Freud was right. Kind of.

  From http://judaizers.tumblr.com/

Being pro-human rights and anti-discrimination puts one in positions that certain people may find contradictory.  A man can be pro-male (such as by supporting International Men's Day) and try to raise awareness of issues like violence against men by women.  At the same time, one can also try to raise awareness of violence against women (to give one example from Amnesty International) and discrimination against women.  It goes without saying (I would hope) that women all over the world face discrimination and violence.

In that line I would like to draw your attention to something that has been bugging me for a while.  In the various campaigns against governmental cuts/for greater gender equality one arouses all manner of opposition.  This opposition may be considered, or can be based on the standard prejudice against the left-wing.  Sometimes, however, its gender specific, to a disturbing degree. 

"You should have your tongue ripped out!"

Sometimes, those who are at the forefront of creative campaigns are women.  It's them who receive a barrage of abuse which goes beyond the standard anti-left-wing prejudice.  The fact is that these women become a scapegoat for all that is seen to be a threat.  A look at this article by Helen Lewis Hastely will demonstrate that.

Here's a few quotes from what people have said to her and other bloggers online:

"deserve to die at the rusty scissors of a backstreet abortionist" 

"IF THIS TRASH TALKING KUNT HAD HER FUCKING, TONGUE RIPPED OUT OF HER SUCK-HOLE..."

Male bloggers appear to not receive such gender-related abuse.  There the onus is more on accusations regarding the lack of intelligence or the standard anti-left-wing stuff.

When it's not abuse, it's patronising or a liberal form of victim playing that comes into play.  For example, Suzanne Moore wrote an article dealing with online sexist abuse in the Guardian.  The first comments were:

"This is a conversation..."

Really? It seems to be the latest in a stream of diatribes on this topic from female contributors to the Graun. Maybe a male viewpoint could be forthcoming ATL?
Men-hating is all over the internet – believe me, I know
Now , rather than viewing it as a one gender issue Suzanne, lets try and be really constructive and useful and try and think of ways we can all come together ( Men and Women ) and try and eradicate this problem together.
What about man haters,they are all over the internet too. Any ideas what we can do about them Suzanne?"

I very much doubt whether the comments are genuine attempts to deal openly with the subject of sexism by both sexes.  I see such comments as being an attempt to avoid talking about male sexism.  Let me be clear, such examples of online abuse of women are obviously unpleasant for the women involved.  It's more than that though, they set the tone for making such abuse acceptable, and can lead to an increase in actual violent attacks by men on women.


Why does this happen?

1. The women appear "weaker" and therefore are an easy target for bullying.

2. The abusers believe that politics is man's business (they may like Thatcher, who is however respected for her "masculine" characteristics) and therefore want to shut women up.

3. They are afraid of women.

Having a bath and looking at ones genitals in the mirror

I once attended a theology course whereby we had one session about feminist theology.  To be honest I went there assuming it was to be two hours of anti-male stuff.  The lecturer told us a story which went something like, "Years ago I did a talk on feminism at an all-women event.  At the end a woman told me that she had had a bath before the event, as she assumed that we would all be given small mirrors and asked to sit in a circle looking at our vaginas", and went onto show that feminism is about fighting domination (and "patriarchy"; I avoid this term myself though agree with what is meant).  I came out saying "Bloody right!"

In other words, feminism is seen as a threat.  Somewhere beneath all that bluster there is the fear of women doing "bad" things.  That can mean that men have less power in societies.  It can also be tied to more left-wing policies coming into being, more democracy.  This is rational.  Many feminists want these things.  (So do I!)  It can however mean a fear of losing not just political, societal and economic power, it can also mean a fear for.....well, what?  I will here speculate that "castration anxiety" plays a big part here.:

"Symbolic castration anxiety refers to the fear of being degraded, dominated or made insignificant, usually an irrational fear where the person will go to extreme lengths to save their pride and/or perceives trivial things as being degrading making their anxiety restrictive and sometimes damaging." (From wiki)

 From castrationcomplex.blogspot.com

That article shows that such an anxiety (with the resulting fear of female sexuality) has been a component in literature for centuries.  (Hence women being scapegoated.)  Freud himself put the issue being resolved by passively submitting to authority (the father).  Now, that Freud based this on his Oedipus complex theory leads me to doubt this.  That however, as shown in this article by Mia Hepburn such a fear is a lot older than Freud, shows that the issue was one of a cultural male fear of having sex with "strange" women, or that the triumphant entry of the male into the vagina is followed by a diminished ending.

Whether one agrees with that or not, one would be more open to agreeing with Dr. Stephen Diamond that the way of resolving the "castration complex" is: "At the end of the day, men and women need to become more aware of the psychological source of our mutual apprehension, mistrust and animosity in order to transcend it. Angrily projecting the blame on each other for our own fears of sex, love and intimacy simply won't do.  [...]  Knowing our own complexes, fears of intimacy and defense mechanisms against it, and addressing them therapeutically, is crucial (From here).

These specific men are not victims

In discussing this issue with women I have been told twice by women that they admit to "castration" or "Delilah" desires (metaphorically!), wanting to emasculate men.  Of course, two women don't make up the billions of women who exist, but some women are sexist against men and abuse them.  These two women were self-aware enough to recognise their desires and work with them.  (Female abuse of men is a subject I shall deal with separately later this year, as I don't wish that the the issue becomes confused with the subject of this article.)

These men who write abusive messages online have no excuses for their behaviour.  I am simply speculating as to the reasons for such actions.  I believe that all people, whether male or female can have unconscious fears regarding the other sex, fears which in the examples above turn into pretty ugly threats, ugly threats that are intolerable.

A raging hatred of women is frowned upon by society, therefore it finds outlet online.  Focuses on combating sexism by men against women tend to concentrate on the decisive level, on thought patterns and conditioning.  Less work on fear is done.

In any case, people who live in Wrocław can help by attending the feminist event Manifa from the 8th till the 11th of March.  More details here.

What do you think?  Please write your opinions in the comments underneath.

Otherwise, you can follow this blog now on Twitter or on Facebook. 

(Please excuse the slightly slanted text in the centre of this article.)

Dresden, 13th February 2012. Part II

 Picture taken from a Roman Catholic student group

Whenever fascists/racists march, the reaction usually contains a mixture of utter stupidity (from the state apparatus, media and a handful of anti-fascists) and utter brilliance (from the anti-fascists and other parts of civic society).  The recent case of the Nazi march in Dresden on the 13th of February this year saw largely a positive example of openly combating fascism and racism.

Regarding other racist marches it is the ONR/NOP marches of Warsaw and Wroclaw (now a tradition on the 11th of November) that are mostly similar to that in Dresden.  Anti-EDL or anti-Pro-Köln/Deutschland protests focus on groups/marches that deal largely with Islamophobia (though anti-immigration and anti-socialism is also a feature) and therefore the anti-fascists build contacts with Muslims.  Regarding Dresden or the ONR/NOP marches the focus is on national myths of history, as well as on how to commemorate events of the past.  Consequently, the reaction to the Dresden Nazi march offers lessons for Polish anti-fascists.

Summary

The Allied bombing of Dresden on the night of the 13th and 14th of February 1945 led to the deaths of about 25,000 civilians and destruction of the city.  This was clearly a war crime.  Commemoration of the event until 1990 was led by communist state authorities who concentrated the commemoration on fighting imperialism, and left no room for individual biographies and memories to be recognised.  After 1990 it was the case that it was Nazis who took the lead in commemorating the event, seeking to portray Germans as being the "victims" of WWII, a myth held by many people in Dresden (just to be clear here, those who died during the bombing were victims.  It doesn't mean that Germany as such was a victim of WWII).  To begin with, in Dresden, only a few hundred Nazis marched through town.  By the 2000s this had increased to a few thousand, supported by Nazis from other countries.  Accordingly, anti-fascist numbers (left-wingers, anarchists, Christians) also increased.

 

The Nazis have tended to do their main march on the nearest Saturday to the 13th, wanting to gain bigger numbers. This led of course to bigger numbers of anti-fascists being able to come.  Last year saw, for the third time in a row, a successful blockade of the Nazi march.  However, the public discourse saw a focus on violence, as the police were particularly violent last year (as were some anti-fasicsts, some of whom having been provoked by police and Nazi violence).  Afterwards, anti-fascist and other civic society organisations saw themselves criminalised by the Saxony state, whereby offices were occupied, people were stripped naked and phone numbers of 40,000 people were taken illegally by the police.

2012 saw the Nazis being demoralised and divided.  Many didn't want to do their main march on the nearest Saturday, as they didn't want to face a humiliating blockade again.

2012 also saw the Saxony government making changes, wanting to avoid the problems of last year.  A cross-party political group was set up to organise a civic commemoration of the event, a "traces of the perpetrator" march by anti-fascists was finally legalised, and generally the police were better prepared and less willing to use violence (though tear gas was used on some anti-fascists).  Owing to this, and also the news about the Zwickau Nazi cell more people turned up to the human chain, some of which also went onto the anti-fascist blockade.  It seemed that the mainstream had had enough of Nazis and violence dominating the anniversary.

Posters by state institutions, businesses and NGOs (such as shown here) have been in existance in Dresden for a few years now.  What was different this year, however, was the determination to give a respectful commemoration to those who died, while still remembering that it was Germans who had started WWII, and that Nazis are still a problem in Germany.  While anti-fascists and other civic society organisations had been saying this for year, 2012 was the first time when this became the narrative of the anniversary.  In addition, the anti-fascist blockade was fairly successful, forcing the Nazi march route to be massively shortened.  In the end less Nazis came to Dresden than expected, about 1,200 (compared to 5,000 anti-fascists).  "Dresden Nazifrei" are calling this the end of the big Nazi marches in Dresden.

News reports largely said the following: The commemoration of the event was dignified, the mainstream of Dresden took part, churches provided a platform for commemoration, remembering the dead was linked to being anti-Nazi (white roses were laid in remembrance of those who died, more about this later).  The anti-fascist blockade was also seen to be positive.

Analysis

The narrative was visual and moving: People old enough to remember the event was interviewed and photographed.  The laying of white roses and lighting of candles in front of the Frauenkirche and in many churches provided the mainstream with the opportunity to do something dignified.  Bells were tolled.  The anti-fascists were colourful, musical and lively, and largely seen to be positive.  I would say that it was anti-fascists who took the lead in opposing Nazis, and the mainstream followed.  Indeed, a leading politician of Germany, wothisname said that "one cannot criminalise those who combat fascism".  Perhaps the prejudice against anti-fascists is lessening?

On the one hand, I find the usage of white roses to commemorate the dead to be slightly questionable, to be honest.  White roses are of course the symbol of the "Weisse Rose", a group of Protestants who were a resistance group in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg.  Those who died in Dresden were not necessarily those who actively resisted the Nazis.  Some of them may have done.  Some of them may have also been big supporters of the Nazis.  There is an old myth in Germany (well, old in western Germany) that it was a minority of Germans who were responsible for the crimes of the Nazis, or that the public couldn't do anything against the the Nazis.  However, it is nonetheless good that the official way now of remembering those who died is being tied to being anti-Nazi, something that, I believe, led to the wider acceptance of the anti-fascists this year.  Indeed, the white roses are officially signs that "people from Dresden stand against those who use the 13th of February 1945 to promote anti-democratic and inhumane ideologies [...] By wearing white roses that we show that our remembrance has a diferent horizon: A sign for the ending of war, racism and violence!"

A second protest against fascism has taken place on the 18th of February, a report will follow in part III of this report, together with a consideration as to the future of Nazi marches in Germany.

Now, what about Poland?

The lessons are probably obvious to the reader, but I'll highlight a few ones:

Actually turn up to protest, and block

A strong anti-fascist base is a foundation for success in combatting racists.  Blockades frustrate Nazis and demoralise them and make them less likely to turn up.  Making it clear (to quote the Protestant church in Germany, "love requires clarity") our opposition to them in big numbers makes a difference.  It also makes being Nazi "uncool".  In Poland we need all people concerned about the ONR/NOP and other nationalists to actually turn up to their marches to achieve similar successes, instead of sitting on their arses complaining.  While some may be afraid of being attacked, the truth is that Polish people have traditionally included people who have stood up to people who attack us.  There is strength in numbers.

A positive message is needed

The Nazi message in Dresden was essentially negative (something acknowledged by the NPD), of being the "victims".  The anti-fascist message was positive, lively, musical and "cool".  Somehow the anti-fascist events in Poland were not seen as positive, despite the music and colour in Warsaw.  We need to strongly portray fun to the media and mainstream.  We need our counter-demos to be obviously happy events, not just negative.  We need to be clearer in our alternative to nationalism in order to win more people over.  There are obvious messages that we can portray: From 11/11/18 Poles could vote in elections, they could form their political parties, they were not under foreign occupation, Poland was multi-cultural.  Those are things to celebrate.  You know that, stupidly, many believe that the anti-fascists in Poland are against Poland not being occupied.  Let's not just say "blokujemy", let's say "swietujemy".  No, let us promote the celebration of the creation of a multicultural and free Poland.  (Of course, one can take the view that nation states lead to the abuse of people via the centralisation of power, the creation of a monopoly of violence and concentration of the human identity on one particular part of our identities.  However, one can still say that Polish people should have the same rights as people in other countries.  In any case, freedom should always be emphasised.)

Be visual

The visual message is important.  Let's have clear symbols that portray our message, symbols that average people can use.  Like in many places, flowers and candles are popular symbols in Poland.  Despite our rightful reservations about the RC church in Poland, such symbols are useful.  We need symbolic actions that people can do, more than shouting chants at Nazis.  If, for example, a rynek became an area where people were invited to light red and white candles in order to create a big Polish flag, or with other colours to promote a multicultural Poland, or if we threw flowers at Nazis when they throw lit torches at us, if people got soup and paid donations, if people could buy grilled cheese with cranberry sauce and other foods from Poland, if people could attend poetry reading from Polish poets, hear music performed (say, by Gorecki) on the street, people will receive a better message.  There are enough creative people within anti-fascism to come up with some good visual symbols.

This involves all of us

Civic society shouldn't, as Andrzej Rychard said, just leave it to the anti-fascists.  We need governmental institutions, churches and NGOs to make clear their opposition to racism.  Now, of course, we all know that there are people within the first two groups who tend towards the ONR/NOP rather than us.  But not all of them do.  Those of you who have connecti ons within such groups needs to think about how you can corporately show your opposition to Nazis, while still (as in Dresden) promoting a positive message.  Posters can be part of this, like the ones I showed here.

Get off your arse

Across central and eastern Europe Nazis are getting more active.  In the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovenia, Bulgaria and in Romania Roma are being attacked.  In Serbia, Montenegro and again in Hungary gays are being persecuted.  Here in Poland of course, Wrocław has lately seen new Nazi graffiti appear (to be reflected upon in a later article), gays need police protection during their parades and there has been an arson attack on a house where Roma live, to name just a few examples.  Are we to wait till the situation gets worse before we react, or we are to work for fighting Nazism now?

In any case, let us strengthen a spirit of criticism.  People in Poland often like to complain, anyway!  Let's use this criticism to test things in the public sphere.  I have an example here of a student group in Wroclaw that tolerates racists.  You'll have to wait till another article to find out more about that however.  To keep in touch with this blog, "like" Wroclaw workshops on Facebook.

Review: Róża

Thank you, culture.pl

Wojtek Smarzowski is the film director of the grotesque films "Wesele" and "Dom zły", films which take an unflinching look what life in Poland can bring.  Certainly, Wesele may be somewhat OTT, but themes of alcohol, corruption and social hypocrisy regarding sex can be features of life in Poland (though of course this isn't limited to Poland!).  Dom zły also shows the abuse of alcohol and corruption (this time at the state administrative level), while dealing with difficult historical areas (the militia and secret police and their abuses).

Róża is also uncompromising.  Certainly, the first scene of the film sets the scene for the film in that it shows a rape and murder of a Polish woman by a German soldier during the German counter-attack during the Warsaw Uprising, watched by her husband, Tadeusz.

The film is based around the figure of Róża, a woman who suffers all manner of abuses during the film, and is set in Mazury, an area which used to be part of East Prussia (part of Germany) and became Polish possession towards the beginning of the film.  Now, ethnic groups in Poland are quite a complicated business (despite what many will say, talking as they do of "proto-Germans" and "proto-Poles"); you just need to know that Masurians have a mixed ethnic background, and tended, by the 20th century to be German speaking Lutherans, though, as the film shows, many could also speak Polish, as Róża does in the film, as well as the other main character, Tadeusz.  Some define themselves as being Masurians, not German or Polish.

That she is not seen to be Polish and lives alone on a farm leads to terrible events for Róża, including being raped and beaten many times, despite the attempts of Tadeusz to (occasionally successfully) fight off those who attack her.

The film has two main plots: Róża and the attacks on her (as well as those on the German speaking community in the village) and the story of Tadeusz.  With the former, it shows what happened to the areas which had been in Germany, the discrimination towards Germans (not being given food, having their possessions being plundered, being beaten by Soviet and Polish militia, being raped), as well as the "repatriation" of Poles from the east of what was pre-1945 Poland (a family speaking the dialect of eastern Poland appears to live in and eventually take over Róża's house).  To add to that we see Germans being forcibly expelled to the new borders of Germany.

Regarding Taduesz, he had fought in the Armia Krajowa partisan army.  Now, members of the Armia Krajowa were viewed with suspicion by Soviet and later Polish authorities (the later Polish communist head Władysław Gomułka said "Soldiers of AK are a hostile element which must be removed without mercy").  For this reason Tadeusz tries to keep his head down to avoid being detected.  He eventually meets someone who had also been "in the woods" (euphemism for being a partisan) who urges him to declare his past to the communist authorities, something he declines to do (something that results with Tadeusz being arrested, tortured and imprisoned).

In doing so, the film deals with a few essential themes, relevant for modern Poland.

Rape is a key feature of the film.  As I said, one sees a Polish woman raped at the start.  Róza is raped many times, as is the Polish woman who comes to live with her.  Like as shown in the film Anomyma, the rapes were perpetrated by members of the Red Army (one mass-rape by Red Army soldiers is also shown in the film).  However, the film also shows the rape of Róża by Poles.  This is a very important issue.  The film was made by a Pole, and is, as far as I know, the first film made in Poland to thematise the abuse of German woman by Polish men.

It's a similar case with the discrimination towards Germans, showed in their eventual expulsion towards the new version of Germany.  The film shows Polish officials and militia organising and carrying out that expulsion.  The depiction of rape follows the line of Anomyma which came out in 2009 was the first film in Germany to bring the attention of the mass rape of German woman by Soviet soldiers (certainly, Die Blechtrommel in 1979 did contain a rape scene; however it wasn't the main story of the film) shows that this is a sensitive theme that is only now being addressed openly (this was a repressed theme in the GDR, and in the BDR the official myth of German victimhood during and after WWII was dominant, though that was heavily challenged in the 1960s).

Róża is therefore a contribution towards the efforts of Germans in coming to terms with their past (following a Czech near-equivalent, Habermann in 2010 which partly deals with Czech abuses of Germans, including their expulsion from the Sudetenland after the end of WWII.  Thanks to a reader for that tip).  This is a healthy development at the mass level, supported by smaller initiatives, such as this talk between a German woman who feared for being raped in Wrocław* after the end of WWII and a Polish former forced labourer; as well as that by Karta, who have organised meetings between German expellees and Poles who are now living in the towns the Germans used to live in, Poles who themselves had been expelled from areas now in Belarus and the Ukraine.

While the film may prompt debate in Germany, I am interested as to what impact the film will have in Poland.  As I wrote here, there is a tension in Poland regarding the themes of the rape of German woman by Polish men, the expulsion of Germans, as well as, to a smaller degree, Stalinist terror in Poland from 1944.  Despite the views of some foreigners, Poland is more than Warsaw and the issues of the Nazis and the communists; the issue of the "reclaimed territories" is a big issue not often dealt with in a productive way.

Is the film any good?  Well, for someone like myself aware of the context of tensions in Poland and Germany about these issues, it was interesting.  Generally the film is difficult.  While murder is commonly shown in films, rape is not.  For that reason, perhaps, I found the rape scenes to be horrific (of course, rape is horrific, but we are less sensitised to the depiction of it in films than with murder).  Otherwise, the acting in the film is very good.

I therefore can recommend the film.

* Of course, the story of Mazury is similar to that of Lower Silesia, whereby Germans (and, regarding stealing and rape, Poles as well) faced similar ordeals.

"On February 6th, at seven o'clock in the morning, Renata B. a girl of fifteen, who was on the way to the children's mass in [...] the church of St. Mary-on-the=Sand, was stopped by a Polish militiaman.  He dragged her into a demolished building, raped her, and stole her clothes"

From an eyewitness account by a Polish man, quoted in "Microcosm: Portrait of a Central European City" by Norman Davies

I watched the film in a cinema containing a high proportion of elderly people, people old enough to have been those expelled from the east to Wrocław, and old enough to have experienced those times.  If only there had been an open discussion about the film afterwards.

PS: Seeing as Germans supported Poles who took a stand for democracy and against racism last November, perhaps Poles could so likewise on next Monday (the 13th) and/or next Saturday (the 18th)?  Poles were deffo there last year.

Sex and domination in Wrocław

Just a quickie (innuendo intended).

I have just watched the film "Wszytko co kocham", a film one can watch online in Polish here.  It's about young lads having a punk band during the start of martial law in Poland in 1981 and the effect it has on their family and, of course, love life.  It's interesting insofar that it shows well what Poland looked like then and shows the uncertainty of life in those days (a girl was to flee to Germany, meaning that the guy would probably never see her again).

One scene in the film showed the band performing at a gig.  As one of the band had been beaten by the military police the crowd started chanting "Solidarność" and the band played a song that had not yet passed censorship.  That the act was one of rebellion there was an intense energy there, one of being against something oppressive.

Now of course, according to many western (Reagonomics/Thatcherite) people, Poland is "free".  Certainly, we have democracy now and freedom of movement.

Freedom is more nuanced than that, however.  Let's look at what's happened in Wrocław today:

This evening an event (a film plus discussion) about feminist pornography was to take place.  Owing to a protest from a Facebook group organised by "KoLiber Wrocław"* (KoLiber meaning conservative-liberal) the event was cancelled this morning.

One should know that feminist pornography takes the view that sexism by men against women is a key component of mainstream pornography and therefore women play more of a role in the setting of the scenes.  One does not have to be a fan of pornography (or even feminist pornography) to see the need for, in a democratic "free" country being able to discuss such issues openly.

This is however Poland in 2012 we are talking about.  No matter that Wrocław is the "city of tolerance".  Wrocław is after all the city where fascists can march unimpeded by democrats and where they can freely attack them and where LGBT marches need police protection.  Wrocław is seemingly the city of institutional censorship (though the event may eventually take place).  Seriously, if musicians wish to find the same energy of the punk bands of the early 1980's, they should concentrate on the modern-day anti-democracy forces.

Incidentally, a brief look at the "attendees" of the protest against the event includes one guy with an NOP symbol.  Of course, one can be supported by all manner of people; saying that, administrators of Facebook groups can be more discerning in who they allow into their group.  Perhaps the Priest I see as an attendee can say something about that.  I also note that KoLiber Wrocław is a fan of xenophobe Neil Farange.  I am not alleging that Wroclaw (or KoLiber) are a bunch of raging Nazis, I am saying that the suppression of discussion about issues of the abuse of women is anti-democratic.  The linking together of feminist pornography with child pornography also shows an argument lacking in intellect.

I would therefore like to take this opportunity therefore to promote "sick views":  Here is some feminist pornography.

EDIT: The event will now take place in Falanster at 6pm, Wednesday the 11th of January. (English.  Polish.) 

* I put a question on the Facebook group of "KoLiber Wrocław" asking them about what they thought about having a supporter who has a symbol of NOP as his picture.  My question was deleted.

I shall therefore take it that they don't like questions about whether they have supporters who support anti-semitism, racism and homophobia.  I appreciate it is not an comfortable question to answer, though it would be easy to answer "no" to my question.  I note also the connections between the group and the fascist parade last November.  Again, I'm not saying that there's a bunch of Nazis, just that they have a connection to them.

Wanted: Intelligent, enlightened, deep and humourous writers (i.e. you)

I wish you a successful, happy and radical new year as we move onwards into 2012.

North Korea - Pyongyang :: Fairground Amusement Park 5.  From tide theory

You may have noticed the new look for the site.  I hope you like it (comments, as ever, underneath.)

It's not just the site design that's got something new about it, for this new year of 2012 (for some reason the numbers look good) there's going to be a few new features:

The aforementioned "Taboos and other subjects to piss people off" series.  I've already made a start there with some research into the British Empire (coming across the deaths of millions in a "famine" in India, as well as torture by British military in Kenya).  I've also done a fair bit of an article about online sexism by men against women (linking that with the "castration complex"), as well as looking into intersexuality.

I also plan to do a "Beer of the month" series, to help people to get to know good beers which one can drink here in Poland.

Finally, here's the reason for the title above: 

 If you pardon the American spelling of "arse"

I'm looking for people who already have a blog or website to write articles on this blog.  I want people who can write articles that are interesting, ones that let us know about something that one doesn't usually hear about.  They'll be part of a series that I'm calling "Wrocław: The heart of Europe".

(I'm doing that ironically.  Wrocław is supposed to be the "heart of Europe" due to its geographical location.  One has to bear in mind that "Europe" is a concept with no clear borders (despite what some may think); this engraving by Sebastian Münster from 1550-4 gives a view of where Europe exists

There you'll see that Bohemia is at the heart level, and Wrocław is more at the level of the *ahem*, well you can see for yourself.  In any case, according to Juliusz Słowacki it is Warsaw which is Europe's heart.  The question of where Europe geographically begins and ends is further complicated by the fact that some countries in Europe have territories in South America, North Africa and one certain countries' head of state is also the head of state of countries in North America and Australasia.  Seeing as American culture has influenced European culture, for better or for worse, and that species of birds live within the course of one year in both Europe and Africa, one comes to the conclusion that Europe is better seen as a flimsy concept than anything geographical.)

Anyway, all that is to say that I don't care where you come from or live; if you can write interesting articles then you'll do.  You may decide to take a geographical approach (I myself would be interested in hearing from protestors against Putin in Russia, or Kurds from Turkey) or not (any subject that is of interest to you, such as trees, cooking, sex, or whatever.)  That Wrocław is supposed to be "the meeting place" it makes sense for this blog being used to bring together many cultures (geographical and nongeographical) together.  Perhaps for inspiration you can look through the various articles you see on the right.

It doesn't have to be perfect English.  If needed I could tidy the English up a bit if you so wished.  Or if you write in German I would translate it.

(Of course, this is my blog, and I will exercise my power of deciding which articles or parts of articles to use.  Propaganda about how your country contains the best food/women/alcohol/hospitality will not find a place here, as will articles about how bad Romany/the Ukrainians/Israel are.)

So, if you have something cool to say, please write to wroclawworkshops@gmail.com with your idea for your article, and we shall move further.  As readers of this blog, I am sure that you people with intelligent things to say :)

Why should you do this?  Well, apart from getting flattery from me, there is also the chance to spread your wisdom around.  At the same time, you will gain a new readership via those who read my blog.  Meanwhile, you shall advertise your article on your blog/website, thus bringing a new readership to my blog.  It's a sharing exercise.  A purely positive event.

Join me!

The anniversary of martial law in Poland, 13/12/11

"Martial law in Poland (Polish: Stan wojenny w Polsce, "the state of war") refers to the period of time from December 13, 1981 to July 22, 1983, when the authoritarian government of the People's Republic of Poland drastically restricted normal life by introducing martial law in an attempt to crush political opposition to it. Thousands of opposition activists were interned without charge and as many as 100 people were killed.  Although martial law was lifted in 1983, many of the political prisoners were not released until the general amnesty in 1986."  (From wikipedia).

Surely this is a time for calm reflection of the events, and to pay respects to those who were killed and tortured, no?

No.

Thanks to Gazeta Wyborcza, we know that that everyone's favourite bunch of rabid xenophobic homophobes PiS held a march to commemorate the beginning of martial law.  "Tusk to Berlin!", they shouted.  As the article says, members of the march they also paid respect to the fascist anti-semite Roman Dmowski, as well as having a homophobic banner.  Jarosław Kaczyński said that the "Polish state is sick".  He agrees with me!?  Nah.  His accusations were more towards Tusk and the rest of the ruling party, PO.

Meanwhile, in Wrocław, another mild well-reflected group paid their own respects:

Yes, the people who attack Jews, deny the Shoah, honour a fascist (see photo above) and attack a Romany house in Łódż.  The NOP.

During their march they chanted "Communists will hang", thus demonstrating, for the hard of understanding, that they are fascists (wanting to kill your political opponents is a big clue.)  They walked from the Cathedral Island to the city centre.  As I said here, this kind of thing is an attempt to claim the public space.  Unfortunately there was no protest against the fascists.  I daresay, that they think that we are all Stalinists, that a counter-demo would need some police protection.  Again.  If we had been there, we would certainly have been, to quote Professor Andrzej Rychard, "left alone".

So, the rabid right claim the public space and narrative again, with no counter-voice.  That, as Andrzej Rychard said is because Polish civil society is weak.  What we need is for democrats to do their own events, to stop enabling fascists and other xenophobes to dominate the narrative and therefore take control of the space, and bring other people to their message.

Oh, by the way, I've discovered an excellent blog looking at such matters.  This article supports the thesis that there is no "left-wing extremism" and that we need to concentrate on Nazis.

Keep in touch.

Alternative places to eat in Wrocław

The main websites that write about Wrocław don't tend to write about the places I go to, so to make up for that here's a quick review of some good places in Wrocław where you can get a bite to eat, or get some beverages down your necks.

 Złe mięso

The interesting thing with Wrocław is that there is, in fact, a choice facing the person who wishes to avoid the samey places full of tourists and students.

Let's start with vegetarian food.  The best place for vegetarian and vegan food in my opinion is Bar Vega on the Rynek.  Like I've said many times about Polish food, there is a big selection of some decent grub made from vegetables that are very tasty.  They also do a load of Polish foods.  Of course, I've written before about how good food in Poland can be in Bar Mleczny, but there one can be certain that someone won't speak a bit of dead flesh onto your pierogi.  Unlike the other places, it has a basic look.  One goes there for good grub, not for identifying with something.  It's also fairly cheap.

They also do excellent drinks

In fact  it is doubtful if Bar Vega could be classed as alternative.  It veers quite close to mainstream.  That it is vegetarian/vegan though brings out the tag.  Same with Greenway, where one can get some very decent grub, also within the city centre.


Zle mięso ("bad meat") is a new place.  Unlike with the restrained tastes of Bar Vega, being in Złe mięso is an experience for more than the mouth.  It looks good, with cool modern art (see photo above).  To tell the truth, I walked in there the other day having been told that the food isn't very good and is expensive (EDIT: in fact this view has been repeated in two online reviews about the place), and that they play techno.  In fact I walked in to hear Public Enemy, which I took to be a good sign.  While in Bar Vega you'll find that a cross section of people go there, in Złe mięso you'll find younger people, a people more into tattoos and piercings.  I'm all for that, myself.  It's in places like Złe mięso where the (made for business) slogan of "Wrocław: The meeting place" can be more actualised.  Additionally, they only sell good beer (no Tyskie shite there).  The food?  Well I've heard of mixed experiences.  I had vege burger and chips and liked it (though the bread was McDonald's style, i.e. not too good, which is strange in a country like Poland with excellent bread).  They do fast food as well as "more exotic" food like falafel and spagetti.

I didn't like the toilets, however.  They only had one set and that means that women can see men at the urinals.  Złe mięso is close to the Rynek more or less across the road from BWA.  One thing I liked about the place was that it's spacious so one can take prams and pushchairs in, and when I was there there were children and a dog.

The other main place for decent grub is Nalanda.  It's a bit outside of the city centre on Plac Kościuzki (by Renoma).  There one can get more traditionally Polish food like pierogi and also my favourite soft drink: kwas chlebowy.  They also sell books, largely about art, esoteric stuff, books for children and books about food, among others.  

 

The mood there is different the other alternative places in that those who go there tend to be older, by which I mean over 30 and beyond 40.  That gives it a calmer atmosphere (the music which tends to be played there tends to be meditative).  They occasionally have events like concerts and readings.

For drinks and snacks one has a choice between Falanster and Kalaczakra.

Falanster looks more modern and the people who go there tend to be older and more part of the so-called "new left", i.e. young politically active people, who may also be artists.  I won't lie, Falanster is my favourite place in Wrocław.  They've got a ton of good books (including in English).  I feel more intelligent for being there.  For food they do cakes and muffins, as well as a few nice sarnies.  They also have some decent soft drinks (such as fruit cocktails) and they only sell good beer.

They have a load of interesting events, such as concerts, talks about politics, activism, history, gender issues and other stuff like monthly organic food fairs and actions for Amnesty International).  They also have an art gallery in the back.  Not only that, but they have a good selection of fair trade stuff, such as coffee, tea, chocolate, curry pastes and chillies.*  They never play shite music.  Being on św. Antoniego it's slightly outside of the city centre (a five minute walk away from Plac Solny), but well worth trying out.  Indeed, my offer still stands.

Kalaczakra is also for young people, except that you are more likely to get students there (Falanster tends to have those who have finished their studies and have started to work), and I believe that there are many more girls there than lads.  Similar to but more so than Nalada, it's got more of a new age feel to it.

Apart from the usual hot drinks one (including ginger in hot water with lemon and honey) can also buy alcohol (however, one has to leave Kalaczakra and go into the neighbouring place to buy alcohol, where one can smoke, i.e. one comes back smelling like shite).  They also do sarnies and cakes.  The music they play is mixed, sometimes cool and nice, sometimes chart music.

So, Wrocław does have an alternative scene, one with enough variation within it to appeal to different people.

Perhaps you know of other places, or wish to disagree with my points above.  Feel free to add a comment below.  Otherwise, feel free to "like" or "share" this article for any friends who may be interested.

Keep in touch.

* As well as Falanster, Sklep Jarmarki Świata sell Fair Trade goods.  This site has a big selection of the stuff (foods, clothes, gifts) you can order.