Last weekend, a text by Marcin Kącki, published in “Gazeta Wyborcza”, caused a storm. Apart from the fact that the journalist's supposed apology clearly belongs in the “damage control” repertoire, it sounds like an excuse to tell a story in which the reporter presents himself as a romantic adventurer. If you dream you're reading pages ripped from the diary of a self-reflective narcissist, read Keck's Confessions—just don't say I didn't warn you.
Do you want to read naTemat.pl without ads and customize the portal? Create your naTemat account
Marcin Kaki calls himself the “Batman of reporting”. Does he also include narcissism in his superpowers?
Already in the title of your text Markin Katzki It is assumed that this refers to, among other things, “women are badly loved.” I don't know what you associate with this term, but I imagine that in such a case it could be not paying enough attention to your partner, putting most of the household responsibilities on his shoulders, or a lack of romantic gestures (if that's welcome or expected).
However, as it turns out, for Katzky, “loving women is wrong” means masturbating in front of them without their consent or entering their apartment from the balcony while they hide in the bathroom, terrified of him. But more about that later.
Ketsky, like Hitchcock, begins his story with a dramatic description of an earthquake and a failed suicide attempt. The master of suspense used this technique to innocently and artistically justify the manipulation of the audience's attention.
Journalist – for emotional blackmail and for who to blame the most in this text, thus revealing his narcissistic tendencies from the start, to be bothered by his own fate and to ignore his own pain in others.
He also soon reveals to the reporter what kind of hero he would like to be in this story. “(…) Eve (Vanat, The recently deceased journalist – note ed.) I called him (…) and he said he had a good therapist, but I had to promise not to sleep with him,” Kącki reports. She repeatedly refers to her nature as “woman” in the text.
We still have the old song – sad childhood, problems with alcohol, depression, not knowing what trauma is and how to take care of mental health. And “journalism”, but you know – capital “D”.
However, Ketsky does not say this directly, being present “Reporter Batman” (This is a direct quote, after all, the journalist repeatedly compares himself to a bat-man in the text) Perhaps this should not be an excuse for cheating on partners and neglecting daughters, but nevertheless, he undoubtedly had difficulties in describing the stories of heroes “who calmed his wife like a dog, The conductor who raped 250 boys, the bishop who raped students (…)” seeks justification for his evil behavior.
Kaki, perhaps completely unconsciously, reveals her femininity at every step, which cannot be helped by the mention of feminist authors in one breath. The only woman who seems to exist with human rights in the journalist's text is the already mentioned Vanati (even Katsky's current partner, theater director. Aneta Grozynska, He appears mainly as a savior in his narrative).
The rest of the women serve to make him feel “safe and cared for”. “They would deliver me or lay in bed with me, comfort me, tell me to get treatment or leave, and it was usually a good idea,” she says.
The journalist seems to be trying to portray “women who love badly”, but he presents most of his crimes as nonsense, which his former partners laugh about years later. He pours ashes on the more serious ones, but claims that all is forgiven (which is not true in at least a few cases).
There is nothing in Ketsky's text except for his (albeit undisguised) self-love and self-righteousness. “(…) Maybe Eve was right that we are not bad, but damaged people,” Ketsky wonders, once again taking advantage of Vanat's authority.
“(…) Aneta (Grozynska, the aforementioned partner of Katzki – editor's note) It is true that I wanted to put the damage in the context of my own demons”, writes the journalist, recalling previous attempts to apologize to the victims. If he really agreed with this, why is his text for “GW” about no one but himself?
The image of the suffering artist
However, the first reaction of some journalists was: Poems about the courage of KatskiYou can see in the comments below the article how many people didn't buy this bullshit.
“The author wanted to write about #metoo, but the text came out about his ego and sexual conquests. And that he wanted to apologize, but he didn't need to, because even women liked it,” we read in one of them. . “It's nothing more than running ahead and pretending to be neo-Hemingway,” said another.
The comparison of Keck's confession to his portrayal of himself as a Nobel laureate seems remarkably accurate. In the text, the journalist presents himself as a romantic adventurer, climbing the lover's balcony and suffering artist in the spirit of 20th century modernism, who can be a tyrant, but also a genius, so he can forgive everything.
Interestingly, Katzki mentions in his text that after he helped investigate the director of the Polish nightingale choir. Wojciech KrolopHe received messages “f*** off” “from the maestro with a capital M”.
The reporter doesn't seem to realize that his whole text follows a similar tradition – except that he more subtly suggests getting rid of “journalist with a capital D”.
– The text depicts stereotypes that men have injuries, shortcomings, adventures, but they save the world, and women take care of them, support and save them. Unfortunately, this is how real women with their own stories and traumas disappear – Sociologist Dr Hub commented on Kaki's text in an interview with TOK FM. Elizabeth Korolchuk.
Korolchuk also noted that the statement “I committed violence” is not mentioned once in the text, also indicating that the author of the text is fixated on his own history. “This text of regret does not express or acknowledge the real harm,” he said.
Kącki's “auto-laurka” (that's how the reporter's text was met on the Internet) sounds like an attempt to save the monument from demolition, but very poor if most readers easily deciphered the author's text. Self-admiration and megalomania.
Moreover, the decline of authority has already begun, which Ketsky himself very casually mentions in his text:
Pawel Gozhlinski from our school of reporting and said that one of the women from our school thought that I crossed the boundaries and this, according to Pawel, is unacceptable for our school of reporting. I called this woman (…) she told me what I did then that she was surprised because she also knew me from the books in which I chased human beasts, that yes, it was in her, she called my behavior insulting. And saying I remember that doesn't mean no.
The mentioned lady turned out to be a journalist of “Newsweek”. Karolina Rogaskawho was outraged by Ketski's text and what was presented in it.
“Marcin, if you were so honest in your text, why didn't you write directly what you were going to do to me and the other girls? Why didn't you write that you would treat my repeated 'no' as non-existent, why didn't you” she said when you told me that “now you will give up ” “And when you're thirty, you won't be so pretentious anymore, and you can beat me when you want? How do you think it's appropriate to strip and masturbate despite my obvious terror? Disgusting behavior,” he said.
When a storm broke after Ketsky's text, “Gazeta Wyborcza” published a statement on termination of cooperation with the journalist.
“Until Karolina Rogaska's entry on Saturday and the subsequent announcement by the Polish School of Reporting, no one in the Gazeta Wyborcza editorial office knew that Markin Katzki had been accused of sexual assault by Karolina Rogaska and that he had been suspended. by the Polish school of reporting” – We read in it.
Katski himself stated this in an interview with “Presserwise”.that “Viborcha” knew perfectly well about Rogaska's accusations. She also boasted that after the article was published, she received messages from men who: “It made them realize they were treating their partners badly.”
Media reaction to the text of the editor of “Gazeta Wyborcza”.
Finally, sober voices began to emerge from the media in response to Katsky's compromises. Markin writes in his text that men are sometimes afraid of the “me too” movement. Therefore, those who have something behind their ears are afraid.” The previously mentioned Pakiela commented in “Wysokie Obcasy”.who mentioned in a post published on the social network that he also talked to other women who were injured by the reporter.
A journalist working with “Gazeta Wyborcza” also spoke Wojciech Chuchnowski.
“Marcin Kacki's 'confession', published in Gazeta Wyborcza on Saturday, should begin with the following explanation: “A few weeks ago, I was pulled out of classes with students from a Polish reporting school. The reason was the complaint of one of the students. She reported that she was sexually harassed. After this incident, I decided to talk about my life, work, mistakes and people I hurt. I want to explain myself and apologize,” Chuchnovsky said.
The reporter also expressed his indignation on Facebook Wojciech Tochman.
“It confuses me when I read how MK uses the person of Eva Vanat, who died less than a month ago, in the text to justify his behavior towards women. I don't know how Eva Katski's work will be evaluated today, but. I may doubt it. He would write her some personal messages, words that she would remember for the rest of her life,” he said.
Journalist Jagoda Grondecka also hit the nail on the head. – In the end, Mr. Katski – it was not your journalism that disturbed me, but you. You remember how the slogan “chajzerowanie” gained popularity after a number of failed apologies Philip Chager? Let's hope Marcin Kącki sticks to one text, because I have a feeling that “Kącki” can give him some real competition.