Some thoughts from Poland

Life surprises us. Life is often the best source of inspiration. You know it in Israel well.

About that. I wasn’t going to write any blog entries, yet here we are. Life has inspired me.

An interesting case happened here in Poland. Radosław Sikorski, a foreign minister and a potential candidate in next year’s presidential elections, walked out of a TV studio on air after answering a question from the popular presenter, Monika Olejnik, about whether the ancestry of his Jewish-American wife, journalist and historian Anne Applebaum, would harm his chances as a potential candidate in next year’s Polish presidential elections.

Sikorski wrote a statement later where he condemned the suggestion that Poles are antisemites and calling on TVN, an American-owned TV station, to restore journalistic standards.

I looked at the comments on social media as it’s the best indicator of public sentiment in any country. Not diplomats and politicans who sugarcoat things to serve their interests and agendas. Well, the reaction is mixed. Some say that Monika Olejnik went too far – she’s known for her direct, at times abrasive, take-no-prisoners, style. Some expressed glee at the whole situation, pointing out that Sikorski can’t be president if he can’t keep it together under pressure. I disagree, he was defending his wife, but hey – freedom of speech. So, based on the comments alone, is there antisemitism in Poland? Sure. But it’s not around every corner as propaganda would have you believe.

The issue in Poland is also the quality of our elites. The Nazi and Soviet regimes caused Poland great pain and, most of all, our pre-world war 2 elites are all but gone. Both regimes targeted Polish intellectuals – priests, teachers, academics, writers, politicians – you get the point. The Nazis wanted to turn the Polish people into slaves – Heinrich Himmler said that Slavs ought to count to 500 and remember the name of their German master. Warsaw was to be razed to the ground and rebuilt as a model German city (Bavarian style). If the Nazis had succeeded, there would’ve been concentration camps for ”Slavic slaves” right where the Polish National Stadium is today.

What you need to understand is that the Holocaust – as tragic as it was – would have been just an opening salvo if the Nazis had won. Moscow was to be a giant lake (hmm). What about non-Aryan allies of the Nazis like Japan? Ah, simple. Just make them honorary Aryans. It’s also interesting how the status of Gypsies changed – it’s my understanding they were deemed Aryan but then their status shifted to undesirable.

Real intellectuals, real geniuses, so many of them ended up in mass graves. Most of the survivors of our elites fled abroad.

We have some kind of elites today but they are mere simulacrums of the elites of the past.

There are two kinds of elites in Poland today. Type one – they only interact with ”non-elites” when they need their votes and anyone who has a platform, yet doesn’t belong to their circle and voices an opinion – no matter how accurate and articulate that opinion may be – is seen as a potential threat. In their minds, only they are allowed to opine on issues.

To me, they aren’t real elites, but quasi-elites. Type two, sadly much less prevalent, are the elites that welcome exchanges of ideas. Rather than trying to shut people down, they elevate them. These people are so secure, so accomplished, they aren’t threatened by the emergence of new voices. Quite the contrary.

People who are smarter than them aren’t seen as competition but as assets to make Poland even better. That’s how real elites ought to behave. Real elites aren’t afraid of new voices. They support new voices because it enriches them as well.

In a normal country, it’s logical to support your citizens. When your citizen is successful abroad, you promote them, you show off national pride. You don’t shut them down. That’s why you’ll find many successful Poles who work for others. It’s saddening that we Poles are often appreciated by foreigners more. My articles were ignored by Polish newspapers. Non-Polish newspapers gave me a chance and I have my voice now. Weird, but what can you do.

Anyway, back to antisemitism. If your Polish friend, acquaintance, whoever – tells you there’s no antisemitism in Poland – they are lying. No question. At the same time, if someone tells you there are antisemites lurking around right after you land in Warsaw – total nonsense, possibly peddled by someone with a mental illness, anti-Polish grudge, or just propagandizing. There are no pogroms in Poland, and I don’t expect there to be any. I’m not talking World War 2, I’m talking 2024.

The truth, as is often the case, is somewhere in the gray area. Here’s an important point. When you come across a celebrity, what crosses your mind? ”Oh, you’re that guy, I know you from so-and-so.” It’s the same with countries. When you come across, say, a Pole, you’re going to conjure up your experiences with the Polish people/what you heard about them. Images are going to flash through your mind. It’s just how it is. I sometimes come across people who are convinced that French is our official language here in Poland. Why? I’m guessing these people know bits and pieces about our history, our anthem that mentions Napoleon, and conclude that, yeah, they must be fluent in French. Well, we’re not, but it doesn’t mean these people have ill intent. I actually wouldn’t mind being fluent in French/seen as being fluent in French, so I don’t always correct them.

See what I mean?

If you came across stupid and arrogant Poles, you’re likely going to assume that all these Polish jokes are true. But if you came across a genius Pole, you’re likely going to be in awe of how smart the Polish people are. We don’t actually experience countries as such, but, rather, we translate our individual experiences, or what we hear from others, into how we see a particular nation. And then, we project what we know, or think we know, onto people from that place.

That’s what propaganda targets – your perception of people and nations. Perception dictates your behavior, whether you’re going to be filled with prejudice, or friendly. A shrewd propagandist is going to fool you even if you’ve lived in a particular place for years (look at Z-Russians abroad). It’s all about steering your perceptions in a particular direction. Playing on your fears and desires.

So, when an American Jew sees he or she has a Polish neighbor, that Polish neighbor is going to be the microcosm of 40 million people condensed into a set of stereotypes and experiences. If the American Jew heard from his or her parents about terrible things in Poland during the Second World War, then these tales, rumors, legends and stereotypes are likely going to be projected onto that particular Pole. And that’s when you’re going to get the stares and so on. Some other Pole in some other neighborhood might have a dramatically different experience. It all depends on our mind maps.

We don’t see the world as it is, but as we are. And our perceptions, our mind maps, are shaped by our life experience. Heck, I’m no different, when I see a Russian now, I see dead Ukrainian children and weeping Ukrainian parents. I don’t care if this Russian is Z or non-Z, these emotions are there, stronger than the intellect and rationality. It’s healthy, in my opinion. Sure, Ukrainians were brutal to us Poles (and Jews), but we’re talking 80 years ago – the emotional charge isn’t nearly as potent.

Here’s a good example of what I mean. An American abuses German tourists. She asks, ”Are you German, or something?” There doesn’t seem to be a rational reason for her hate. Clearly, it points to some kind of stereotypes/grudges/mind maps triggering her outburst. We’re in a mind maze. Don’t get lost in it. Stay sharp. Stay smart. Get smart.