to them in your own videos) the feedback and how you were wrong to begin with on most. Having an American reflect on a foreign culture from their own biased and limited perception is like an open-minded person argue with a religious person. The open-minded one will start arguing at 0 but the religious person will start at 1, on the assumption God must exist. Like having a plumber doing your electrics. It will be water tight but for sure not grounded….
There are so many misperceptions and inaccuracies in this video. I try to keep it short but the video being over an hour that would be almost impossible. Far too many assumptions and imaginary views to think that Amsterdam is an American amusement park and the rest of the Netherlands is the same.
1). Working like a horse, 12+ hours a day is a guarantee for quantity, not quality. The management structure in the US means you have to do everything all the time and deliver a complete product to your management, each and every time. In The Netherlands, we work together efficiently in flat organizations and try not to unnecessary repeat ourselves. That is not taking it easy or no pressure. Just look at the productivity numbers and GDP between the countries. You cannot conclude like you did.
2) Dutch people are far from average on the assumption that Americans are outstanding. “Just get the job done” means the job gets done. You said it. Why work so many hours to please the next level? The objective is to get it done, not please your superior or cover their backside.
3) The 6’s culture that you keep mentioning. Our middle school is not horizontal but vertical. Meaning that from age 12, you follow a direction according to your capabilities. It is not that like in the US all students are put in the same class; the smartest one is in the same class with the least smart. In The Netherlands students with the same capabilities are all on the same class, the same level. So the value of a 6 is completely different than in the US. I can assure you that a 7 is much harder to achieve than an A+ in the US. On top of that, we do not get multiple choice exams but mostly open questions. You can get deductions for not correctly calculation or motivating your answer, unlike the US where the answer is either right or wrong.
4) You talk about consensus that takes longer. Of course it does. But just running to the finish line does not secure a good product. Look at the inventions and approvements come from a small country like the Netherlands. From the US, it is exactly 0. Nothing gets invented there, just copied and pasted or a foreign company gets bought over. Look at the vaks-ines. All from European countries (while on paper they are American companies) but one try to take the honor. Your rockets technology brought by Mr. Braun, the food is a mediocre copy of the European or Mexican original. The touch screen was originally patented by Samsung. WiFi, Bluetooth, CD and DVD, video, the microscope, polder model, stock market, shares, companies, all originated from the Netherlands. Your microchips are all made on Dutch machines from ASML. Your constitution is a 99% copy of that of the Dutch Republic. You anthem was composed by Dutch and your flag designed. Look it up please. On top of it all, we founded you….
5) The directness is correct but not in contradiction with the American flowery, disinterested approach. They are completely unrelated. We Dutch hug, kiss, and show interest just as Americans do. But we do it among friends and family, not to strangers or people we do not like or have no interest in. We even consider it rude in a lot of cases if and when we are approached like that. We respond genuine and not pretend to be someone’s best friend for a higher tip or networking. That is the problem we have with the fake American behavior. But that does not mean we are cold and always direct and do not show affection as Americans wish to characterize us because it fits into their limited perception. We just don’t do it for every Tom, Dick and Harry. To portrait us as the opposite of Americans and that that is a culture here is very biased and completely inaccurate. If we do not hug you or not ask you how you been doing, we do not have interest, we don’t know you or we simply don’t care. That is why we are so efficient in our daily lives and in our Job. Just cut the riff raff….
And to relate directness to loneliness is just flawed, wrong and hugely incorrect, even insulting. It is not the case that when we Dutch people do not behave like you Americans, all negativity you experience in the US all of a sudden applies to us. These are completely unrelated. And that is where you start deliberating from 1 on the assumption the US sets the standard of cultural and human behavior. You don’t.
An American in Amsterdam will always be lonely and never experience Dutch society for the simple fact that Amsterdam is full of foreign cultures, tourists and like-minded people. Who you really meet in Amsterdam is everyone except for representative Dutch people and culture for that matter. So wrong and narrow minded to assume you know and understand The Netherlands. Good example you mention yourself David is that you hang out with other American friends and then agree on us. That is your perception, not our culture. Make Dutch friends, move out of Amsterdam, live the Dutch lifestyle. Experience what our culture has to offer. Don't go for the stroopwafel stands, herring and hagelslag.
6) We are not Dutchies, just as we are not Blackies or Fatties. The word Dutch does not exist in our own language, its is merely a word that exclusively exist in the (American) English language, just like the word German. Talking about another culture in your own language in a belittling manner is simply wrong, even with the best intentions. We are not Dutchies! Just look at all the negative proverbs and one-liners that exist in the US about the Dutch. Not one of them is positive. So do not refer to us as Dutchies with all the negativity you associate it with.
7) Customer service is there to assist you, not to be submissive and cater to all your needs. The customer is not King, especially when they don’t behave Royal. We do not have a prechewed, hold-your-hand society. Here, you have to think for yourself, apply common sense and take your own responsibility. It is not about legal liability here. We do not put dogs in microwaves or burn our mouth on hot coffee and then receive millions in compensation because we weren’t told.
And you keep mentioning slower almost with every subject. Our output is higher, our GDP is higher, our level of happiness is higher, our social security is so far ahead. Our poverty hardly exists, child pregnancies, gun violence, homeless people are so, so much lower. In The Netherlands, get your own damn coffee. Nothing wrong with your hands. Don’t sit there and demand for a waiter to jump on you or respond like you are the King or Queen. And yes, it is all about tips. Imagine there wouldn’t be a tip culture in the US and everybody would have reasonable salaries they actually could live from without the need for 2 or 3 jobs. You think they would even bother? Be honest! If you wish to compare, compare based on equality, not dependency.
You cannot project your own over-the-top and fake culture on other cultures (you even mentioning Italy). We do not need that, like that or have any desire to implement that. We value the worker that is supposed to serve you just as much as the customer. We do not have a submissive culture. Doe normaal! We don’t go by titles, money or achievements. We do not look for the #1 but for the people that took the effort. We do not indoctrinate kids that all can be president but in reality it is only 1 out of 340 million people, once every 4 years. We don’t follow champions as a God but we value the people that tried. We do not consider everyone that didn’t make it to #1 as the losers.
After 6pm, in the café, we are all equal, talk about the enjoyment of life, hugs, kiss and show genuine interest without talking about income, your new car or Rolex watch. But you are a show-off, show fake interest, be pretentious, we tell you straight to your face we do not like that. That is not rude or even directness and for sure completely unrelated to loneliness. I dare to state that Dutch people have many more friends than Americans do. Real friends, not the pretentious ones or the ones that can boost your career.
Compare Dutch society with the US one. You are far, far behind on basically everything, especially in human values, rights, social security and freedom. That is why the American one is still called an experiment after 274 years and ours is established and far, far ahead. Observe and learn, as a student do not come and criticize the teacher that we do not follow or accept your mediocre copy.
For the most part I agree with your criticism. David himself is a really nice guy though but he should leave Amsterdam once in a while.
@@Saarloos1960 Totally agree. But I don't seem to get through to him because he keeps bringing up the same arguments and maintains his position at 1 religiously and refuses to start observing and deliberating at 0.
For example, the 6's culture argument I saw appearing in his videos at least 3 times now and his association of work and being slow, he keeps confusing with being efficient and one has to work long hours to get any result(s), on the assumption that the American way is the right way to go and sets a standard for others.
And yes, he should leave the American enclave every now and then and see the real Netherlands, not the American projection from Pulp Fiction...
And what David doesn't get, as most Americans do, is that Dutch people simply don't like most Americans for their arrogant, inflated and their, self-proclaimed, superior attitude. Come to the Netherlands and expect to be served in their own language, with their own mediocre franchise MSG food, sauces and customer service and then conclude it is not up to par in the Netherlands and that we do not have a food culture and our diet consists of stroopwafels and hagelslag, simply because they recognize it from their cookies and ice-cream.
We dip in the Netherlands and not drown our food in processed sauces that are all alike and then pretend that is culture that somehow seems to be an example to us all. We have many, many desserts but do not indulge in them and eat in moderation. That doesn't seem to sink in altogether. Just look at the obesity in the US and the fact that Dutch are the tallest. We must do something right, isn't it.
But apparently not to US perspective where every meal should be a feast of indulgence of some sort and there is no need to cook proper food at home, besides Taco Tuesday's and Pizza Friday's, while from Saturday till Monday, Wednesday and Thursday they eat the same crap outside with an excellent service, hunting for the existential tips.
Just look at the elderly in restaurants that guide you to your table and serve you with a glass of water because in reality they have no pension plan and have to work till the day they drop. What example or standard is that? That is customer service at the expense of the weak and vulnerable and in reality just parasitizing on society that is not able to provide a decent social structure of any kind. But complain in the Netherlands, right?! We cherish our elderly and do not make them serve us. And the people that do serve you, are considered equal, working through life, and not submissive in any way, just because you put some coins on the table.
Nevertheless, Americans keep referring to a food culture somehow where nothing, exactly nothing at all, originates from the US and is merely a mediocre MSG copy of the European and Mexican original, covered in ketchup (also a copy of Asian Ketjap btw) or BBQ sauce and silicone-like cheese where the pull is more important than the taste. But then come to the Netherlands and criticize ours on the assumption all cheese is exclusively Gouda that doesn't melt very well or that all bread should be toasted because back home it is from an inferior quality and assume it can't be better anywhere else than in the US of A. Sad really...
We are not an American amusement park. We are a proud country with our own culture, language, menu, customs and values and, in reality, we gave the US a head start long time ago that seems to be completely evaporated by now, moving around in a 274-year old experiment that in reality is nothing more than a vicious circle and has failed long, long time ago. But now we have to listen how they invented the wheel. We just laugh...
And that is the same circle how vertical work culture works in the US. They keep producing the same stuff during many, many hours but in their mind they are productive, by always reporting to higher level with a complete package, with a complete lack of comprehension that another (horizontal) culture is able to be efficient without constantly repeating itself, unnecessary meetings and motivational speeches and go home at 5pm and enjoy life, cook healthy food and spend time with their children and are not in the game of making money on the false and prodigious assumption that quantity (of dollar bills mostly) improves life. We believe in the quality of life where we work to live and not visa versa. The US is a copy and paste culture, funded by credit with a huge lack of genuine standards and appearance or any moral backbone. Only money talks...
We are not here to serve you. specially not to Americans. Show some respect when you appear as a guest or when you choose to live in The Netherlands to avoid the American rat race and adjust to us but don't expect us to adjust to you, just because you pay the bill. Imagine we wouldn't have taken the effort to educate almost all our children, as well as ourselves, to speak proper English (ya, British, not American). That is enough service for 1 lifetime, I think. But do not expect us to cater on you like you are served back home and see the rest of the world as the 51st state with the same customs and laws that you can apply at your disposal.
And that's why, in general, Americans don't make a lot of Dutch friends and have to stick to people of the same making, agreeing together on what shows up in these biased YT videos as us being direct, even rude, and we are portraited as almost robotic with hardly any emotions, going through life at a slow pace where an average 6 is enough to get by to get home earlier, totally ignoring we are so far ahead and our productivity is far, far, far superior to the US numbers and statistics (the positive ones I mean, the negatives ones the US are champions in each and every instance). We just use our time wisely and do not run around as a headless chicken for public appearance to fill our bank accounts in an effort to cover future costs and expenses that society refuses to take care off. We are not a drip down society.
Moreover, we are always in the top few countries that are considered to be one of the happiest worldwide where our kids can still play in the streets, cycle by themselves (without helmets) and be themselves and we can move around relatively safely and society takes care of us when something unfortunately might happen so we don't have to live on the streets, work 2-3 jobs or pay a lifetime for medical bills or student loans.
I just feel like I've finished a book 😂😂😂 what a person can do with too much free time!!
@@daluzsoares As I mentioned many times before, Dutch people are efficient. I can still do a days work easily and respond to this online nonsense and biased opinions about other cultures.
I'm pretty sure you spend a lot more time on Netflix and your Apple phone than I use to respond, and still you reply here on top of it. Stop responding on the assumption people are like you or where you come from and have the same interests and perceptions and/or live their lives like you do with the same priorities, habits and hobbies.
To type out my thoughts, takes me maybe 5-10 minutes, tops. That comes with being educated, experienced and literate and don't spend all day on social media thinking that is life. Have a nice day!
@@AlexK-yr2th I don't have an Apple and I don't spend more than an hour a day on my phone, but your long answer to this video made me think I was breaking that hour rule and yes, I watch Netflix on my TV. Look I can see you are proud of our culture I am too, we are a small country so you can sum it all up but America is big with a lot of cultural differences, I have family living in New Bedford who live in a community that has reminiscent of the American community.
It's nice you talk respectful about Dutch culture. However, I feel the need to add some information. I do not totally agree when you mention that Dutch people have no real problems. It is: over a million people here live in poverty and have to get, for example, free food. Next to that there is an immens housing crisis. If you want to leave your parent;s house or just move: you can only do that if you have an absurd amount of money available. Then the hospitality culture: that's a recent phenomenon. Years ago the customer was king here as well. Elderly people still long back to that time. And about being direct: a lot of Dutch people don't say what they actually think. In the work environment it is common, otherwise you loose time or money :-), but outside of that there is a lot of talking about 'should I give my honest opinion, do I not?'.... etc. And to finish with the social securityL not everyone is happy with that. For example: between 2% and 10% of workers are sick everyday. Employers still pay them then and for small companies that is a huge task to take.
"What nonsense you're claiming about the Dutch and food. We have several types of gatherings: drinks with snacks, birthdays with coffee or tea, drinks, etc., and dinners. During the latter occasion, the food is prepared as much as possible. I have never encountered people who go pick up food and then prepare it themselves when invited."
I think this is in one of these unwritten social conventions. The time stated in the invitation usually indicates whether or not there will be a meal. 0900-1100 -> coffee 12 -> lunch 1400-1600 -> coffee/drinks 17/18 dinner after 19 drinks.
And in accordance with directness you can always ask, if you should eat beforehand. Or sometimes the host will even tell you to expect a meal or not.
Nice painting.
If it takes 40 minutes for your cappuccino to arrive, you need to find yourself a better café or restaurant because their service is crap. I would have just left or asked if they still were growing the coffee beans.
17:27 Ever been to Rotterdam? :-)
Just about every of these examples of differences in Dutch culture (and elsewhere made by mostly American expats) is down to expectations.
What good customer service? Most Dutch people go out for dinner to spend time together, catch up and enjoy a good meal/drinks - they don't want to be constantly (in their eyes) disturbed by the waiter asking if everything is all right; if they want to order more or have a question, they'll look around to signal the wait staff. Same when shopping for clothes or electronics. A greeting might be nice but hardly anyone wants to be an immediate target to the sales person and would rather look around and ask for help if/when they need it.
Similar to being invited to a Dutch person's house. The invite is usually because they like you and want to get you know better and/or just hang out. They don't want to show off their house, cooking skills and whatnot. They want you to feel comfortable, at home, be yourself and not a guest who has to be waited on. If the invite is about having dinner at their place, the expectation is usually that you'll cook something together (and possibly even shop beforehand). If the invite does not mention dinner, then don't expect to be asked to stay. It's not rudeness but dinner time is usually family time, where the parents and/or kids catch up with each other. Might be different if it's a single person. But still, Dutch people tend to cook just enough for their meal(s) (and possibly leftovers the next day), they might not have enough food in the house to make extra for a guest since they usually buy few groceries at a time (compared to the USA). If you're unsure about dinner or food at a gathering beforehand, then just ask (beforehand) and/or offer to bring something.
I don't give a f if a company says you "shouldn't" take your vacations and I am also from the states I will absolutely take my vacations no argument. I do typically give up one vacation day for others to use in disaster relief or hardships and I am so glad I did because it helped me when I needed it myself. However, I have worked for school districts and I get a decent amount of vacation so I can't complain. One country with horrible work culture is Japan! No way would I want to live there. I also don't think Dutch people really get American culture because they just don't live it every day. They live in this little box of what they think American culture is and its not ok. No one likes when we judge other people by a whole entire culture. We need to look at individuality here and think how they should be. I think this is one really gets me and I remember that dutch man who was a complete jerk about how he said he didn't like American people. Well no one likes rude people and that was rude period, honesty but tact is something sometimes I think dutch people need to have in that skill.
38.00 👍🖖
Most American Men hate when Women ask what job you have because it one of the first few questions, they will ask you because they want to know, are you financially secure without actually asking you that because a lot of American Women care to much about money
Not just Bikes is a Male TH-camr from Canada who moved to the Netherlands with his family which you two should watch
He talked about being honest and direct in the Netherlands where in the US we have something like that called keeping it 100 which I wish more people would do in the US
The reason why small talk is not a thing in a lot of places around the world is because if they don't know you how can they really know if you are really trying to get to know them or you just trying to get something out of them
In a lot of Europe when it comes to customer service let say a restaurant as example coming to ask if you need anything every so often is seen as disrespectful because if I am with a group and I am having a good time I don't want to be interrupted every so often because that would get annoying that why they will only come to you when you ask or need something from them
A lot of people worldwide talk behind people back and for a lot of people when they do it they will do it in another language if they feel like you will not understand them
I am Dutch, and i want to be on the top in my job, but only for 8 hours a day, i will give for more than 100 %, to be on the top level, and there are more Dutch people work to live that way. Believe me there is more ambition than David knows. Only they dont speak about it, because act normal. So did i.
And also Americans dont take all their holiday, because they are scared to loose their job. That is what i read from Americans telling on you tube.
And what about our schoolsystem, yes a 6 is alright to pass, but there are also children that will be later adult, and be smarter and better than the one that has a 8 or 9.
Our schoolsystems give everybody the time to grow up.
Ofcourse it is important that decisions are taken with the people that is working on the platform that will have changes, because they know if it possible to work with it. or
that something have to change. Dutch way is way better. And together they find the solution, people will say i dont like it, because it can not work on that way.
In American restaurants they want you a.s.a.p. out, for the next people. In the Netherlands you can stay as long as you want and they dont come everytime at the table asking if we want something, for me that is annoying. And sorry but a friendly person want make my day great, only a few minutes.
At the moment there are many complaines from the Dutch about the house crisis, because jong people dont earn a lot, and there are less social houses, and they cannot afford high rents and have to stay with their parents, until the age of 30 or 35. Dutch children in my time, where living independent at the age of 18. And if their are refugees
in the Netherlands they will get a house before a Dutch person ? That's making Dutch people angry, because if they want to have a social house, the waiting list is 15 until 20 years. They dont mind refugees, but under the same conditions like the Dutch people. They have also to go on the waiting list.
David has work with International compagnies, and i ask for myself, did he ever has conversations with Dutch people, about work and live, i dont have that feeling.
25:35 it is also the behavior of the customer,
Did you not realize that using a laptop in a cafe is not appreciated?
Well than they should hang a sign saying: This a café to relax, not a workspace. Otherwise bad customer service due to the laptop is just a reason to be lazy.
@@1336mg EVERY cafe to relax, and not a workspace, but there are more and more cafes that are indeed hanging up a sign to remind people what is decent, not only the staff but also other guests are annoyed to look at the back of laptops,
It is also not attractive for the owner that people occupy a table for half a day with 1 coffee and 1 glass of water
Let's not be redicolous and patetich Dutch people are not necessary honest all the times. They are ear in what they mean
Why didn't you ask him how he used to meet girls in the US and how he's meeting girls now in the Netherlands? like using dating apps, going to bars and clubs,...
I didn't want to bring dating into this conversation - just wanted to keep it around working culture/mentality/life satisfaction
@@datingbeyondborderscast Dating can be as important as other areas in life. There are so many guys who move to Mexico from the US to have a better dating life.
The Netherlands is nice for women or gays when it comes to dating.
1). Dating is not a big thing in the Netherlands and is approached much more casual and on the fly without all these unwritten rules and social appearances one has to address in the US. We don't sleep together on the 1-3rd date (or meet) either.
2). Why you assume girls?😁
3). Why talk so much about meeting a partner when you going to divorce soon after anywayz?
@@AlexK-yr2th Dating is not a thing there? A regular girl may get 10 times more tinder dates than a regular guy. Guys in the Netherlands are as thirsty as guys in most countries in the world.
@@shutting88 We do not live by the American model. Tinder is hardly used or not at all as well. Thank you for pointing out the arrogance of Americans that it portraits, thinking the world is modelled after their bad example. Go out and meet people instead of using an online app to meet people dude....
And the word thirsty would be funny if it isn't that sad. Not everything is related to sex. Here, women learn to say no and do not collect babydadies, loose their virginity between 17 and 18 on average and see sex as something enjoyable when the relation matters which is not that much different from men either. As a result, we have the lowest child pregnancies, STD's and, even legal, lowest of ab.ort.ions and insist protection. We do not go to church for public display and then watch porn on cable all night and blur images and scramble words because we are too afraid to teach our kids, talk about it or even mention. At age 10-11 in primary school, all kids get sex education here. In the Netherlands, we can see tits all day long, even in advertisements without getting "thirsty".
Being straight forward is not only something that comes out of our mouths, but also something we live by, completely unimaginable to Americans that people actually practice moral standings and maintain values.
Again, and I most likely have to repeat it many times before you are able to comprehend, dating in the Netherlands is not an event to get laid. We hang out among friends, in groups and when we know the person a little better we might go on a "date" to get to "know them better", not to get laid. The whole ritual of having to go for dinner, pick her up, make out in bases, is an American thing that hardly appears here.
We are very able to think for ourselves and not follow the American indoctrination and, for sure, don't see sex as part of the dating package or even use online apps to fulfill thirsts because we can't make any friends. You are really, really a sad person, sorry. Get a life!
Dutch means being efficient togheter, not being average. American culture is eat or be eaten. not for me
So denegrading hearing those foreign students talk about my country. Like we are a sort of indignious tribe. Hate it. They have no clue how life outside their priviliged bubble is.
that's now ambition ,that's a disease !!!
I disagree completely about the "labels". There's a lot of group-think in Europe, both in the need to think like the rest of the herd, and in seeing people firstly in terms of their group labels.
In my experience Americans by and large see people as individuals, and will be very open-minded and curious towards innate differences that they encounter. The built-in biases I regularly encounter from Europeans (incl. Dutch) about my race, nationality, and back-story are way out of line with what is acceptable in America, and yes, it has often been outright racist.
DAAR DEED ZE HET OOK VOOR ,AARDID ZIJN. FOR THE MONEY.
This guy feels ashamed to tell his Asian origins
Some woman in the Netherlands are non-verbal nice.
Spiritual I mean
You really have no clue, do you?!
@@AlexK-yr2th About what? I am talking about exceptions.
@@adoteq_ Funny that when I state you have no clue, you reply with "about what?". Thanks for the example.
Obviously, it is an open door and your statement applies everywhere, in all countries under all circumstances. There is no exception involved here.
That is besides the point that "non-verbal nice" is a phrase that means absolutely nothing and then you correct yourself with "spiritual" as if you have a glass boll and personal radar to determine what and how a person is. Your statements still mean nothing, 0, nada, niette, noppes...