Paul Cozma

Tag: comunism

  • We’re better off, but we refuse to see it. And some want to tear it all down.

    We’re better off, but we refuse to see it. And some want to tear it all down.

    Let’s be serious. It’s hard for us to see how much we’ve advanced, both as humanity and here, at home. Today’s Romania is light-years away from what it was in the ’80s and ’90s, or even under the tutelage of comrade Iliescu until around 2004. This doesn’t mean we’ve reached paradise and can just rest on our laurels. We still have an enormous amount of work to do. But it’s one thing to keep building and another to want to tear down everything that has been done.

    I often use the analogy of the reverse boiled frog: the water has cooled from boiling to lukewarm, but because it happened gradually, many are still screaming they’re getting burned.

    Mirror, Mirror on the Wall: The Numbers Don’t Lie

    Let’s leave nostalgia-edited memories aside and look at the figures. The ’80s were a nightmare: cold homes, queues for everything, two hours of TV programming.

    And now, a leap to the present:

    IndicatorThen (the ’90s)Now (2024)
    Purchasing Power (GDP/capita)~$13,000~$49,000
    Life Expectancy~68 years~76.6 years
    Average Net Salary~$50~$1,900

    In short, your purchasing power has tripled. You live, on average, 8 years longer. You earn tens of times more in nominal terms. You have access to the internet, you travel wherever you want, you buy whatever car you want. Things that were science fiction for our parents. We started at 40% of the European average in terms of living standards and are approaching 74%. This is the reality.

    If It’s Better, Why So Much Discontent?

    Simple. The progress has been slow. You don’t wake up overnight with an extra 100 euros in your salary. But the human mind remembers shocks much better: the cold, unemployment, rampant inflation.

    Then, our standards have changed. We no longer compare ourselves to our Bulgarian neighbors, but to the Germans. And it’s normal to want more. But this frustration is being exploited. Idealizing the past is not a desire to return to dictatorship, but a way of saying “I am dissatisfied with today’s corruption and incompetence.”

    The Same Scoundrels, a Different Hat

    And riding this wave of frustration are, as always, the populists. It’s the same old story, just with a new face. It started with Vadim’s PRM, who was Ceaușescu’s court poet. Then came the populism of Băsescu, also from the communist ranks, who, despite making some reforms that helped us, perpetuated a toxic style.

    Now, they have regrouped under logos like AUR. Don’t be fooled, they are just very vocal, not a majority. Yes, they seem numerous, but a simple calculation shows their election success represents somewhere around 27% of the voting population. They can’t get more than that. They are Putin’s bots, infiltrated to disinform and manipulate, taking advantage of any discontent. Their goal is simple: to tear everything down. To decouple us from the EU, our only real anchor of progress.

    Look at our neighbors. Without the EU, we would have been like the Republic of Moldova or, worse, Ukraine. And if someone gives you the example of Orbán’s Hungary, tell them to look at the figures again. Romania is already surpassing Hungary in several economic indicators. They are in decline, we are growing. The illiberal model is a sure recipe for failure.

    It Could Have Been Better, But It Can Also Be Much Worse. What Do We Do?

    It’s simple. We shouldn’t be content with what we have, but we shouldn’t tear it down either. We need to get involved. Each at their own level.

    • At the micro-level: See cars parked on the sidewalk? File a complaint with the local police. Maybe you’ll help a mother with a stroller or a person in a wheelchair pass by. That’s what involvement means.
    • At the medium-level: Are you good at something? Help others learn. Create a community. Be an active citizen, not just an inhabitant.
    • At the macro-level: Do you have communication and leadership skills? Get involved in politics. We need competent people, not demagogues.

    And above all: go vote! Don’t let the vocal and manipulated 27% decide for you and for the other 73%. Progress is not a given; it is earned and defended every single day.

  • Why Logical Arguments Lose to Emotions in Politics

    Why Logical Arguments Lose to Emotions in Politics

    A Battle of Feelings, Not Logic

    We live in times when attempts to convince through logical arguments seem doomed to fail. I observe many striving to demonstrate with data and facts why one political candidate is unsuitable or, conversely, why another would be the saving solution. However, we find ourselves in a battle of emotions, ideologies, and deeply ingrained opinions.

    The Power of Repeated Narratives

    Human psychology is fascinating and, at times, deceptive. Ideas repeated endlessly come to be perceived as absolute truths, a tactic that, unfortunately, history has shown us through painful examples, such as Nazi propaganda. Faced with a wave of narratives about global conspiracies and imaginary threats, rational arguments pale. Interestingly, this approach is not the preserve of a single camp; we see similar examples among those considered “normal.” From personal statements turned into political attacks, to irrelevant comparisons meant to manipulate public opinion, propaganda is omnipresent, each with its own motivations. In this context, it becomes difficult to have full confidence in the intentions or ability of any political actor to bring about real and beneficial reform for society as a whole. Perhaps a careful look at the past would offer us some valuable lessons.

    The Ignored Lessons of the Past

    The current situation bears striking similarities to the events of 1990. Then, after the Revolution, Romania had the opportunity to build a democratic path, less touched by corruption. However, a part of the population did not accept the idea of being led by someone with international experience, who returned to the country intending to contribute to reconstruction, as was the case with Mr. Ion Rațiu. A former member of the communist nomenclature was preferred, and we feel the consequences to this day, blaming Ion Iliescu for the corruption and problems of the 1990s and 2000s. Even respected figures, such as Corneliu Coposu, mourned by an entire nation upon his death in 1995, were the target of popular fury during the miners’ riots orchestrated by the same Iliescu in 1990.

    A New Crossroads, The Same Mistakes?

    We find ourselves once again at a turning point. Recent elections have reflected a vote of censure against the traditional political class, bringing to the forefront candidates with anti-system messages. It is an episode that we will most likely remember with bitterness, a moment when emotions and resentments took precedence over a rational choice that could have brought us more benefits. It is sad to note that we are once again in the situation of choosing between political figures with no notable achievements or coherent plans, relying solely on populist speeches.

    It is disappointing that we fail to learn from past mistakes and overcome these seemingly simple hurdles. And it is not a problem specific to Romania; we observe similar trends in other countries. Poland seems to be on a similar path, and the situation in the United States, with the possible economic repercussions of a recession, will likely affect us as well.

    An Inevitable Process?

    I am beginning to understand that this cycle seems almost inevitable. I hope, however, that we will be more careful in the future, to note these moments when we missed opportunities for positive evolution, preferring to risk the country’s stability in exchange for unrealistic promises from the state. It is natural to want more, but not by any means, not by sacrificing the country into the hands of characters who glorify extremist ideologies and promote violence.