Czech people don't believe in God. They are the most atheistic country in the world. How would you expect Poland to follow such behavior? Poland is one of the few countries where the real and long-term values are most important. Countries like Czech Republic or other "modern/plastic/overnight followers" without their own values and integrity have only such "values" like "sex" or "gay thing" to offer.
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I may like Poles, and I would probably enjoy Poland, but I am horrified by the above prejudices.
I think I would argue that of all European countries, the UK is possibly the least religious of any, closely followed by France......most of the churches have closed anyway.
Knowing a gay Slovakian, I can tell you that he is very religious, and it is not long since the Czech Republic and Slovakia were one and the same.
I can also state with authority, that Czechoslovakia (as was), was the fourth wealthiest country in the world until 1930, with brilliant scientists and engineers who have contributed (and still contribute) much to world knowledge and development. Musically, the region is one of the most exciting in the world, with a vibrant culture known and respected throughout the world. I don't know too much about literary history, but the fact that the first democratically elected President was a poet, suggests that he was something of a popular hero.
I wouldn't want to draw comparisons with Poland....a country and people I respect, but which has suffered many difficulties as everyone knows. The difference is, I suspect, one of good governance over a considerable period of time.
I think that by claiming moral superiority for the very religious Poles, and comparing them with "modern/plastic/overnight followers" (who may not subscribe to strictly catholic and very Polish religious values), the author mirrors the sort of ideology best represented by skinheads and "the terrible twins" who now rule in Poland.
As the son of a fine man who went to war over Poland and the rise of Nazi Germany in Europe, I find that sort of thinly veiled nationalism offensive.
Of all the countries in Europe, I would have thought that the Poles would be last to welcome brutal skinheads onto the streets, and then play the role of cheerleaders in the anti-gay onslaught. For a country which desperately needs EU development money and a new lease of life, I can think of nothing which more offends everything which the EU stands for in terms of citizenship and human-rights.
If Poland is perceived as "anti democratic" and "anti human rights," does it deserve respect (and financial support) from those of us Europeans who value such things and are prepared to defend them?
