POLISH MORTAL SINS?

To a lesser extent foreigners, who see only the external trappings, and to a greater extent Poles themselves, mroe intimately familair with the workigns of the Polish psyche, have pointed out theri compatriots' worst flaws. QUite often the following themes recur:

*** Straw-fire enthusiasm (which leads to)
*** A lack of follow-through
***Inability to cooperate with others (everyone wants to do it theri way)
***Emanating from the above are poor organisational skills and coordination, and worst of all:
***distinterested envy (I've got one cow. my neighbour's got three, so I hope two of his die! -- disinterested because it does nto benefit the ill-wisher if his neighbour's cows die))

These are traditonal notions forged over centuries of adversity, partitons, insurrections, culminating in Nazi-Soviet occupation. To what extent are these traits still observable today?

These traits are still valid. They belong to the Polish character. But Poles have managed to survive as a nation despite them.

Stereotyping much?


Do you know the joke about a gold fish?
A fisherman caught a gold fish in his net and it offered to fulfil his 3 wishes for her freedom, the catch was that his neighbour would always have the same wishes fulfilled and re-doubled.

The man asks for a nice house, gets one, his neighbour gets two. Then he asks for an expensive car, gets it while the neighbour gets two cars.

The fisherman is furious about this undeserved success of his neighbour, he thinks and and finally expresses his third wish:
"I want one of my balls removed".

Every time around a group of poles. :D :D

[half-quote=Polonius3]
A lack of follow-through
Inability to cooperate with others
Emanating from the above are poor organisational skills and coordination, and worst of all:
distinterested envy
[/half-quote]

I think that this will show in any culture.

Most of the above seems to occur in business more than anything. But it's changing. Young folk are learning new busness practice and seem to be putting it to good use.

"inability to cooperate with others" New and old ideas, which come from different training methods.

Some say all people are alike, but the Polish anarchic streak is not found generally among the 'Ordnung muß sein' types to the west. And what other country had liberum veto, whereby a single MP could dissolve parliament and send everybody heading home to the far corners of the sprawling Rzeczpospolita?

I am an American and in the last year I have been working with several Polish immigrants here in the US. I have to say that the "sins" are quite common in the Americans I know. I have found the Poles that I work with to very polite, generous, cheerful and very hard workers. At the risk of being a "traitor" I have to say I prefer the Poles to my fellow Americans. Just an outside view for you...