Why are the Dutch so direct? 

I think a Dutch person would just say: no wednesday is not possible. He would not even thank you for asking. As a Dutch person, too much polite words make me uncomfortable. When someone is obviously making efforts to hide the true message in order to protect my feelings, I start to suspect that his true message is much more hurtful than it seems because apparently he thinks I can not bear the truth. There is nothing hurtful in my unavailability on wednesday so why be indirect about it?

For a Dutch person, to not to be indirect means to be insincere and possibly even considered rude. Why waste each other's time or giving false hope? Just be direct and we know how to move forward. It isn't rude and you don't have to feel offended. You immediately know where everyone stands, and you can still convince others... and they may even tell you how!

As a Dutch person working for an American company, I really had to get used to hearing 'Great question!', EVERY TIME a question was asked. When everything is 'awesome', 'great' or 'the best it's ever been!', those words lose meaning and I never know when you truly appreciate my feedback, or this or that is really going well. By now I realize 'Great question!' just means 'I am glad you are interested enough in what I said to ask a question and I want to encourage you to ask more questions in the future'.

As someone who is half Japanese half Dutch, I honestly think directness as shown by the Dutch is the healthiest way to go about things. Overall, I think it's healthier for the mental and emotional in the long run.

Being Dutch, I would just like to add that there are also people in the NL that are just plain rude. So the trick is learning to recognise when people are just being honest/direct with you or when there's an asswipe just being rude to you. 😅

There's a difference between being direct as in communicating with clear intend vs having total disregard to someones feelings. This does not mean we are inconsiderate. Most Dutch people will know when to be honest and when to be polite and act interested. There's a time and place for everything.

As another Dutch person has already pointed out, some of us really *are* actually rude and the cultural directness might make that hard to pinpoint. One red flag is when a Dutch person takes this weird pride in their own "directness". Another one is when one's behavior is often excused as "just their typical directness" by either their peers or themselves. In both these cases, odds are it's an actual toxic person who uses this "typical Dutch directness" as a free way ticket to bully others.

Honestly as a Duchie, if I ask someone if they’re available on Wednesday to hang out and they say “oh.. I would love to go, but I already have plans Wednesday… I really appreciate the offer tho” I would feel like they don’t want to hang out with me, or even dislike me. I would personally respond with something like “oh I can’t on Wednesday. Maybe we could go in the weekend?” And then gets responded with either: “Oh sure. I’m available on the weekend! Then it’s a plan!” If they can, and “Oh I can’t on the weekend.. (maybe the reason why) How about the Wednesday after that?” If they can’t on the weekend. And then it usually goes on until we made a plan or we’re just like “We’ll hang out some other time then.” Maybe a reason I find that indirectness rude, is because if I actually don’t want to hang out with someone, I would find it too rude to straight up say I don’t want to, and come up with a excuse. So when you come up with an excuse instead of actually having and telling your reason for not being able to go (even if that reason is a headache or just being very tired) and suggesting something else, I feel like you just don’t want to hang out with me.

For me as Dutchy the directness and honesty is a way of showing respect for another person. If I do not respect a person, I do not need to be honest.

When I first went to the US, a supermarket cashier greeted me with "How are you?" I thought hey, what a nice woman, so I tried to have a conversation with her and asked her all sorts of questions. How she was doing, how long she's been working here if she lives nearby. She looked questioningly at me then? In the other store I was greeted in the same way, only then did I find out that it was a more polite greeting without content.😂 In the Netherlands, 'How are you' is usually said by friends or colleagues. And often they also want more information from me, either that I have not seen them for a long time or that I have been ill. If a Dutch cashier asks me how I am doing, I will say politely that I am fine, but I will think why is she asking me this, she does not know me, or am I doing something wrong, does she want to warn me for something?

As an autistic Dutch person, I am so very glad that my culture is more inclined towards just getting to the damn point, it saves so much time and gives me exactly the feedback I need from the interaction.

As a British person now living in the Netherlands for almost 3 years, this was something I really had to get used to. Now, I really love the directness - there's no trying to figure out where someone stands or any falseness, you know where you stand from the start (even if it catches you off guard sometimes!)

I'd even say that CEOs and professors in the Netherlands have even more respect for employees/students that argue with them in a direct and (for Dutch standards) respectful way, as they prove to be creative and critical thinkers.

As a Dutchy I think the Dutch ice skater was not direct, he was rude. There was no reason to call that woman ‘stupid’, direct would have been: ‘no I wont do that.’

I studied translation and have dutch directness (mom is dutch, father is french). My teachers would always say this influenced my translations and I had to "elaborate" more. I told them that "elaboration" was the cause of mistranslation and we headbutted a lot until graduation😅

As a person who lives in the Netherlands, I have noticed the Dutch are direct, but they are also easy to make friends with because of this. You know what they want and what they like and where they stand. This makes is easy to adapt yourself to them so that you both can have a good time which further deepens the friendship. I've also noticed that a Dutch person will visit my house or invite me to their house way earlier into the friendship than people of different cultures do.

As a Dutch person I went to England with my school the thing my English teacher kept repeating was ‘say twice as much thank you as you are used to.’😂

I have worked in a US-based multinational and in every meeting you would hear Americans going: "I appreciate what you're saying, but... " followed by several minutes of yadayadayada. From the second word, everyone would know that the guy meant: nope. All the Dutch guys in the meeting would just say yes or no, and where needed defend their answer with arguments. I could never get used to the endless yadayada.

There is a dutch saying "doe maar normaal, dan doe je al gek genoeg" which translates "if you act normal, you're acting crazy enough". This basically means that you don't need to beat around the bush, just act normal/direct.

the directness is definetly a respect game, i can never understand how much many cultures dance around things and never get to a point, its funny how they emphasize respect but will never say things the way they actually think them. Sharing your true thoughts is something to be respected, you get to look inside someone elses mind that way.

In favor of Dutch directness: in our culture, truth and honesty are very important. Giving someone the impression that you think they cant handle the truth is no compliment. You would underestimate their strength. Therefor, indirect messages are perceived as (somewhat) insulting.

I am a Dutch coconut and I once had an Iranian colleague. He explained the concept of Taarof to me, which is an Iranian form of politeness/etiquette. I just couldn’t wrap my head around how a society can even function like that… 😂

I didn't realize I was so dutch until I had to run a forum community. When a mod did something wrong, (and everyone was gossiping about it) I would just tell them, but also try to work together to help them approve. (give tips, try to hear them out etc.) But alot of the time I got told, your directness shocked me. But in the end, alot of people did appreciate it. Because I didnt sugarcoat anything, but told it as it is, there was no confusing. And after that first shock went down they soon realized the reason I mentioned it to them was because I wanted to help them improve. Still, I am shocked by how people can beat around the bush so much. Just tell it as it is.

I'm Belgian and my country is like the opposite of direct but i visit the Netherlands a lot and i love that directness, you don't have to guess what Dutch people think about you or other things.

From a slightly different perspective. I am a Dutchie and I am also on the autism spectrum. I like clear and direct communication, because if it isn't I have to work really hard to find the intent of what someone is saying (that part has to do with my autism). Having traveled a bit in countries that have a much more indirect cultures was a lot of fun, but conversations could be exhausting, because I would always have to try and figure out intent from context. This made blunder a few times too. I am pretty lucky that I was born in culture that prefers direct communication, because that is what my autistic brain prefers also.

On the part of arguing with professors: it's a huge part of getting to the level of your professor, being able to bring up opinions and being able to hold discussions over topics that most of the time there isn't a solid answer for is one of the biggest skills a scientist can have and therefore is heavily stimulated by both professors as well as universities as a whole here. Its a big difference with other countries but something that really elevates Dutch higher education above other countries

Had a Dutch colleague in uni and imo he was way more friendly and punctual than other students from say, Japan or Brazil. If you asked him to study at the library, it was fast yes or no, boom done. No shyness or quietness, we wouldn't stop for food or coffee, he was direct and efficient. He was also very outdoorsy, a blast to go biking with.

I'm Dutch. My experience is that a lot of Dutch say A but think/do B. Most Dutch people often take pride in their supposedly direct communication style but really, out of, say, 10 Dutch people I would say 5 "act" direct (they communicate assertively but really aren't telling you what they actually think), 4 aren't direct at all (i.e. beating around the bush, or just politely not saying stuff to be socially desireable) and the remaining person actually is direct (meaning they say what they actually think about a subject, ask hard questions etc). So many times I heard a Dutch person say A but found out they do (and thus think) B.

What are the pros of being direct? Every dutch person: "You don't waste a lot of time."

Dutch directnes is also seen as polite in the Netherlands for example...(in dutch family's) a lot of the times we just say that we have to go to the toilet for number 2 and ask if there is somebody else who has to go because it might smell bad after me. If there is something that i wear that is not fitting me and the people around me say nothing about it... after looking in the mirror again and i see that it is actually not fitting me, i feel bad that nobody was direct and said it to me. If i notice that somebody does not like me i just say that i think he/she do not like me and that's oke for me but it is not my problem (this is how i met my best friend's XD) If a dutch person notice that somebody is talking around a subject we just say... come to the point you make it so hard for yourself if there is a problem we are going to fix it. And even in my own family, i mest up really bad sometime and my father was verry direct and said that he was really really dissapointed in me but also said directly after that ...even i am dissapointed, i am proud that you are my son. I actually think this is not common in a lot of cultures. So directnes is also polite for dutch people.

Been living in the netherlands almost my entire life and never realized that how we communicate is direct but it does make sense thinking back on conversations, we are direct people indeed.

As a Dutchie, I would say I prefer open and honest communication, in other words being direct. Beating around the bush or trying to soften something you're trying to get across could lead to misunderstandings.

"Are you stupid?" is simply rude. He could have said: "Are you kidding me?", because that's not a personal attack.

I'm a big fan of our directness. The people that I get along with best are the most direct Dutch people, as within the Dutch population there still is some variation of how direct they are. And me being insecure in some aspects of life, I prefer the very blunt but honest truth. Leaving absolutely no room to misinterpret the message. And I'm often the same.

I’m Dutch with an American dad and a Dutch mother. I grew up bilingual and have dual citizenship. Whenever I visit my family in the states I notice how much of a culture shock it is for me whenever I visit a store or a restaurant. Usually in Europe, when you go shopping you’ll be greeted , asked once if you need anything maybe and then they usually leave you alone. In the states it seems like a whole ritual. They greet u , ask you how you’re doing, if you’re looking for anything special. Compliment you on your outfits ( even when you’re wearing the most basic shit ever 😂) and telling you about special offers “you have to try our new yadayada”. Even if you say “ oh i’m just looking around they check in on you every 10 minutes . It honestly made me realize how much of an introvert I am bc I hate social contact and I got so overwhelmed and over stimulated by just one afternoon of shopping 😂. And most of those people were really sweet and I actually like talking to Americans. It’s just funny to me how much more reserved we are as Dutch people when it comes to customer service.

I'm Dutch, and I think this directness is mostly seen in the big cities of the Netherlands. I come from a small village in the Netherlands where people tend to be way less direct compared to the big city areas. When I go to cities like Amsterdam, Rotterdam, or Nijmegen, I notice that people there are way more direct, and even I can perceive them as rude. So i really think it depends on where you live in the Netherlands.

Directness was also born from fighting bigger powers. The English army had class hierarchy in their armies, which slowed things down, or could lead to major blunders. When you have a tiny army fighting such a nation, making fast quick decisions, having people act on what they see, not on the status of their commander can make a huge difference. We see this too in Israel, which feels surrounded by enemies (regardless of your political opinion on the matter) and needs versatile people being able to act fast. In 1672 the Netherlands was attacked by all neighbors, all who were bigger. The same with water defense: act quick, and have everyone on board, because not agreeing with political opponents should not sabotage the shared interest of keeping heads above water.

Dutch directness to me is all about saving time. I don't have time to waste. We are extremely busy people, often in a rush to get one appointment after the other. If the answer is no, then please just say no because there are at least 3 other things I could be doing in that timeframe. Not much is ever spontaneous in our culture, not even get-togethers or going out for dinner. Everything is planned weeks ahead and I like it that way. Time is precious.

About being conscious about directness: I just had a really Dutch style conversation with a top fortune 500 company based in the US. We had a major issue. Me and a collegae really spoke our mind. I am almost certain the other side was aware of Dutch directness but I could see a range of emotions. So after our negative feedback backed up by examples and evidence we took about 15 minutes (1/4 of the entire meeting) to make shure the busines relationship was still ok/ ok again.

An excellent explanation of the Dutch directness. Should be viewed by everybody visiting or moving the Netherlands.

"There is little room to be creative." I think that's an interesting statement. If you're direct back, you can usually get to some creative new ideas. The barrier might more be in how you're communicating to each other rather than someone just not being open to ideas, suggestions or straight up different views entirely.

Dutch directness, best example is Max Verstappen. He is an example of Dutch communication. He tells the people in the red bull team what is going good and wrong in the car. In the short time they get, he really makes a good set -up for the season and for the next race. It helps the team it helps him. You also hear it in interviews. It is not to be rude, it is a culture thing.

As a Dutch person. I'm incredibly used to the directness. So much so that when this video started I just thought; "what the fuck is this guy talking about". But you are completely correct. Most of us are extremely direct. I do think there is another positive outcome of this fact worth mentioning. By being used to direct communication we take criticism less personal and are more likely to see it as a point of improvement instead of a personal offense. Additionally, being open about who you are as a person, makes for a great way to get people to open up to you. I think one of the loveliest compliments I've ever received was from someone I met in the US. A girl descrived me as being the most 'genuine' person she had ever met. It honestly just made me smile thinking back at that moment. I will carry that complement with me for the rest of my life. However, in general, I did come to realize that, in the US for example, when you are meeting random people the tend to be overly sweet. To the point where I often felt like I had stumbled into an overly and forcefully happy game show. People would, upon finding out we're foreigners, often say things like "wouw really , the Netherlands?! That's amazing". While in the reverse situation I would likely say "Dawm! You are a long way from home. What made you want to visit the Netherlands?"

Asking, "Are you stupid?" isn't being direct. It's being superior than the other person.

The shortest way from a to b is a straight line. By analogy with our flat country where we move from one place to another in an efficient manner, our communication also honors in this way. I enjoy working with people from all kinds of cultures and I am regularly struck by how many words these cultures use to express themselves compared to the Dutch. I take that into account in conversations, but I can't always avoid directness in my conversation. We're not usually rude, it's just part of our being. I always hope that other cultures keep this in mind when they meet a Dutch person, in the end we all have to do our best to understand and learn from each other.

It's interesting to see the Netherlands and Japan so far removed from the context spectrum. In history, the Netherlands was one of the earliest few who could successfully trade with Japan. In modern day, the NL and Japan have good business relations as well. My family is Dutch, my dad worked with a group of Japanese clients who really valued his work. Dad was placed quite close to the Japanese team lead during a work dinner, for example. Honesty and putting those words into action are really powerful in business!

I'd say language is a very big factor here. Few foreign people learn to speak dutch, and there also lies a nuance in how to adequatley observe and state what exactly is this directness in culture, language and how people interact in daily life. We do have our way of interacting in pleasant way. To me being direct is being sincere, and that is the biggest honour I can give the people I get to meet. It's me offering them no reason to distrust me because they get to perceive me and decide for themselves if I'm someone they can relate to or not. I'd like to mirror this video by stating I don't feel I can trust someone who's keeping up appearance or/and etiquette and manners; I don't know who I'm talking to when receiving desireable replies. Fun fact: Even within the Netherlands there is a difference in how direct people are communicating and stating directly what they mean and think. In the North there's directness; few words to state exactly what you think, in the south much less so, like beating around the bush to entice people in your way of seeing the issue. Grts from Amsterdam

0:55 As a Dutch guy I can say that 'Are you stupid?' as a reaction is not direct, but rude. Just saying 'no, thank you' or if that doesn't work 'no' is direct.

It's usual considered rude for Dutch people if aren't direct. Like sugar coating everything or beating around the bush all the time is considered rude, this is done sometimes, it depends on the type of conversation

What do you think about Dutch directness? 🇳🇱 (And of course, there are individual and regional differences to "directness")

As Ukrainian, I like that because we are also direct in communication. Of course depends from ppl btw 😁

I'm Dutch but i still like to watch videos like this every now and again because i learn a lot about myself and my culture. I also just love culture shock. But anyways that exchange between Trump and Rutte just made me laugh so hard. I had no idea that happened

It is always interesting to hear peoples perspectives on this, but honestly I usually don't even think about it. I do have had some instances where people would even misinterpret me on the internet. They were trying to find some hidden meaning behind my words. so I usually just say "No if I wanted to say something else I would have just said it. I mean what I say and I say what I mean".

There are rude people in the Netherlands -- because there are rude people in all cultures. The directness gets conflated with rudeness when there's a culture clash. Or maybe culture skirmish, is better way to put it? Culture kerfuffle? Good video! Can't wait to visit the Netherlands. Love the cycling culture!

I am a USA born and current citizen that appreciates the direct approach. I am direct, similar to what is described in this video. When I was younger I would be direct and was often told I was rude by both family, friends, co-workers, or anyone else I'd talk to. As I've aged into my mid-20s, I've learmed to be direct and firm, while practicing tact. I have plans to travel to The Netherlands next year and the direct culture excites me.

Being a Dutch woman, I hate it when people try to talk around things. I love being honest and can't handle lies and bullshit very well. It makes me a true person but I also lose people because I'm either being too honest and/or they are lying about or talking around the answer that i actually want to get. But this way I know who will be right for me. others have described me as "tough" and "direct" or even "one of a kind" since a lot of women actually do talk around things or stab your back, even in the netherlands. I wish people could be more straight forward so we can all move on, instead of being hurt all the time. Directness is not bad at all.

Simple way to explain dutch directness and what it ultimately boils down to is...efficient communication.

As a Canadian, I would attribute the indirectness as an almost emotional manipulation. It sort of broke me when it came to emotional abuse growing up and I found I preferred the direct approach over everything else within my interactions in my homeland. Personally, I find I respond reflexively to be indirect and attempt to soften the interaction when I'm placed in a situation where I could lose something big: housing, employment, medical support or my immediate wellbeing. I get uncomfortable at a perceived imbalance of power and immediately switch to trying to people-please instead of being firm but sometimes I will perceive a situation as an emergency and come off incredibly intense... I'm working on it but I find it's easier to work on when I'm around more direct people.

Dutchie here! I also would like to note that Amsterdam (which is very often used as synonym to the Netherlands and where I feel most foreign people seem to move to) is the place where people are the most direct. (and other major cities) Other areas of the Netherlands actually have another pace at which they live, where directness is actually less prominent. Amsterdam's bluntless/directness is actually a concept on it's own, where even other Dutchies sometimes can't handle it at all. If someone is really direct: "(S)He's probably from Amsterdam" or shortened to "Amsterdammer" Other Pro's to directness: I know where I stand with people AND I can adjust to that (or choose not to). It saves me from being stabbed in the back! I can't read people's thoughts, so they'd have to tell me if they would like something from me. Simple example: A collegue of mine placed his half-empty cup on a table right behind a door. (he did that more often) On occassion, if another collegue walked in and opened the door too wide, the cup fell to the ground spilling the coffee. Instead of mentioning this to the owner of the cup. The other collegue cleaned it up and went on with her life. BUT she kept a grudge! Everytime he placed that cup on the table she'd be angry. "Cant he see that that's a problem?", she'd say behind his back. I asked: "Did you tell him?" She hadn't and was planning on trying to make him see the problem without telling. Direct me asked the first collegue not to place the cup there because it could fall over when the doors opens. His reaction: "Oh, didn't think of that." He never placed the cup there again, crisis averted, by just being a bit more direct. So yeah, being direct can sometimes even save (work)relationships. Also, I think the "Are you stupid?"of Sven Kramer was actually unneccesarily rude. I get why he didn't want to say it, and it's fine that he didnt want to, but calling someone stupid is still rude.

Loved the video! Dankjewel!

I really like the coconut peach comparison. I am going to use that haha. As a dutchie my experience is also that us dutchies get very uncomfortable when it comes to compliments and showing graditude. Maybe it feels like showint to much vulnerability

9:15 That's for me (as a Dutchman) the main point: directness avoids misunderstandings.

This is one thing that I love about my country and is one of the reasons I could never leave. The no bullshit mentality is such a great way of living. Nobody is wearing masks. You hear wat you need to hear.

As a Dutch person I feel like our directness keep us connected and real with each other.

this is even the case in the Dutch armed forces. there is often consultation with the group in order to arrive at the best action. the commander ultimately has the last word, of course. but we are aware that together we know more than just the commander. therefore, especially with the engineers, it is often the case that important decisions about the assignment to be carried out are taken together and adjusted if necessary.

My now ex Dutch employer was so poetic when asking me to work on Saturday,could write essays and poems :)

Dit is eigenlijk gewoon de perfecte mogelijkheid als ik niet mijn kracht om Nederlands te praten gewoon ging verstoppen op het internet +)

One other factor, compared to British English is that Dutch society is much more egalitarian than British society, especially historically where gentry played a much larger role in the UK than in the Netherlands. British English had developed various registers depending on which level in society one was. A series as Downton Abbey shows that very well. So in the UKit was much more required to adapt you language to whoever one was speaking with. Not so much in the Netherlands.

For me so far ... this is the best explanation about the Dutch directness. And the coconut theory was spot-on.

Ik woon in Rotterdam. Ja. Directnes hier!!!!Op begin kon ik daar echt niet tegen. Maar na 17 jaar, het heeft mij erg veranderd en echt sterk gemaakt. Love it

For me as a dutch man, I thought this was normal but now that I think about it, we really are very direct.

I go to an international colledge in the Netherlands (has a dutch person). We have countless nationalities at the school and the ones ice spoken to all have different reactions. A Canadian Swiss student and student from the Caribbean found us to be rude but a German student liked the Dutch people, so did a student from Hong Kong. We even have a course in the first year to help new students deal with the culture shock that comes with moving to a new country.

i just love "I'm sure it's my fault." "It's not my fault." "IT WAS THEIR FAULT."

There way of communicating with you shows exactly what that specific person think about you. That way can be different communication with different people, depending how they see you.

Don't be or get misdirected by our directness! We may (at times) sound harsh or rude whilst speaking our minds but in reality we observe and care deeply.

Interesting topic! Love the peach and coconut analogy haha

Hmm, I think I can see why some people from other countries might consider Netherlands a rude country. I live in the Netherlands but I was born in Poland, learning was actually way easier thanks to the Dutch directness, they were not beating around the bush and actually helped me to open my eyes. Even though I might not be as direct as most Dutch people, I am not the same as I was before arriving to the Netherlands. Which I think is a great thing, anyways.. Great video!

As a Dutchman I don't trust people that easily if they need too many words, then I think why do they beat around the bush? I'm looking for a reason why they don't just tell it like it is. But I think it's pretty well explained and I'm very proud of our honesty and straight to the point character!🌹

i love the keyboard painting in the back that just says bread gives a good vibe

I'm Dutch/Surinamese and I like it when people get straight to the point. There is less room for miscommunication and misunderstandings. One will know where they stand whilst skipping useless or fake formalitie (Not all formalities are useless of course, it depends on the situation). You don't waste a persons time and I find that to be assertive and respectful. It's flexible as well because you can still disagree or ask questions. A direct answer does not mean the end of a conversation, you can still discuss and share your point of view. I used to think Americans were incredibly two-faced. But that was before I knew about the cultural difference. The overly niceness, followed by a (to me) cold shoulder was very confusing haha.

It's always a bit sad the "dutch directness" issue is reduced to the question whether we are rude. There is actually a lot of nuance in the way we are direct. We also have introverts and extraverts, and we all have areas where we feel less or more comfortable to express ourselves. I guess a defining attribute about our directness is that more often then not we assume the other person is safe and snug inside their comfortzone and we approach eachother as such. Sometimes that's not the case and this is something we pick up on really quickly and act upon without even thinking about it. So no, we are not rude, we simply give eachother space to be who we are and our directness is a result of that because we are not in the habit of questioning it. Edit: In the comments someone gave an example that perfectly illustrates this. They said when you get an invitation to go to a soccergame it's perfectly fine to decline "because you don't enjoy the game of soccer". That's something personal the other extender of the invitation has nothing to do with, so why is it polite to sugarcoat or even hide it? As a concept that doesn't make sense and to expect such is what we would consider rude.

I actually did not know we were so direct! Super helpful video!

Thanks for the great video. Couldn't agree more.

I mostly see Dutch directness as a pro. Dutch tend to be very efficient and get things done. The big con is, that the Dutch are well aware of this and abuse it by selling rudeness as directness. It’s a very thin line and I think that it would be quite difficult for a foreigner to navigate through that. As someone that has been brought up mostly Dutch, I can’t help but feel that my Surinamese side kicks in which contains a friendlier and more social approach. What I think as a solid convenience is, that I believe that I can recognize when a Dutch person is being rude and apply both cultural influences in certain conversations.

On the two scales the Netherlands and Germany are very close, but in the business and company culture the two are very different with Germany being very hierarchical. And about Calvinism, the Netherland is very different from most Scandinavian countries who also are influenced by Calvin. (just observations from a dutchie)

Even within The Netherlands there are distinct variations of directness. Basicly it is the difference between the urban areas containing the "randstad" (amsterdam, den haag, rotterdam, utrecht etc) and the nature/farmlands outside of it.

You're right to balance between directness and politeness. That's the beauty of getting to know many cultures. You will pick what is best for you.

Fascinating -- thank you David. Direct and polite -- something to work towards!

Sometimes direct answers in any way can cause some akwardness between people because the conversations are shorter and need to come up with a lot of topics to proceed the conversation. But overall the directness is very handy as well because when you are in a hurry and someone tries to talk to you, you can just ask to talk later without needing to worrie about the other person thinking youre rude. The best thing about our language is the scarcasm we often use 😂

as a dutch person im curious what others think of us and its kinda interesting

As a Dutch guy when in the USA a thing i noticed when entering a shop or restaurant, they almost every time ask "hey how are you?" or "hi how is your day?" But when you answer "fine thank you, how are you?" They act surprised and not so friendy anymore. It looked a little fake to me.

I think Dutch directness is the ultimate form of respect. It does not waste time of anybody involved in the conversation. It also allows honest and open discussions and the result is most of the time the best result. Everybody benefits of this. The Dutch are in the top of most productive workers. I see this as the result of the directness.

As another dutch person, we also dont like dishonesty, if you get an invitation and have other plans, you just say you cant make it. When someone is making up an excuse, it perceived as disrespectful and dishonest towards the person who invited you. As in "you dont even respect the person enough to be honest to the person"

8:23 this is so true😂, in my classes there are students who flat out don't leave the classroom when asked/ordered to do so and they talk back all the sh!t the teacher does😂😂

As a dutch person I think that our language already sounds very sarcastic or rude but when we use too much nice words like please and thanks sometimes makes it even more sarcastic

We’re kind of a jack of all trades. I try to be polite while still being clear in my message. Others are flat out rude and others don’t mean to be rude, but sound like it. In terms of education there’s also some stuff going on. We learn to be clear in our answers to questions. (I had another thing that we learned but I forgot what I was going to type.) If someone asked me to fill in for them I’d say something like: ‘Sorry, but I can’t. I’ve already got something planned.’

I'm Dutch and the indirect culture of other countries is sometimes hard to deal with. What do you mean and What do you expect from me. Do you want to say no or do you want help. Because being direct means being honest in what you want and need. Not so much about what you think about others. There is a difference

And because we are very direct we are very understanding for everything

Thank you for openly quoting the source of your explanation. Too many channels just use the thoughts of others, without giving them credit.

Ik ben moe, dus doe het even in het Nederlands. Ik ben als Nederlander natuurlijk opgevoed met de directheid. Maar man, man, man, wat een gedoe was dat toen ik in China was en contact had met de familie van mijn oudste dochter. Ik had altijd het idee ik aan het vissen was naar het juiste antwoord. Ik heb vaak gezegd tegen mijn dochter "ik word zo moe van hun gedraai en getreuzel om een reactie te geven". Maar ja, dat heb je al snel als je de Nederlandse directheid gewend bent :-) Je zat trouwens in het Novotel zag ik. Oeps, ben ik nu te direct? :- )