John Paul II on period

Speculations on the psychological nature of the Polish right-wing hardliners should be left to specialists. However, one cannot but draw some very specific conclusions from observing their identity excesses that occur almost daily, some of them stunning even to people used to the local peculiarities. And hey, there is one from this week!
The Polish National Museum was chosen to host an allegedly artistic installation — a statue of John Paul II, holding a huge stone as if he is ready to throw it, is wading in a basin filled with red liquid. Many interpretations appeared on social media: from a powerful wizard getting ready to confront the last-level boss to vampire-oriented ones.
Yet, there is something deeper to it.
After six years of devastation to society, culture, and institutions, with complete impunity, Catholic fundamentalists here feel secure enough to actually implement their hidden crazy desires and to translate their secretive obsessions into political action. We recently had the children’s ombudsman publicly claiming that sex educators are clandestinely distributing sex-changing pills in public schools and the public prosecutor actually launching an investigation into it. Before that we observed a major crackdown on the LGBT community in Poland.
Obviously, someone at the top came to the conclusion that they could unleash their violent fantasies related to sexuality. Thus, we now have to endure the dark, grotesque meanderings of thought of these fanatically conservative minds cognitively paralyzed by the notion of human sexuality, being weirdly injected into the public sphere.
The cultural bureaucracy claims that this installation is their “reply” to the allegedly “extremely offensive”, “anti-Polish” sculpture of John Paul II crushed by a huge stone which was exhibited many years ago in a gallery in Warsaw. They remember, I am sure. But revengeful as they are, I claim they have a major problem with the notion of menstruation and by connecting it to the pope they make sure it is viewed as metaphysical and mysterious, and hence forbidden as a subject for discussion. Change my mind!
Photo: The new statue of John Paul II
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