‘The patronizing goes on and on. Let them count themselves with important matters’ | column Joris Brussels
George Brussels. archive photo ronald goedheer
Joris Brussels
IJmond
October 9, 2021. That was the last day I devoted a column to a Kafkaian news item from Castricum. The time before was on May 1 of the same year. Coincidentally, there is a half year in between. Well, a lot of coincidence… As a columnist I get reactions from readers. From acquaintances, but also from strangers who approach me on the street or online. It not only keeps me sharp; it’s fun and bad too.
The feedback I have received a lot in the past was the municipality of Castricum. In the minds of some readers leek wrote about the coastal community almost every week. And my question is no longer being refused entry at the Castricum municipal border. Because I sometimes raise the slapstick situations there.
I think it’s a beautiful community. But sometimes it seems that when men have it so well there, that space is freed up to complain about small matters such as third world problems. Now that I have had my passion for Castricum’s Monty Python news for half a year in the future, I am glad that the municipality of Castricum does not disappoint. She posted a message on Twitter in the context of ‘sustainable Tuesday’, in September.
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![Screenshot of the tweet from the municipality and the reactions of Thierry Baudet and Ralph Castricum.](https://img.haarlemsdagblad.nl/w9IhdrORAxb5K-hRIQpnkzQlRlY=/fit-in/960x640/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn-kiosk-api.telegraaf.nl%2Fed2d00e6-c243-11ec-99fc-02d1dbdc35d1.jpg)
Screenshot of the tweet from the municipality and the reactions of Thierry Baudet and Ralph Castricum.
The message was: ‘Drink loose tea instead of using tea bags’. Castricum Forza politician Ralph Castricum relates to the message with: ‘The patronizing goes further and further’. And: ‘Let them deal with objects’. And then also Forum for Democracy leader Thierry Baudet posted a response, in the form of smilies.
The message was soon deleted. Not because of Baudet, but because it happened unintentionally, according to a municipal spokeswoman. She is having a #learning moment. What is particularly typical for me is that Ralph has recorded that the municipality has felt that it is important to lose to the municipality. But is it important to draw attention to the fact that this Twitter message was removed after Baudet’s intervention? The municipality sends out an awkward tweet and a well-known politician gets involved?
I thought Baudet was busy planning the Forum for Democracy Schools. But apparently talking about tea is more interesting. And maybe that’s a good thing, too, if that puts good on the back burner with regard to his education plans. So my request to the municipality of Castricum is to lead FvD members as much as possible with patronizing tweets. Good #learning moment.
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Joris Brussel (1987) is a columnist, writer, (urban) poet and communication strategist. He comes from Velsen-Noord and lives in Beverwijk. Every week he gives his opinion here.