Racist ads?

There is an ad running on TV in Warsaw that shows a Polish guy in some remote part of Africa that I am sure the writers/client of this commercial has never been. The crux of the ad seems to be that one can use his/her bankcard anywhere. In the commercial, there are Africans in what is meant to be traditional tribal clothing and they are looking at the cash machine as if it is some sort of object from out of space. Then there is a tribesman talking on an iPhone. The whole thing is ridiculous.

I write about this because the commercial is so insensitive I had to wonder how the hell it got on TV. Then I remembered that I live in a very homogeneous place. There is no pressure from other types of people here on the powers that be. So, this type of garbage makes it to TV. Adding fuel to the fire for me was something that happened regarding a commercial not too long ago.

You may have seen the Old Spice ad with the African American guy on the horse. This commercial was banned at first here in Poland by the "ad censors". The people at this government office decided that this commercial was saying that Polish men are inferior. How they got to that brilliant conclusion clearly has a root in ignorance ... one could also call it unintentional racism. Eventually, someone made a more sane decision and allowed the ad to go on the air.

As I think about the bank commercial with the Africans, I begin to see just how ignorant the creators of this ad are. To not see how this is offensive means you are stupid or unknowing. In either case, the client could have asked someone. Someone thought this was funny. Humor is always good, except when it is offensive to others. What would the "ad censors" have done if this commercial was set in a Polish village and the town folk were too stupid to use the cash machine? Would that be funny to them? I hope not. It's not funny to me and it probably isn't funny to a Pole. It is offensive to me because prejudice in any guise is repulsive.

Weird Work Situations

I am not sure how to explain this, but here is a try: my experience with Polish businesses has been that once something concerns money, they become "creepingly" quiet. I really don't know how else to say it. I have had dialogue via email, text and phone with perspective individual and group clients in the planning stage of a project. Things go well and there is often honest dialogue regarding expectations and goals. Then we discuss money. I literally do not hear from these clients again. I presently do some work for a company and I will get emails all day if there is a new project. I mention payment and the emails stop. Literally stop. No response to inquiries. No email explaining that the project is on hold or they are working with someone else. Whereas I used to get really angry, I can now laugh at this behavior. It is the behavior of a child. A frightened child that runs and hides.

I have figured out that I must discuss money or pay at the very beginning. That way, there isn't a barage of emails and calls that are fruitless. So, if you find yourself stuck wondering "what happened?", chances are it has to do with money. Money is very different here. Just pay attention to the news. The normal "cry" of politicians and many, many people is that Poland is a poor country. "There is no none!" Bullshit! There is money here. Look at the construction and renovation going on around the city. But as long as the masses are convinced there isn't, the people making the money can continue to line their pockets.

Ideas

Ahhhhh ... Warsaw in the Springtime! If it would only get above -2C, I think my outlook would get a little better. As it stands now, there is enough snow outside that it literally looks like winter. It also feels like winter. Something is definitley wrong.

There are some of you that read this blog on a regular basis. There are some that visit once or maybe twice. In either case, I need some help.

Does anyone out there have a question they might like answered? Many friends asked me many questions after I moved here. The most common one was "why!?" As I have been unable to think of really interesting things to write about recently, please let me know if you have an idea. I am kinda stuck and need some fresh thinking!

Death of a Child

I saw a news program that reported the death of a child here in Poland. The child died because the emergency service operator (or someone at the emergency center) decided that there was "no emergency" when the parent of this child called the emergency hot line. The ambulance did not come. The parents took the kid to the hospital where he died. If this isn't painful enough, the spokesperson for this ambulance service had the nerve to say at an interview that we should not jump to conclusions about this situation. Tragic. There is no other word. I hope the outrage of the parents sends them into action. The idiot that made this decision is culpable for the death of this kid. Period. It can be spun with many "what ifs", but the fact remains that this person at the ambulance service made a horribly bad call. And a bad call causes suffering and death when your job is to decide a course of action to save peoples lives. What was this person thinking? Why would ambulance service be denied? Did the operator think the caller was playing a joke? Did he/she think the parent was lying? There is no logical reason for denying emergency service.

To the person who denied this kid help ... I hope you are taking a good look at what you have done. If you have a conscious at all, you are probably in a lot of pain and I wish you strength and peace of mind. But I also hope and pray that you find another job. Something that does not require you to decide the welfare of others.

My heart goes out to the parents.

Driving Hell (a.k.a. Warsaw)

In the past three weeks, I have received a ticket for having no International Driving Permit, a speeding ticket thanks to the absurd road cameras that make people speed up even more once they drive past it, and a parking ticket based upon a no parking sign that clearly all 20 cars on the block did not see. I am in car hell here. It is at a point where I think I will go to Germany, get a license and a license plate and then return to Warsaw. This is actually seeming more and more logical. The police and other road cops here are simply ... how can I put it ... stupid. I don't know how else to explain it. They seem to have no mind of their own. They cannot use what intellect they may have to fully understand a situation. Maybe they are doing their jobs, but they are over zealous. They kinda remind me of California cops. And it doesn't take much research to find out that California cops have many, many issues.

To make matters even more crazy, I cannot renew my US Drivers' License from here because the state of Wisconsin has decided that I do not have any mail with a Wisconsin address on it. When I explained that I am here temporarily and have had all of my mail forwarded here, they got even more confused. Does Wisconsin and Poland have similar people working in the government? Maybe they are the same people. They certainly have the same intellect. There is no reasoning with these people. They see a single rule as being iron-clad and fully functional. No use pointing out the fallacy or absurdity of the law. Although many people besides me have tried, the worker in these offices are brain dead. They are powerless and are not allowed to think.

As you may have noticed, I am pretty disgusted with a lot of things right now. Maybe all of my bad luck is happening at the beginning of the year. Maybe 2013 will get better later. I hope so. Otherwise, it is time to get the hell out of here. Living in Warsaw is extremely difficult sometimes. The worse part is that it doesn't have to be this way. So many people I know living in Warsaw say the same thing: "Why is it so hard to live here?!" I am feeling this to the core. It is just too hard. The worse part is that people here accept it. I think they may not realize there is a better way.

Cable/Satellite TV

These companies seem to be the same greedy, unreliable, "highway robbing" type of companies everywhere. I know for sure they are similar in Poland and the US. The service provided is so below any level of expectations that it is absurd. It would be almost laughable to spend money on this service if it wasn't for the fact that one does not really have a choice if they want to have a variety of programming. These companies lack real competition. Until this changes, we can expect to be treated in the same manner that they have always behaved. I know a change is somewhat happening in the US as these companies are now being held a little more responsible for their "lack" of action. Not so in Warsaw.

Our dealings with Cyfra Plus has be absolutely a nightmare. They are, without a doubt, the worse I have ever seen. If you move to Warsaw, do yourself a favor and choose any other company. This company is worthless. When one calls their "help" line, one should be prepared to be transferred, given another number to call or worse, given the wrong solution to your problem. We have had to call this company well over ten times in the past month. It wasn't until we yelled and threatened them that they fixed the problem. When asked what the problem was, they did not know! Our signal would not work and all of a sudden it worked after threatened to cancel the contract. Hmmm.

Also a note of caution. The so-called CI card that should descramble the signal from Cyfra Plus does not work on all channels. Why? Because then one has to rent their box descrambler for a monthly fee. My next move? Universal descambler ... fuck Cyfra Plus.

How to Drive in Warsaw

1. Get in your car, take a deep breath, and call upon your inner aggression.

2. Talk yourself into anger. It is important that you be pissed off at everyone and everything.

3. Remember, you are the only car on the road that matters.

4. Pull off as fast and recklessly as you possibly can. If there are children, animals or old people near, become more reckless and aggressive.

5. Under no circumstances do you allow anyone to get in front of you. If a driver's blinker is on so that he/she can move into your lane, speed up to make sure this doesn't happen.

6. If another driver's choice is either to get into your lane or run into something, remember that the world is overpopulated and you are contributing to population control by allowing the other driver to crash and die.

7. If a driver cuts in front of you, speed up, go around him/her and create a situation that should almost certainly lead to a car accident and, with any luck, a fatal crash. That driver had no right to get into your lane and he did it because he knows you are a pussy and you won't do anything about it.

8. Get particularly pissed off and aggressive at any driver over 40 years old.

9. Speed up at crosswalks so that you have to stop suddenly.

10. And finally... if you are driving crazily or towing another car using a small child's jump rope, and you see a cop giving some other driver a citation, don't worry nor fret. The cops are only concerned with writing the ticket and you can get away with whatever you are doing. Also, make sure to pick up your mobile and text someone as you pass the cops.