They don't dream about rebelling and changing the world. They are deeply suspicious of collective action: all solutions to their problems are private.
Sounds good to me :)
I view this differently, take an average Polish family living in a house with 4/5 generations altogether in the countryside (most Poles are from the countryside).
Their grandparents and parents are probably VERY politically minded, full of stories and suspicions from the SB and Smolensk.
And all you want to do is be able to live in your own house with a job you can bear and a few quid so you can have a family and your own life (but not too far away from your family:).
Nothing ''lost'' about it, it's as natural as chicks leaving the nest.
they leave it to rot.
I also disagree with the harshness you put on them.
Wanting a better life for yourself is perfectly normal.
PL has just made cheap, educated labour its main export.
Don't forget that that 'export' was sending back billions making up part of Poland's GDP.
People who are forced into emigration for work are hardly likely to love their adopted country.
Of the Polish people I met in Ireland and London most want to move back to Poland after they get a few quid together, fair enough. Many won't because at that stage they will have new lives but I think most will.
Whereas most of the immigrants who live in Poland were not forced to come here to find a job but by choice.
I would say the "lost generation" are the moherowy beret, their world has been completely changed from Communism to Capitalism and extreme religiosity.