Quote from Brilliant Orange

Brilliant Orange by David Winner is an insightful read- not only into the history and dynamics of Dutch football- but it also gives an in depth view of the culture and the tradition of tolerance. Here is an interesting quote:
"When people think of Amsterdam, they think of our downtrodden "coffee shops" where you can buy many things but not coffee. They think we are very tolerant and multicultural. But Dutch tolerance was developed in order to keep the peace, to avoid trouble. It has never been a laissez-faire tolerance. The Netherlands I know is a rather disciplined, conformist, society...Our tolerance is always in the context of something highly organised and on the theme of consensus-building. Dutch culture is about being separate from each other. We created cultural difference and separation where physical separation was not available. We should not confuse this tradition with the image of a free-floating, carnivalesque, open-minded society. Of course, the image is part of the reality too. But it's only a small part." Interview with Paul Scheffer, pg.261