Day 5 B: The World's Most Liberal City.

While planning for a trip to Amsterdam, I have been fascinated by the fact that the city is known as the "Cradle of Liberalism".  I wanted to find out just how liberal Amsterdam really is.  I learned that they permit:
    Recreational drugs
    Prostitution
    Same-sex marriage
    Euthanasia

I am told that this town is mostly pragmatic people who tend to think that these issues are going to happen anyway.  So they legalize it to prevent the issue from going underground.  It is definitely a culture of permissiveness.

Sex at a young age is another example of tolerance.  Undesirable according to a lot of people but treated pragmatically by the Dutch.  The belief is that kids will have sex whether you like it or not.  So at 12 years old they get education and they can go to a clinic to get contraception.  Their parents won't be told.

Just about the only thing the Dutch won't tolerate is intolerance.  They want to be known for open-mindlessness and "live and let live".

I am so amazed that an entire city can be this far left of center on so many issues.

Statue honoring the world's oldest profession. (Amsterdam's Red Light District)