Where did the stereotype of Polish people being stupid come from?

the stereotype is originated in the US so no point in discussing it in a different environment.

Odd how a lot of Irish stereotypes orginated in the US also. Mass emigration and the racist attitudes prevalent back then served a lot to fuel them I suspect.

No, many teachers here are smart. I'd know as I know many.

I meant finding work in Poland after graduating, not abroad.

Without those options abroad, the unemployment rate here would be much higher.

I suspect if work in what they were qualified at in Poland paid anything close to what they could get waiting tables abroad . . . Im sure they would choose to remain at home. Thats a good point you make about the unemployment rate. With the rising economy now in Poland, I wonder if it can sustain all those returning home ?

I just wanted to provoke, sorry, an emotional moment. Seriously tho, conditions here were not favourable upon graduation. Those that were grounded in reality found out the hard way that their hard work at Uni wouldn't pay dividends. They decided to leave, sensibly using an option they had.

A lot of new opportunities have popped up so let's hope that many find what they are looking for.

Provocation works, Im a dab hand at it myself. The next decade is going to be very interesting in Poland, it intrigues me to be honest. Its almost a carbon copy of Ireland in every way, but without the mass influx of returning emmigrants possibly saturating every secotor. Time shall tell !

As long as super strict birth control methods aren't introduced for 'demographic convenience'

lol Next thing you know they are eating cats and making dog soup like the Chinese. Enforced birth control hasnt worked out there, female kids are almost chucked away these days. Birth control in Poland, well with all the mass immigration the UK is experiencing due to their relaxed entry visa laws, im surprised Mr Brown hasnt suggested it there :D

Well, that raises an interesting point. Many feel that more than enough benefits are being handed out already. Babies are a costly business.

Indeed, and enough there to fill a whole new post. They certainly are a costly business, and you know my tax is inadvertingly paying for Polish babies :| By law, anyone from the EU working in Ireland can claim child benefit for their children that reside in their home country. While I have no objection to anyone receiving child benifit whilst residing here, thats not on. I wouldnt mind if it was at least relative to salaries and inflation in their home countries but its paid in tangent to Irish income levels !

The world is rapidly moving in this direction enigma. Who has what and who should have what are 2 very different things. Taxes are high and I like to think that the majority of taxpayers wouldn't condone such actions as u alluded to above. It's not the Poles that are stupid for claiming this, it's the lawmakers for neglecting to follow common sense and allowing this situation to come about

yes, there was a reason for that back then to keep the new immigrants in check, but that was a looooong time ago:)

Absolutely, if they are getting it for nothing why not ! We have little or no power over these hand outs to families living abroad, regardless how furious people are about it . . . . its EU policy and its going to get worse.


Not so long ago, its takes centuries to change oppinions engraved in the consciousness through generation after generation

I like to think of it as justice being served. Although I don't like the means, I like the end. Poles have slaved their guts out for peanuts. It's time that sb at least tried to redress this imbalance.

The EU has made this bed and they must lie in it.

True but they always had the option of emmigrating, like we did when we had to. The Irish hardly had a prosperous and wealthy history either.

I'm well aware of the harsh times of the Irish. I used to discuss it often after work with my Irish friend.

Emigration was much easier after May 2004. Emigrating can be risky and costly too. Set up costs can be quite high.

I suspect very dark days are ahead of us also. In recent times the 80s were tough, but at least we never knew what it was like to have anything and we had no debt. This time around we know what it is like to have nice things and what some consider a 'lifestyle' but now we are under this massive blanket of debt !! Who knows, perhaps the tide will turn and we will all be emmigrating to Poland ?

First of all, why surprised?...And don't take it so seriously...Paris Hilton is a 'Hollywood' Jew, the show was produced by Jews, Jews think Poles are idiots....I don't even need to know the name of the show...Just ask Joe.

In my experience the stereotype is true, as a landlord I have rented property to many nationalities, the polish are definitely the studious people in Europe. I've have had to show polish tenants how to turn taps on before and one polish family didn’t know how a key worked.

Turn your spell checker off. It's not helping;)

Yes, this is the most accurate. It started with Prussia, Germany and the partitions. There were then mass immigrations of both Germans and Poles to the U.S. where it continued, and then carried over to the media up until the 1970s.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-Polish_sentiment

(I've read this elsewhere but cannot be bothered to find the articles right now).

Uhm, and I'm pretty sure America is not the only place that has harbored ethnic slurs.

Most idea,s about Poles , or any other nationality being stupid comes from their failure to understand simple conversation...If you talk to somebody , and they do not understand you , its not because you are not very good at comunicating , or because the other person does not speak your language , its because they are stupid...

This is human nature , people will always laugh at the stranger in their midst rather than try to understand them...I consider myself quite inteligent , but i have no doubt that some Poles think i am a retard when i do not understand what they are saying....

From Germans I believe too.They wanted to ridicule the eastern neighbour.(of course they would not dare to make such jokes for Russians).

sh*t I would lol

Try to tell a joke in the face of a Russian and you will not wait some seconds before the punch comes.

I'd take a chance, lol

Any link for that opinion?

Not all Polish women are stunners, I've seen some right horrors. Very few though. Polish women seem to be more flirtatious than anyone.

But don't all jokes have "punch" line ;0)


Are you trying to say English women are not flirtatious?

One is already provided, above. You can start with Wiki, and look at their reference list.

Here is another: War & genocide By Doris L. Bergen

https://books.google.com/books?id=61Vid0UfbD4C&pg=PA19&lpg=PA19&dq=German+slurs+of+Polish+people&source=bl&ots=E9co3fp5zi&sig=r2KO7K8LfiGnp-87alQU7qz81gY&hl=en&ei=bojtSfSZLJjItAOH4dz0AQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result