Vystosky

[Wojtek Sokolowski]

> Maybe the average Pole was/is more exposed to foreign ideas 
> than the average American. An informal network sounds like a 
> pain in the ass, however. 

I fully agree.  It fosters nepotism.  However, it also maintains
community bonds, reduces litigation, and makes things accessible to
those who for whatever reason cannot get them through formal
institutions.  In other words, it has its good and bad aspects.

How could one be anti-social and 
> get anything that way?
> 

There was an old joke in Poland that goes like that:
Q: "What is the most severe penalty in Poland?"
A: "A life without any personal connections or networks"

Wojtek