Semi-democracy, Polish Style

Mr. Kaziu’s family lives in an apartment block with a caretaker who, as befits a caretaker, decides everything. The caretaker is a leftist — he promises a lot, but lately he has been ruling a bit too much.

His wife says that the previous right-wing caretaker was better, supposedly more balanced, even if he was a schemer. But for Mr. Kaziu, it makes no difference. It’s all mixed together anyway: left and right. Once someone like that gets hold of power, it never ends.

So far, no one has started carrying furniture out of Mr. Kaziu’s apartment, but the caretaker has already taken a thing or two from the neighbors. He claims he does it in the name of the law. He doesn’t actually say which law, but the law is the law. No discussion.

Soon there will be another election for the caretaker, and everyone in the building has a problem again, because once more there are only two candidates: the current caretaker and his predecessor. Whoever you choose, nothing will change.

Admittedly, the son keeps talking about introducing direct and democratic co-governance in the building. For Mr. Kaziu, that’s pure black magic. How could anyone oppose the caretaker and drop ballots into a box by the entrance? The caretaker has always been there and has always decided everything. None of the caretakers were good, and all of them promised a lot and did nothing — but deciding things ourselves? Strange. And the caretaker would never agree to such a solution. After all, the residents would immediately strip him of all privileges and even make him pay rent like everyone else.

Lately, the caretaker has also been talking about American guests who are supposed to move into the building and, as he puts it, “be a guarantee of security.” True, the residents are expected to pay for their stay, but still — America is America. The son says this has nothing to do with security and is merely about becoming dependent on the Yankees, who are supposedly there to protect the Ukrainians on the first floor. But what does he know? He’s young and keeps talking about “sovereigns” — probably confusing them with basements.

So it is what it is — except that the son keeps nagging about co-governance in the building, supposedly electronic, via a phone. Could he be right? Impossible. Young people these days have their heads turned upside down… They want democracy, and yet the caretaker himself says he governs democratically. So what’s the problem?

P.S. Imagine that Mr. Kaziu’s apartment block is Poland, the changing caretakers are KO and PiS, and Mr. Kaziu himself is Polish society — confused, disoriented, and overly trusting.