Jaroslaw Kaczynski
Poland's Ex Prime Minister Says Polish Porn Watching Internet Users Easily Manipulated.
Warsaw, Poland - 12 March, 2008 Poland's former Prime Minister has created an Internet storm by describing Polish Internet users as an easily manipulated beer drinking pornographic movie watching group.
Former Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski made comments In an interview that have been described as the worst thing that could have happened to his political party, PIS, since they lost the elections.
Kaczynski's comments were most revealing as to his understanding of the young people of Poland. He is being sorely criticised for saying:
"I am not enthusiastic about the fact that young people sit in front of the computer, watch movies, pornography, drink beer and vote when they feel like it. I am not in favor of forcing people to participate in an election or to facilitate the voting process too much. Voting should be a serious conscious act that requires certain effort. Those who want to introduce voting over the Internet want to take that seriousness away. Internet users as a group are particularly easy to influence. It is known who controls the internet and who uses it. This group is easy to manipulate and to suggest who to vote for." http://wiadomosci.gazeta.pl/Wiadomosci/1,80271,5010274.html Jaroslaw Kaczynski: Internauci to grupa, która najlatwiej manipulowac
Not content with criticizing the people who use the internet, he went on to lament the loss of traditional communications channels.
"In my private opinion, before the war in the traditional culture there were many communications channels that could provide information to even very simple people. For example speeches at the local markets. Now they don't exist anymore."
He did not offer any suggestion as to how a network of people standing on vegetable boxes in the local markets could be reestablished to pass his message to the people in the countryside and encourage them to vote.
According to Eryk Mistewicz, a political PR specialist, "This is the worst thing that could have happened to PIS since they lost the elections. The Internet forums exploded with negative comments. This shows at Kaczynski remains in the 19th century while the world has moved forward. It shows why he lost the elections and why people who know who Cicero was and don't know what Google is lose." http://wiadomosci.gazeta.pl/Wiadomosci/1,80271,5014145.html "Dziennik": Kaczynski pozostal w XIX wieku
His loss in the last election was in large part due to not an internet campaign against him but rather a concerted effort launched by students using mobil telephone SMS messages. See Poland's Elections Were A Clash Of Polish Civilizations
A recent opinion poll shows that the political party that
