It has not happened often this century that a news topic from our own country took up the Dutch media and their public as intensively as the revelations about The Voice of Holland. The murders of Pim Fortuyn, Theo van Gogh, Peter R. de Vries and the downing of MH17 – it came close.
What struck me most about this publicity outburst? Ten points in no particular order.
1The quality newspapers paid at least as much attention to this sex scandal in the entertainment world as the newspapers that are used to reporting about that world. A new development? Feed for the ombudsmen of those newspapers.
2A candidate for ‘The Word of the Year 2022’ has already applied: dickpic. An effective word, thanks in part to the rhyme. I remember first encountering it in the 2016 vice trial of Democrat Congressman Anthony Weiner. He was caught sending dick pics to all kinds of women, including a minor. It cost him his political career.
3The massive scorn for John de Mol. I thought it was exaggerated. He meant well, but expressed himself awkwardly. I don’t believe he lied about anything, he’s just a man with little empathy. He is a doer himself, an assertive man who cannot imagine anyone not defending themselves against those who come close to him or her. He called on women to come forward, not to pass the responsibility on to them – he did call himself responsible – but because it is the only way to punish the perpetrators. In that he is right.
4The most impressive and most frequently mentioned fragment from the broadcast of ANGRY: the anonymous abused girl who said hesitantly, “It’s hard to call it rape, but that’s what it is.”
5Why called ANGRY do you have the names of three (alleged) perpetrators, but not the names of the fourth, a TV director?
6I have learned to always pay close attention to the reaction of the (alleged) perpetrator. Ali B would according to ANGRY have said when asked that it is “irrelevant” whether he has had sexual contact with one of the candidates of The Voice. A meaningless answer that says a lot.
7Especially in the various TV broadcasts, too little emphasis was placed on the fact that it is not yet certain that the judiciary will prosecute.
8Among all the expressions of genuine indignation, there was the moral superiority display of people who solemnly called Ali B “a monster,” as if the Dutch Dutroux had risen.
9In addition, there was the hypocrisy of radio stations that suddenly want to boycott the music of Ali B and Marco Borsato, but apparently do not realize that you can then throw away much more pop music, especially that of boy abuser Michael Jackson.
10You hear a lot these days that ‘male power structures’ must be broken down to prevent such sex scandals. I doubt that will help enough. Sex scandals are caused not only by powerful men, but also by impotent men—perhaps even in the majority. We have to educate the boys and men better, wrote the NRC commentator. Yes, that would be wonderful, but who is educating the educators?
A version of this article also appeared in NRC on the morning of January 24, 2022
#Voice #ten #points