Comments on: Sir Francis Bacon and the secret of Poland

By: Katherine

Katherine — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 06:52:35 +0000

If you want to get into a suffering contest between women in communism and capitalism, which for people in the US really means comparing Russia and the US, then I would ignore our stereotypes of capitalism and communism. Yes, of course, communism brought more women into public life at work.
Look at what women in Poland have to deal with from their men. Then you will have an answer to the suffering contest question and it might cause you to put aside stereotypes about -isms, like communism and capitalism.
Many middle and working class married mothers live, as McCracken wrote, as single mothers because they have to carry the weight of the whole world and their families on their backs.

By: Peter

Peter — Sat, 02 Jun 2007 02:27:09 +0000

Jens — Was communism actually superior to capitalism with regard to gender roles? I understand that the USSR had a greater proportion of women doctors than any western country. But, doctors were relatively lowly paid, and without the status they have in the west.

By: Tom Guarriello

Tom Guarriello — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 17:19:37 +0000

What masterful thinking and writing, Grant. Thanks for this whole series of travelogue reflections. They were just wonderful.

By: Carol Gee

Carol Gee — Thu, 31 May 2007 15:10:16 +0000

For an accidental tourist, your post sported a refreshing humility. Anthropology can, if not careful, stand above and observe. I assume that people in countries experience you being “with” them, “present,” at times awed, and never superior. Too bad other American travelers can’t manage a bit more of that. Sometimes we’re just awful!
Thanks for the ride-along.

By: jens

jens — Thu, 31 May 2007 03:10:15 +0000

dilys: karl marx kept the cinderella out. – you can find the same kind of independence in most ex-communist states (china too). – gender roles is one of the few aspects where communism was far superior to western culture.

By: Francis

Francis — Thu, 31 May 2007 01:31:56 +0000

Grant,

You cant win. As an avid reader not responder I would sometimes like it if you were less insightful, not so at one with what surrounds you, even when this involves change in surroundings at breakneck speed. As one can feel a little intimidated and disinclined to respond (maybe just me!). Of course if you did bring it back down to the realms of the mass market, airport book insights then i wouldnt lurk. As i say, you cant win. Anyway, just wanted to say thanks, it is always so enjoyable to explore culture with you.

BTW, went back and had a look at the Craig Ferguson (brand exemplar blog) and i could not help but think what the McCracken brand would read like. There is definately something of the co-conspiratorial in there!

Cheers.

francis.

By: Cherie

Cherie — Wed, 30 May 2007 21:05:17 +0000

I found the whole piece interesting, but this section especially caught my attention:

“… we should look at the history of occupied cultures for traces of a “transgressive” tendency … In Canada, it leads to a rigid, almost frightened, compliance. Someone knows how the world works, but, clearly, it’s not nous.”

You consider Canada an occupied culture? That was something that I never considered. Occupied by whom? Britain? The U.S.A.? Both?

By: dilys

dilys — Wed, 30 May 2007 16:14:30 +0000

“Poland has suffered constant occupation and interference.”

It all just deepens the mystery, as to why and how Poland has *survived* the occupation and interference, and recently generated such phenomena as Solidarity, and the artist-theologian John Paul Magnus. Among my acquaintances, there are more inarticulate “I visited Poland and fell in love with it” stories than anywhere else, including Paris.

If those Polish marriages are “happy,” at the same time wives are competent and contented without obsession over their husbands, there’s another mystery: how did they escape the Cinderella infestation?

All this deserves more study, with the question of Poland’s selected singularities in view. Details of the proprietary data might lead *you* to some hypotheses eventually, even if you can’t disclose them.

A flourishing indoor Polish drzewo or kwiat taking notes as the humans equivocate — a memorable shop-talk cartoon!