For the 2008 New Year's Eve conference, comedian Youp van 't Hek chose the title: Troost. A word that sounds rather mild after previous titles like Scream Storm and Suicide Squad. As the years grow, he has lost his pretensions and has started to put things into perspective. However, the indignant idealist is still present in Youp: he wants to make people laugh very loudly, but also hopes that his
… statements will give food for thought. A kind of leitmotif is the moving story about an old lady who, when the misery on television becomes too much for her, looks at the painting above her set: of an old woman huddled with her hands over her eyes. People look for comfort and security. With numerous examples Youp paints us a picture of a society that is becoming increasingly moronic and greedy: fighting for cubs, European football fans in carnival clothing on a square in Basel, hopping yuppies in the Holland Heineken House, unabashedly grabbing directors, death threats, anal bleaching, swaffling, gays on a boat and many more absurdities. (SvdP)more