Just like those who watch only network news or CNN, and only get one perspective
Piwo,
no. The truth is that people who watch CNN also watch MSNBC, ABC etc and many people who watch FOX - do watch it for all information as like this was the best source for everything. THere are statistics about it. People who watch CNN are more random, people who watch FoxNews are very devoted to just this station.
The same with radio Maryja - people who listen to radio MARyja do not listen to anything else. Weird? Is it not?
Jaga,
My mothers friend listenes to
radio Maryja, and watches
Trwam tv,
but also watched the Polish 24 hours (commercial) news chanal and the
Polish state tv. I've got the impression that some Poles are occupied by
a double fear, first for the "
Old Communist agenda", secondly for a
Western invasion (this time in the Form of a Capitalist take over, and
Germany occupying Poland again in an economical way - many German
families and companies buy Polish real estate and property).
I really tasted resentment against the Western influence, which "
threatens
the Polish national interest, which is keeping Poland Polish and traditional
Catholic".
The strong sentiment is based on the will of a
National Unity,
keeping Poland Polish by rejecting foreign infuences, and sticking
to a strict form of Catholic tradtions, customs and absolute faith.
And you know what, I can understand that very well, because the heritage
of partititions, German and Russian occupation, himuliation by Czarism,
Nazism and Sovjet communism sits deep.
I saw or witnessed a strong determination to built a new Poland,
to create a Poland based on Polish values, keeping it's heritage by
restoring it, and in the same time making a big progress.
The Westernization (Economical growth, Western products, Western
buildings, Western popular culture, Western stile media, and so
also the Western hedonism and decadence from Western-Europe and
America) goes fast in the same time.
And for some old fashionate Poles that process goes to fast, and some
see an evil connection between the former Communists who
enriched themselves via corruption and the new decadence of
the Western culture. Some believe that prostitution grew under
the former
SLD/
PSL government, and that it was even promoted
by the
SLD and it's media, because the first
sex advertisementsappeared in the
left newspapers.
The supporters of the
PiS,
LPR and
Samoobrona also state that
under the
SLD there was less Police on the street and that the
crime figures rose. Now they say we have a New York stile
Zero tolerance policy and a Moral conservative government
who fights corruption, crime and
Western decadence (no Gay
parades, closing of Gay bars in Warsaw and etc.).
I have to state however that I did not saw any signs of Xenophobia,
racism or hostilities against foreigners in Warsaw, because Poles
are guestfree, polite and disciplined people.
In Warsaw I saw groups of American, Israeli, Spanish, Italian,
Japanese, German and Dutch tourists.
I don't know what to believe, because I don't speak Polish,
but I just express here what I heared from Poles in Poland
and abroad, who spoke English with me.
And I only met with Conservative Catholic Nationalists and
with Liberal-conservative capitalists.
It seemed to me that the
PiS and
LPR element dominated,
with some
PSL and
SLD counterveiling powers, probably from
the neigbourhoods with former Communist functionairies and
their offspring, and the workers neigbourhoods.
A few days was not enough for me to get a ballanced,
unbiased picture. And I am biased, because I do believe
Poland is (a little bit) a reactionairy Catholic, Nationalist,
and Isolationalist country.
From my experiance you can see how dangerous it is to
believe someone's experiance and story, because I tell
you that I got information form one side, but if I would not
have told you so, maybe some of you would have believed
that I told you the objective truth.
The truth is that in Poland I got the rightwing, Pro-government
view, and that only on the street I could form my own
opinion. The opposition seemed silent to me.
Only the radicals were present with their posters and
graffiti. I only hope that Poland is a solid, stabile and
balanced parlaimentairy democracy.
Last thing I want to say is that Poland is a democracy and if the
Poles want a Conservative and Populist government that is their
good right.
Pieter