Team Johan

There is dust blowing through the Netherlands again. Johan Derksen is said to have said unkind things about gays and now everyone is angry. And sad. But mostly angry. Because Johan is said to have said unkind things about gays. Now I happened to see that broadcast. Not entirely by chance, because lying on the couch on a Monday evening with my laptop and listening a bit to the chatter of men with an opinion is a favorite pastime. Unnuanced, never friendly, and at a level so flat that it barely touches the floor. But Wilfred on the left and Johan on the right pull the intelligence level back to quite average.

It is not refined and uplifting, but it is honest and straightforward. René van der Gijp may not be the sharpest lesson in the drawer, I can totally imagine that you have a particularly pleasant evening if you encounter him at the table next to you.

But, Minister De Jonge, have you ever heard a statement from Johan Derksen that was not rude?

In every broadcast, more unkind things are said than friendly ones. And no one is spared, themselves last. Now Johan has said something about gays and the whole country is tumbling over him. The funny thing is that there are few people who have seen the broadcast but still have an opinion. Because if you had seen it, you would know that Johan actually said nice things. In his own way, of course. He encouraged people to come out of the closet. He said that parents should want a happy child. And if that child is gay and happy, that is the most important thing. And that if one of his children had been gay, it would have been no issue at all. Of course, he said that in his Derksian way. Awkward and unnecessarily hurtful. Minister De Jonge, yes, he also took a stand and said in the media that Johan Derksen's statements were rude. But, Mr. De Jonge, have you ever heard a statement from Johan Derksen that was not rude?

Of course, I understand that many gays feel misunderstood when Johan says they should not make a fuss. But boys and girls, you really shouldn't watch that program at all. Watching Voetbal Inside and getting angry that hurtful comments have been made is like going to the circus and then being outraged that there were clowns.

Derksen and his buddies are rough-and-tumble men. And if there is any nuance, they switch it off in the program. I still find them likable because I see the white kernel behind the rough shell. And due to all the fuss, I almost start to worry a bit about Johan. I’ll watch again tonight to see if his mustache curls up again, and how nice would it be if he wore his signature colored shoes in pink tonight. Or in rainbow. That, Johan, that would be a masterstroke.