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Poland: The Things That Make Foreigners Lift a Brow [123]
Boy, oh boy, what a prejudiced posting on Stevie the 'Admin's' part. - The main message of it is that 'the Poles' ways ain't our ways. The Poles are unlike us.'
Again, the ageless bunching up against the Poles. Again, the puffed-up shameless silly babbling from the position of 'Western' superiority, even though the term 'West' seems to signify absolutely nothing, especially today, when the supposed 'Western' cities swarm with African and Asiatic crowds.:)
What do you mean by 'the West,' buddy? And why, according to you, Poland isn't part of 'the West' and Polesa aren't Westerners? :)
But let's analyse almost sentence by sentence why Steve thinks that Poles are oh, so very different from 'us' (who are those 'us,' by the way? Can you name them?) - So, first of all, Steve finds it very 'unlike us' and un-Western that 'the Poles like to talk. They talk all the time... enjoy sharing their views and experiences, often unconcerned whether you want or don't want to listen.' - Well, very similar in this respect are the Irish and Scots. Would Steve also brand them as so very different from 'us' and un-Western?
Next, Steve alleges that the Poles are so different because their alleged favourite 'pastime' is 'telling jokes.' Hm, and where did you take this idea from? From your experience? Really? I'm Polish and I haven't noticed it that our best liked pastime is 'telling jokes.' We like telling them, but perhaps just as much as any other nation does. And certainly less than the Americans, including 'Canadians,' with their ultraracist 'Polish jokes,' which should be actually called American (pseudo)jokes. Steve asserts: 'Compared to other nations, jokes are a serious business to the vast majority of Poles.' What do you mean by that? Do you have even one shred of evidence to support your assertion? Give it. Don't you confuse us with, for instance, American Jews to whom spreading ultraracist hateful 'Polish' jokes is a serious political business? Maybe you're one of them and because of that you're projecting your own group's characteristic on us, Poles? :)
Furthermore, Steve the Admin suggests that Poles are inherently and incurably 'different' than he and those like him because the Poles 'like to shake hands ... all the time.' Do we really shake hands all the time, even, for example, when we sleep? Don't you grossly exaggerate, Steve? Hm, for example, as far as I know only in Canada folks reply 'mhm!' when you ask them a question, and this 'mhm' means actually: 'Yes.' Does this 'mhming' make Canadians oh so very unlike 'us' and so very 'un-Western' in Steve's eyes? If not, why? By the way, do all Poles like shaking hands? Steve advises: 'A handshake tells you a lot about the person, thus, you better practice to be perceived as the person you are. Not to hard, not too soft, don't hold it for too long, your handshake is you and an important part of giving the right impression.' - And what do you mean here, pal? Do you mean that when you shake hands with a Pole it's some form of probing you by the Polish guy, and not just a shake hand? Would you say that when a Jew says: 'Shalom!' it's actually not a common 'shalom,' but some form of probing, testing somebody? :)
Steve continues: 'Kssing ladies' hands, especially the older ones, as a sign of respect, is still a common, although a bit outdated, practice in Poland.' What's so 'un-Western' about this charming custom - a custom quite 'outdated,' as you rightly observe (meaning that few people practice it)? In the olden days in continental Europe - in Germany, France - kissing ladies' hands was the sign of the man's good manners. If I'm not mistaken, some people in those countries still practise this custom. Would Steve call them 'different than us' and 'un-Western'? If not, why?
Steve continues: 'Another strange thing is that, mostly at night, but even during daytime, you can see drunken people in the street. This is very uncommon in the West...' - Well, have Steve ever visited any of the British cities? If you have, have you been sober enough to see the scores of often aggressive drunks on the streets, also during the day? Steve: 'It's the famous Polish vodka talking.' Why is it allegedly so famous? Famous with whom? Please, enlighten me in this matter, because although it (whatever it is) is allegedly so famous, I have never heard of it. Or maybe you made up this allegedly famous thing in some drunken or narcotic stupor?
Steve:'Unfortunately, nowadays, many drunks have an easy access to a vehicle... No wonder that Poland has triple the rate of the drink driving accidents compared to the West.' Where did you take this statistic from? And what is this 'West' again? Does it include the United States? So according to Steve the rate of drinking and driving accidents in Poland is three times higher than in the US? :)
Steve goes on: 'Beware of when the drinking takes place: it is a common practice to get drunk once you receive your pay at the end of the month.' - Why should one 'beware' of the end of the month? What's so unusual about the fact that people buy alcohol when they get money? Don't folks in other countries do exactly the same? Wouldn't it be more unusual if they drank when they were moneyless?
Steve goes on: 'People also drink on the weekends...' Don't all other nations, except perhaps the Jews, do exactly the same? Why would it be unusual only in the case of the Poles? Steve: '[B]ut any reason will do. Many do not even need a reason...' Well, isn't it just the same with all the others? Have you ever been, for example, to Ireland, buddy?
Steve again: 'Another common pastime for young people, mostly young men, many of them unemployed, is to hang out in the streets. Many are not aggressive, but some are.' Isn't it exactly the same in any European and American city? Why would it be unusual and un-Western only in Poland? Steve: 'During the communist years, the Police had been very observant for this kind of behavior, but the new regime is not very proactive in this respect.' - Is Steve praising the 'communist years' and 'police' in Poland? In reality, during the communism, or Russian occupation of Poland, the crime rate was huge, because the police, so-called People's Militia, were actually not observant of common criminals; the militia's function was predominantly to protect the rule of the communists. I wonder why Steve calls the present Polish government 'a regime' and not 'a government'? Does he call, say, a German or American government 'a regime'? And what evidence does Steve have that the communists fought common crime more actively than the present government? Hm, the communist militia was brutal and hostile towards any free expression. Does Steve praise them for this? :)
Steve goes on: 'You might also be surprised by the stuff Poles eat. The tripes (intestines of a cow) cut in long pieces, cooked with spices are one of the Polish specialties. It might not be your piece of cake, so better check out the offerings.' Hm, why eating cow tripe would make Poles oh so very different from other nations, and un-Western too? For instance, famously, the French eat frog meat. Does it make them very unlike other peoples, and un-Western too? Why eating only cow tripe is the most unusual of all, and most un-Western? And do Poles eat also things which Steve regards as tasty?
Steve ends his posting with a warning:' And hey, avoid those dark parks and alleys.' And what parts of British or American cities would Steve advise to avoid? None at all? :)
I hope any intelligent and unprejudiced person will see that I have pointed out Steve's strong prejudice towards the Poles and Poland. I wonder about Steve's own national-ethnic background and his motives for putting down the Poles. A low national self-esteem? Sticking to the ole cold War habit of belittling hatefully the Poles, their culture and history? Belonging to a Pole-hating ethnic group, such as Jews? What is it, Steve? Why are you so prejudiced towards us? :)
Dannnyboy rightly observes: 'the above article could have been written about any country in central or western europe. Polish immigrants in Ireland generally do not celebrate namedays at all, only birthdays.'
Right-o, Dannyboy. Unlike some others, you're a smart lad.
By the way, if Poles in Ireland celebrated namedays, would it be wrong? (I don't mean here that Dannyboy thinks it'd be wrong.)
Do the Poles think it's wrong when the Irish in Poland celebrate only birthdays?
