/ignore Fitna by Geert Wilders

Geert Wilders. Dutch politician. Peculiar hairdo. Extreme visions.

Wilders has used "Islam" in the same sentence with words such as fascism, terrorism, tsunami's and criminality. The Koran has been compared with Mein Kampf, and has been named the "psychological detonation mechanism of fundamentalist terrorism". Wilders is not the kind of guy to pursue any subtlety in his actions and words. That's for sure. He would make a crappy diplomat.

Soon you, the international blog reader, will be confronted with a little section in your newspaper called "Fitna". It's the title of the new (and first) movie of Geert, in which he will uncover "the truth" about the Islam. It'll be almost 15 minutes long, and I`m expecting a not so gentle message where one of the world's biggest faiths will be burned to the ground. Without any common sense, but with false arguments. And while you are reading this message, our prime minister is warning your government for the movie. Giving it more attention than it deserves. It's great free publicity for the movie. Wilders doesn`t have to spend a lot of many on getting this baby some publicity.

Did I tell you that this movie has taken the dutch media hostage for more than a month now? Or maybe I should phrase it differently: "The dutch media has taken itself hostage over this movie". Just as the NME or the Rolling Stone can hype a band to stardom, so can the dutch media propel Fitna to mass attention.

There is one strange thing though, the dutch media is wondering loudly in every tv-program why this movie is getting so much attention. Let me give you an overview of a typical piece about Wilders' movie:

"This is all amazing! It hasn`t even been released yet, and still this movie gets so much attention! Even our prime minister is telling everybody about it! And look, an upside-down Dutch flag has been burned! And over here, mister Wilders is saying something, he says that he will not listen to any advice to cancel the movie! And after the warning from the dutch security agency he again repeats his answer! Amazing! Ah, the movie deadline has been moved! Wow, it will be aired by dutch commercial television! But when, when...WHEN?!!?!"

So why does this movie, and Wilders, get so much attention? I point my finger at the media.

The media, whom for some reason, do not hold themselves accountable for all the publicity that this man and movie are getting. The dutch media say it is their responsibility to report "the news". But doesn`t the media determine what is "news", and what isn`t? It seems they are trying to downplay their importance. Pretty strange for such a group of ego-heavy writers.

I think the media know the truth themselves, but why tell the poor dutch audience that they are the ones behind the hype that surrounds Wilders and his movie? They`ll be killing their own exciting, albeit fabricated, story. And so the saga continues.

Where will it end? Although I absolutely detest every word that comes out of Wilders' mouth, I want him to survive. He is less dangerous alive than death. Just look at Fortuyn and Van Gogh. Did their deaths make the situation any better? No, it only provided gun-powder for people like Wilders. I can only hope that the people who could eat Wilders' guts for dinner will realise this to.

So here I present you with the essence of the problem called "Fitna by Geert Wilders".

The problem is this post. And any other form of attention that they are both getting.

The solution?

/ignore Geert Wilders
/ignore Fitna