'We Hebben Een Serieus Probleem' Melds Dutch Politics With English Language Poasting

Dutch political leader Geert Wilders, who has led the Party for Freedom (PVV) since 2006, posted to Twitter / X earlier today about his concerns over a proposed law in the Netherlands, which has sharply divided the country's government.

He told his followers that "we hebben een serieus probleem," which in English translates to "we have a serious problem."

The law proposes that regions throughout the Netherlands accommodate migrants seeking asylum because, at the moment, there is a backlog of asylum seekers at processing centers who have no place to go.

Wilders, who is well-known for his opposition to immigration and controversial comments about Islam, opposes the bill.

This political context, however, was largely absent in the English-speaking internet's response to Wilders' post. Instead, the "serieus probleem" became another example of English to Dutch Translations memes, which poke fun at how similar the two languages sound.

The post also turned into a broader reaction image, with users taking the words and using them to describe their own feelings about personal and professional developments.

Many made the comparison between the way Dutch sounds and the way Star Wars character Jar Jar Binks speaks in the prequel trilogy.

Others marveled at how internet absurdism and the very real world of politics intersect and influence one another. Geert Wilders' populist, Euroskeptic and anti-immigration party recently had a surprisingly strong electoral showing, and with his bleached-blond hairdo and loyal following, he looks poised to remain a major player.

laughing at the tweet because dutch is funny then seeing that geert wilders tweeted it https://t.co/jYY2lhm6Cs pic.twitter.com/1XmDsmW6xx

— zandi 🇵🇸 (@OFFSIDEZANDI) January 19, 2024