Say-So

This short animation making the rounds on chat rooms, message boards of polish domains, makes for a graceful metaphor to Polish history of the last 2 centuries. Presently it speaks to frustrations of young Poles trying to catch lift, show off, “make it”. After all, the age of “opportunity” has dawned on Poland in 1989 with Solidarity officially defeating the old Communist wreck of a regime in free elections. Ever since, most resourceful young Poles have desperately tried to make up for the lost ground and to live up to the western capitalist standards. Change isn’t easy, progress never quick enough, unemployment is high and competition fierce. It seems that repeatedly any venture meets with failure, by now any young Pole has learned to expect being flamed. Being scorched runs deep in Polish history, back over 200 years when in 1772 Poland was partitioned for the first time. Any uprising attempts have only resulted in further partitions in 1793 and 1795 when the neighboring Russia, Prussia and Austria helped themselves to the remains of Polish territory until the eradication of its statehood. And, as in the fairy tale of the sleeping beauty, Poland ceased to exist for over a hundred years. Then came along General Pilsudski , who through political and military maneuvers made Poland into a viable player in the complex politics of Europe during WWI. Just as Poland seemed to have been catching lift again, proudly taking reigns of its independence, the Bolsheviks in Russia claimed their own victories and were marching west to bestow the bliss of communism on the Polish, German and possibly all workers of the world. Poles, newly endowed with state ownership, jealously guarded their borders and Russia marching now under a new standard of USSR had won no credibility. After all they were the same neighbors to the east who only a century ago laid claim to Polish property and spirit. The noble ideology of common good and sharing did not matter, the Bolsheviks were bloodily fought off in the Warsaw Battle during the Soviet-Polish war 1918-1921. And so once again the Poles attempted to rebuild a sovereign country, when this time the German giant to the west was stirring. In 1938, Poland refused to grant Hitler access and a corridor to the Prussian territories back east and to become an ally against the Soviets, and so a year later Hitler and Stalin while signing their pact, decided once again that Poland’s fate was to be obliterated. Flamed again. This time, unbearably heavily so. After WWII, Poles finally succumbed to the greater power of their neighbors. Though they were freed from the Nazi occupation by the same Stalin’s hand which betrayed them at the war’s outset, the Poles never forgot or forgave the offense. The Soviet stand-offish reluctance at the Warsaw uprising in 1944 added assault to injury. The Polish Republic became part of the eastern block, disgruntled, accepting the de facto influence and governance of USSR. Barely a generation later, Poles have rebuilt and replenished barely enough to start raising their heads against a regime that was never their own, against ideology which however good in its intentions was imposed and kept in place through brute force. They were dreaming of high flight and applause. Maybe this time around?…
The fly’s saying has become a part of contemporary national identity: ‘ale nie no nieda sie, no poprostu kurwa, zawsze cos, zawsze cos, zawsze kurwa cos…’ (but no, it is impossible, no simply fuck, always something, always something, always fucking something…)