Page 173 - Gabrijela Kišiček and Igor Ž. Žagar (eds.), What do we know about the world? Rhetorical and argumentative perspectives, Digital Library, Educational Research Institute, Ljubljana 2013
P. 173
rhetoric of crisis: polish parliamentarian
debates on the future of the eu 173
The only way to deny a metaphor is to find a new interpretation of the
same image. It is attempted by a later speech of the parliamentarian of
the ruling coalition who, referring to the above mentioned sentences,
said: “MP Żyżyński helped himself with the following metaphor: why
should we insure the house from fire if we do not live in it? But it hap-
pens. If the houses are located next to each other, it may be proven that
buying insurance on the house next to us might be prudent, because be-
ing adjacent when it goes on fire my house may burn down, too.” It is
clearly visible how subtly the initial metaphor is transformed in order
to serve the new objectives. First there was a talk of a dinner not a fire.
If contributing to the meal of the wealthier neighbours seems absurd
then paying for the fire insurance, which might also threaten us, does
not seem to be so senseless any longer. The well known principle oper-
ates here – the perspective of our own benefits changes the sense of the
whole situation.
One of the oppositionist parliamentarians opposing the definition
of the situation proposed by the government explained that “It is not
one table and one menu”, while another MP criticizing the government’s
activities during the Polish presidency maintained that Poland proved
itself only as a hostess arranging for “meals, meetings and hotels”.
The imagery which connects the Union politics with feasting seems
to be well established in the imagination of the Poles. The roots of those
metaphors can be found in a symbolism of power, which is of very an-
cient provenience. Since the times of organized social groups the privi-
lege of those in power was their access to food. Wealth and power, since
times immemorial, regardless of the period and cultural model, were al-
ways demonstrated, inter alia, by festive meals, what still finds its echo in
ceremonial dinners or suppers held by the heads of state to honor the in-
vited guests. Thus power in the everyday imagery is related to the access
to economic privilege. It is demonstrated in the colloquial idiom, that a
person aspiring to the high office “elbows oneself to the feeding place”.
There is still vivid – originating in the Polish People Republic peri-
od – a commonplace notion of the wealthy West, although polling re-
search shows that migrations significantly modified the image of the Eu-
ropean – from quite an attractive creature he/she becomes slowly “a hu-
man being like myself ”.
Another element of the EU image is its financing source potential.
It is characteristic that the public opinion polls systematically indicate
that those who perceive their material situation as a good one are more
debates on the future of the eu 173
The only way to deny a metaphor is to find a new interpretation of the
same image. It is attempted by a later speech of the parliamentarian of
the ruling coalition who, referring to the above mentioned sentences,
said: “MP Żyżyński helped himself with the following metaphor: why
should we insure the house from fire if we do not live in it? But it hap-
pens. If the houses are located next to each other, it may be proven that
buying insurance on the house next to us might be prudent, because be-
ing adjacent when it goes on fire my house may burn down, too.” It is
clearly visible how subtly the initial metaphor is transformed in order
to serve the new objectives. First there was a talk of a dinner not a fire.
If contributing to the meal of the wealthier neighbours seems absurd
then paying for the fire insurance, which might also threaten us, does
not seem to be so senseless any longer. The well known principle oper-
ates here – the perspective of our own benefits changes the sense of the
whole situation.
One of the oppositionist parliamentarians opposing the definition
of the situation proposed by the government explained that “It is not
one table and one menu”, while another MP criticizing the government’s
activities during the Polish presidency maintained that Poland proved
itself only as a hostess arranging for “meals, meetings and hotels”.
The imagery which connects the Union politics with feasting seems
to be well established in the imagination of the Poles. The roots of those
metaphors can be found in a symbolism of power, which is of very an-
cient provenience. Since the times of organized social groups the privi-
lege of those in power was their access to food. Wealth and power, since
times immemorial, regardless of the period and cultural model, were al-
ways demonstrated, inter alia, by festive meals, what still finds its echo in
ceremonial dinners or suppers held by the heads of state to honor the in-
vited guests. Thus power in the everyday imagery is related to the access
to economic privilege. It is demonstrated in the colloquial idiom, that a
person aspiring to the high office “elbows oneself to the feeding place”.
There is still vivid – originating in the Polish People Republic peri-
od – a commonplace notion of the wealthy West, although polling re-
search shows that migrations significantly modified the image of the Eu-
ropean – from quite an attractive creature he/she becomes slowly “a hu-
man being like myself ”.
Another element of the EU image is its financing source potential.
It is characteristic that the public opinion polls systematically indicate
that those who perceive their material situation as a good one are more
