Reactions of Poles to Negative Publicity from the Foreign Press

Over the past several days, I've learned from our local news media that Poles, both at home and abroad, are furious at CNN as well as Herr Schulz of the European Parliament, for their adverse criticism of current events in Poland.

Curious as to people's reactions her on PF!

Same old, same old. Polonia organizations like the Polish American Congress and certain political circles in Poland are always offended by perceived "anti-Polish" behavior, even if it's simple criticism or a joke in a comedy show. A few years ago there was a Polish-Australian organization which - supported by the Polish embassy in Canberra - monitored the Australian media and immediately reported any "anti-Polish activity" to the embassy. Neighborhood Nazis at work; quite embarrassing.

pac1944.org/news/2015/hdc.151014.htm

"The 10/03 Saturday Night Live Show gave Polish Americans a similar treatment. It presented us as an intellectually inferior segment of American society through a silly and immature joke typically used by a schoolyard bully trying to intimidate a classmate by insulting his or her ancestry."

If I were part of the Polish electorate or even the Polish-American community, I'd likely be mad as hell too!

Then again, Schulz had gotten into trouble once before for controversial statements:-)

Why? There's something called free speech and the freedom of press.

You are referring to this, right?

washingtonpost.com/opinions/polands-disturbing-tilt-to-the-right/2015/11/29/480341e0-952a-11e5-8aa0-5d0946560a97_story.html
cnn.com/videos/tv/2015/12/07/exp-gps-1206-witw-poland.cnn

That's the one! Yet haven't YOU heard about something else called "Let so-and-so solve their own problems by themselves without a bunch of oursiders butting in"??

Okay then, let's just close our eyes to the development in the Middle East... ;)

It's not quite the same thing, in my opinion. First of all, the Middle East "crisis" is, to be sure, EVERYBODY'S feckin' beeswax!! However, the affairs of state in Poland are scarcely comparable now, are they?

No, but we were talking about "a bunch of outsiders butting in" - exactly what the USA and the EU are doing on a constant basis, and not only in the Middle East. Are we not allowed to voice concern about the political shift to the right in Europe? Why should Poland get special treatment?

TheOther, if the "treatment", as you call it, is justified, then surely. However, as I've been able to follow thus far, folks are saying that Szydło's PiS is trying to destroy the Constitution etc.., practically demonizing her. Somehow, Duda appears to be a fairly centrist sort of fellow who most probably wouldn't allow such extreme violation of civil rights. Having said all that, perhaps the role of the president vs. that of the premier is more sharpely divided than between the US president and his/her Veep.

Or am I missing something here?

Yes. Duda is the right winger and the one who is doing great harm. By herself Szydlo is moderate, if a puppeteer, in the same mode as that other PIS prime minister, who fled the country......

I see, I think! Well now, this casts a whole different light on the matter:-)

Thanks for enlightening me. 'Guess you Brits are a lot closer to the issue than we across The Pond.

Correction - PiS voters are angry :)

And maybe not even all of them.

My mum always complained that her workplace is full of PiS voters. To put it into context - we live in Kielce - one of electoral bases of PiS. Lately, though, and I could barely believe this, I was so shocked :) - the same people at her workplace who were rejoicing because of PiS winning the elections are... angry at PiS for what they're doing with the Constitutional Tribunal! They're also worried that because of that spermarket tax the prices will go up.

So there you go - miracles happen lol PiS managed to pi$$ off their own voters lol My mum had a field day and was saying to them - "You wanted 'order' by PiS and you have 'order'" ;)

Schulz (and not only him) can be irritating, but I'm glad that the media abroad are writing and telling about this. It's important that they do.


Yes, sir, general Jaruzelski! :) ;) Putin would love you, Lyzko :P ;)


LOL
He will do whatever Kaczyński will tell him to do. It is madness what's going on right now. I didn't imagine I would live to such times.

It's just getting worse and worse. After paralysing the Constitutional Tribunal (among other things, according to the new legislation prepared by PiS the CT is supposed to fullfill the will of the parliamentary majority and not guard the constitution in case the parliamentary majority would try to do something unconstitutional - can you even believe this? :)) they will take over the public media.


They are both puppets of Kaczyński. Noone has any doubts about this anymore. Kaczyński is the puppeteer. I think it's really time for him to go already. he's the greatest hatemonger in all of this. According to my dad he lost it. Too much power got to his head. I agree.

This a good joke! Were they also angry when PO began the process first by appointing two judges against the constitutional rules? There was silence about it everywhere, the voice of the then opposition was completely ignored by the mainstream media, but when PiS has followed suit and stepped up this same path after having won the election, the thunderbolt heard from the very same media is so huge that even in Kielce no one can sleep peacefully at night because of the terrible sound over the Constitutional Tribunal.


And that is another joke! Did those people in Kielce not read the PiS electoral manifesto where the party made it bloody clear that it would tax the superstores as soon as they win and the PO was constantly repeating it would make the food prices rise? Can't people in Kielce read the press with understanding or can't they listen to their TV set with comprehension when it is on and Ewa Kopacz is speaking?

All those "reports" about alleged PiS voters getting angry at the gov/Dud come from anti-PiS people.


They are just correcting violation of constitution by Platfuses.

Thou shalt not use derogatory terms in reference to a political party.

- says one of the commandments of the PolishForums which you should observe.

I provide so much of valuable insight, commentary and other precious content that I don't have observe rules for common folks.

Then you are Jarosław Kaczyński in disguise ...

That clearly illustrates the obejectivity of the leftstream media. When they hear the word conservative, they bristle at the thought that anyone could possibly oppose their leftist, libertine "progressivism". The word Catholic rattles the militant atheists and secualrists to no end. And the prospect of Polonisation or re-Polonisaiton of banks and large retailers marks a setback for the Western stranglehold over Poland's economy. But to make their hangups and greedy self-interest more palatable to the masses they couch it in pro-freedom and demcoracy rhetoric. The masses think they're marching for democracy whereas in actualtiy they are unwittingly defending and serving the interests of a small privileged elite.

Like in "democratic people's republics", the less democratic they were, the more they were bragging about it. Or commie "peace" movements.

Except this is a genuine citizens movement, not something organised from the top-down like the average highly controlled and stage mangaged PiS demonstration.


Not really. This is just a typical overreaction from a populist government that can't stand the fact that CNN journalists aren't afraid of them. They can harass and insult journalists in Poland, but they can't touch foreign ones.

Yeah :)))))

zelaznalogika.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/KOD-mlodziezowka-Platformy-przechodzili-z-tragarzami.jpg -> operatives of the previous regime.

youtube.com/watch?v=23foIvmnsXw -> a guy asking the newly manufactured "opposition leader" for money he was promised to protest.

With the leaders of the top 3 oppositon parties -- PO, Petru & PSL -- leading the march. Those following in behind think they're promoting democracy but are only defending the power, influence and interests of the small privileged elite.

They're not leading the march. KOD welcomes everyone regardless of their political affiliation. The fact that they choose to attend as private citizens is their choice, but the people behind this are the people of Poland.

I smell fear, though.

As for the "paid money to attend", it's the usual smear employed by the right wingers. We don't talk about how PiS pays for buses from villages to attend their marches :D

Some. Others are just lower rank members of the parties run by guys leading that march, many others likely employees of local admins still held by the previous regime, like in Warsaw.

I attended a KOD meeting in Gdańsk. There were about 3000+ people. There was also a small group of PiS supporters. We identified them by grim, bitter, hateful faces. They soon marched away while booing and playing vuvuzelas.

I think foreign media can criticize Poland as much as they like, so long as it's facts. I don't understand why PiS labels some facts as anti-Polish.

Polonius, your criticism is fact free. Examples, argumentation please.

Now that's a good one :-)


I bet you had Lis on your mind who is not a journalist, he is left wing propaganda master.

Basically sniping is all they can do - they're just bitter and afraid right now. And yes, the coverage in the non-Polish language media is enraging them.

But when both the stock exchange and the zloty plummeted, comment and reportage are entirely appropriate. I gather The Economist has another big article planned.

The British bankster rag that has only the Polish nation's wellbeing at heart!
LOL


Sure, Petru and other bankster lobbyists have set up special blogs which list in detail all their shady contacts with Western big-money forces including the amount of kickbacks the lobbyists regularly get. NOT!


So do I! On the part of those who thought the 8-year bout of Polish-nation gouging would last forever. But it is now grinding to a halt and soon the still surviving hangers-on of the ancienne régime will be able to steal, siphon and extort no more!

I do love to see you insulting Petru. The more the PISites rant about Petru, the more fear we smell coming from them :D

Hahaha, good one your Mum, that's a lovelt, funny story :)


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Paulina, I can't believe it, but the day has come where we are in total agreement with everything.......maybe some planets or stars all aligned today or something???

I totally agree though with what you've written. And I'm delighted that PiS and their supported are Pi$sed off with the negative coverage they are getting. It is deserved and they fact is they cannot handle the truth.