VIEW FROM THE TREMBITA LOUNGE: Changes in attitude (02/27/05)

VIEW FROM THE TREMBITA LOUNGE

by Taras Szmagala Jr.

Changes in attitude

There were four of us, sitting around a table in the Trembita Lounge at Soyuzivka. By now, we were on our second round, and the conversation was getting animated. The topic? Could have been one of any number. Maybe the UNA. Perhaps the state of the Ukrainian Church. Or Walter Duranty's Pulitzer Prize, or saving Suzy-Q. In truth, it didn't really matter - the only thing I felt was an overwhelming sense of déjà vu.

"Here we go again," I thought. "We're about to embark on saving the world. Or at least our community." As a veteran of these discussions, I've discovered that they follow a predictable pattern: First, a problem is identified. Then, blame is assigned - perhaps to a group of community leaders, or faulty institutional structures, or sometimes even an entire nationality, generation or wave of immigration. Finally, there's the solution: always blindingly obvious, if not easily achieved.

Conversations like these are oddly addictive. Like the vodka tonics that so often accompany them, they seem like a good idea at the time. But the next morning, all one is usually left with is a headache. And if you have enough of these chats, you develop the feeling that Ukrainian society is endlessly swimming upstream, faced with an array of insurmountable problems that may never really be solved.

For so many years, our community has been primarily reactive. In the U.S. and Canada, we have often been focused on preserving the status quo, even as our changing community demographic has made some of our institutions less relevant. Further, until recently, the diaspora's relationship with Ukraine has generally been a rocky one, filled with misunderstandings and disappointments on both sides. Indeed, while being an American of Ukrainian descent is wonderfully enriching, it can also be quite frustrating.

Which makes the events of the past few months all the more exhilarating. For the Orange Revolution not only changed Ukrainian political and civil society - it changed the entire outlook of a people. President Viktor Yushchenko's victory demonstrated to Ukrainians, and to the world, the power of ideas and idealism. This, more than anything else, is what made the Orange Revolution the fundamentally significant event that it was. By focusing on a goal inspired by a worthy ideal, an entire nation was able to shed a centuries-old inferiority complex and shine as brightly as any country has ever shone on the international stage.

The Orange Revolution has the potential to change the diaspora's outlook as well. (No, I don't anticipate international observers at the next UNA convention, but, well, that's a different story.) But if we take to heart the lesson our Ukrainian brethren have taught us - to focus on a goal inspired by a worthy ideal - our community can accomplish great things.

And, in fact, it already is. Larger organizations such as the U.S. - Ukraine Foundation, along with smaller ones, such as the Orphans Aid Society, have been doing their part to contribute to the cause, and have been effective in their sphere of influence. Politically, we've grown up, too: no longer are we impressed by receiving presidential proclamations - rather, organizations such as the Ukrainian Canadian Congress and the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America employ professional staff and lobbying techniques to obtain concrete results from our government. (The performance of these organizations during December's re-vote was particularly impressive, as they managed to raise funds and organize hundreds of volunteer election observers in a few short weeks.)

The most encouraging phenomenon I noticed in the diaspora during the Orange Revolution, however, was members of the "new wave" of immigrants actually working hand-in-hand with activists from previous waves. Whether it be during the street protests in various North American cities in November, or in community seminars and fund-raising sessions in December, the "Fourth Wave" took a leading role and participated alongside established community leaders. For the first time I can recall, I saw "new wavers" interacting extensively within community organizations - all focused on a goal inspired by a worthy ideal.

So, as I sit back in my chair in the Trembita Lounge, my mind wanders from the conversation at hand. I'm really not thinking much of the many problems facing our community. Instead, I prefer to think of how wonderful it was to see Ukraine's president enchant an international audience on "60 Minutes." I revel in the knowledge that The New York Times ran a series of front-page articles on Ukraine which were largely accurate, and largely positive. I smile at the fact that many new wavers perhaps realized for the first time the value of the political infrastructure that earlier Ukrainian Americans worked so hard to develop. And I admit to myself that I had not given the new wavers enough credit for their civic consciousness and love of their homeland.

How long will this positive momentum last? It's hard to tell. But at least for now, it seems as if we're no longer swimming upstream - or, perhaps the current has just subsided a bit. No matter. The view from the Trembita Lounge has gotten better, and I'm liking it.

Taras Szmagala Jr. is a Cleveland-based attorney and third-generation Ukrainian American. In a desire to follow in his grandfather's footsteps (who was a columnist for The Weekly in the 1950s), he has promised the editor to stay out of the Trembita Lounge (or the functional Cleveland equivalent) long enough to get his monthly articles in on time. The article above marks his new column's debut. Mr. Szmagala may be reached at Szmagala@yahoo.com.

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