By Aleksander N.
Indeed, there's nothing a journalist likes more than to report on a surnameless individual photographed with an identity bar across the eyes, and quite a few must be hoping that one of these days we'll have a President Andrzej L., whose sensational antics will nourish a press pack feeding frenzy of unprecedented proportions.
For now, though, the hacks will have to make do with the country's most famous film producer, Lew R., or with Grzegorz W., the ex-president of PZU Życie, the life insurance arm of the state-controlled PZU, or Zbigniew S., the former deputy minister for home affairs. And, if your publication is looking for an agony aunt columnist who could advise readers on their sex lives, then why not turn to Andrzej S., one of the country's best-known sexologists?
Well, there are a couple of reasons why this latter suggestion might not get off the ground, starting with the fact that the prison authorities will probably insist on censoring Mr. S.'s mail. And would a spotty teenager whose mother caught him in the act of conducting a one-armed symphony really feel too safe in the knowledge that his plea for help and guidance had first been read by a bunch of hard-faced screws?
That said, the whole sick affair is no laughing matter. Andrzej S. stands accused of pe-dophilia, after photo-graphs portraying him sexually abusing child-ren were found in a dustbin near his flat. The well-regarded psy-chologist, who had often testified in court as an expert in child abuse cases (and it seems he was more knowledgeable about the matter than he'd been given credit for), was standing by wa-tching the police sift through the rubbish when an officer clo-cked him as the nonce in question.
Press reports have been contradictory since then, with some saying he's confessed to child abuse, while others claim his lawyer has submitted a plea of 'not guilty.'
But what was really fascinating was the reaction of some of Andrzej S.'s colleagues. Famous psychologists, some of them specialized in the therapy of child abuse victims, lambasted the press for their coverage of the case, claiming that as the sexologist was a famous person the surname initial was enough for most of the public to immediately recognize his identity. Indeed, Jacek Santorski, the publisher of some of the once-esteemed sex guru's works, apparently wept in public over his friend's fate, saying through the tears that he would like to "apologize to the victim, Andrzej S., and his loved ones." Andrzej S., his fellow psychologist and publisher asserted, was simply a victim of a concerted witch-hunt by the country's media.
Interestingly, in addition to being an expert therapist, Andrzej S. was also a novelist. His Bowl of Glass Balls is the diary of a child psychologist who sexually abuses his patients, viz. children who have been molested by their parents. The protagonist is arrested after the disappearance of some of his patients and then writes his memoirs while languishing in jail. Curiously though, while the author's "colleagues and friends" who signed a letter in his defense say that the book contains "obvious autobiographical references," none claim to have seen anything suspicious in Andrzej S.'s behavior.
The ardency with which these people leapt to their colleague's defense is strangely reminiscent of another open letter to the media, signed a year and a half ago by a score of filmmakers who claimed they knew a certain 'Lew R.' to be an upstanding character. The witch-hunt rhetoric was also prominent then.
In this country, it would seem, no matter how strong the evidence against you, your professional colleagues will close ranks and defend you against all accusations. And politicians are certainly no exception. The previous Cabinet was famous for its defense of even the most discredited of its members. Aleksandra Jakubowska, who was caught lying under oath as well as attempting to destroy evidence, was backed to the hilt by her colleagues.
But it's not just the ruling party who like to stick toge-ther. Paweł Piskor-ski, a former mayor of Warsaw and one of the leaders of the pro-market Civic Pla-tform (PO), is univer-sally suspected of having been some-what less than strict about compliance with anti-corruption laws while in office, yet his party chose him to top its list of candidates for the European Parlia-ment.
And these are just the most obvious examples. Another interesting case is connected to Danuta Hojarska, the Samoobrona (Self-Defense) deputy who recently became the first sitting parliamentarian to be convicted of a criminal offense.
At the beginning of June, Hojarska commissioned a man to write a paper on cultural cooperation between the German länd of Hessia and Mazowsze, the region in which Warsaw lies. There would be nothing surprising about this had it not been for the fact that she commissioned him to do so after he'd spent several months trying to get out of doing a stretch in prison for drug peddling. The deputy now says that the man in question cannot possibly serve his term, as he has "an important public duty to perform."
And while none of these cases is quite as odious as that of Andrzej S., they are all shamefully indicative of a warped sense of loyalty that persists among certain individuals in this country.
For now, though, the hacks will have to make do with the country's most famous film producer, Lew R., or with Grzegorz W., the ex-president of PZU Życie, the life insurance arm of the state-controlled PZU, or Zbigniew S., the former deputy minister for home affairs. And, if your publication is looking for an agony aunt columnist who could advise readers on their sex lives, then why not turn to Andrzej S., one of the country's best-known sexologists?
Well, there are a couple of reasons why this latter suggestion might not get off the ground, starting with the fact that the prison authorities will probably insist on censoring Mr. S.'s mail. And would a spotty teenager whose mother caught him in the act of conducting a one-armed symphony really feel too safe in the knowledge that his plea for help and guidance had first been read by a bunch of hard-faced screws?
That said, the whole sick affair is no laughing matter. Andrzej S. stands accused of pe-dophilia, after photo-graphs portraying him sexually abusing child-ren were found in a dustbin near his flat. The well-regarded psy-chologist, who had often testified in court as an expert in child abuse cases (and it seems he was more knowledgeable about the matter than he'd been given credit for), was standing by wa-tching the police sift through the rubbish when an officer clo-cked him as the nonce in question.
Press reports have been contradictory since then, with some saying he's confessed to child abuse, while others claim his lawyer has submitted a plea of 'not guilty.'
But what was really fascinating was the reaction of some of Andrzej S.'s colleagues. Famous psychologists, some of them specialized in the therapy of child abuse victims, lambasted the press for their coverage of the case, claiming that as the sexologist was a famous person the surname initial was enough for most of the public to immediately recognize his identity. Indeed, Jacek Santorski, the publisher of some of the once-esteemed sex guru's works, apparently wept in public over his friend's fate, saying through the tears that he would like to "apologize to the victim, Andrzej S., and his loved ones." Andrzej S., his fellow psychologist and publisher asserted, was simply a victim of a concerted witch-hunt by the country's media.
Interestingly, in addition to being an expert therapist, Andrzej S. was also a novelist. His Bowl of Glass Balls is the diary of a child psychologist who sexually abuses his patients, viz. children who have been molested by their parents. The protagonist is arrested after the disappearance of some of his patients and then writes his memoirs while languishing in jail. Curiously though, while the author's "colleagues and friends" who signed a letter in his defense say that the book contains "obvious autobiographical references," none claim to have seen anything suspicious in Andrzej S.'s behavior.
The ardency with which these people leapt to their colleague's defense is strangely reminiscent of another open letter to the media, signed a year and a half ago by a score of filmmakers who claimed they knew a certain 'Lew R.' to be an upstanding character. The witch-hunt rhetoric was also prominent then.
In this country, it would seem, no matter how strong the evidence against you, your professional colleagues will close ranks and defend you against all accusations. And politicians are certainly no exception. The previous Cabinet was famous for its defense of even the most discredited of its members. Aleksandra Jakubowska, who was caught lying under oath as well as attempting to destroy evidence, was backed to the hilt by her colleagues.
But it's not just the ruling party who like to stick toge-ther. Paweł Piskor-ski, a former mayor of Warsaw and one of the leaders of the pro-market Civic Pla-tform (PO), is univer-sally suspected of having been some-what less than strict about compliance with anti-corruption laws while in office, yet his party chose him to top its list of candidates for the European Parlia-ment.
And these are just the most obvious examples. Another interesting case is connected to Danuta Hojarska, the Samoobrona (Self-Defense) deputy who recently became the first sitting parliamentarian to be convicted of a criminal offense.
At the beginning of June, Hojarska commissioned a man to write a paper on cultural cooperation between the German länd of Hessia and Mazowsze, the region in which Warsaw lies. There would be nothing surprising about this had it not been for the fact that she commissioned him to do so after he'd spent several months trying to get out of doing a stretch in prison for drug peddling. The deputy now says that the man in question cannot possibly serve his term, as he has "an important public duty to perform."
And while none of these cases is quite as odious as that of Andrzej S., they are all shamefully indicative of a warped sense of loyalty that persists among certain individuals in this country.
