Nimrod wrote:So, I suppose if I don't do what YOU do, I'm a selfish shite?
No, don't take it so personally, I was referring to this:
gixxer wrote:why would people work and save all year to go on holiday and then waste a day of their trip at a demo is beyond me,,,,,fuck that!
Going to the same place repeatedly to ostensibly smoke dope but not willing to take a few hours out of one of your days to make your voice heard when the powers that be threaten to take that pleasure away for no good reason, not just from tourists but in a roundabout way through registration for locals as well, smacks to me of selfishness, as what could you possibly have better to do than than protest about a pleasure which is being taken away from a group of people, which includes yourself, in such a discriminatory manner?
Nimrod wrote:Maybe it's about being agoraphobic.
Oh boo-hoo. As others have said, you don't have to be there to support the protest, then you can stay home with your allergies/sicknote/whatever.
Nimrod wrote:Maybe I want to protect my identity so I can keep my job and keep returning to AMS to keep adding to that economy.
If you are unfortunate enough to live in a country or work in a job that will not allow you to peacefully protest then you have my sympathy, but take a leaf out of the (admittedly far more serious) concerns I mentioned in my earlier post, some people are willing to die protesting for what they believe in, so the possibility of the thought police putting your name on their blacklist is relatively minor in comparison. Or you could put on a scarf. Presumably you will not keep adding to the economy via coffeeshops if you are denied entry to them?
Nimrod wrote:Maybe I don't travel to other countries to protest THEIR laws and politics. I'm a guest and choose to act like one. When you enter the NL, will you declare that you're there to protest? I doubt it.
If a law is discriminatory against a group of people, in this case tourists, should that group of people not have the right to protest that they are being unfairly discriminated against? I have no idea of your political or ideological leanings but, for instance, if there was an anti-discrimination/racism protest in Amsterdam against someone like Geert Wilders, would you feel unable to participate because you are a tourist? Surely some themes of protest are universal and cross barriers of nationality/language/colour etc? For my part, upon entry to The Netherlands on nearly 30 occasions, customs officials have never been so invasive as to enquire my reasons for being there, the only country I have had that dubious pleasure, coupled with the longest time ever to pass through customs, was the good ole' U S of A, where every holidaymaker is welcomed in the manner of being treated as a potential terrorist, illegal immigrant or murderer.
Nimrod wrote:Maybe I don't go along with the crowd, just because. See my facebook comment.
Couldn't find your facebook comment but I guess you're just too cool for school. So if you're not going along with the crowd, you're not part of the protest as the two kind of have to go together? Unless you're planning a solo protest, which I'm guessing won't have quite the same impact?
Nimrod wrote:Sounds pretty Catholic church-minded to me...do as we say or else you are shit. Not very tolerant of other people's views and opinions now, is it?
Not what I said at all; the selfishness of people who would rather do fuck all than stand up and be counted as the Amsterdam coffeeshops are threatened with closure, when they post regularly in a forum about Amsterdam coffeeshops, is pretty self-evident I would have thought.
Nimrod wrote:Yes, I'll risk being ostracized by fellow smokers for choosing to do what I want to do, or not. Pardon me for thinking independently. I like it that way.
Congratulations on being such an independent soul, your support, or lack of it, is of course entirely your concern, doesn't mean I have to agree with it.
Nimrod wrote:Perhaps I'll bow to the pressure and attend, and if that happens, count one disgruntled attendee. But at least I'm THERE, right? And that's all that matters to YOU.
Don't do us any favours, the more the merrier obviously but you might be the only person there who doesn't actually want to be there.
Here we go for another 40 years.
