I have met many foreigners in my time but my personal experience is that the polish love to toot their horn about their country when (or even when not) given a chance.
The amount of times they start splitting hairs by finding some trivial fault over your country and then they start singing about how poland have it so good to which i simply reply "well, you know how you came in - we dont need to show you the door now..."
HA..yes I'm Polish but I live overseas and I go to Poland once a year at least. When I was in the UK the Polish people where always saying how they hate the UK how the food is crap, the people are fat, the weather is **** and so on. I couldn't handle it anymore I once started to yell at this Polish chick was was saying how wonderful Poland was how she hates it here and how she hates the people so I told her to pack her bags and leave (and not in a nice way)
Another thing I was told is that I dress like an angol (english girl) because I was wearing black tights and boots and a pink top. I don't understand that to this day...
The proudest people i've ever met were chinese. The seem to hang on to their culture more than the poles do, often times to the point of even refusing to learn english. Most seem to live in predominantly chinese neighbourhoods, eat chinese food and socialise with their own - and very patriotic as well. Poles on the other hand, tend to assimilate and lose their cultre rather quickly.
I am not an american good sir. Its an opinion based only on my experience. I'm not trying to cause sensationalism, there are plenty of other posts for that.
I work with many different nationalities and its the poles( followed at a distance by a few Lithuanians) who get their kicks out of mocking and belittling us, they could find a crack in any wall my friend - stupid this, stupid that....
They will be the first to wave the polish flag in the face of any counter opinion and first to hi light any slight flaw .
I think its perhaps a defense mechanism as the poles are intelligent people and therefore they feel the need to prove it as it hurts their pride cleaning up after people and doing the crap jobs. I dont ask them why they behave this way because of this pride thing, they immediately dismiss anything that rivals their ideals of poland.
I am not a nationalist as i dont believe in national pride - i cant take credit for what other people have done in the name of a boarder or flag, it makes little to no sense.
Nationalism is just bias as it blinds the other eye that sees the flaws of their own.
I wouldn't say they are the proudest, no. That definitely goes to the Americans. Even in Europe, u could say that many other countries are equally as proud, if not more so.
Take the French, Spaniards, Dutch, Germans and Italians. They all have very visible pride
I have encountered all europeans due to my jobs and i'll have to shoot down those countries you have mention bro. They really dont have a patch on polish nationalism.
They cant actually laugh at themselves like other nationalities do..... Like i never hear italians get overly excited and say" Oh, we won the world cup 4 times, Art this and the renaissance that",
I've never heard a german say" we have the highest IQ in europe", never!!! The dutch never talk about how everything is more legal and lax their, in fact WE DO! The french come hear and learn english but they never mention that the majority of english comes from french, why bother???....
Yet a pole mentioned to me that they are 4th in the IQ standing in europe for NO REASON, no one remebers 2nd place, who gives a **** about 4th???
Bro,theres a post here on how poland is the best at computer programming!!!!!Come on!!!
Another thing I was told is that I dress like an angol (english girl) because I was wearing black tights and boots and a pink top. I don't understand that to this day...
if you're not wearing clothes everybody else is wearing, you don't fit in with the rest and that is not acceptable. everytime i go to Poland i see all girls following the exact same pattern. it's almost like they're scared to have their own style.
Well, that's cuz they probably are the best at computer programming. I'd be willing to accept that if they accepted that they receive fairly substantial outside help as they do.
I know what u mean about pride, I see what u r hitting at. However, many Poles have a negative perception of their country. Just ask those non-romantic ones who have left. Many here are mystified at why I am here when I tell them what I have done with my life. They feel that I'd be better placed in a "better" country such as Spain or Italy.
If you had the harsh history that Poland has had, u'd club together to try and inculcate/instil a sense of pride too. That's one of the main reasons that us Scots have become so proud.
Maybe us Scots gloss up our pride a fair bit but it bolsters our sense of identity. If u choose to see the positive side of things, we have much to be proud of. Golf, actors, beautiful natural scenery, inventors and excellent hospitality are just for starters.
Poland has most of the above so that's why I like their sense of pride.
Come now espana and behave urself. I didn't say that the Spaniards were that way. Some famous Spaniards are really nice, like Alonso, Ballesteros and Olazabal.
Maybe us Scots gloss up our pride a fair bit but it bolsters our sense of identity.
it kinda annoyed me that pride of yours when i was out there. my bloke is not like that, but his family is, they want scotland to be a seperate country etc. and they wanna be scottish not british lol. i don't boast about poland's greatness because if it was so great, all those people wouldnt escape from it as soon as the eu gates opened. im still a proud pole and everybody knows that.
Yeah, I hear ya Justysia. U can draw an analogy to religion. They are somewhat fanatical, going the whole hog and screaming for separation. Personally, I can feel a sense of pride without being separated from England.
Pride doesn't have to be an in-your-face thing as many show. Some are rooted in history and need to move on. Independence may well become a reality but it is largely a symbolic gesture anyway.
having lived in more countries than you have fingers, i have yet to experience a country other than poland whose national self-perception is so far removed from reality... which of course goes someway to explain the polish psyke and how they are viewed by others
I've never heard a german say" we have the highest IQ in europe", never!!!
So who invented the slogan "Deutchland Uber Alles"?
The dutch never talk about how everything is more legal and lax their
You must know mostly the Reformed Church Dutch people. If they could they would outlaw smiling.
The french come hear and learn english but they never mention that the majority of english comes from french
Because it doesn't. It comes from Latin via French.
having lived in more countries than you have fingers, i have yet to experience a country other than poland whose national self-perception is so far removed from reality
So you obviously haven't lived in the US or Russia.
every country has deluded people who are still living in the past, can't do anything about that
I think what Bubba had in mind is that often we think to highly about ourselves.
The amount of times they start splitting hairs by finding some trivial fault over your country and then they start singing about how poland have it so good to which i simply reply "well, you know how you came in - we dont need to show you the door now..."
It seems that those people you mention here say those things out loud to convince themselves that it is the truth, while deep down they have some doubts.
To be honest, in reflection, it tends to be a group of certain people that act out all this pride, not all polish, most polish i find are pretty cool and do not behave like this...i made a sudden broad sweep and i'm going to up my hands and say that my claims lack enough substance to be credited, delete this post if necessary....
bite your tounge.. I think every person says they are proud of their country and this thread like all the others is only meant to pit people against each other lets stop trying to make war on a PF.. we have enough of that going around and try to keep our bonds strong..
Word of mouth get around,, I dont talk shYt about you guys so lets quit it ok.. Yeah I am American Polish.. and I feel very mixed right now due to the upcoming elections and I really am disappointed in alot of things about my country as I am sure so are some of you with yours.. not everything is perfect and peachy keen.. lets try to learn how to turn things positive..
I didn't mean it in a negative way. I've just observed that many Americans have an in-built sense of pride like no other. The chants of USA have such power behind them, the pride can be felt.
I agree Pat19, I think there is too much animosity here. I wasn't trying to add to it.
I'm proud to say us Scots are proud :) Pride and patriotism are fundamentally different from overt nationalism
