In the creative world, a performance at the table at Matthijs van Nieuwkerkhas long been regarded as the holy grail, as a super shortcut to fame andguaranteed success. Such a performance led to bestsellers, box office hits andsold-out venues. Publishers and publicity staff therefore begged for a placeat the table for their new stars.
Sanne Bloemink is a writer and journalist.
The problem was that you really only came to the table if you already had thatbestseller, blockbuster or sold-out house. Micha Wertheim wrote a nice articleabout it two years ago The Correspondent. It’s a bit like the exclusivenightclub where you only get in if you’re already a member, but at the sametime you can only join when you’re already in. A catch 22.
How do you get that first foot in the door? The answer is usually:connections. Once in and famous yourself you then spin along in a carousel ofother famous people and that’s exactly what you saw happen for years in Theworld goes on , and still on other talk shows. It’s also exactly why they’reso uninteresting. You will be served the same Dutch prak every evening.
Yet many people remain fascinated by programs in which Dutch celebrities playgames with each other, dance with each other, sing songs, praise each otheror, conversely, criticize each other. Famous people have a golden glow, theglow of the one very special person that one brilliant mind that one_great character_. And all those unique individuals live together ontelevision (and on social media), in a separate, separate world.
You can shrug your shoulders about it and try to stand above it, but in themeantime that is difficult if you hope for your own bestseller or sold-outaudience. If you think you have something to say to the world, don’t just tellyour diary. That’s why writers, actors, theater makers and many, many otherskept rushing to DWDD for years only to be called off at the last minute for amore important riot of the day.
bully boss
Almost everyone who wants to gain fame participates in this system. And anyonewho enjoys watching famous people too. At the same time, these are exactly thecircumstances in which a culture of fear around a bully boss can thrive. It’sthe myth of the lone genius who is raised on the shield and worshipedeverywhere. Matthijs was brilliant, Matthijs took care of ratings, Matthijscould launch careers. Nobody raised their hand to explain that a program likeDWDD is of course not made by one person, but by a group. People preferred tobelieve the fairy tale of the individual genius, even though that fairy talehad a price.
The story of the individual genius, however, is a myth and not a necessity. Infact, this fairy tale is harmful to society as a whole. Music producer BrianEno once coined the term ‘scenius’: Scenius stands for the intelligence andthe intuition of a whole cultural scene. It is the communal form of theconcept of the genius.” Of course, the role of the presenter is important fora show, but a presenter cannot do without editors, employees and audience. Ina culture of individual personality cults in combination with cut-throatcompetition for ratings, however, this insight is slowly fading into thebackground. The glorified child prodigy is getting more and more space and noone dares to contradict him.
The public discussion now focuses on the question of who is responsible:’Employees should have reported the behavior to confidential advisersearlier’. ‘Such behavior is simply part of ‘top sport’ and a ‘high bar’. “Theboss should have intervened.” Van Nieuwkerk should have been protected againsthimself.
The same comments are made in response to the behavior of former ChamberPresident Khadija Arib, astronomy professor Tim de Zeeuw and publisher MaiSpijkers. The discussion is always about the guilt and responsibility ofindividuals, but not or hardly about the group. How does such a culture arise?And why are we hearing about it more and more?
Read also: The inequality of power in the workplace is great in Hilversum
Sick working atmosphere
Unfortunately, toxic work environments are common. A quarter of the Dutch aresometimes bullied at work. (Management) books have been written about the wayin which unsafe work situations arise. For example, an extremely unequalbalance of power is an important ingredient that can promote the emergence ofsuch a sick working atmosphere.
However, I think the problem goes even deeper. It starts at a young age, in aschool system that is set up around individual achievement, based onefficiency thinking, without a vision of living together and withoutcollective community goals. Children learn from a very young age that theymust perform and excel within a narrow definition of success. And above all:on an individual basis and not as a group.
A child who is bored in class needs ‘more challenge’. That challengeapparently does not lie in helping someone else or simply in having thecourtesy to wait for someone else. And that while the greatest challenges ofour time cry out for more collaboration and more working as a group. That isnot easy, but it is necessary. Just look at the sad results of the lastclimate summit in Sharm el-Sheikh and you will understand that the onebrilliant Nobel Prize winner is not going to save us.
A group of exceptionally creative people can sustain a reign of terror
Fortunately, there are also hopeful signs. Organizational expert Eric Koenendescribes in his book Smart together (2021), for example, how he sees thatindividual cleverness in organizations is no longer enough to solve complexissues. More and more leaders are therefore trying to tap into collectiveintelligence in their teams. Because a number of individually smart people cantogether form a very stupid team. Just as a group of exceptionally creativepeople can maintain a reign of terror together.
Another encouraging sign is that the stories are now coming out. The behaviorof that genius, shouting boss is apparently no longer unquestioninglyaccepted. Fortunately, the bullies are finally being held accountable.
Hopefully this means a switch from genius to scenius. That would really be anightclub I want to go to.