# racy national comments(possibly offensive) **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 23, 2002, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racy-national-comments-possibly-offensive/129362 "2002-09-23T23:50:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2002, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racy-national-comments-possibly-offensive/129362/1 "2002-09-23T23:50:23Z")
1. Okay, if The french are frogs, the germans are Krauts, and the Irish are mics, what are dutch and the Scots? I’m just wondering because I’ve been going over all the nationalities I know I am decended from, but don’t know the appropriatly jargon if I want to use the racy terms (I’m laughing at myself, so why can’t I? I wouldn’t use terms that don’t apply to me, but I wouldn’t begrudge others that privledge). 1. Along the same lines, as stereotypes go\*, the French are cowards, Germans are agressive, Irish are drunks, Scots wear dresses (Yes, I know what a kilt is, but I’m talking stereotypes here), but what is the dutch stereotype? \*Yes I know that stereotypes aren’t representative. 1. Finally, and this is really bugging me, where do dutch people come from? French come from France. English=England. Germans=Germany. Scottish from Scotland. Irish from Ireland. But the Dutch come from Holland, or more accurately, the Netherlands. Not dutchland, not dutchy(though I can see that being kinda confusing, since it usally refers to the area a duke rules over). Someone explain this to me. I know it’s probably a stupid question, but just indulge me. ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2002, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racy-national-comments-possibly-offensive/129362/2 "2002-09-24T01:36:26Z")
You’ve posted 212 times and you haven’t heard any Dutch jokes yet?! 😉 Coldfire, the mod, is Dutch and we (well, they, since I’ve yet to interact with him) call him Clog Boy. ---
**Author:** ![Omnipresent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8c91f0/32.png) [@Omnipresent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omnipresent)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2002, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racy-national-comments-possibly-offensive/129362/3 "2002-09-24T04:37:58Z")
Don’t the Dutch have something to do with DYKES!!! You could use that! ---
**Author:** ![betenoir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@betenoir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betenoir)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2002, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racy-national-comments-possibly-offensive/129362/4 "2002-09-24T06:01:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by HPL \* > \*\* > > But the Dutch come from Holland, or more accurately, the Netherlands. Not dutchland, not dutchy(though I can see that being kinda confusing, since it usally refers to the area a duke rules over). > > \*\* Couldn’t find another source to support it (or refute it) but according to me QPB encyclopedia of word origin- and it would be ironic if this is the case- the Dutch government took up the name Netherlands in the '30s because of the HUGE number of negative sterotypes surrounding the “Dutch”. Most of them by way of the English, who’ve disliked them since the 1700’s. C’mon, you know them: Dutch treat (no treat at all), Dutch courage (courage from drink) in Dutch (in trouble). And there used to be a lot more- Dutch luck (undeserved luck), Dutch praise (condemnation), Dutch comfort (“thank god it wasn’t worse”) Dutch act (suicide). According to this book, just about every phrase making reference to the Dutch in English makes them out to be “cheap, cowardly, stubborn, shameful, decietful or worse.” Maybe that’s why you can’t nail down a particular sterotype, apparently the Dutch combine all the worst trait of every other nation. Sorry to have to be a Dutch uncle 😃 ---
**Author:** ![betenoir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@betenoir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betenoir)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2002, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racy-national-comments-possibly-offensive/129362/5 "2002-09-24T06:09:17Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by HPL \* > \*\* > > But the Dutch come from Holland, or more accurately, the Netherlands. Not dutchland, not dutchy(though I can see that being kinda confusing, since it usally refers to the area a duke rules over). > > \*\* Couldn’t find another source to support it (or refute it) but according to me QPB encyclopedia of word origin- and it would be ironic if this is the case- the Dutch government took up the name Netherlands in the '30s because of the HUGE number of negative sterotypes surrounding the “Dutch”. Most of them by way of the English, who’ve disliked them since the 1700’s. C’mon, you know them: Dutch treat (no treat at all), Dutch courage (courage from drink) in Dutch (in trouble). And there used to be a lot more- Dutch luck (undeserved luck), Dutch praise (condemnation), Dutch comfort (“thank god it wasn’t worse”) Dutch act (suicide). According to this book, just about every phrase making reference to the Dutch in English makes them out to be “cheap, cowardly, stubborn, shameful, decietful or worse.” Maybe that’s why you can’t nail down a particular sterotype, apparently the Dutch combine all the worst trait of every other nation. Sorry to have to be a Dutch uncle 😃 ---
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2002, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racy-national-comments-possibly-offensive/129362/6 "2002-09-24T06:39:48Z")
I’ve probably been looking in the wrong threads… Thanks for the help though. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2002, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racy-national-comments-possibly-offensive/129362/7 "2002-09-24T06:52:51Z")
Well, I don’t remember the exact order of events that lead to it, but the name “Dutch” came from a bastardization of the german word Deutsch, meaning “German”. Cecil may even done a column on this. As far as dutch stereotypes go, have you seen Austin Powers 3? ---
**Author:** ![everton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecb155/32.png) [@everton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/everton)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2002, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racy-national-comments-possibly-offensive/129362/8 "2002-09-24T14:02:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by betenoir \* > …the HUGE number of negative sterotypes surrounding the “Dutch”. Most of them by way of the English, **who’ve disliked them since the 1700’s.** _my bold_That’s not accurate. The British and the Dutch _were_ at war in those days, hence the derogatory terminology, but we get along just fine now thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Mort\_Furd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Mort\_Furd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mort_Furd)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2002, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racy-national-comments-possibly-offensive/129362/9 "2002-09-24T14:34:11Z")
Well, the Germans I know (hey, I live in Germany) call the Dutch “Kaeskoepfe” “Käsköpfe.” That’s “Cheeseheads” in english. I included the proper spelling and the international bastardized spellings just in case someone’s browser can’t handle the umlauts. They also call Austrians “Schluchtenkackern,” which means “ravine shitters,” presumably because there are lots of ravines in Austria and lots of Austrians who live in the back woods. Not that the Germans are any nicer to their fellow countrymen. The folk in Hamburg are called “Fischköpfe” “Fischkoepfe” which means “fishheads.” They also say that the Bavarians are the rejects from Hannibal’s army - the ones who couldn’t make it over the Alps. Germans from West Berlin are called “Saupreussen” which translates roughly as “Prussian pigs.”