"LIVING IN POLONIA" EDITORIALS

February - "A House Divided" - Two Sides of Polonia

January -  Another Year Dawns" - Looking Ahead

December - "Resolutions at Christmas" - A Holiday Tradition

November – "Focus on Polonia – New Objectives

October – "Poles and the Movies" – The Connection

September – Polish Tea Baggers – But in the U.S.

A HOUSE DIVIDED

 

A cursory view of the organized Polonia community may give rise to the perception that all is unity and agreement. If only that were the reality.

 

A closer look will reveal that there are at least two mostly separate communities. As unfortunate as it may be, Polonia is divided into the American Polish and the Polish American. The same thing? Hardly.

 

The American Polish community is composed of Polish-born persons of relatively recent immigration. Their bodies are here, but their hearts are in Poland. The U.S. is basically an island to which they fled, uncertain if it would be forever.

 

The Polish American community is made of those who have been born here. They are two or more generations away from the old country. They respect and honor Poland, but their feet are fully planted in America. Their numbers include those who came here on the heels of World War II, knowing that their settling would be permanent.

 

This apparent division is not illusory. It is real and ingrained. It is also understandable.

 

A very recent example, from January in fact, when Poland’s television governing body disallowed the primary Catholic channel from digital broadcasting, will illustrate the situation. There was a veritable uproar among American Poles, although they were not personally touched. Polish Americans, on the other hand, either had no knowledge of the communications ruling or viewed it as an internal Polish matter, for Poles and not them to decide.

 

The American Poles turned out in the hundreds in protests at consulates in New York and Chicago, and in larger numbers in Toronto, where they are even less assimilated and more seriously attached to the homeland. For America’s older Polonia, though, it was a non-event.

 

A less dramatic, but often forceful, protest has been ongoing among American Poles ever since the plane crash at Smolensk that killed the Polish President and 95 others. Claims against both Russians and Polish officials continue.

 

Most recently, there is a renewed effort to involve the U.S. Congress in the issue and an opportunist Congressman, Peter King of New York, has been easily swayed by the Polish-born to carry the banner to the Capitol Building. It delights the Americans Poles because they swing to the right and it is a boon to the phony King because he will please a portion of his constituency. Likewise, there is no foreseeable loss, as Polish Americans would just leave the matter to Poland and his congressional colleagues view King as an aberration anyway.

 

Such issues would be of no concern, except that they create discord among American Poles, who are most deeply concerned with events in the Fatherland, and Polish Americans, who earnestly desire emphasis on the many problems they see for Polonia in the United States.

 

An amalgam of Polish and American topics might be workable, but both groups want superiority for their agendas. Moreover, the immigrant faction tends to be conservative and the Americans often adopt more liberal positions. Even religion sometimes forms a silent barrier. A satisfactory mix has not yet been found, and it appears at present that such a blending is not in the offing.

 

Social groups are occasionally successful in combining American Poles and Polish Americans, but they, sadly, are not common. Political associations are even far less likely to form the ties that bind.

 

Perhaps the answer is to actually separate the “house divided” and let each strive toward its own goals. That is a hard answer to accept, but it may be the only viable solution. It would be interesting to know what you, members of each Polonia segment, think and what you feel is the solution. You are certainly welcome to give us your opinion.

 

 

ANOTHER YEAR DAWNS

 

At the dawn of a new year, it is always natural to consider the direction something is going. That, of course, applies to Polonia just as much as to anything else. We naturally wonder if we are moving forward or slipping backward. It isn’t an easy question to answer, as there may be different means by which progress or regression may be measured.

 

Likewise, it is dangerous and somewhat futile to generalize. Polonia’s status may vary considerably from nation to nation, region to region, or city to city. We can draw some conclusions on a national basis, but it is probably safer to consider the Polish community in a certain area, and, even more precisely, in a particular city.

 

Hence, as we are based in Chicago, Illinois, and obviously more conversant with the situation here, these comments will center around this city. The reader can judge whether they apply in whole or in part to the place in which he or she resides.

 

Most Polonian organizations report unofficially that they are experiencing a decline in membership and are devising varied plans for regaining their numbers. The results of their efforts are varied, as are the causes for their declining membership, but the overall picture does not seem particularly bright.

 

Nearing the end of the last century, Alderman and former Congressman Roman Pucinski, a undoubted leader of Polonia in Chicago, pronounced it the “Age of the Ethnic.” He appeared to be correct in regard to Polonia, largely due to the excitement surrounding the rise of Solidarity and the concomitant influx of Polish immigrants into the United States and the Midwest in particular.

 

Those phenomena certainly breathed new life into Polonia, but they could not be sustained forever. Solidarity succeeded, bringing a flash of excitement among American Poles with it, but the independence of Poland also meant the loss of a major cause: freeing that nation from Communist occupation. Moreover, it was inevitable that most Polish immigrants and, even more so their progeny, would assimilate with the wider American population.

 

That is where we stand, but although it does not seem to bode well for the future, an examination of our own history in the United States may not present a picture that is nearly so bleak.

 

My family, immigrants from Poland, clung to many of their customs and traditions, but basically wanted to be “real” Americans. They may have gone to a Polish church and listened at times to Polish radio, even bought a Polish language newspaper (as much for the sports news in English as for the news in their native tongue,) usually offering reports a few days behind the general circulation papers. However, their sights were even more focused on America. It was necessary for work and increasingly for social reasons. Eventually, the Chicago Tribune, The Herald, Sun, Times and other English language papers became the main source of news, just as the entertainments on American radio became the favorites.

 

Nevertheless, Polishness remained a unifying factor in what could sometimes be an unfriendly world. Polish organizations grew and prospered. Polish media, although reduced somewhat in popularity, maintained a place in the Polonian community. The next generation, seemingly less Polish, took up an interest in its roots, reclaimed a bit of the language and often reveled in the customs and traditions. This were the people who joined the Polish clubs and fraternals, supported Polish causes and proudly announced their heritage.

 

Many will argue that the attachment has waned, and they may be momentarily correct. But, just as has happened in the past, the pendulum is almost certain to swing in the other direction. A person’s background, heritage, roots ultimately become interesting and significant. It gives one a foundation that is important in a world that can be otherwise lacking in solid grounding.

 

And so, our goal, beyond the immediate aim of surviving as a segment of society, must be to nurture and encourage the nascent longing for meaning beyond mundane existence. Indeed, Polonia will subsist through the lean years and, with our continued persistence, look forward to the same sort of exciting rebirth that we have experienced in the past. Happy New Year, Polonia! We should look forward to a bright tomorrow.

RESOLUTIONS AT CHRISTMAS

 

The Polonia Media Network’s most enduring tradition has been to distribute Polonian Resolutions each year at this time. We are proud to say that it has also been reprinted in a multitude of Polish American publications. Although this reprint may seem repetitious to some, we presume to say that repetition is the very nature of tradition. Therefore, hoping that you remain in the Christmas spirit throughout the New Year, we again suggest the following to all Polish Americans and their friends:

 

1. We will be kind to one another. Unless we treat each other with respect and humanity, we can hardly expect others to do so.

 

2. We will be understanding with one another. It is always possible to view things from the brighter or the darker side, but we will chose the former. As a father hopes to interpret the acts of his child in the most favorable light, we will do likewise with our fellow Poles.

 

3. We will help end encourage younger Pol-Ams. Knowing youth to be the future of our community, we will do all in our power to assist youth in education, society, business and the arts. Whenever possible, we will offer our aid personally, not merely by means of gifts or donations.

 

4. We will employ and transact business with Pol-Ams, whenever possible. Though the exigencies of modern life in a pluralistic society do nor always permit, whenever practicable we will share our good fortune with Polonia by dealing with its members for our private and business needs.

 

5. We will affirmatively support our heritage. While it is sometimes genuinely necessary to voice our complaints and criticisms, whenever practical we can better advance our cause by accentuating the positive. The opportunities to explain the glory and beauty of our history, heritage and culture present themselves regularly and we will take full advantage of each.

 

6. We will not tolerate ignorance. There is no such thing as the polite acceptance of a joke which is offensive to our community. We will meet such rudeness with a civil, but firm, rebuke, explaining that we regret the comedian's" obvious lack of knowledge in regard to this subject.

 

7. We will be acquainted with the Pol-Am press. Reading Falcon, White Eagle, Polish American Journal, Post Eagle, Forum, Dziennik Związkowy, Zgoda, Naród Polski, Śtraz, etc., helps us to keep aware of our ties with Polonia. We will enlarge our view by bringing these periodicals into our homes and those of our acquaintances. We acknowledge, after all, that information about our people increases our interest and pride.

 

8. We will introduce Pol-Am radio and TV to our families and friends. The beauty of the audible and visual media is that they may be shared with others in a group. Perhaps we will begin the true cohesiveness of Polonia by encouraging the sharing of our background in our home with our spouses and children, eventually spreading that togetherness to our friends, associates and neighbors.

 

9. We will accept diversity within our community. It would be wonderful it all Pol-Ams agreed upon everything. but we know that it is just not possible. Polish Americans are no different than any other group, in that differences of opinion will exist. We recognize that the charitable acceptance of difference can be a strength, so long as we discuss our opposing views with reason and calm. It is a principal concept of democracy that honest discussion will result in the most acceptable consensus.

 

10. We will keep our resolutions in the lace of adversity. The Bible tells us that charity is the bond of perfection. Keeping the above resolutions requires charity and we know that not all of our acquaintances have attained an acceptable degree of perfection. As a result, we will not expect them to observe these resolutions as religiously as we. Nevertheless, we will persist knowing that our example will ultimately prevail.

 

Although written many years ago, your editor remains convinced that the serious adoption of the "Polonian Resolutions" will have spectacular results.

 

May the spirit of these Polonian Resolutions dwell within Polonia throughout Christmastide and the New Year.

 

Wesołych Świat Bożego Narodzenia i Szcześliwego Nowego Roku!

FOCUS ON POLONIA

 

I have sometimes been critical of the Polish American Congress (PAC), even though I have myself served for more than a combined ten years as a National Director. The officers and directors have had the best intentions, but the proposals often never came to fruition. Other times they were attempts by immigrants in this country to impose their own political philosophies upon Poland.

 

Some months ago, the PAC’s president, Frank J. Spula, reminded directors that it was a Polish American organization, rather than a simply Polish institution, meaning that its purpose was to serve Polonia, rather than interfere with the direction of the now democratic Poland. The much greater number of directors agreed with that premise.

 

Now, some months later, a By-Laws committee has solidified that concept by suggesting a new "Purpose and Objectives," supporting Poland, but clearly more focused on Polish American issues. The Council of National Directors ratified and adopted the amendments to the PAC’s By-Laws when it convened on October 27-28, 2011. If respected, the change can make a major difference.

 

In a wise move to honor and enshrine the mission pronounced at the PAC’s founding 1944, the committee proposed the retention of those wartime objectives, no longer totally relevant, as an addendum to the By-Laws. While remembering older goal, the freedom and independence of Poland, the primary emphasis has now been directed at Polonia.

 

Of course, changing words in the By-Laws does not necessarily alter the minds of everyone. There will still be those, though hopefully in the minority, who are convinced that a major duty of the PAC should be to influence the political landscape of Poland. It seems that they cannot "Let Poland Be Poland," thereby indicating their lack of trust in the Polish citizenry.

 

The fact is, as clear from the new PAC By-laws, that there are enough issues facing Polonia itself, correctly leaving Poland to govern itself. We still have a great deal to teach the American people about Polish culture and our heritage. The decline of Polish political power and influence in the United States requires a major campaign here at home. Encouraging the American government to support the aims of the PAC and Polish Americans is a worthy project.

 

There are other matters, of course, that the new By-Laws cannot address, most important among which is the raising of funds, which would enable the impoverished PAC to attain its newly promulgated objectives. Even the best of intentions cannot be met without the financing to support them. In the current economy, that is a more difficult task than ever, but it must be addressed.

 

Defining relevant objectives is certainly a positive forward movement. However, other changes must be made to convince Polonians that the PAC is a democratic body, truly representing Polish Americans and committed to the goals to which it now publicly aspires. That can be a monumental task, but it is absolutely necessary for success.

POLES AND THE MOVIES

 

This could reasonably be called The Movie Edition of Polonia Today Online. We’ve never carried so many stories about the film and video industry in our entire century-long history, ranging from print to internet.

 

Purely be coincidence, it is also a historic time for the Polish movie industry. The exceptional film "The Battle Of Warsaw 1920" ["Bitwa Warszawska 1920"] premiere’s in Chicago this month. I haven’t seen it yet, but I have a ticket for next week and, judging from the trailer that is available at our website, I can hardly wait.

 

The film has been touted as "Poland’s first 3-D movie," "Europe’s first 3-D movie" or "Europe’s first 3-D action movie." Whatever. The promoters may not be able to get the claims right, but that does not much matter. The subject matter is important and some of Poland’s greatest film artists and technicians have been mustered for the production. And, oh yeah, if it means anything to you, did I mention that it is the most expensive film ever made in Poland.

 

"The Battle Of Warsaw 1920," quite naturally made in Polish, is subtitled in English, but, having already spent a small fortune in its creation, it would seem financially viable to also produce an English-dubbed version in order to reach a wide audience. Hopefully, that will be the next step.

 

Another story informs us that "In Darkness" ["W ciemności"] is Poland’s entry for an Oscar in the foreign film feature category. Directed by the famous Agnieszka Holland and already a winner at the Toronto Film Festival, it should have a good shot at winning the golden statuette in Los Angeles.

 

In the Polonia section of the website, you can discover that Hollywood owes a lot to the predominantly Jewish Poles who were instrumental in its creation and phenomenal success. Amazingly, they and other movie pioneers all came from the same part of Poland, where there must be something in the air that produced such entrepreneurial and innovative masters of the screen. Some were wonderful persons, others not quite so loved, but the revelation of their Polish connection should encourage us to learn more about them, as well as announce the fact to the world.

 

Particularly exciting, is that the book "Pollywood," written by a Polish-born writer and director, will be made into a movie in the English language.

 

Not a movie, but a video, which is about as close as you can get, "Poland? Yes!" ["Polska? Tak!"], can be viewed at Polonia Today Online this month. The promotional video features a veritable bevy of internationally known personalities, many of whom are famous movie stars and directors. Produced by a government agency, it is an unabashed paean to Poland, using the latest techniques to introduce people across the globe to the virtues of a great nation. We say "Yes" to Poland every day … perhaps the video will help instill the same affirmative response in a more universal audience.

 

We probably have not said it before, but the Polish film industry is, and has been even through the dark days of occupation, quite outstanding. My library of DVDs includes numerous Polish features. It might be hoped that this edition of Polonia Today Online will encourage others, including non-Poles, to appreciate the talents of Polish filmmakers.

POLISH TEA BAGGERS

 

It may surprise many, because they do not communicate well with the English speaking community, but Poles have their own version of the Tea Bag Party, although they prefer to call themselves by more patriotic sounding names. Oddly, they do not exist in large numbers in Poland itself, but are found mainly in America, particularly in the Chicago area. Hence, they can win Polish election counts in this country, but do not do very well in the land of their birth.

 

Need proof? These ultra-conservative voters, able to vote in Polish elections because they hold Polish passports, gave Jaroslaw Kaczynski a huge winning vote in Chicago, although Bronislaw Komorowski won the presidency with a strong showing in Poland itself. Regardless of the results, most remain enamored with Kaczynski and look upon Komorowski with often disrespectful disdain. Hmmm. Sound familiar?

 

The movement is understandable, if not practicable. Many of these persons are products of the struggle to rid Poland of the communist overlords. As that regime was supposedly to the left, although it acted more like a far right dictatorship, anything that looks or sounds anything like leftist is anathema in their perspective. It isn’t so much a matter of what might simply be a good idea from a practical standpoint. On the contrary, everything is seen in the light of ideology.

 

It is an odd sort of movement, though, in that it has no real impact on Poland itself. Its adherents "sing to the choir," as the saying goes, impressing each other far more than they affect Polish public opinion. They dwell upon such rightwing publications as Gazeta Polska [Poland Gazette] and Nasza Polska [Our Poland], while those papers barely pay attention to their fellow travelers abroad. In short, they do not get much press in Poland, despite their agreement with their natural political companions.

 

Of course, much like the ultra-conservative Tea Baggers, the Polish rightwingers in America see conspiracies in abundance, traitors around every corner and looming socialism in every proposal. It is particularly popular currently to suggest, even to assert, that the current ruling party (in other words, the elected majority party) is bent on the destruction of Poland. Some would even say that it would put an end to its sovereignty.

 

Although the rightist publications previously mentioned may agree with the assertion that the majority party is "socialist," the mainstream Polish press, both in Poland and in elsewhere, describes that party as "center-right" or "center." Unless one sees a bogeyman in every corner, the continuing tendency of the majority party to support a free market, typical democratic institutions, free elections and private ownership renders that description accurate.

 

Of course, Poland’s ruling party, having an affinity for the center mixed with a desire for votes, does support moderate social programs. It is the same sort of situation that encourages hardcore Republicans and Tea Baggers to label those programs as socialist. Not surprisingly, one Tea Bag presidential candidate is even attacking America’s Social Security system on that basis.

 

The rightist leaning of some Polish-born Americans will not last forever, just as the Tea Bag Party will eventually fall off a cliff of its own design. Extreme positions often have a current appeal, but rarely have longevity. Moreover, there are few younger people, born or raised in a country that is basically centrist, in the rightwing Polish movement. Their interest tends toward American issues and they see no future in a political battle centering on the Polish situation.