I am an American - Bill Wojtas
In the earliest years of the twentieth century, all four of
my grandparents emigrated here from Eastern Europe to escape the ravages of
war, poverty and hunger. To be honest, I
can’t even say that they came from Poland, because in 1903, Poland as we know
it didn’t exist. My Father’s parents
came from what was known as Galicia, which was controlled by the Austrian
Empire and their entry documents indicate that they are Austrian. My Mother’s side, from the Warsaw area was
occupied by German Prussia. In essence,
my ancestors were so oppressed; they no longer had an identity or a
country.
They spoke Polish and came from cities, which at one time
were part of the Kingdom of Poland, but by 1900, war was the dominating factor
in Europe and the land of my Father’s Father was no more. They had to leave and come to the one place
where they could escape death, America.
I have no idea how my Mother’s parents got here, that secret
died with my grandparents on her side.
He father died when she was a child and her mother died when I was a
child. I didn’t have the luxury of
gaining this lost information from them and my mother, who passed as well, did
so without giving to me that story. My
Father’s parents, who were older, came to America in their 20’s. My grandfather, like many men, hopped a
freighter to escape conscription into the Austrian army. He came in to the USA undocumented at Ellis
Island and settled in Chicago. My
Grandmother, with two children in tow, arrived at Ellis Island in 1903 aboard
the Kaiser Wilhelm II with fifty dollars in her pocket.
As with most foreign immigrants, your official name became
whatever the agent at the island heard and my Grandmothers Maiden name was
forever changed from Surma to Sulma. Why
she used her maiden name, Im not sure, but she did. She was soon on her way to Chicago to re-unite
with her husband and start their American Journey.
So, both my parents were born here in the 1920’s and 30’s. Yes, I come from an old family, so my world
views as a 44 year old in the 21st century are heavily influenced by
19th century standards (my fathers’ parents were born in the
1880s).
My Parents spoke Polish, but the stigma of being Polish in
America during the Post WWII era was unpleasant. Being a Stupid Pollack or “DP” was a common
issue for those that still had a problem with the English language or had an accent. Most of the 1st generation wanted
to distance themselves as far from their Polish heritage as possible to better
fit in to Anglo-American society. It was
so bad that my oldest uncle, born in 1900 in the “old country” and who had a
polish accent was segregated from the rest of the family, until his death in
the 1980s. Not sure what the story was and
why, but it was a fact, and the story was that he felt he was different,
because he was the one “Polish” Brother in the family.
The fact is, my parents immersed themselves in the
Anglo-American culture and in essence became what society deems to be “American”. This they passed on to me. I was a typical American kid growing up in
the 70s. Until my dad passed. The whole situation was strategically hidden
from me and I’m not certain why. I was 6
years old, and I can assume that was the reason, but I suppose I will never
know. Perhaps that was how they dealt
with the issue of loss and childhood at the time. In any case, my mom had re-married a man from
South America, Colombia to be exact.
To make things difficult, he had the appearance of a light
skinned African American and my mom was a pure blonde Polish Barbie doll. So growing up in Chicago during the 1970s was
interesting. From what I understand,
both my Mother’s family and my father’s family were not too pleased and it had
a negative impact on relations between my mother and the family. My aunt (dad’s sister) did a good job
shielding it from me and one of my mom’s half-brothers stayed close to us, so
it wasn’t all bad.
The good thing was that even though my step-dad embraced all
things American, he still hung on to his culture and exposed me to it. We soon moved to Southern Arizona in the
early 80’s where I was one of about 5 “white” kids in my high school
class. But I wasn’t a cowboy, so I didn’t
fit in with that crowd. I found myself
immersed in the rich and beautiful Mexican culture with my “adopted” brother
and his family (they pretty much adopted me!).
I grew up with a worldview of diversity and learned early on
that racism is not something which will move this country forward and has no
place in our society. Growing up seeing
the effects of an “interracial” marriage and being a part of the Hispanic culture
gave me insight which shaped my decision making processes as an adult.
One of the biggest eye openers was my time in the military,
where I saw racism at its finest.
Segregation was the norm and tension was high. I didn’t fit in with the whites, who were
mostly all rednecks, and I can’t say that I fit in with the other groups
because of obvious reasons. I ended up
being a loner, with a small group of guys in a similar situation, who for the
most part, became life-long friends. I wasn’t
about to compromise my beliefs to fit in with any group. I found my home and immersed myself in the
Japanese culture, where I lived for several years. I associated with other guys who did the same
things to become what the guys in the military called “Okinawa Long-Timers”. Once again, broadening my worldview and my ideals
of diversity.
Why am I telling you all this? Because it gives you an idea of what shapes
my opinions. I grew up touched by
diversity, I did not grow up in an Anglo-American vacuum. I am an American, a wholesome single chunk of
pure Polish ham dipped into a melting pot of diverse flavors.
I am an American, I was born in Chicago. Poland is a far off place, that I have yet to
visit. I don’t speak their language, I don’t
know their culture and I love their food….but I also like Chinese food and
Mexican food. I have nothing to do with
Poland, their politics or their way of life.
I am not Polish despite what genealogical records may dictate. Yes, I have an obscure and totally unpronounceable
surname and I am often asked what it is.
My answer is, “American”. “No,
no, but where is it from?” “Chicago”, I
say with a smile and receive a disapproving look. “A typical good Chicago style Polish name” I
give in return, “but I am an American”.
I was born here, I served my nation in the military and as a
civilian. I love my country and will
serve again in a heartbeat if ever asked.
My blood is red with swirls of white and blue, and for my Marine
Brothers, flecks of gold. I identify as
an American, not a Polish American, not a white American and I am absolutely
not an Anglo American. My ancestors were
busy being poor and oppressed in Eastern Europe during the time this country
was forged, when colonists fought the Native Americans and when slavery
existed. My family is not responsible
for those things and My people didn’t escape their own bonds of tyranny until
the 1980s, "Solidarność"!
So who are we? We,
meaning the people who live within the jurisdiction of the Constitution of the
United States, are Americans. If you are
born here, if you were naturalized, if you live here illegally, but truly have
the ideals of this great nation in your heart, you are Americans. (Immigration
reform is not a topic here, so stop thinking it! Different paper.) It doesn’t matter where your grandparents
were born or where your parents came from.
It doesn’t matter if you are black, brown, red, yellow, white or
green. If you hold these truths to be
self-evident that ALL people are created equal, that they are endowed by their
Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and
the pursuit of Happiness, you are an American.
If you have picked up arms to defend those rights or are willing to do
so against those enemies foreign or domestic, you are an American.
We are not Catholics, Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists
or atheists. We are not Democrat or
Republican, Federalist, Libertarian, Reformist, Independent, Green, socialist,
communist or anarchist, we are Americans first and foremost. In the words of an early American, John
Dickinson, “Then join hand in hand, brave Americans all! By uniting we stand,
by dividing we fall!”. “Let us trust
God, and our better judgment to set us right hereafter. United we stand,
divided we fall. Let us not split into factions which must destroy that union upon
which our existence hangs. (Patrick Henry)”
These words ring so true today.
We are so hell bent on defining ourselves as something other
than just plain Americans. We try to
taxonomize ourselves into the smallest possible taxonomy. I am a white male Catholic Polish Reformist
American, really? So me and my 100,000 other
WMCPRA buddies can all hangout and feel cool….not. As long as we try to make ourselves different
from others in this nation, we will never succeed and move forward as a whole
nation. We will continue to bicker with each
other on what is best for the few rather than the many. We have taken our quest to be a nation of
individuals to the extreme and it may eventually destroy us. Being an individual is important and has led
to many beautiful and creative inventions and inspirations as a nation, but
sometimes we need to think about a society and what works best for the mass
rather than to make the few or a single person content.
You know where this is going, right? Philosopher Jeremy Bentham, an 18th
century theorist in Law wrote, "It
is the greatest good to the greatest number of people which is the measure of
right and wrong." These words are
the basis of a more famous modern day quote used by Leonard Nimoy, “The needs
of the many outweigh the needs of the few, or the one.” We the people, that is the key. We the people, in order to form a more
perfect union. We are the people, of the
United States. WE, the key word!
Who are we? We are
Americans, a single body of people living within the bounds of our nation,
governed by the document which was written to preserve the foundations of our
new system of belief. That government is
by the people and for the people. The people as a whole, the many, the masses
who make up our great nation. Not a
hodge-podge individuals or a small but vocal special interest groups or any
singular race, creed or interest or vocation.
The laws of our nation need to govern us as a people, an entire society
and the most important thing to realize is the hard truth, that you cannot make
everyone happy all of the time.
Is the decision, rule or law for the good of society, to
maintain good order and to provide for our nation as a whole? If the answer is yes, is it morally right to
question it because it isn’t in the best interests of White Male Catholic
Polish Reformist Americans? In my honest
opinion, it isn’t. If it is in the best
interests of our society as a whole, it is morally right to accept it and adjust
ourselves to live within the bounds of the rules which govern us.
That ideal is fine, but what do you do if the nation is
equally divided, down the center, fifty versus fifty percent (or close
enough)? I don’t have the answer to
that, but it is important to consider that this would be a situation where we
will need to master the art of compromise and come up with a solution that
meets the basic needs of both sides.
Compromise is the key. Divided we
fall, remember that phrase? Without
compromise, our forward momentum stalls and we as a society, a nation as a
whole will fall flat. In my honest
opinion we are seeing that very thing today.
As I watch the news, world events, and those around me, I
realize that our nation has stalled. We
are in the process of falling flat on our faces as a nation. The world is passing by what was the greatest
power since the Romans dominated Western Civilization. Why?
We are divided. We
cannot get along with each other within the confines of our own nation, how do
you expect us to influence the world around us in a positive manner? White versus Black, Christian versus Muslim,
those of faith versus atheists, Americans versus illegal immigrants, democrats
versus republicans, colonials versus Native Americans, the list can go on and
on. We are all fighting each other for a
little plot of land on the map of a shrinking country. It is all about ME! What conveniences me is most important
despite the negative impact it has on those around me. I don’t care about any one else, just
me. In addition, it is never my fault,
it is always due to the shortcomings of someone or something else that I am
less than perfect. It isn’t my
responsibility. This is the modern day
creed of many in our culture, though we refuse to admit it. We see it everywhere, while driving, standing
in line in the store, in our courts, on the news, in our classrooms, offices
and even in our churches. Look around
and admit it, you see it as well and no one is innocent of allowing even a
little of that to influence our lives. I
personally have done a happy dance because I made everyone in the busy check-out
line stand and wait 10 minutes so that I can save twenty five cents on
something just to prove a point to a cashier who can care less. I have personally not let that car merge in
to traffic just because I WAS THERE FIRST!
I am not afraid to admit my transgressions. It allows me to look deeper at myself and
show me that I am not the only person in this country or on this world.
As long as we see ourselves as individuals living purely for
our own benefit and not as parts of a greater society which transcends the
boundaries of states, tribes, creeds, or whatever label we can create, we will
never succeed as a species and eventually end up creating our own demise simply
because we just can’t get along with that which is different from
ourselves. We are Americans, but even
greater we are all human and a part of a shrinking world of finite resources
which we will eventually need to learn to share in order to survive as citizens
of this world.
The brotherhood of man; that is who we are and that is what
we have forgotten.
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