Effects of Living under Communism in Poland

I have an idea myself of how it has affected myself and my parents. But I am interested in hearing how living under Communism has affected others. Can you please share? Thank you! Also, if you would like to comment to that discussion on my blog, the link is

Thank you!

Polish Mama on the Prairie

Please don't use your blog addy as if it were a signature. Thank you

Is there any need to link to your blog? It's an interesting discussion, and we can discuss it right here.

This is my heritage of the communist time, as one chart 77 member put it:

In dictatorships we [were] more fortunate than you in the West, in one respect - we believed nothing of what we read in the newspapers, and nothing of what we watched on television, because we knew it's propaganda and lies.

Due to communism they have become more human although it might strike as peculiar.I mean everyone was equal then(except the more equal) and the tradition has somehow remained.

Wow!
Southern, it's the first and probably the last time I have to agree with you.

z darius, that is a really interesting thought. I completely did not think about that, but your statement is completely true. My parents do not believe everything they hear and read and would always tell me that the news was propoganda, you know the old phrase "Believe none of what you read and half of what you see" (which I am not sure who originally said that in order to credit them), my parents would always tell me to take in information but to remember that you have to think about the goals of the person sharing it with you, what their personal goals may be may not be honest or to your benefit. Thank you!

delphiandomine, I posted my link instead of retyping the first of many observations I have made in regards to my personal experience, as it would take too long to retype it all, and because I just started that series so it will be an ongoing one, I would think it unfair & perhaps causing a bias if I first list all my observations. I am interested right now in hearing others rather than listing my own. :)

southern, may I ask if what you are saying indirectly that perhaps that family became more important (in the aspect of being "more human") and courtesy was much more a fact of social interaction? I am trying to fully understand your observation, could you clarify?

Thanks all!

Biiiiig topic. Huge.

Interesting to see if people say what they really think rather than what they were taught to think...

My sincere apologies on it appearing as if I am trying to only promote my blog. I am genuinely interested in this subject, as I have always wondered how social & political systems affect a population, specifically one which I have been affected with as well. Please continue the discussion!

Living in communism sure trained an instinct in me never to believe what mainstream media are saying.

I also have some organization joining phobia.

And I think once you've experienced living in a miserable society you have easier time understanding disadvantaged groups and not think it's all their fault.

I never lived in communism (I wouldn't count a voluntary two month visit in the 80's) but I certainly acquired all three points (though my own experience of being born into the segregated south also showed me that disadvantaged groups often cooperate in maintaining their disadvantaged position....)

One effect now is communism as a benchmark. It has very much become Now Vs Then for a lot of old people that haven't made the transition to the modern world so easily. I heard it even today in the bank where an old woman was telling me that too many people are scurrying about in the rat race and that things are far less certain now.

One needn't have lived under Commieism to learn this. All they need do is live in America today and pick up a newspaper or turn on network news for all the Lying Leftist propaganda they will ever need.

The difference is that you'd not end up in jail for saying publicly that last night's evening news was total crap in the US. In Poland that was a real possibility.

Maybe so.

Another difference between the Commie past and the Commie today is that today the Leftists who control the Media present their propaganda willingly rather than under state orders. Today they use their freedom to lie to their paying customers and the world.

It always amazes me that some folks who will so rip the Commie prop. while giving the LibCommie prop. of today a pass. Today is worse.

No no! In Communist Poland you could publicly say that "last night's evening news was total crap in the US".

I am just saying that communism increased social solidarity because in order to survive people had to help each other(for example waiting in the queau for a friend) while not everything was financially and materially measured.Now this kind of solidarity has vanished but aspects of human behavior coming from the lack of social classes during communism remain.

southern, that's a great point, and I thought that was what you meant, but I wasn't sure. That is true, people did help one another in order to survive. Do you feel that is something that no longer occurs in democratic Poland?

Oh, very much so. How would you rationally explain to authorities that you had an access to American TV? Oh boy, you'd be in serious trouble.

You were a rebel just for listening to radio Free Europe.

I do not see any difference between communism and capitalism in a sense that the power wants to control you, in fact communism you could not go outside of borders but in capitalism you cannot afford to go outside of boarders so in one state controls everything in other the banks does you as citizen of either get screwed regardless one gives you illusion of freedom the other illusion of prison the one enslave you physically the other enslaves you monetarily the only one constant thing is you are slave to a system

it has in the past glory days of socialistics made most peoples better as it has prepared them for life as belonging to one mass organism, and people speak and thinks as one. This is of course most revolutionary and desired. The Polish working folk have left the cadres, alas, and headed straight for the shopping mall in an effort to become Homo Consumericus.

waitaminute, what the hell happened to my Kim Jiong-il avatar??

Oh...errr... well you see Panie Milicjancie, I'm a Masonic Zionist with connections to Mr Rothschild. Now, how would you like to keep your job? Run along now, and keep up the good work.


Nowadays, you're a rebel if you don't listen to Radio Maryja.

I think the ruggedness that came with communism has stayed. Things which are basic to most Westerners seems to elude the older generation here. I held the door open for 7 elderly folk today and only one said thanks. They just don't have a clue how to behave in the modern world.

Seanus, do you think it is at least in part to do with a fear from that time of having interaction with someone and ending up being arrested or interrogated? Or perhaps (or along with that) the shock of seeing horrific events of WWII and following that the starvations, arrests, shootings, etc. of Communist times has them shut down from social interaction on that level? Bc many older folks in Poland still live today did live through WWII, many as children, and I cannot imagine the mental trauma that would have caused...

I was thinking along the lines of how it affected me. I buy way too many canned goods to store for just in case, even though I never personally experienced the food shortages. I triple think all purchases and try to pay cash, partly because I don't want my transactions tracked for the financial gain of some company. My parents taught me to speak only a short time on the telephone and not to discuss personal information on the telephone bc who-knows-who will use that info who-know-how. Etc...

Some might say that older system (communism) was more vividly totalitarian.
This one is creating some kind of optical/ cognitive illusion, so it's more dangerous.

Polishmama, that could well play its part. There is certainly an undercurrent of paranoia and suspicion at large. The only reason I don't get the Spanish Inquisition every time is that my face fits.

Poland does not have the hardcore soviet mentality which is still prevalent in eastern Ukraine and parts of Russia.Hardcore soviet means that they were very stubborn people and pushed a lot without any attention to market values.In this mentality for example the salesman is more important than the customer the customer is almost nothing and has to obey the capriccios and orders of the salesman.It is exactly the opposite from the western world where the customer is considered to be the king.

It is very difficult to tackle the hardcore communist soviet mentality because these people were supposed to be touch and endure lack of comforts unimaginable in the West.(giving important advantage in case of war).

There was a joke:
Soviet man meets American, and American says "You know in America we have democracy and everyone can say that our president suck."And the Soviet man replays:"Pheew,we have the same democracy in the Soviet Union,everyone can say that your president suck."

On a superficial level, Poland despite busily rebuilding still retains lots of ugly grey blocky architecture. The centers of many towns especially those with old and historic building are in desperate need of up keep, terribly sad. I can understand why the Polish love their landscape so much and being outside and enjoying nature.

Reagan told that one to Gorbi :)

Interesting.


Yes, it is must easier to deal with someone who is openly a jerk to your face. At least you know what they are. Today's CommieLiberalism is much more insidious, much more sneaky... they're smile at you as they take your freedoms. As you say, much more dangerous.