Life / Polish culture versus rotten West [279]


Actually Ktos, I was talking to InPolska. That's what the Gallic hyperbole refers to. You know, Gallic being French which the lady is, half French anyway.


No that's the American system and that's not how I was raised, nor what I believe in. I was raised in a Catholic family and Catholic education system.

Life / Polish culture versus rotten West [279]

I thought you'd finished a couple of hours ago.

Many of your posts about Poland, ma petite, are notable only for the fact that they are scornful, contemptuous and superior, looking down on Polish people for their poor diets, their unattractive appearance, their Eastern ways etc. Your posts generally contain a fair dose of me, me, me......boasting and preening and self-congratulation about your education, your extensive travels, your language skills. Your utter delight in your fabulous self is an inspiration to all. And by the way you haven't known thousands of Poles, you've encountered thousands perhaps but to say that you've known them - now there's a bit of typically Gallic hyperbole.

Life / Polish culture versus rotten West [279]

Firstly InPolska, I am Irish and my nationality is relevant because I see things from an Irish perspective just as you see them from a mixture of French and Spanish (which may account for your arrogance, what a double dose, between those two nations!!).

Secondly, the title of this thread suggests that everyone from Western Europe is the same and shares common characteristics, all negative of course. That's simply not true. I am not prepared to allow somebody to make statements like that and let them go unchallenged.

Interestingly Ktos never actually defined what Polish culture is in the 21st century. How about we turn the thread in that direction. I too have things to do now but I'm happy to give my views on that later. What is Polish culture? Get the ball rolling there Madame.

Life / Polish culture versus rotten West [279]

See my comments in off-topic.

Life / Polish culture versus rotten West [279]


No, you said that Ireland had no part in WWII which is not strictly true. Of course Ireland suffered comparatively little in the war but we didn't exist in isolation. We had rationing and air raid shelters and plans for evacuation of children from Dublin etc. People weren't idiots. The fear of a possible invasion by the Nazis, being such a small country ,was very real.

Although we were technically neutral we did a great deal to assist the British forces, including smuggling shot down Allied pilots back to Britain, giving the use of Irish air space to the British air force, in particular the Donegal Corridor giving them access to the Atlantic in order to protect convoys there. And the Donegal Corridor played a key role in the sinking of the Bismarck.

Also Ireland's neutraity meant that we were one of the few countries to retain an embassy in Rome. This enabled Irish priest Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty to save the lives of at least 6,500 allied prisoners of war and Jews.

Finally the fact of the matter is that Irish people lost loved ones in the war in the same way that the British or any of the Allies did. Irish men and women died fighting the Nazis and that is a fact Ironside. The very first RAF pilot to be shot down was Irish, as was his navigator Larry Slattery who was the longest serving POW of WWII. More Irish men died flying for the RAF than Czech or French. At least 11 Irish men serving with the Special Forces were executed by the Nazis.

Mods, I know that all of this isn't strictly on topic but out of respect to the memory of all who served or suffered in whatever capacity in the war, I would ask that you leave it here. Thank you.

Life / Polish culture versus rotten West [279]


Then one hears incorrectly.

Life / Polish culture versus rotten West [279]


Ireland was neutral but 5,000 Irish soldiers deserted from the Irish Army to fight with the Brits, not to mention the other thousands of men and women who joined the British services.


Preceded by? And succeeded by? Long, long history of conflict and suffering in Ireland as you know quite well. But ok, let's look at twentieth century Ireland, War of Independence, Civil War, the Troubles (as we euphemistically refer to the conflict in Northern Ireland). Bobby Sands and the other hunger strikers only died in the 1980s. The people of Ireland never supported the actions of the IRA but there were very strong feelings about their deaths. Oh and let's not forget the Loyalist bomb in Talbot St in the 1970s.


What interested me about Polish politics when I first came here was how little media time was given to matters of any real importance and how much was spent on 'scandals'. I must dig out my old diary because I wrote a few observations in it.

Life / Polish culture versus rotten West [279]

Don't be so silly Ironside. The Poles could take a leaf out of the Irish book when it comes to letting go of the past. Not a day goes by that I don't see a picture of Hitler or some WWII related tale featured somewhere in the Polish media. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. Polish society is encouraged to be obsessive about the wrongs that have been perpetrated against them over centuries by the world and his wife, and it often seems that the desire to settle old scores ,is more important than dealing with the present and future of Poland.

Life / Polish culture versus rotten West [279]

Ah poor old Scotland and their shinty, every bit as much God's own game as hurling!

Armageddon, never knew about it till just now. Talk about surreal, like an episode of Father Ted. 'God Almighty Ted, we'll have to invade ourselves' 'Oh, yes, right so Ted'.

As for 'the child' well, he hasn't a clue about the history between the Irish and the English, after all he called my country an Anglo culture. Much as we've put the past behind us no Irish person wants to be identified as English, any more than a Scot does. However he's just not a happy person and he's decided to create a world for himself where he's the champion of some imaginary Slavic something or other and all non-Slavs are his 'enemy'.

Life / Polish culture versus rotten West [279]

Very interesting, thanks Dolno.

Life / Polish culture versus rotten West [279]

But do off-duty police still carry their weapons? I suppose it varies country by country but would a French policeman out for a picnic with his family be carrying his gun with him? I wonder now, it's an interesting thought.

Life / Polish culture versus rotten West [279]

Well there's many an off-duty Irish policeman who's used his trusty hurly stick to subdue a miscreant. Now I wonder what an off-duty French policeman would do? Spray them with Chanel No 5? See we Westerners do have very different cultures from each other!

Life / Polish culture versus rotten West [279]


No it's not Ktos. Hurling is the fastest sport played on grass and that's a simple fact. Of course there are ball sports where the ball can reach high speeds but what makes hurling unique is that the ball is continuously in play and consistently belted around the field at over 100km per hour, I think the fastest recorded ball was about 180km. Get out on a hurling pitch and see how it feels compared to handball. And we have handball in Ireland. We've been playing it since at least the 15th century. It's believed we picked it up from the Basques who traded with Ireland.


And you think the Irish did? Do you know anything about Irish history?


And when pray tell me, did the nation of Ireland ever invade anyone? Native Irish who left Ireland when it was under English rule, certainly fought in foreign armies. For example there was an Irish legion in Napolean's army, at the same time as the Polish legion. Ireland was the only foreign legion to whom Napolean awarded the Eagle.


Again, do you actually know any Irish history? Time and time again one can read accounts written by those who visited Ireland and were horrified at the conditions they saw there. Here's a little taster for you:

I have seen the Indian in his forests, and the Negro in his chains, and thought, as I contemplated their pitiable condition, that I saw the very extreme of human wretchedness; but I did not then know the condition of unfortunate Ireland.

(Gustave de Beaumont, French sociologist, 1835)
During those years the Gaelic sports waned somewhat, especially when the conditions referred to above were succeeded by repeated Famines. Despite dying of starvation and related diseases such as cholera and typhoid, we did actually manage to preserve the music.


There are still quite a few intact. As for the ruined ones, again, if you knew our history you'd know why they're in ruins.


You couldn't find a people more self deprecating than the Irish, the first to laugh at themselves and their own absurdities.


And that's great and beautiful and to be celebrated, but it means precisely zip to your average Pole whilst in Ireland the Gaelic sports are still very important to a large chunk of our population.


I take people as I find them Ktos, regardless of nationality. You have a very peculiar view of the world which will cause you to become more and more isolated and unhappy if you persist in it. I'm simply giving you an alternative perspective.


And I suggest you do the same when writing about Ireland of which you clearly know absolutely nothing.


Mr Atch's grandfather was in the Cavalry. When Mr A was a baby his grandmother left him in the garden in his little cot or whatever and Dziadek, going out to check on him, saw a rat sitting on his chest! Quick as a flash Dziadek runs in to the house, grabs his sabre which is hanging on the wall in the living room, rushes outside and decapitates the rat with one swift stroke. Cue outrage from Babcia ' You old fool, do you want to kill the child etc?' But those Cavalry men they knew their stuff!

Life / Polish culture versus rotten West [279]

Having a sense of humour is not about trying to make other people laugh. It's about looking at life from a certain perspective. But hey, you have a whole lifetime ahead of you to try to learn that, though you may never do so. Apparently much of our tendency to be a bit of a misery or conversely a happy person is determined by our genes.


Youi haven't the remotest understanding of my culture.


It might surprise you to learn that Irish DNA shows that the first Irish settlers came from the Middle East and Russia. My culture is Irish, it's not French, it's not Spanish, it's not Swedish, it's not Belgian, it's not Dutch. What's your culture Ktos and how is it expressed in your everyday life? What sets you apart?


Oh really now? Have you ever been to a hurling match? Fastest field sport in the world.You could go to one in Australia because the Irish brought the sport there. Of course you couldn't go to such a thing in Poland because you don't have any ancient sports that you've been playing for three thousand years or so. And despite Poland's history of equestrianism it was in Ireland that the steeplechase originated. You won't know what that is but you can look it up, only you won't because you're not interested.


Give me a list of five ways in which my country specifically, not the 'west' whatever that may be, lacks substance. And not some vague old waffle, concrete examples.

Life / Polish culture versus rotten West [279]


No, my own grandfather was sent to a very harsh orphanage run by nuns, during the years of British occupation. What I mean is that after Ireland gained independence in the 1920s the Church was accorded a very special place in Ireland, the Church and the State being almost one. It was a long time, probably only in the 1970s, before people began to feel that they could speak out and criticise the Church and indeed the media would have been reluctant to publish or broadcast such stories.


I'm just teasing you, you daft moo. It's called a sense of humour. That's how I am with my friends ( I don't have any enemies!). It's a common form of social interaction in Ireland and often in England too, sending each other up and slagging as it's called. Here's an article from an Irish newspaper that explains it. It's worth reading if you really want to understand someone else's culture which is very different from yours.

independent.ie/lifestyle/slagging-is-so-much-part-of-what-we-do-that-we-find-it-odd-when-someone-objects-26469553.html

I really do wish you well Ktos. You won't like to hear this from me, because nobody likes to be pitied, but I do feel quite sorry for you because you seem to be a very unhappy person. I hope you'll manage to get over that. You seem to be a bit better lately. That's good. All the best.

Life / Polish culture versus rotten West [279]


It's been the euro since around 2002 if I remember correctly.


Couldn't answer that off the top of my head Polly but it could be that it's yet to come out in Poland. You know in Ireland it didn't really begin to surface until 70 years after independence. Might be the same in the Poland?


I love Ireland. God Bless Ireland. God Bless Poland. God Bless the US of A. God Bless us all everyone here on the forum and beyond. Try to have a happy weekend everybody. I'll keep you all in my prayers.

Life / Polish culture versus rotten West [279]


Lumping us all in together again. In this case it's Mná na hÉireann - Women of Ireland. Respect national boundaries please.
edited - please stick to the topic, everyone

Life / Polish culture versus rotten West [279]


Well now we are all intrigued. This is the first time you've intimated that you're older than twelve. Except of course for the time when you talked about the days of Communist Poland and informed us- I quote verbatim - 'I loved it then', giving the somewhat erroneous impression that you had lived in those times. Although to be fair, maybe on that day you thought you had........


So in your profession you encountered many English families? How was that when you live in Australia?

Life / Polish culture versus rotten West [279]


You are talking about America again Pol.


That's because learning through play is an important aspect of child development. When led by a properly trained teacher who knows what they are doing and balanced with other kinds of learning, it's an excellent way for children to learn.

Life / Polish culture versus rotten West [279]

I'll reply in Off Topic.

Life / Polish culture versus rotten West [279]

The 1970s Othery One. U2 didn't come along until the 1980s. As for the Dubliners they were old fellas singing the street songs of Dublin and the classic ballads which was fine but your granny would be singing along in the corner. It wasn't rock 'n' roll.

Back to the topic please

Life / Polish culture versus rotten West [279]

Dzem - yes Mr Atch loves them. I think they're very derivative and seem to switch styles all the time, one track sounds reggae influence, another is real stadium rock, but I admire them because it must have been so difficult to do what they did in the Poland of those days.

Life / Polish culture versus rotten West [279]


Yes they were awful but it's the social history of the time. Remember what Ireland was like in the seventies? The Show Bands, the Country and Western, Big Tom and the Mainliners, Brendan Shine - aaaargh! Ok we had Rory Gallagher who was outstanding but apart from Thin Lizzy we didn't have any bands. Also the Boomtown Rats were not only 'modern' and slightly punky but they were young so the kids felt this was 'their' band. And Bob had great energy and a kind of charisma. He was incredibly mouthy at a time when young Irish people didn't talk back to Mammy and Daddy. He said all the things they wanted to but didn't dare. You could bring affable, always smiling Phil Lynott of Thin Lizzy) home to meet your Granny but not Angry Bob! The Boomtown Rats were a novelty and they filled a niche.

Then of course the UK picked up on them, I suppose the record companies needed more 'new wave' bands. Loads of dross gets signed up that way. So once the publicity machine is behind you, you're sorted. I remember the first time I saw the Spice Girls........I was speechless. They were a total embarrassment but there you go Roz, that's the world of show business!

Life / Polish culture versus rotten West [279]

It's an ongoing problem with Africa that money sent as aid gets syphoned off by corrupt governments and the Live Aid money was no different. Some of it got through, some of it didn't. I know Geldof isn't a shrinking violet but I don't think it was about his ego, I believe he was genuine. I think quite a few who performed there did it for the publicity of course, but is their motive important? I'm not sure. The point I was making is that it was the kind of people, musicians and their fans, whom Polly despises and thinks are responsible for all the evils of society, who raised that money.

Bob Geldof is Irish and Ireland has a very long history of helping the people of Africa. In the days before the concept of racism children in Irish schools routinely brought 'a penny for the black babies' every Friday. Irish people, even during their poorest times, have given to charities. In fact at the time of Live Aid Ireland was in a deep recession and yet the donations from Ireland were the highest per capita of all the nations who donated. Sorry to be banging on about Ireland again but you need to learn Ktos that countries are individual, with their own identities and characteristics, not just some lumpen mass called the West.

Life / Polish culture versus rotten West [279]

@Polly, let's not forget that it was your detested Rock musicians and their fans, under the leadership of Irish singer Bob Geldof who were responsible for Live Aid raising between 40-50 million pounds on the day, for the starving of Ethiopia and the figure eventually reached around 150 million.

Life / Polish culture versus rotten West [279]


Yes, I mean if you take the example of the nude in the Victorian era. It was ok to paint a female nude as long as she was some mythological figure thus a depiction of a Goddess bathing in a marble pool was acceptable but a peasant girl skinny dipping in the local river was vulgar and pornographic. Talk about double standards. Both female nudes, one is 'art' the other is porn.

Life / Polish culture versus rotten West [279]


No it didn't. I know you tend to think only from an American perspective so let's look at American culture. What about Vaudeville, Ragtime, the Flappers of the 1920s, the Boogie-Woogie music of the 1940s (that's where the Jive of the 1950s originated). Glen Miller and the Andrews Sisters were the acceptable face of it but have you seen the old film footage of real dance halls and the wild dancing that went on, nothing modest or sedate about it. What about P T Barnum and the Freak Shows, what about the Dime Museums, the Burlesque shows and the other cheap, popular entertainment for the masses that existed from the 1800s onwards.

News / The Guardian destroys the Kaczynski twins [42]

And it's not easy for a white man to impersonate a Nigerian, albeit a very light skinned one. I'd better stop now or I'll be warned again for 'off-topic, meaningless comments'.

News / The Guardian destroys the Kaczynski twins [42]

Remi Adekoye is not Christian Davies under a nom de plume if that's what you're suggesting. Here's his profile:
theguardian.com/profile/remi-adekoya

Law / Polish wife in the UK cheated on me. Divorce - what now of the kids? [15]

The Polish court won't care at all about your wife's infidelity. Polish courts always favour the mother and the outcome is going to be custody for her. Sorry to be so negative but that's the reality. The official line regarding custody is that young children need to be cared for by their mother. However if you have a son, they say that as a boy grows older he should have increased contact with his father.