Jan Spiewak: Patostate. How the elite ravage our country

Why do Polish housing estates match caged housing alternatively than being good places to live? Why are we drinking more alcohol than in PRL? Why are we working longer and under worse conditions than most of Europe? Why do conventional and social media advance pathologies? Why do Poles repay the most costly mortgages in the Union? Why do millions of Poles not have access to public transport? Why do Polish institutions match farms? Why have there been the same faces in politics for 35 years? Tens of hard questions, hundreds of unfunny answers. The author recalls that the state can do a large deal of good for citizens, if it only pursues the interests of the community, alternatively than the strongest. Together we can almost everything, apart little. In the meantime, welcome to the state (from the publisher's description).

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Pathomedia

The function of the media is to bring profit and to keep the prevailing ideology. conventional media supported by celebrities and influencers discipline society, enabling them to work hard and accept increasing inequalities and deteriorating surviving conditions.

A fewer years ago, on a barrier in London, individual painted a conviction with paint that captured me with their aim."News: Rich people say mediate class to blame mediocre people". Notable linguist Noam Chomsky erstwhile wrote that "propagation for democracy is what a baton is for the authoritarian state". The main tool of propaganda is the mass media. Chomsky argues that the media is primarily afraid with what he calls "fabricating consent" to the operation of the system. That is, building public support for actions and policies that are beneficial to the richest and large business. Media has long since ceased to play the function of a separate (fourth) power and has become an integral part of the existing strategy – both politically and economically.

The media are profit-oriented companies and will do anything to accomplish it. The contents are to click, not to be reliably informed.

In addition, journalists self-censor themselves in fear of criticism of their environment, advertisers, media owners, the failure of political contacts, and increasingly the recipients themselves. This is the consequence of the increasing political polarization and the emergence of identity media, which service 1 hermetic mark group. In order to fabricate consent, you request to direct anger 1 way. The enemy is usually the weaker and stranger: the poor, the immigrants, the workers, the mothers, the children, the supporters of the “second” main party.

An example of the unprecedented engagement of the media in defending the interests of the wealthiest part of society, as well as corporations, was the public discussion on the 500 plus programme and the inflationary crisis from 2022 to 2023.

At the time, the media gave voice to people who were notoriously mistaken in their forecasts, and in no way verified their words. Politicians, economists and experts who, on a gigantic scale, misled the public, promising Poland's bankruptcy due to the social policy of the government and convincing that advanced inflation will last for years, proceed to bridle in the media and are treated as authorities in their fields.

On 500 plus no money

The 500 plus program was a flagship promise in the Law and Justice run before the elections in October 2015. In the first assumptions, the benefit was to be for the second and each child. It was initially presented by politicians as a prescription for demographic collapse, which later became the subject of valid criticism. However, it was not the demographic failure of the 500 plus program that caused the most negative emotions, but its egalitarian dimension. Millions of Poles may have found that the state has effective tools to solve their problems. It does not just gotta take away, but it can besides ‘give’, and not only ‘pathology on benefits’.

The thought of introducing a programme of cash transfers to children was initially accepted by liberal elites with a large deal of mistrust. Economists and politicians agreed that Poland has no money for 500 plus and the remainder of social promises. On the day of the elections in October 2015, the Finance Minister of Donald Tusk's government Jacek Vincent-Rostowski spoke words which were later repeatedly cited in the propaganda of Law and Justice directed against the PO: "For those promises the Law and Justice has made, there is simply no money and will not be until the end of this term"[2].

The number of negative opinions towards the programme increased after its implementation in spring 2016. The leader of the Modern Richard Petru at RMF FM then argued that 500 plus “can overturn the economical government”: “PiS no longer has money for it next year. Everything can be done on the Pope, but the economy cannot stand it"[3]. Marian Noga, prof. of economics and erstwhile Rector of the Wroclaw Academy of Economics, explained in an interview with ISBnews in April 2016, that by 500 plus the Polish government would not find buyers for its bonds: “It is simply a pure fiction that cannot be financed even from deficits, due to the fact that Polish bonds would should be bought and with specified government behaviour Polish bonds would become junk”[4].

500 plus this “publication”

The concerns of economists were besides raised by the fact that money would go to “people from the social margin” and would be a form of “distribution”. Financial analyst Piotr Kuczyński argued that this money could be better spent on investments in nursery, kindergarten and wellness care in schools. His message reflects the communicative that the elites later accepted in the criticism of the program: cash transfers are pointless and this money should be allocated to institutions. This sounds good, but someway no 1 has always implemented this postulate before or after. It has been argued that money will besides be given to rich people, which is unfair, and mediocre people, by default irresponsible people, will waste it. Kuczyński, it seems, was the first to usage the word “republication” in the context of 500 plus: “Giving both rich and poor, as well – I hesitate a small – the social margin of PLN 500 per kid It's a risky decision and I think it is. simple publishing, where nothing follows”[5]. It is worth noting how emotionally and morally charged this message is, and yet it falls from the mouth of a man presented as an nonsubjective expert. A communicative that says that money goes to “social pathology” will come back with full force for the next decade.

In February 2016, prof. Magdalena Wednesday interviewed the Political Critic Portal, in which she expressed a popular elite thesis that the 500 plus program would be directed to people from the alleged social margin and encouraged them to multiply[6]. Co-founder of the Feminist Women's legislature felt that the social assistance strategy in Poland was working well and appropriate measures had already gone to mediocre children. However, Wednesday did not take into account the reports of the Central Statistical Office, which indicated that nearly 1 in 4 children in Poland lived in poorness in 2014, i.e. in a state of inadequacy of basic material needs.

According to the ethic, the 500 plus program will inevitably lead to an increase in alcoholism: “This money will mostly be drunk.” The prof. besides did not believe that you could cope with transfers and payment of benefits: “Even my neighbor, who has no thought of politics, says that she has a sound mind, neither the municipality nor The country can't stand it.. Especially there are many who will give birth to more children for 500 PLN. There is simply a household who keeps tiny children in drawers due to the fact that they have no beds, but erstwhile they get help, They don't buy beds, they drink.. For any reason, PiS cares about specified families and children” [7].

Jeremi Mordasewicz, an expert of the Confederate Leviathan, who brings together private employers, besides argued on TOK FM radio in February 2016: “I will now say something that may bulge and be very unpopular, but it may be time to look it in the eye. Do we mean that children should be born in families with a strong work ethos that can give them a good upbringing, or do we mean that children should be born at all?”[8].

Deputy Prime Minister Janusz Piechociński of the Polish People's organization expressed a akin opinion. Looking for reasons for his government's defeat in the 2015 election, he said: “It is no secret that people get tired of 1 power and trust the other. Plus were bought for 500 PLN due to the fact that it is 266 cans of beer”[9]. He said: “No, I do not insult, I know specified cases and I know that they are not isolated. any have already spent this money on the 500 zł per child." These words are even more shocking erstwhile we consider that they were spoken by a politician whose formation has in the name of “people” and refers to peasant roots.

500 plus leads to an increase in alcoholism

The fact that the 500 plus program led to an increase in alcoholism and force was besides convinced by actor Jerzy Stuhr, himself a fewer years later convicted of driving drunk[10]. In a column Memories of a beautiful summertime for 500+ He wrote: “For me this summer, Poland was a drunk Pole in the sea and 5 rescuers who pulled him out. For me, this summer, he's a drunk who couldn't get down from Giewont, and the chopper had to pull him off for thousands of gold. For me this summer, this is the guy who got out of the car and beat up a female who was going through the lanes correctly. For me, the summertime is the 1 who attacked the beacher in Dziwnow, on the beach. The summertime is besides men sitting on the beach from 5am to take a seat. beautiful summer. For 500+”[11].

“Newsweek” besides argued that the 500 plus program corrupts Poles and contributes to alcohol abuse. In the already celebrated text Holiday on the Baltic? We've got a Hun raid. We have learned that since the introduction of children’s assistance, guests are “stealing”, “they will vomit the upholstery” and “they will not sober up”[12]. Quoted in the text, scientist Dorota Zawadzka, known as Supernia, broke her hands over the behaviour of parents who “drinking and being aggressive.” The same article cited the past that happened at the sea of writer Agata Młynarska: “And then 2 retired teachers from Kalisz went to Młynarska. They had tears in their eyes. They love Władysławowo. But that's another 1 that's gone. Now they are terrified, from everywhere loud music, ears swell from disco polo and all those “fuck off”, on the beach cans and glass, wound their feet from broken beer bottles. The mill was moved’[13].

Indeed, the number of families with children who went on vacation after the 500 plus programme was record. According to CBOS, at least 43% of children were able to weigh at least 1 week in 2013 and 65% in 2018. But there's no evidence that the 500 plus money was drunk. As stated by the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy in 2017, only 0.03% of families received aid in kind alternatively of money. These cases were related to farms where social services reported serious educational problems. global studies indicate that cash transfers will even reduce alcohol and another drug spending[14].

The conclusion was that improving the material situation helps people get out of addictions and bad habits.

[...]

Jan Spiewak, Patostate. About how elites ravage our country, WAB Publishing House, 2025

Footnotes:

Pathomedia
[2] Rostowski: At the promises of PiS there is no money and there will be no money in the following years, 22 October 2015, Interia.pl, https://business.interia.pl/economy/news-rostowski-on-promise-written-no-money-and-no-bedzie-ich,nId,4035548 [date of access: 20.09.2024].
[3] Konrad Piasecki, Ryszard Petru: 500 plus can economically overturn the government, 4 April 2016, RMF24.pl, https://www.rmf24.pl/facts/Polish/news-ryszard-petru-500-plus-moze-economic-wrocic-government,nId,2173243#crp_state=1 [access date: 22.09.2024].
[4] Marek Knitter, Marcin Noga: RPP should keep interest rates at current level by the end of the year, 13 April 2016, Forsal.pl, https://forsal.pl/articles/935828,m-leg-rpp-should-hold-interest-rates-on-current-level-to-final-year.html [access date: 22.09.2024].
[5] Piotr Kuczyński: 500 zł per kid is simply a simple publishing of money, after which nothing goes on, 16 November 2015, PolskieRadio24.pl, https://polskieradio24.pl/article/1544155,piotr-kuczynski-500-zl-on-child-to-simple-renewal-money-for-whom-nothing-id [date of access: 20.09.2024].
[6] Cezary Michalski, Wednesday: PiS is simply a Bolshevik political method in the service of the right-wing cultural war, February 15, 2016, Political criticism, https://critic policy.pl/country/sroda-pis-to-bolshevik-political method-in-service-right-cultural-war/ [date of access: 22.09.2024].
[7] Ibid.
[8] ECG broadcast, TOK FM, February 4, 2016.
[9] Magdalena Rigamonti, Piechociński: You'll inactive miss Poland in ruins (interview), 21 January 2016, GazetaPrawna.pl, https://www.gasetarawna.pl/news/articles/919041,piechocinski-yet-research-za-polska-w-ruinie-interview.html [access date: 20.09.2024].
[10] Beata Kołodziej, Judged in the case of actor Jerzy S., 1 March 2023, PAP.pl, https://www.pap.pl/updates/news%2C1543198%2Czadl-judgment-in-case-actor-jerzego-s.html [access date: 20.09.2024]. Footnotes — 387
[11] Jerzy Stuhr, Okem Jerzy Stuhr: Memoirs of a charming summertime for 500+, September 7, 2019, Gazeta Krakowska, https://plus.gazetarakowska.pl/okem-jerzy-stuhra-memories-sweet-summer-za-500/ar/c15-14403935 [access date: 20.09.2024].
[12] Anna Szulc, vacation on the Baltic? “We are raiding Huns,” says an experienced rescuer from Pomerania, 31 July 2016, Newsweek.pl, https://www.newsweek.pl/polacy-over-baltic-meaning-hunow-state-kiepski-i-mlynarska/cjnvxd9 [access date: 22.09.2024].
[13] Ibid.
[14] David K. Evans, Anna Popova, Cash Transfers and Temptation Goods, "Economic improvement and Cultural Change" 2017, 65 (2), 189–221.