Monday, November 12, 2018

Warsaw Independence Day March and the Bieganski, Brute Polak Stereotype








Yesterday, November 11, 2018, I posted about a Catholic author on Facebook who shared a Marxist article that alleged that Poles are a bunch of scary fascists, Nazis, and white supremacists. 

This Catholic author quoted a Marxist article about Poland's November 11, 2018, Independence Day March. 

Here is the truth of this maligned march: Poland was colonized by Russia, Prussia, and Austria for over one hundred years. During this colonization, at various times, Poles were forbidden to speak their own language, they were forbidden from building a permanent dwelling, they were marched to Siberia, they were plied with alcohol, and they were lynched by their colonizers. Germans and Russians announced as their goal a genocide of Poles. Germans' genocidal attitudes were a minor form of Nazism before Nazism. 

In 1918, Poland regained independence. Then, in 1939, Poland was invaded by Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia, and Poland was crucified. 

And yet Poland is still here. 

Thus Poles march. We are still alive, in spite of genocidal pressures. 

The Catholic author on Facebook is not alone. I just did a Google search to find images of the march to share here. The words that Google suggested as associated with a search of Poland's Independence Day March were "white," "far right," "anti," "nationalist" and "right wing." 

The New York Times implied that the march was about the "far right." 

The BBC also alleged the march was "far right." 

The Guardian headline associated the march with the "far right." 

Fox News used "far right" first thing in its headline. 

The Independent said that "fascists" marched. 

The Wall Street Journal opened with the words "far right." 

The Times of Israel also used "far right." 

TVP.info posted video, linked below, of the march in question. In this eleven-minute long video, which I have watched more than once, the viewer sees hundreds of Poles marching in front of the camera. 

The viewer notices several things. First, none of these Polish marchers are grotesquely overweight. Forgive me but I can't help but notice, in any US crowd scene, how overweight we have become as a nation. 

None of the marchers is dressed shabbily. Again, I can't help but notice sagged pants, sloppy clothes, and other aspects of current American attire. 

No one is shouting or pushing or giving anyone else a hard time. Poles are quiet and courteous. 

Women friends walk arm in arm. Mothers push strollers. Families walk together, fathers, mothers, and children. There are young people who are proud to be in public with their parents. 

How often do we see this in America any more? 

Most of the marchers are carrying Polish flags. When is the last time you saw Americans so eager to carry their own flag? 

Admittedly, this footage was chosen by TVP. I don't know if they edited out any scary  fascists who were present, and we know such people exist, and we know the scary fascists use Independence Day to push their agenda. 

The scary fascists in question are the Obóz Narodowo-Radykalny. You can read more about this group here

Me? If I were lucky enough to be in Poland on the hundredth anniversary of Poland regaining her independence, after being colonized for over a hundred years by Russia, Prussia, and Austria, after surviving the crucifixion of the Nazi and Soviet invasions and occupations, wild horses could not prevent me from participating in the Independence Day March. I'd probably be crying every step of the way. 

And I would not march alongside the small group of ONR marchers. 

Why is that so hard to understand? That we can love Poland not be "far right," "fascist," "white supremacist," etc? 

The answer is in my book, "Bieganski the Brute Polak Stereotype." Read it and you will understand why even nominal Catholics become fellow travelers with Marxists when they talk about Poles and Poland. 

There are scary fascists in the US as well. It was in the US, after all, that eleven innocent Jews at prayer were recently murdered by an evil monster invested in a conspiracy theory about immigration, a conspiracy theory disseminated by the team associated with the most powerful man in the world. Donald Trump himself has disseminated this anti-Semitic conspiracy theory about immigrants and immigration, namely, that George Soros is paying immigrants to enter the US. 

Before Americans point the finger at Poles, Americans should look at their own house. 

And watch this eleven minute video of marching Poles. Patriotic, proud, decent, Poles. Be inspired. 

You can view TVP.info's video here

11 comments:

  1. The cultural Marxists are again hopping mad because Poles are not bowing before their agenda, and the leftmedia is up to its usual antics. Screw them.

    ReplyDelete
  2. The right and the left both engage in the Bieganski stereotype. It is foolish to blame this on leftists. The Wall Street Journal is hardly a left wing publication.

    And, no, I'm not interested in a debate on this. Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Polish Border Guard stopped hundreds of foreigners from entering Poland. Antifa members as well as neo-nazis.

      We don't want either of them in Poland.

      Delete
    2. well, Poles know who writes these articles. So what are they doing about it? Complaining?

      Delete
  3. Fox News is part of the leftmedia ... ha ha ha

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have never watched the Fox News, so I don't have any idea, but they have just joined CNN against Trump. https://edition.cnn.com/2018/11/14/media/cnn-lawsuit-support/index.html

      Delete
    2. In fact, a recent study shows that even financial-centered or ostensibly-conservative media outlets commonly are infected with a left-wing slant:

      https://www.investors.com/politics/editorials/media-bias-left-study/

      In addition, it is not rare for a conservative media outlet to pick up and repeat some oft-repeated Polonophobic meme as fact. Remember, for example, the Jedwabne "revelation"?

      Delete

    3. Fox News and the Wall Street Journal are not left wing and they both repeat the brute Polak stereotype.

      Give it a rest.

      Delete
  4. Kimberly Wachtel posted this on Facebook:

    Kimberly Wachtel Rob, and what's the deal with our country? How would you feel personally if someone looked at our current reality -far right's marching in Charlottesville, white males gunning down Jews - and skewed it so far to suggest that these people, who align with and are emboldened by Trump, are the face of America? It's SO far from the truth. It's sadly part of America right now but not all of America. I argue that the NYT article may be far from the truth. Yes, there are nationalists, there are neo nazi, fascists in Poland. And some were part of the march, some might align with Duda and his politics. I saw evidence of far rightness while I was there 6 1/2 years ago. It's disturbing. But what struck me to the core and what I'm truly left with from my time there is the graciousness, courtesy and care of the people I met and spent time with... my family, new friends, strangers, my professors. Your response to my positive feelings of Poland and celebration of their 100 years independence, with the skewed way of how some read Poland to be a far right country, feels intense and hard. My feeling, with out being immersed in current politics in Poland, is that their country is much like ours right now, polarized between liberal and conservative ways of thinking and being. Poland and Poles can be misunderstood and scapegoated as a country and as a people because of their intense, hard history - read Danusha Goska's link above and book. So much historical and current conflict and hardship still goes unresolved (much like our country). I think you would really enjoy Kosciuszko's philosophies. I have a book authored by the man who originally posted the post I shared about Pilsudski, called "The Peasant Prince" - Alex Storozynski. Mr. Storozynski gave a talk about his book on the opening day of classes when I studied at School of Polish Language and Culture, Jagiellonian University in Krakow. I was struck with Kosciuszko's morality and engagement with Thomas Jefferson, having an ongoing correspondence about the immorality of slaveholding, actually calling Jefferson out, in real time for being a slave holder while also promoting liberty and justice for all. Anyway, the spirit of Poland I feel for and am aligned with is more with Kosciuszko's vision where he truly fought for freedom from oppressors - for his country, ALL people (peasants and Jews and other minorities alike). He even fought for Black slaves in America, while our forefathers hypocritically held slaves while writing the declaration of independence. Kosciuszko left, in his will and testament, his salary from the American Revolution to purchase and liberate black slaves. Now that's a spirit of Poland I am proud of. Perhaps we can talk more about this in person sometime, my friend?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. President of Poland has very limited competences comparing to President Trump. President Duda has opposed a number of problematic laws. He certainly isn't far right.

      Jerzy Pankiewicz

      Delete
  5. Excellent commentary. Bieganski remains in so much of the media and scads of readers unwittingly accept the distortions. As the video reveals, the majority of Poles are deeply patriotic and love their country with all their might. Regrettably, we don’t see enough of that in the US. Also, loved the comparison between the Independence Day marchers and those in many US marches.

    ReplyDelete

Bieganski the Blog exists to further explore the themes of the book Bieganski the Brute Polak Stereotype, Its Role in Polish-Jewish Relations and American Popular Culture.
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