Eureka! That’s it: if every single person could buy himself a luxurious dinner for Easter, things would start getting better. At that time, we didn’t know that we had to get ready for another election (our cabinet coalition fell just a few days later) but what a slogan! Luxury for everyone! I bet I could win an election with a slogan like that!
Why is a slogan like this such a good one? I think it is because you can hardly make a stand against it. If you oppose this thesis, you would qualify as some kind of party-pooper denying other people their fun and luxury. The republicans in the United States have mastered this kind of political discourse. When the Bush administration introduced ‘tax relief’, the democrats had a hard time standing against it. How could one possibly be against ‘a relief’?
We – people in general and Christians as well – don’t want to be party-poopers. And even though some killjoys are quite successful in national politics, sitting on that bus I imagined myself being a very popular, light-footed and optimistic prime minister delivering luxury for everyone: don’t you dare calling me a party pooper! At the same time, I felt that we as followers of Christ should be aware that our luxury is not as fulfilling as we might think it is. And moreover, that sometimes our cheap luxury does not benefit ‘everyone’ and even creates injustices. It is not always easy to share this good news (that's what it is!) and stand against promises based on false statements. But hey, at least this supermarket is not running for parliament.
Ben Kraaijeveld
Ben is a member of Time to Turn. He studies public law and administration., but he spends most of his time at the drama department, likes to play music, to read and play sports. He's also a vegetarian.