“Only Decent People”? New Dutch Movie About Interracial Relationships Angers Black Community

September 4th, 2012 - By Alissa Henry
"Only Decent People"

Source: blogs.indiewire.com

You don’t need to speak Dutch to realize how ridiculous this new movie is.

The film is called  ”Alleen maar nette mensen” (Only Decent People) and is adapted from the book by the same name written by Dutch Jewish author Robert Vuistjes. Robert The book was highly controversial in the Netherlands when it was released several years ago and ahead of it’s release next month, it’s stirring up the same conversations again.

According to Shadow & Act:

ONLY DECENT PEOPLE is a Dutch comedy based on the controversial bestseller by Robert Vuijsje. Starring Geza Weisz, Imanuelle Grives, Annet Malherbe & Jeroen Krabbe. David Samuels is from an intellectual Jewish family from the posh Amsterdam Old South, where he is often mistaken as Moroccan because of his dark hair.

He has a girlfriend named Naomi and they both live in the posh district Amsterdam South, where ‘only decent people’ live. The word ‘decent people’, which is also the title of the novel, refers to people who are not ‘allochtonen’ and especially not Moroccans. ‘Allochtonen’ is the Dutch word for non-western foreigners.

David is a remarkable man on a mission: to find a ghetto fabulous queen with great tits and thick buttocks. He dumps his girlfriend, drops out of college and sets out on a quest for his dream woman. His parents and friends declare him mad, but David continues unabated. His search leads him to the Bijlmer, where, after some wild adventures he is left disappointed. Will David ever find his ideal woman – a large, dark sex goddess with booty and brains?

Yes, this is a real thing.

They call it an apolitical and irreligious film about the clash between social and cultural classes, and, not surprisingly the international blog Afro-Europe says it sparked controversy within the Black community in The Netherlands.

Under a literary flag Vuijsje sketches -intended or unintended – an archetypal image of (black) women, which some consider stereotype, stigma, caricature and even discriminatory. The opinions about the book are mixed. Some people felt that the book cheapened black women and interracial relationships, but others felt that a lot of black women fit the profile and should therefore not complain about the stereotypes in the book.

Of course, the author has disputed claims that he is a racist based on the fact that his girlfriend is Black.

"Robert Vuijsje and Lynn Spier"

Source: womeninc.nl

They aren’t saying if the film will travel, but it’s doubtful it would be received anywhere outside of Holland. Apparently, Holland started waving the post-racial flag too soon thus giving way to this sort of foolishness and even a black-owned ”Negro For Hire” company.

As reported by Afro-Europe, The Dutch company BlackPack is an agency exclusively for black men and white women are the main customers. The women hire the men to strip, dj, dance or to play djembe, but also to assist in shopping, playing chauffeur or for exotic cooking. The men can be “rented out” for 55 Euro ($69.10 US dollars) an hour. The founder, Bryan Oudhoff, told the local newspaper that he  wanted to respond to the stereotypes that exist of blacks: blacks are better dancers and have more sense of rhythm.

Again, this is a real thing.

I want to say Black people in our country would never tolerate this sort of thing, but then I remember that the most popular show for our demographic is “Love and Hip Hop: Atlanta” and that Basketball Wives may become a movie. We’ve got our fair share of negative images of black women in the media over here as well. Though we will march with Sharpton and start a Change.org petition on sight when something is blatantly racist, there are a lot of messages and portrayals we allow in this country that are just as problematic but less overt than this movie.

Still, I don’t understand what this author is trying to do with this film. There are definitely people who date outside of their race because of a fetish, but nobody should be supporting this foolishness. And just because the author has a black wife (who clearly signed off on the book & film as well) doesn’t mean he is not shamelessly ignorant.

Watch the preview below (there are no subtitles and it’s NSFW, but you get the gist)

Can you believe this is a movie? What do you think about this story?

Follow Alissa on Twitter @AlissaInPink

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  • pecola

    Blacks need to shut up when they created the stereotype images as black culture. They revived the minstrel show calling it rap. Then demanded the right to be called the worst thing ever the N word says it all.

  • get real

    Black women some of u are so dumb. When you guy going to realize when you are being insulted and dissed? Blk men we know when we (blk men and women) are being attacked but a lot of you women just don’t get it. Its 2012 and they making movies about women playing maids and blk women defended that nonsense. Blk women this stuff is purposely made to play on people’s mind subconsciously. Wake up sisters please.

    • http://www.facebook.com/sandrine.mba.9 Sandrine Mba

      thanks you to say that. I dared not say but it’s truth. :) wake up sisters

  • empress123

    I am surprised that so many are missing the point…the point is that when there is MOSTLY or ONLY a negative representation of a certain group being portrayed on a large scale to other groups nothing good can come out of it but to stigmatize EVERYONE in that group as negative because no one knows or sees anything different. That is where the damage is done. Using the excuse that ‘well there are some black people like this’ is weak and shows a lack of the spirit and fight we used to have in defending ourselves and demanding respect. You do not ONLY or MOSTLY see images of smelly drug addicted trailer trash white people, rotten teeth bad driving asians or greedy selfish jewish people ANYWHERE but we think it is ok to accept ghetto black people being portrayed disproportionately to the masses? Why aren’t dark skinned women portrayed as beautiful, calm, intelligent, spiritual and kind in DRAMAS more often? The day when that happens is when we can sit back and laugh at the comedies that are made by OTHERS about us…

    • Char

      I understand what you are trying to say. But this book does not try to do that.Really you (I Think..!) have not read this book.This book does NOT claim that all black women are loud, ghetto etc. The guy just wants that type of black woman! And also, fyi all the other stereotypes related to other ethnic groups come up in this book. The movie still has to come out, so i do not know how they adapted the book to film, and how they deal with the stereotyping of other non black groups. To me the book was funny, and very familiar in a way

    • moonrose4me

      Thats exactly what I was trying to say..
      Its sad…

  • http://www.facebook.com/jason.warren.90813 Jason Warren

    the same dutch that invaded south africa and dominate africans. the same people that dominate blck african people globally. the same people that have extermination campaign of all african people.

    what did you expect?!?!?! this is part of a character assasination campaign of african people. this is mein kempf 101! assasinate the character of your victim in the media so when the mass extermination begins the world wont miss them because they are devalued!

  • CarlaKah

    I’ve read the book. Met the actors. And I will tell you this: ONLY DUTCH people can grasp why this could ever be 100% ok. Let me explain: ZWARTE PIET (google it), NEGER (google it, black people are called this on a daily basis even in the media), ALLOCHTOON (google it, every person that looks non-Caucasian is considered to be one). A country where these 3 are normal, the book+movie are considered normal too (by the majority of people). However I must say that you need to read the full book to also understand the inner-struggle the porttrayed guy is going through (he’s 18). The portrayal of it all is just too stereotypical. It makes it seem like non-stereotypical black women hardly exist in the Netherlands. Some people read this book and thought they now “got to know”, black people and their “environment”. Obviously that is fucked up.

  • LionMama

    Ehm, there’s a lot of these women around here in Europe.. They only do it like this because they see Americans do it and then they copy their behaviour.

  • moonrose4me

    Unfortunately, this is the most common perception of black women today. Big booty, welfare queen, ghetto, sexually charged and etc…
    but what I find equally disturbing is those within our own community that find this funny.
    ….In that case, I’m sure they would find “Mandingo” Hilarious right?

    Just because a “few” within our community showcase the same negative stereotypes doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be concerned or disgusted by outside mockery. WE SHOULD BE DISGUSTED BY IT ALL. Not only one or the other.

    I never got that response ” some of us do it, so who cares if they do it” —Thats some idiotic theology right there.

    And in my opinion, that is why our community continues to be one of the most disrespected and mimicked …Smh

  • KitKat

    I don’t see how this can be seen as demeaning to black women. This movie is depicting one woman and her life with the one man that is infatuated with her. We act as if we haven’t seen worse than this on reality TV, movies and music videos (or even in our own neighborhoods) right here in the US. No where in the trailer did I see anything depicting or portraying any representation of an entire culture. Had there been a stereotypical White or Hispanic or even Asian woman (In appearances and behavior) all mouths would be shut. As a black woman I have to say that I have seen worse in my own community from my own people and I would love the opportunity to see this movie . . . It looks hilarious!

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