I'm disappointed
I know my account is basically dead but it's the only place I feel safe expressing my thoughts without the possible flood of trolls.
I'm Polish and I live in Poland. I consume media in 3 languages and that includes online spaces. I'm constantly trying to be informed, even if it makes me uncomfortable in reading propaganda - I need to know both sides. Not to make a judgment, but to know how to fight it. What buffles me is the fact, that my government and a lot of people (mostly influencers and celebrities) support Isr*el. Now, I need to explain a little bit of Polish history.
Between 1772 and 1795 Poland was partitioned by three huge countries - Austria, Prussia and Russia. The last partition that happened in 1795 marked the death of Poland as a country. From that year on, poles were systematically colonized and the oppressors tried to eradicate our country. We were seen as lower people. We fought. In 1792, 1830, 1863. And those were not the only uprisings that happened. People who have fought were imprisoned or sent to Syberia - and ultimately killed.
During the Great War, we didn't have one army. Poles served under German, Russian and Austrian uniforms and that means we killed each other. And we did it to show the more mighty countries that we deserve to be seen as a country. And we succeeded in 1918 - Poland was reborn. It was small, way smaller than it was in 1772. It was also poor and because of the years of oppression, we were really behind with everything. But, we were free.
We had our freedom for mere 20 years. In 1939, when both Germany and Russia attacked, we were ultimately partitioned yet again. Even historians call it the 4th partition. Poland was erased from the maps yet again. Poles (and not only us! There were Belarusians, Ukrainians and Jews living there and they too suffered the same fate) were tortured, raped and killed for being Polish. They were put to camps like Treblinka or they were sent away to Germany or Syberia to work and many of them died because of that. My late grandma's friend, we called her Jeżka, was a teenager who was sent away to work in Germany during the war. Her family died and she came back with a man she met there and decided to marry him. She never talked about what happened to her, she never wanted to. My father's uncle was sent to a camp in Sztutowo. We don't know what happened to him. He might have survived but the things that he had lived through must have tortured him untill his end.
The war ended in 1945, but not for us. Up untill the late 50s there was a strong resistance movement towards the new communist government that was installed in Poland without our agreement. Since the 1945 up untill 1990 we were under Russia's control. The men and women who fought and their families were punished. Poles were not silent, they fought. Up untill 1989, there were a lot of protests - some of them ended bloody. Between 1881 and 1883 we had a martial law. People who were in the resistance were arrested. In the first week only - 10 thousand people. My teacher's father was brutally beaten up by the police and she and her family saw everything. She was less than 15 in 1881. As a response, people went on strikes and some of them were killed as a result.
That was not the end of the fight, but I don't want to wrte everything because that is not the point of this post. In 1989 the government organized the first free democratic voting and the Poles decided - we want to be free.
Now, back the the topic I wanted to vent on a little. Knowing the newest history of Poland, I can't wrap my head around on how some of the Poles and our government supports Isr*el. By supporting what's been happening in Gaza since the 50s, you agree with the logic and the propaganda that was used on your ancestors. Knowing what happened in your family, in your friends' family - do you really agree with that's happening tho those people in Gaza?
Talk to your grandma. Make her tell you the things that the Nazis did to her, her friends and family. Talk to your grandpa, who has seen death and couldn't bury his closest people.
Your late grandparents and great grandparents who were murdered because of their nationality must be proud of you.
I'm sorry for the post, I needed to write how disappointed in my own people I am. I'm sorry for any mistakes since English is not my first language.
