An attempt to redefine history from the point of view of political correctness is ridiculous. Unfortunately, it is dangerous – says in an interview with the portal wPolityce.pl prof. Jan Żaryn, acting director of the Institute of National Thought Heritage Roman Dmowski and Ignacy Jan Paderewski.
wPolityce.pl: Princeton University plans to remove the name of Thomas Woodrow Wilson from the name of one of the faculties. The reason is supposed to be the alleged racist views of the former US president. How do you assess this idea?
Professor Jan Żaryn: An attempt to redefine history from the point of view of political correctness is ridiculous. Unfortunately, it is dangerous. We have in history examples of the practice of applying the Orwellian principle of seeing the past, and we define it as a tool used by occupation or totalitarian regimes.
Woodrow Wilson also has its own significance in Polish history.
In this case, it is worth emphasizing that Wilson’s presidency was associated with a very important Polish accent. He broke with Monroe’s doctrine. This involved entering the armed conflict alongside France, Great Britain, and alongside Polish affairs, which were then represented by Dmowski and Paderewski. It brought us independence. As Poles, we are aware of gratitude. That is why we were able to appreciate Wilson and Hoover. If someone in the form of President Thomas Woodrow Wilson tries to see the carrier of incorrect views, he simultaneously pours Poland and Poles out of this traditional view of our values, such as patriotism and the will to live in a sovereign homeland
How to defend yourself against such activities?
Tools that seem so dangerous are media and aggression. I mean physical aggression and the aggressiveness of creating institutions dedicated to this aggression. This is the destruction of monuments, setting cars on fire, but also examples from history, i.e. concentration camps, camps, destruction of millions of people in the name of race or class. The prescription is universal education, i.e. an attempt to find a place in the world against leftist ideologies. Removing monuments or withdrawing school reading is proof that there are no moral boundaries for this intellectual option that would allow for a different vision of the world. This is also the difference between broadly understood left and right. We, as witnesses on God’s earth, know that there is a higher order that must be feared. However, there is no reason to give in to those who are not afraid of this fear.
You mentioned the characters of Roman Dmowski and Ignacy Jan Paderewski. One hundred and one years ago the Versailles Treaty was signed. What was the role of these two politicians?
Thanks to Ignacy Jan Paderewski and Roman Dmowski, we were able to participate in Versailles as an entity, not an object. We were co-authors, as evidenced by the anniversary of the signing of the treaty today. Both Paderewski and Dmowski could have the great satisfaction that their patriotism, their ability to understand Polish needs, and the battle for Poland to be independent, were crowned with great success on that day. There is no shadow of doubt that Paderewski and Dmowski had as diplomats with reasons of Polish national interests to break through against many environments reluctant to Poland. We have violated the political interests of other countries. If they wanted to be correct and settle for just patting on the shoulder, we would not have the Independent. It is a day when it can be said that national interests have not lost their relevance. They do not have to be in the interests of other nations. There is no such obligation. It is important to be able to bring these interests to light every day, have the power of persuasion, be a lover of your homeland to such an extent that you are not afraid of correctness. At all times there was a danger that slaves would be responsible for Polish politics. One hundred and one years ago, Paderewski and Dmowski were not slaves of other people’s correctness.
Not. TK
–
