Pole who burned himself to protest the 1968 Soviet invasion

Yes indeed it's common in Poland and in the rest of Europe. Kinda pisses me of some times.

In Scandinavia they call it the "Jante Law": en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jante_Law

The ten rules state:

1. Don't think that you are special.
2. Don't think that you are of the same standing as others.
3. Don't think that you are smarter than others.
4. Don't fancy yourself as being better than others.
5. Don't think that you know more than others.
6. Don't think that you are more important than others.
7. Don't think that you are good at anything.
8. Don't laugh at others.
9. Don't think that any one of us cares about you.
10. Don't think that you can teach others anything.

Atleast they don't got it in America, so 1+ for america in this case!!!

Ps.
I still hate american imperialism!!!!!

Atlas Shrugged and Animal Farm should be required reading in schools. They can even let them read Das Kapital to balance it out.

no ..but it makes you a litle bit different form the normal...and some people don,t like that...

Never read any of those books. Atlas Shrugged seems interesting.

Atlas Shrugged
Her stated goal of writing the text was "to show how desperately the world needs prime movers and how viciously it treats them" and to portray "what happens to a world without them."

I know, wildrover, I know.

Reminds me of that line in "Working Class Hero" from John Lennon:

"They hate you if you're clever and they despise the fool - till you're so fcuking crazy, you can't follow their rule".

Guess Sokrates is a child of his surroundings - maybe it's not too late for him.

You're out there on your own in this life. Nobody's gonna take care of you, you have to do it all alone. If you're proud of your accomplishments you should be so and show it as well. Humbleness is nonsense and only holds you back. I've been always proud of what I've accomplished and there is nothing wrong with that. I'm not arrogant (except to the ones that deserve it), just proud and talk about it. I think if ppl cannot stand that, they have issues themselves. But anyway, if this is going to be a discussion without end, I pass.

>^..^<

M-G (learned that over the years)

Yes..its not unique to Poland of course...

If you're too lazy to read it (kindred spirit), the audiobooks are on grooveshark.

Jante Loven, which is mostly Danish phenomena or should I say mentality trait is not so strictly adhered to as implied by the 10 above-mentioned points. It's a form of modesty, a total opposite of American 'You got it, you flaunt it'. It doesn't mean you won't be appreciated when you achieve something, you will be, albeit in a more subdued manner though equally rewarding (if not more). Some find it a limiting factor in their self-expression, personally I don't see a problem and quite like it. It is one of the chief reasons why the Danish society despite its affluence is rather unmaterialistic.

Similiar to the Prussian virtue: "Mehr sein als schein" (Be more than you appear to be)...
Similiar but not the same!

As you can for sure be better than others and actually strife to be but you shouldn't flaunt it.

Hmmm...Okay, well let me point this out:

"let he who is without sin cast the first stone"

The above is in reference to the stoning of Mary Magdalene, at this point in time were not burning/drowning (by the way drowning was a more popular choice than burning) witches in England quite the opposite..they were held in high esteem, which means we were slightly more civilsed then and are now..we dont burn witches anymore but they still stone women..So thanks for making me realise that we were more civilsed back then and still are.

By the way, do you actually know why this period of time is referred to as the "Dark Ages"? Its rather an antiquated term, most inteligent people refer to it as the Saxon and Viking peroid.

As to the idot that set himself on fire...FFS..they should have left him to it! Selfish b*stard!

Ahh, much more elegant, I like it, makes you wonder though why the Prussians turned out such a.......? ;) ;)

Apologies, but with all the Poland bashing on this forum, and there were few more countries in there than Poland it just seems like an easy trap to fall into, in my defence I was trying to get rid of my post, but it was too late:)

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witchcraft_Act


"Slightly less civilsed" is more precise than "uncivilised" then, I think :)
Iran, for example, is a successor to an ancient civilization and culture.


Apparently you weren't:


And modest too, as always :)


I think I do :)


Is this some kind of clumsy try at claiming I'm not intelligent? :)
Well, you see, I'm not a native speaker of English :) In Polish we call it "Średniowiecze" (Middle Ages). I've heard two terms in English for this period: "Dark Ages" and "Middle Ages". I was referring to Europe in general, not only to England, so I see no reason why I should write "The Saxon and Viking period", as it is apparently some kind of local British term, not general European.


You mean him?:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Th%C3%ADch_Qu%E1%BA%A3ng_%C4%90%E1%BB%A9c

Btw, you didn't answer my question:


And one more thing:



According to this list there was a number of self-immolations of "grown educated men in Europe" in the "civilised Western world", including the UK:


No problem, I understand :)

You're thinking of Emily Davison at the 1913 Derby (although some think she just tried to cross the track thinking all the horses had passed).

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emily_Davison


Nope, that was an adultress, wasn't it? Mary Magdelene is only referred to as a woman Jesus healed. She is often confused with a prostitute who repented at the feet of JC ('washed my feet with her tears and dried them with her hair')

Well, I'm thinking of my parents at this time but good guess ;) ;)

Emily Davison? Aha, that rings a bell :)

The invasion happened years before. Why not have the protest then?

Perhaps he was saving up for the petrol....it was expensive then.....

You mean Ryszard Siwiec? Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia took place on the night of August 20 - August 21, 1968 and Ryszard Siwiec committed self-immolation on 8 September of 1968...

Got to love the way Poland invaded Czechoslovakia with the commies not even 30 years after it had invaded Czechoslovakia with the Nazis!

Unlike with the Soviets during the Warsaw Pact invasion Poland didn't invade Czechoslovakia together with the Nazis as far as I know. And there's nothing to love about it. Pretty shameful really. Hence the self-immolation of Ryszard Siwiec in protest of that event.

Your parents are the Pankhursts?

I'm untangling the crossed wires as we speak ;) The Pole certainly met his match that day ;)