Most of the time when tourists consider travelling to Amsterdam, they do so for specific reasons, being that some aspect of the Dutch culture appeals to them, whether that be the unique, and beautiful structure of the city, or the allure of riding down the famous canals in a boat or along the side of these on a bicycle.
With each city or even the broader country, there exists almost a limitless supply of stereotypes and examples of essentialism which occur in the minds of foreigners, whose only understanding of the place is achieved through the various cultural representations which are delivered through either television programmes, guide books, word of mouth or advertising.
In regards to Amsterdam, there is a certain association with drawing a young and reckless demographic of tourists. This is due to the “partying culture” which many Australians and various other countries attach to the city of Amsterdam, and the sense of freedom which Amsterdam’s laws present in comparison to those laws existing at home. To draw from a personal anecdote here, when I shared with some friends my dream to travel to Amsterdam, their immediate response was to sneer and smirk, raising a knowing eyebrow.
“Oh, we know why you want to go to Amsterdam, Mon!” They remarked.
“Why?” I asked, not catching on.
“Because of the weed!”
This is a keen example of how much of an impact people’s understandings of a certain place’s essentialism can have on their overall understanding of the place. Despite the reality of Amsterdam’s perhaps more alternative laws, these have never crossed my mind in my fascination with the city. The beautiful landscape, complicated and immersive history (hello, why aren’t more people talking about the Anne Frank house?!) and even the unique cuisine are more along my motivations for visiting the Dutch capital. However, this is clearly not the case for my male friends whose first thought of the place is focussed on these laws.
Click below for a link containing great insight into the legal side of Amsterdam:
10 Rumours about Amsterdam that are true and 10 that are false! Below is another link which I found really interesting and greatly assisted in shedding some light on Amsterdam’s essentialism:
https://www.thetravel.com/10-rumours-about-amsterdam-that-are-true-10-that-are-false/
Amsterdam Essentials 101 