UK, Ireland /
English people attitude towards Poles? [761]
from my experience........ I am English, but moved to Denmark, came back with a Polish wife to the UK last year. My wife works in a pub restaurant with many other Poles, so she deals with the English everyday. She would say 50% don't comment, so we can say they don't mind or care much about it, 20% seem very interested in her accent and ask were she is from, even ask her to tell them more about her home country and 30% are negative towards her as a Pole in Britain. That negativity ranges from comments on her accent as sounding stupid, why she can not speak English very well to having a 1p coin thrown at her face. A minority do try it on, perhaps by not paying the bill, this happens more than with the English staff. She will come home sometimes a very angry woman, she cannot understand how people are so stupid sometimes.
For me as an Englishman and from someone who has been to Poland rather a lot, I do find it hard to see what the English are thinking most of the time, it is by far the most racist country I have lived in, very backward thinking. I have my friends still from years ago, but I have a very big circle of new Polish friends, I enjoy my time with them, my friends idea of a good night out is getting drunk as fast as possible and then having a Kebab, I find the Polish night out way more interesting. 90% seem to have no problem with English people and feel welcome, although do not mix socially with English, 10% seem to feel that they are looked down on as a lower class.
I lived in Denmark for 6 years and was very surprised on my return how Britain had gone downhill. The influx of new workers is from Eastern Europe is resented by a large number of people who see it as taking jobs away from British people or bringing wage levels down. There have been reports of companies laying of UK workers and getting Polish worker to replace them, that is a fact, perhaps not to save money on the wage bill is the only reason, but also that the Poles work harder and complain less, so many people see this and fact and fiction become blurred. However many people see the Poles as hard workers, doing low paid jobs that the British will not do. I have a few English friends who have met my Polish friends here and their ideas about Polish people and Poland have been changed for the better.
A lot of British people are told myths about the Polish people who come here, lots of very daft things, because some UK people are scared or racist, most of it is untrue, but I think its an uphill struggle to get the truth out, many English people think Poles use horse and carts and eat cabbage all day, washed down with vodka, thats not really the case now is it.
I watch out for my Polish friends here, I can see a problem before they do and avert a situation perhaps with someone wanting to cause trouble, the English are not a bad people, just a little brain washed by the media, not good with working things out for themselves.
Andy
