New Europeans

A Test Site For Everyday Life

Value for Money Apr18 2016, Amsterdam

Daily Struggles at the Wall

While the blockheads behind the wall are doing their thing we have to contend with a copious security presence right up in our grill. Among other things, this severely limits our access to the basic necessity of a toilet facility, since this is to be found inside the Marineterein where meetings are taking place.

It’s ok though, we’ve got security passes. All we need to do is flash them at one of the bright yellow men and they politely guide us to the security scanner they’ve installed near the entrance.

Today, Domenique took objection to the guard’s requirement that he put the keys through the scanner. He rightly pointed out to the guard that you don’t need to see through the keys to know that they’re not concealing anything. They’re keys, what are they going to have inside them!

“Why do you need to scan it?” Domenique asked.

“It’s for your own safety” was the reply.

The line of thinking is: “Rules are rules, we don’t discuss it”. Security guards are the kind of people who follow without question, otherwise they wouldn’t be hired. But when it goes too far it’s pretty absurd, and really funny (if it wasn’t so sinister). And the whole attitude totally alienates both the people being protected and the people outside.