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A tolerating personality is often regarded as a positive trait. People associate tolerance with open mindedness, appreciation of diverse mindsets, and little to no judgment. It means the act of allowing something bad, unpleasant, or illegal to happen or exist. Toleration can be thought of as containing an open mind, or simply turning a blind eye.

The city of Amsterdam sits on the coast of the Netherlands and prides itself on it’s tolerating behavior. In fact, it brags about it’s liberalism, appreciation of all people, and openness to accept varying opinions and ideas. It embraces the fact that people may be into prostitution, soft drugs and pornography. And that it is only human. So instead of criminalizing everything, the people of Amsterdam enjoy the honesty of it all. I visited this eccentric city excited to experience such an open and liberal culture. I left Amsterdam with not only many new experiences, but a deeper understanding of the history of this small city and it’s rise to fame as the quintessential liberal city.

Most people know Amsterdam for two things: weed and prostitution. Tourists travel from all over the world to wander the alleys in the Red Light District and gaze at the women behind glass windows. It’s impossible to walk far without passing a coffee shop and sniffing that instantly recognizable smell of marijuana. The canals are packed with boats, bridges are lined with people snapping pics, and every market square is a mini Time Square. Everyone – from a 10 year old girl to a 70 year old man – speaks English. If you don’t speak English, then you just go out of business. Amsterdam is a tourist destination.

I visited Amsterdam with this grand idea that it was a modern, forward city that adopted this radical concept that rather than fight societal problems, we should embrace, legalize, and control them. People are always going to smoke weed, so why spend millions of dollars fighting it? Prostitution is going to exist, so let’s legalize it to make it safe and regulated. For these reasons people view Amsterdam as a city that is concerned with building a safe, healthy society but through a much more progressive, liberal approach. But does it work? Is Amsterdam really an open minded city that exhibits a tolerance? After my weekend in Amsterdam and talking to the local Dutch community, I gained much insight into the history of Amsterdam and the reasons behind it’s radical liberalism.

This type of shop illustrates the radical honesty that is Amsterdam’s signature trait

Amsterdam is actually built upon wooden poles. It is 3 meters below sea level and didn’t exist on the map until the 13th century. It was originally a small fishing village but eventually grew into a major trading post that was home to merchants and sailors. If they were lucky, sailors returned safely to harbor and celebrated with drinks and women. The next day, these sailors repented their sins to the church. The church decided how much their “sins” were worth in exchange for a clear conscious. Realizing that this was a very profitable business, the Old Church in central Amsterdam expanded and is now the center of the Red Light District. Prostitution became legalized in 1830 and thanks to laws in the late 1900s, is now regulated and controlled by authorities. These women register as sex workers, receive health care, and are subject to taxes. Ask anyone in the Netherlands and they would say that there is nothing morally wrong with paying for sex; yet, women in the industry are extremely private about their profession with friends and family, suggesting that prostitution is still a disrespected career.

This main street in the Red Light District is lined with bars, strip clubs, window prostitutes, and live pornography shows.

Merely examining prostitution, it’s apparent that there are fundamental flaws in Amsterdam’s policies regarding sex work. Prostitution wasn’t legalized because Amsterdam is an open, welcoming community. It was legalized because it was seen as a profitable business. The same is true about legalized marijuana. Coffee shops in Amsterdam have an absurdly high tax rate because the money spent on marijuana actually goes back to the city council and is spent on programs to combat drug use. I talked with some local Dutch people and it was generally agreed that Amsterdam is a tourist destination because of the drugs and sex – if those industries were to collapse, then the tourists would stop coming and Amsterdam would suffer a severe economic crisis. It’s ironic that this city that prides itself on its tolerating, liberal, open mentality is in fact a money-driven, capitalistic city. As my tour guide emphasized, “Dutch people are clever. We never do anything unless we can make money.”

Amsterdam is a stunning city. Many people think that it’s filthy and dangerous, but outside of the Red Light District, it’s one of the prettiest, pristine cities I’ve visited. The canals are lined with house boats, the bridges covered in flowers, and the markets are always overflowing with seafood, bright jewelry, and delicious pastries. The people are friendly, helpful, and welcoming, and I spent both days walking around, getting lost among the canals and stumbling upon secluded courtyards and cafes.

Amsterdam is more water than land, making house boats a common living accommodation

Old Church in the Red Light District. The atmosphere of this neighborhood is very different during the day.

Dam Square contains to the Royal Palace, home to Amsterdam’s monarchy

People are so blinded with the glamour of Amsterdam’s liberal attitude that they think it’s a place of freedom and tolerance. They don’t see the flaws behind the progressive facade. Ask the locals, and they would agree that drug abuse is a legitimate problem in the city, just like every other major city. Many sex workers experience sexual violence and sex trafficking is an issue that hasn’t been eliminated due to legalization and regulation of prostitution. In fact, the city council is looking to cut the amount of windows for prostitutes in half to make room for entrepreneurs and young artists. Amsterdam does not deserve to sit on a pedestal for it’s extreme tolerance. If anything, it wins an award for hypocrisy. It hasn’t solved the problem to sex trafficking. It hasn’t managed drug addiction. What it has accomplished is an international reputation that gains it fame, popularity, and above all, money.

Amsterdam was by far my favorite place I’ve visited. It was not only a beautiful city with friendly people, but it was a town overflowing with culture and history. The story of Amsterdam can easily be spun to accent it’s better qualities and successes, but it’s important to realize that its model isn’t perfect. A tolerating, open attitude doesn’t make something right; it just makes it legal.