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vrijblijvendheid

English translation: lack of commitment, disengagement

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
Dutch term or phrase:vrijblijvendheid
English translation:lack of commitment, disengagement
Entered by: Robert Allwood

18:26 Nov 13, 2008
Dutch to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Art, Arts & Crafts, Painting
Dutch term or phrase: vrijblijvendheid
“Waar in de kunst, als resultaat van het afscheid van de geschiedenis, de zo vaak bezongen totale vrijheid gevierd wordt van het anything goes, gaat dit onveranderlijk gepaard met een onbehaaglijk gevoel van vrijblijvendheid, dat die vrijheid veel van haar luister ontneemt. (…) Men kan zich neerleggen bij de post-historische paralyse..."
Er bestaat geen paradigma meer... een toestand die... makkelijk zou kunnen leiden tot een zekere vrijblijvendheid.
Robert Allwood
Local time: 00:25
noncommittal attitude
Explanation:
Cf. Van Dale: a noncommittal attitude/een vrijblijvende houding. I probably would cirmcumscribe it like this.
Selected response from:

Nanda Weiland
Netherlands
Local time: 01:25
Grading comment
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +4noncommittal attitude
Nanda Weiland
4 +3non-commitment
fhzwiers
4lack of assertiveness
Textpertise
4sense that nothing matters
Ken Cox
4irrelevance, obsololeteness, randomness
Semafoor
4take-it-or-leave-it attitude
Chris Hopley
4 -1informality
Ballistic
3casualness
Katja van Hellemond
3disconnection
Jennifer Barnett
3meaninglessness
Lianne van de Ven


  

Answers


2 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): -1
informality


Explanation:
in·for·mal·i·ty ['ɪnfɔ:'mæləti, (Am.) 'ɪnfɔr'mælət̯i] (telbaar en niet-telbaar zelfstandig naamwoord)
1 informaliteit
ongedwongenheid, vrijheid, vrijblijvendheid, onvormelijkheid


Ballistic
Belgium
Local time: 01:25
Native speaker of: Dutch

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
disagree  fhzwiers: It just does not "sit well"
1 hr
  -> Thanks!
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27 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +4
noncommittal attitude


Explanation:
Cf. Van Dale: a noncommittal attitude/een vrijblijvende houding. I probably would cirmcumscribe it like this.

Example sentence(s):
  • Encouraged by Warhol's queerly noncommittal attitude, Solanas is convinced he will produce her play.

    Reference: http://www.sofacinema.co.uk/visitor/product/65387-I-Shot-And...
Nanda Weiland
Netherlands
Local time: 01:25
Native speaker of: Native in DutchDutch
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Tina Vonhof (X): or lack of commitment.
19 mins
agree  Max Nuijens: agree with Tina
3 hrs
agree  Kitty Brussaard: Also with Tina and Max :-)
4 hrs
agree  Mark Straver: I'd opt for Tina's alternative, but depends mostly on style ...
4 hrs
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36 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
casualness


Explanation:
oxford concise dictionary describes casual as: relaxed and unconcerned: made, done or acting without much care or thought, without formality of style, manner.

another option....

Katja van Hellemond
Portugal
Local time: 00:25
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in DutchDutch
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44 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
lack of assertiveness


Explanation:
Unwillingness to assert a position or stand behind a statement. Not quite meaningless because the artist may hold that the meaning of the art is for the viewer to find, but be unwilling to assert it. Disengagement. Lack of definition.

Textpertise
United Kingdom
Local time: 00:25
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +3
non-commitment


Explanation:
"Vrijblijvendheid" leaves us uneasy so to speak. Therefore the choice of non-commitment. It's also short and concise.

Example sentence(s):
  • Non-commitment leaves us with an unsavoury feeling.
fhzwiers
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in AfrikaansAfrikaans

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Max Nuijens
2 hrs
agree  Kitty Brussaard: Or 'lack of commitment' as suggested by Tina above
3 hrs
agree  Els Spin
4 hrs
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2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
sense that nothing matters


Explanation:
IMO this comes closest in your contest; the other possibility is 'indifference'.

Nietzsche said it already: when nothing is prohibited, nothing is possible.

Ken Cox
Local time: 01:25
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
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2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
disconnection


Explanation:
Taking into account that the feeling is uncomfortable, I would suggest 'disconnection'. This is derived from a synonym of vrijblijvendheid; NL los = Eng loose.

Example sentence(s):
  • an uncomfortable feeling of disconnection
Jennifer Barnett
France
Local time: 01:25
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4
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18 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
meaninglessness


Explanation:
Is an option. Nothing makes any difference = wat vrijblijvendheid eigenlijk betekent. Alles is vrijblijvend, er kunnen geen conclusies of uitspraken aan worden verbonden.
noncomittal
vacant, vacuity
trivial
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/meaninglessness



--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 hrs (2008-11-13 21:15:11 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

QUOTE: [“Waar in de kunst, als resultaat van het afscheid van de geschiedenis, de zo vaak bezongen totale vrijheid gevierd wordt van het anything goes, gaat dit onveranderlijk gepaard met een onbehaaglijk gevoel van vrijblijvendheid, dat die vrijheid veel van haar luister ontneemt. (…) Men kan zich neerleggen bij de post-historische paralyse..."
Er bestaat geen paradigma meer... een toestand die... makkelijk zou kunnen leiden tot een zekere vrijblijvendheid.]

Anders gezegd: als kunst zich loskoppelt van geschiedenis/context (i.e. dialoog daarmee) en zich overgeeft aan "anything goes," dan onstaat er een gevoel van vrijblijvendheid: er is geen paradigma meer.

Zonder paradigma (context, een "domein waarbinnen bepaalde regels gelden") worden zaken betekenisloos. Kunst onleent betekenis aan de context waarin het bestaat....

Vrijblijvende kunst is expressie zonder context.

Je kunt zeggen van vrijblijvende kunst wat je wilt, maar aangezien het vrijblijvend is, is er geen grond voor (extrerne) aanspreekbaarheid...



Lianne van de Ven
United States
Local time: 19:25
Native speaker of: Native in DutchDutch
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Textpertise: Not quite meaningless. Noncommittal is better. Not willing to commit to any meaning which may be there. Not necessarily trivial either. You can be vrijblijvend about things which matter a lot.
29 mins
neutral  writeaway: how do you arrive at meaninglessness?
1 hr
  -> een optie. zie noot
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4 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
irrelevance, obsololeteness, randomness


Explanation:
In this context, the "vrijblijvendheid" refers to "anything goes" rendering it unimportant, uninteresting, futile as an attempt to contribute to the arts in general...

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 4 hrs (2008-11-13 23:06:00 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

maybe even "unsubstantial"...

Semafoor
Belgium
Local time: 01:25
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in DutchDutch
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4 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
take-it-or-leave-it attitude


Explanation:
Another option along the lines of casual, almost careless disregard...

-> "Crucially, then, for advocates of antitheatricalism ... the theatre's "take it or leave it" attitude means that theatrical mimesis is not subject to verification"
http://url.ie/w4x (Google Books link)

Chris Hopley
Netherlands
Local time: 01:25
Native speaker of: English
Notes to answerer
Asker: Thanks for reference! Looks interesting...

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