Čelechovský/Mrázek

Well, I was born on March 26th, 1920 in Otrokovice. Right after basic school – when I was fifteen – I went to work at a shoe factory: to the boarding house for Baťa workers... and then... a half year later I passed the exam to get into the business school: for five years. After graduating I began working as a clerk in the international sales department – again at Baťa. I was there until the Nazi occupation...

Though I almost wasn't... You see, one time they came... and said that I was to report to the personnel department. There they told me: “You’re going to Indochina!” And I said: “Doggone it! To Indochina when I'm eighteen – this can't be true. What am I going to do there? And they said: “Here’s the travel report, read it – you’re going to trade shoes for crude rubber at Mekong.”

Well, so then I requested permission in advance from the Germans and then from the French – because it was French Indochina at the time - and they didn't grant me it: The Germans didn’t. But then they ended up giving it to me and I left for Genoa.

Well and then they sent me back from there – because there was something wrong with my French visa. If everything had been in order: then I’d have gone – either into a Western army, as a volunteer, just as our boys did at that time there, or the Japanese would have sunk the ship I was on...just like they did to my friend... my classmate... and I would have returned as a cripple.

Well, if I could have chosen at that time: I would have gone to Africa, bought leather.

Yup, even though they've got all those diseases and sicknesses there.

Yup, there they only look for mates in their own district... It’s senseless; an extremely dangerous affair... there’s no way knowing that a black woman like that is healthy.

Well, maybe a condom will help you and maybe it won’t. No one had heard of them then: then came “aids”. There was none of that then, but there were other things: sicknesses, etc. My father was a soldier during World War I... The war taught him lots of things: yellow fever... tape worms a meter long, revolver, a blanket, fleas breeding under his skin... They took that blanket away from him at the Sokol in Olomouc – right when he came back from the army.

Yup, but in the end I didn't go anywhere. After the occupation I went into the army where I did absolutely fuck all: and in six months they made me a lieutenant.

Well, I was a member of the communist party – which I still am, even though it hasn’t been what it was for a long time.

Yup, so after the army I went back to Baťa in Zlín: to the Exports Department. Then I was transferred to Sezimovo Ústí … to the company Kovosvit. That’s where I met my first wife… then we returned to Otrokovice, then to Zlín and finally I went to Krnov. 

Yup, and there I had problems with the communist party in 1969: because I said… but it was probably just a misunderstanding. I was doing some electioneering when I promised that the people can elect delegates themselves to the Krnov national committee.

Well, that wasn’t true. I arrived at the plant and a safety worker told me: What the hell are you doing? Everybody knows who’s going to be mayor and who's going to be the assessors and you say: this one."

Well, each week we had a gathering of all kinds of leaders and there we said: who was successful, how many people were at the meeting, etc. So, I got up and said: that people should be elected democratically to the national committee… I mean, we're always being told that we the people should do the electing… and yet everyone knows who the manager of this and that will be… and then the district secretary says: “You know, man, we have to know who what in will be advance." And I said: “That’s nice and all, but why am I supposed to tell them that they can vote for who they want when it makes no difference since the decision is already made. 

Yup, and it all turned against me and others. Within two weeks this guy comes to the factory, says we should be reprimanded, kicked out of the party, etc. And since I'd opened my mouth…Well, it was a good thing that I had a cousin named Franta who was a stooge in the party's district committee… they kicked me out of the party and I thought I was going to lose my job, too… 

Well, I was still able to go to the factory and work in the grinding and drilling unit.

A year later they came to tell me to go back… they realized I was good… thanks to their good training at Baťa… they taught me to read and write properly. That lasted until 1970. I was once again a clerk: Purchase and sales…

Yup, and in 1969 I got married again. My first wife and I divorced: because of her jealousy, even though we had two children… it wasn’t her fault… it was as if she were ill… it went beyond jealousy…

Yup, and during that time a recruiter came from the state farms and says: “Come over to us, man."

“Well, damn it. Why not?” – I said. So, I promised to arrange it. I really didn't want to since I'd been at one company practically my whole life: at Baťa, even though it was called Svit. I didn’t want to, but I thought it over. There was no discussing it with him – he kept saying: “For fuck sake, you promised me” or “Have you given notice yet?” He kept up the pressure and I began to say: I guess I’ll go for this or that…

Well, eventually I made a decision – so I said: “Since you guys double crossed me, I’m out of here. They’ll give me better conditions than you.” 

Yup, and the farm director had the same education as – me. He was a great organizer – though it's true he was drunk practically every day.

Yup, we’d be at the bank - drunk - and he was negotiating money… he was always negotiating money and he always got it … almost always - through women. Where the odds were completely against him, he’d send a woman. really… and that’s why they accepted him everywhere.

Yup, there was that time at the hospital when they needed an operating table from Germany… it cost about a million crowns, a million crowns… and we didn’t have enough for it. The head physician came in: he started yelling that he had to operate on someone's eyes – the old way – and that he needed to get that operating table so that he had all the equipment.

So, I began to run around: to the ministry, to the district committee, to the party’s regional committee – it was such a sham… 

Well, she fell for it hook, line and sinker. I'd go there... and she'd say: she couldn’t, she couldn’t. And I’d say: “But you’ve got it right in your drawer." And she’d repeat: she couldn’t… and then finally… she gave me more than I needed.

Yup, and I stayed there for five years. And then I went to the District Hospital in Krnov… again in Purchasing and Sales…

Yup, for five years. There I was involved in training staff and then I retired – that was in 1980. I delayed retirement by half a year so that they’d give me a higher pension… but then a month later they came for me in my cottage and asked that I go back – that they don't have enough people… at least for three months…

Yup, and I stayed there until 1989… when the government gave way to the new regime.

Well, all kinds of weasels appeared then. A doctor was here: a dentist… he was – as far as quality treatment - he was a few grades below the best… but he was very versatile… and even became a director.

Well, for me that meant being released…

Yup, it took a while, but then he went back to his original calling… everything went back to normal: because those in charge of everything had to leave in the end, which is why people like the deputies were left and they made a politician out of me. And since politics is for the dogs – that meant: to adapt… and a person can adapt… especially if he knows something…

Well, even I was very well-disciplined: unfortunately. For instance, when I started – during the First Republic – life was really hard. Only the capable were chosen for Baťa: Those then could advance up the ladder.

Well, then there was socialism: there was a definite ceiling and so the collective… the collective was the base …whereas now: everyone’s an individualist.

Well, then – 1989- the whole structure crumbled. We were told by the radio… that the government was changing… that a new regime was taking over. In 14 days, they threw it all away. In 14 days.

Yup, all those ties… Industry was tied to the east: to the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance… that means that COMECON was tied to state planning. And then the state planning fell apart and the factories didn't know what to do… because they didn't have capital. At that time everything was state owned…

Well, for instance, we needed money at the hospital… and no one knew who'd give it to you since everything was always arranged in Prague.

Yup, and suddenly there was no market, meaning production wasn’t possible… the steelworks didn’t know what to do… the factories didn’t know what to do…

Yup, and then those weasels got involved… and the factories more or less came to a standstill…

Well, then it was easy to maintain employment! The Strojosvit company where I worked – it completely collapsed… a thousand people worked there… and suddenly all there is are warehouses.

Well now we've got democracy: anyone can prey off the system because nothing's easy… and the social ties are cut. There are too many millionaires… and too many people with a low standard of living: up to 40%.

Well, that’s just unjust, unsocial…

Well, for instance: under socialism, an engineer had twice the pay of the best worker – not a penny more. There were charts and everyone had a certain classification.

Yup, and now… soon the Czech youth will hardly know how to write… yup, and you've got to play basketball or some…

You know what I’m getting at?

You know what I’m saying?

Yup, it’s clear alright: really… things are developing their own way now: because the whole world is changing… especially today – like now. The whole system will change by 2010 because America is in deep trouble. I was listening to the news this morning and the situation is such that their largest store is in deep shit… despite the fact that China is pumping dollars into the market: which means that it will go bankrupt.

Yup, this already happened once… to a lesser extent in 1928. All I know is that there was unemployment: until 1937. Only then did it begin to get better, then the armament began, and they began manufacturing arms: because Hitler annulled the armament agreement… then everything was fine.

Yup, and then the war came…

Yup, and since America is the largest exporter of arms… that means that it needs to manufacture… and in our land people begin to lose their job because we have a strong dollar… I mean strong crown.