Wednesday, January 11, 2017

Just Too Annoying

While the media is awash in stories about golden showers we raise our eyes to gaze upon more edifying news. Like this story from The Daily Mail.

God gave us The Daily Mail to distract us from the tabloid garbage that has been filling up the mainstream media.

If that is not ironic, I don’t know what is.

Anyway, the Daily Mail is reporting on the strange case of Nancy Holten. She is “a left-wing Dutch vegan” living in Switzerland, fluent in Swiss German,  married to a Swiss national, mother to children who are Swiss nationals. Now, her village has just denied her application for Swiss citizenship … for a second time.

Local residents in Switzerland have the right to cast a first vote on citizenship applications. They voted down Holten’s because they find her “too annoying.” You see, she has been trying to get cow bells banned. You were not aware about cow bells. If so, you need to have your consciousness raised. The Swiss consider cow bells to be part of their local customs and do not want to grant citizenship to someone who does not respect local customs.

The Daily Mail reports this compelling story:

A left-wing Dutch vegan who campaigned against cowbells in the Swiss village where she lives has had a request for a Swiss passport thrown out after annoying the locals.

Nancy Holten, who was born in the Netherlands but moved to Switzerland at the age of eight, is a fluent speaker of Swiss German and has children who are Swiss nationals.

And she wanted a Swiss passport herself, but was refused after locals who were consulted about her request said they were 'fed up' of her challenging Swiss traditions by campaigning against the use of cow bells.

The campaign against cow bells by the 42-year-old vegan and animal-rights activist has made her unpopular in the Alpine confederation.

And also:

The resident's committee argued that if she does not accept Swiss traditions and the Swiss way of life, she should not be able to become an official national.

It isn’t just cow bells that offend Holten:

The Dutchwoman, who describes herself as a freelance journalist, model and drama student, has also campaigned against a number of other Swiss traditions like hunting, pig races and the noisy church bells in town.

Down with hunting. No more pig races. Ban church bells. It's not just that these are deviant opinions. Holten wants everyone to follow her idea of what is right and what is wrong. The Swiss consider these actions to to be Unswiss. One local politician agrees:

Local politician Tanja Suter agreed with the majority of the town's citizens and said Holten had a 'big mouth', saying she did not deserve to get a Swiss passport 'if she irritates us and does not respect our traditions'. 

9 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  2. I enjoyed your description of the Daily Mail. It's quite appropriate.

    This story was so disturbing, but I'm glad to hear that Swiss Citizens get to decide who should be a citizen.

    The Vegan Dutch girl reeks of narcissism.

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  3. What's Swiss German for "When in Rome…"?

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  4. More cowbell!

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  5. TW, I KNEW I was too late to this party.

    There's nothing like complaining that everyone else is wrong, Wrong, WRONG, to make everyone dislike you. Too late to take that Dale Carnegie class, Ms. Holten. You have poisoned the pool.

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  6. Well, it is understandable why a cow wouldn't want to wear a bell.

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  7. Sam L. @January 11, 2017 at 11:16 AM:

    You mean like Ares Olympus?

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  8. IAC: Apparently, you didn't get the memo. Mr Schneiderman desires to adjust the feng shui in the comment threads to provide a more welcoming Safe Space. Align your chakras, Sir. Perhaps a word of Whizzdom from my favorite Cosmic Wicca Womyn will help:

    "The Universal Energy Crystal Mesh can flow to positive or negative poles. Beware Entity-Souls attracting Dark Karma."
    --- Madame Cosmoline

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  9. What is funny is how cowbells could be so obnoxous.
    My daughter lives in Switzerland.
    In the spring and fall farmers move their cows from the low meadows to the high meadows, and vice versa.
    They parade the cows right through the middle of town, with their bells on, and it it a time of celebration, where people come out and watch the cows go by. She has sent us pictures.

    Then you don't hear cowbells for half a year when the cows parade back through town again going the other direction.

    Why is anybody up in arms for banning something that happens twice a year?
    Is it that bothersome?
    Or are they just looking for a cause and not finding one elsewhere?

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