The Never Ending Dilemma: to Klok or to Klus

Since the 15^th of October, no-one in the Netherlands is able to purchase any form of alcohol after eight o’clock in the evening. Although it might help with limiting the spread of the COVID-19, it does require people to think ahead and plan their evening plans accordingly. There is no possibility to spontaneously buy a refreshing alcoholic beverage after a hard day’s work. Corona most likely impacted all our alcohol tolerances, but for a lot of us students, the occasional enjoyment of lager has not vanished. These trying times also put extra light on the well-known, ethical, existential and broadly discussed dilemma “to Klok or to Klus”, of course revering to whether to get loose and enjoy some lovely “De Klok” lagers or be productive and upgrade your room/house through “klussen” (translated to “a do it yourself project”). This article will highlight the main well-known arguments for both cases. Additionally, as a proud member of the CieKlusKlus and admirer of “De Klok” lager, I will give a personal recommendation to try and solve this age-old dilemma once and for all.

I will start off with the case for “de Klok”. It is arguable the most delicious fluid contained in a 16.7x6.5cm cylinder tin can, as experts participating in the most reliable half a liter tin can lager taste test gave “De Klok”, out a total of 36 different kinds, the highest grade; a 7.85/10. Combining that with the fact that a 0.5cl “De Klok” tin can only costs 0.62 euro’s, you can imagine that de Klokkers (a collective term for people who choose “to Klok”) claim their superiority in contrast with de Klussers (a collective term for people who choose “to Klus”). Furthermore, after consuming multiple “De Klok” lagers people often feel an unexplained joy and energy, which is for many a very desirable state to be in. Lastly, “De Klok” is the most trendy and hip lager to be found in the world, as it is always on time and as the Dutch would say “De Klok gaat mee met de tijd”. On the other hand, a negative point of “De Klok” is that it is often associated with people barfing, a nasty headache the next morning and accidents that require major klussen to fix. Nevertheless, Klokkers often dispute these arguments by the well-known phrase “correlation is not causation”, and due to a lack of empirical evidence it cannot be stated whether this is true or not. 

To be a Klusser is often regarded as the pinnacle of manliness (I would like to clarify that despite this statement I am a proud advocate of female klussers). "To Klus” does often not only make you more appealing to the opposite gender, it also results, if done correctly, in an enhancement of your direct living environment. Additionally, it is also known to release dopamine and endorphins which results in a state of unmatched relieve and happiness. By klussing, you automatically develop yourself which drastically increases your personal employment change. Besides this, it is also very educational. The never-ending supply of information regarding klussen provided by the internet, your peers or your relatives offer endless possibilities to learn. “To Klus” essentially covers the three most important pillars; education, career and leisure. It, however, is not a penny-pinchings lifestyle as proper tools for a Klusser are often considered to be relatively expensive, especially for students. The risk of impactful injuries is also always around the corner, therefore, the slightest miscalculations, missteps or mishandlings are not permittable when klussing.

To conclude, both parties make an excellent case of why choosing their side in this mind-boggling dilemma is the correct choice. However, as an idealist myself, I want to stress that there is a third option often disregarded. Instead of “to Klok or to Klus” why not think outside of the box and practice “to Klok and to Klus”. I personally feel this takes the best of both sides and creates the perfect scenario; enjoying a lovely “de Klok” lager after performing a life-changing klus. Thus, from now on I would like to advise everyone to try and be open-minded by considering the other side of this dilemma and see the positive elements that come with it.

Thank you for reading, feel free to contact me for your personal opinion or input. Klus safely and drink with (Inter)mate.

Disclaimer: This article is not sponsored and might contain unfactual information.