Effects of Living under Communism in Poland

and Kazik once again...
40 years after events of December'70, Kazik sings the famous "Ballada o Janku Wiśniewskim" dedicated to Zbyszek Godlewski... Zbyszek was a 18-years old worker of Stocznia Gdańska, shot by soldiers while going to work on December 17th, 1970... the protesters (workers of Stocznia Gdanska) put his body on a door and marched in protest through the streets of Gdynia...

it's a leading song in the movie "Czarny Czwartek" ("Black Thursday") which will be to see in the movies on February 25th 2011... the movie will be brutal...

those are the effects of this black card in the Polish history....

I think it is more about expectations. Old women, pregnant women, even the young ones always expected the man to open and hold the door for them or to give up their seat on the bus. It was your job, so why say 'thank you'? And, if you as a man did not do that, others will be happy to remind you your duty. :)


That's true. I was just a kid watching my father with his ear pressed against the radio and trying to hear what 'Voice of America' or 'Radio free Europe' has to say on UKF I or UKF II. Arrgh...the sounds, the squeaking coming out of the radio...with an occasional, audible sentence... He was turning the volume higher and higher, until my mom screamed 'turn it down! the neighbors can hear it and will tell on you!"

My post-commie leftovers? I totally do not trust what I hear on the news, if it is political. Especially now. I listen to different stations and make my own conclusions.

What I miss? Walking at night alone as a kid or a young adult knowing that nobody will attack me.

Interesting point, I expect my husband to do that for me and other women. Part of the reason why I married him was I saw him slam our car once into park while driving down a street near our house and rush over to help an elderly gentleman who had fallen and his elderly wife was trying unsuccessfully to help him up. That's what a man is supposed to do. I never thought of it as being polish or something else. To me, that's what makes my hubby hot.

Of course, I also don't touch the trash, that's his job as man, so is the grass. I, on the other hand, do the laundry. And because he works while I don't, I cook and clean. Man role vs. woman role clearly defined. I wonder if that is a European influence?


That I do not count on in US. In Poland, I felt safer at night but still not completely so. I don't think there is anywhere in this world like that anymore, sadly.

By the same token, should you be reminded of your place when you get out of line, or a bit uppity? I mean, like back in the day? Of course not, we've evolved a bit past that. From everything that I've heard, people have become more recluse and drawn in after the borders opened up, not less. The younger generation, of course, but the older generation sees a complete break down in morals and values (the old recurring theme I suppose).

I would like to live one day in communist Poland to get nostalgic of the heaven.

That's only partly true these days. Three weeks ago I saw old Communist-style (i.e. NO style), sad-looking, grey blocks of flats being insulated on the outside, then painted in several vivid colours. This was in Myszków and Zawiercie.

Communism taught people to prefer the communist Cola.

A very many fukkers left in the position of power, from shops managers to directors of offices and officers in police, security and army, banks and all !

Even my mother-in-law says Poloki :) The key is in the intention and that rarely comes across accurately on a forum. Not to mention the intonation ;)

She liked communism due to the full employment aspect. Yeah, the money wasn't hoped cuisine but certainty spoke for itself. She resents the fact that many graduates here are out of work but welcome to the whole of Europe, maybe bar none. Scotland is prosperous in many areas but still many flounder and forcibly settle for less.

Effects of living under commies? I cannot say for other Poles but as for me, it have made me very suspicious about any ideology. Especially if it pushed into my face.

Every time a media, authorities, government or whoever is trying to convince me of something, I feel that I should act just opposite. Even if it is something that on the surface seems reasonable, like “tolerance is good”, I feel the urge to do something to spite them. They speak to me from TV so they are enemies, no way around it.

Well, what I just just have written is kind of hyperbole, but you get the general feeling. The intense dislike of anything that I feel is being pushed at me.

This has become the common selling technique of the Left. They can make anything sound good while working towards underhanded ends.

And what are these "underhanded ends"?

We're talking now and then.
High time.


And who is this "leftist" media owned by?

The masses has been kept in dark sort of dummying down the voters so they can vote against their well being, the people who keep up with real news use internet but the internet is under attack so the information might disappear.

Do you think all the crap that gov. and their propaganda network put out?

Social manipulation, in general. In case of tolerance, for example, it's about restricting the undesirable ideas. Social justice is about taxing people to finance the growth of leftist electorate, etc.

Very good, N. Two excellent examples.

And the opposite of tolerance is intolerance, which is also about restricting undesirable needs. The "Left" doesn't have any dominance in that area.

And you don't believe in social justice? Tusk would be proud of you :)

See, it was explained to you and you refuse to accept it. You question was disingenuous, I'm sure.

The mega rich such as Mr Rockefeller, Warburg, Morgan......and the real perpetrators of 9/11. Or am I a 'facist (commies are too braindead to spell 'fascist')'?

'Intolerance' is the opposite of 'tolerance' in its dictionary meaning, not of the tolerance as applied by the Left. As you yourself admit, in fact, so no contention here.


I do, I've seen it working. My parents saw it in a rather more drastic implementation. I can see it here, to a lesser extent. The false label adds insult to injury.

Social justice is a way of levelling the subjects up so there's no opposition strong enough to challenge the set-up. Those active ones are busy struggling and looking innocent, the others are happy on their justly deserved dole. The system crashes after the dole inevitably becomes too small, and converts into post-leftist oligarchy of 'now you've got the capitalism you wanted so much, stop whining.'

Merged: How ww2/life under PRL affects the culture of the Polish nation today

Hello.

One thing I am interested in is the affect the disaster of ww2 has on the mentality of present day Poles (and how this has evolved over the years).

I suppose there are many aspects that could have been affected i.e their outlook on life/death, beliefs, their mental toughness, community spirit, how they view foreign nations and so on

Whilst we're at it, you could ask the same question about the affect of living under communism for all that time.

Thanks.
Kieron.

As a casual observation, it would seem that mainly the elderly outgoing generation still bears the imprint of the Nazi-Soviet occuaption and 45 years of Soviet-style communist rule. Such people may still display the 'waste not, want not' mentality and 'save up' for things they need as they struggle do make ends meet on their meagre old-age pensions. The younger folk have totally opted for Western materialistic, promiscuous, consumerist lifestyles, living on credit beyond their means, espousing pop culture with its MTV, computer games and all the other trendy e-gadgetry, fads and crazes being peddled by the global marketing establishment. Today's Polish secondary school pupils by and large view the peaceful Solidarity revolution and the collapse of communism like ancient history rather than something that affects their daily lives.

what an excellent post

"Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."

the long term effects of Poland living under communism is massive and very much prevualent in todays Poland. Its every where, stamps on documents, cues in shops, miserable people sitting behind desks, poor customer service, lack of self belief, the right qualifications for a job situation, buecracy, transport, the list goes on and on..... It is however getting better and the younger generation definetely do have a different attitude.

Shrugging off the residual lingering parts of communism will take quite a bit more time. As WB and Pol3 said, they are evident here. The lack of self belief was also a salient point by WB. Some people here really lack it and are little more than leaves in the breeze. They ask foreigners about their country not so much because they actually want to know but it's more about self validation/affirmation. Many are still seeking their ID here.

You should ask yourself if everything you describe can be blamed on communism.

Merged:

Poland has a fine tradition of resisting Communism

Beginning in 1945, the Poles bravely fought Bolshevism and in favor of Polish nationalism.

"So in the years 1945-1956 we had a division of Polish teenagers, who without a weapon undertook an unequal fight against communism, paying for it by imprisonment, suffering of their loved ones and loss of opportunities for education and professional career."

twitter.com/ipngovpl/status/982505524234203136
twitter.com/ipngovpl/status/982603900938268672

I think today Polish millenials feel the same way about Nationalism. Bravo! Make no apologies for it. Will other countries in the West exhibit the courage to stand up to the anti-White, anti-nationalist forces now dominating them?