In exploring some material on postcolonialism I found myself on a Dutch Site: Cultural Diversity: A Dutch Perspective Hey, things aren't much different anywhere, are they?

Mark de Wit Cultural Diversity: A Dutch Perspective

I sometimes wonder if subsidised art is so one-sided after all, because Dutch art is really very diverse. For example, many interesting new things are happening in the provinces - often sooner than in the cities in the west of the country. And a lot of art institutions have appointed exciting new directors (the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, for example). In fact, the production of art is not the problem at all. The real problem is that most people are more interested in earning money and being good consumers than in going out and looking for stimulating works of art. And I think the media are just making things worse, given their current fascination with amusement and triviality. People are no longer encouraged to be curious or to ask questions for themselves. And as long as everybody continues to feel vindicated in their quest for comfort and convenience, there will be less and less need for (cultural) adventure. (16-2-2000)

From: http://kvc.minbuza.nl/diversiteit_uk/index.html on August 1, 2001.