Poland -- an Indonesian's eye view

This article appeared in a Jakarta newspaper. Do you think it objectively sums up present-day Poland?


thejakartaglobe.com/opinion/over-the-bright-skies-of-m odern-poland-lurks-the-dark-clouds-of-past-sins-of-nazism/

From the author's perspective, yes.

And from your perspective?

My perspective would be probably closer to the authors, compared to a native or a long term resident who truly feels the vibe of the place on a daily basis.

Poles tend to be much more critical of the way things are going in Poland than outside visitors.

A very poorly written article which jumped all over the place. The term "scattered brained" would be an apt description.

The author starts out by mocking the Polish flag by describing it as an "upside down" version of her own. As if the Indonesian flag (itself adopted only in 1945) is the standard upon which other flags are to be judged.

Of the 19 paragraphs written over 40% of them were dedicated exclusively to discussing the 20th Century history of the Jews in Poland. This article would definitely be Zionist approved since it had plenty to say about the fate of the Jews during WWII but made absolutely zero mention about the 2 million plus Poles who perished on top of the at least 1.5 million Poles deported by the Nazis and sent into forced labor. Oh sure there was a passing reference to Warsaw being virtually wiped off the map (again no civilian casualties mentioned) but the writer immediately moved the focus to the former Jewish Ghetto.

According to this writer Poland merely "fell" under communist control. But what of the Katyń massacre? What of the millions of Poles displaced and sent into Siberian exile and certain death under the Bolshevik jackboot? What of the thousands of political prisoners and scores killed under Marshall Law? Not one single word about any of this.

And early on she dismissed Lech Wałęsa as having "limited relevance to those growing up in the 1990s and 21st century."

Well if according to her younger Poles of today are so disinterested in events and figures in their own history from as recently as the 1980's then she is completely out of her empty head if she thinks they are going to genuinely care about Jewish history from 70 years ago.

It isn't meant to - it's a tourism piece about certain key aspects of Warsaw's past.