Polonia / What About The Poles In The Netherlands? [102]

As I say, countries like The Netherlands, Denmark, and Sweden, historical bastions of "Christian" tolerance are simply fraying at the edges right now,
and misguided policies bending over backwards to frequently lazy or ungrateful new arrivals sure doesn't help matters any.

Genealogy / Polish blood only makes up 1% of your "Polishness" [77]

Thanks for the correction, Ziemowit!
Ought to have remembered that in Romance languages, typically the subjunctive is often used
where in Polish or English, a simple indicative would do:-)

Polonia / What About The Poles In The Netherlands? [102]

Traditional Dutch tolerance has been strained of late.
Surinamese along with other non-white, native Dutch speakers, have been as much a staple in the modern urban Netherlands, practically as African-Americans in most major urban Northeast areas of the US.

Poles, Russians, non-Dutch speakers though, often with what is perceived as poor English (let alone DutchLOL) have indeed been brusquely marginalized, seen as untrustworthy Black Marketeers who syphon off the state.

Now non-white, NON-native Dutch speakers NOT from former colonies such as Muslim immigrants, probably bear the cruelest brunt of the collapse of Dutch tolerance. Just look at the late Theo van Gogh.

Genealogy / Polish blood only makes up 1% of your "Polishness" [77]

Fair enough, Milo.

Genealogy / Polish blood only makes up 1% of your "Polishness" [77]

Poles are particularly sensitive to perceived slights against them, maybe more so than either the Irish or Italians abroad.

Genealogy / Polish blood only makes up 1% of your "Polishness" [77]

"Carthago delenda est".
That was Cato The Elder, wasn't it?

USA, Canada / There are more billionaires in Poland than in America [8]

Erased? You mean somebody removed this info from the Internet?

USA, Canada / There are more billionaires in Poland than in America [8]

Legal?? China?? Russia???!

Tell us another:-)

USA, Canada / There are more billionaires in Poland than in America [8]

The now not-so-new class of billionaires in China may well outstrip us all.

News / Turkish invasion on Polish TV - Poland's opinion on Turkey [30]

The facts are as follows: Before Muslims invaded Constantinople, it was a Christian citadel! In around 1911 or so, Turkey slaughtered many million Armenians in fact BECAUSE they were Christians!

The Turkish gov't continues to deny these facts.

In fact, Hitler once is said to have remarked to a top aide when asked about the Holocaust, "Who remembers Armenia?"

History / Your favourite Polish Patriotic films [49]

You're right.

History / Your favourite Polish Patriotic films [49]

Thanks, paw & maf. Temporarily forgot the exact Polish title, that's all:-)

Life / Political correctness in Poland [210]

Perhaps it is YOU who should change their misperceptions of other people whose customs you do not or refuse to understand:-)

While I'll grant you, starting as far back as the Amnesty Act of 1964 under LBJ, allowing certain non-Western European immigrants from Latin America and Southeast Asia to emigrate freely to the US, America has let often non-English speakers to come to our country solely as "placeholder" aka low ballers who underbid native born US citizens, there's never any justification for blaming someone else for their problems, usually beyond their own control.

If someone's born short rather than tall, hooked-nosed instead of straight or aquiline, it's not THEIR fault, but rather ours for being so imprisoned by our value system that we somehow can't accept others who are different.

You and others, Trump, Bannon and the whole pack, are flying in the face of accepted Judeo-Christian convention, blaming the victim and rewarding the sinner!

History / Your favourite Polish Patriotic films [49]

I saw "Man of Iron" (Mezczyzna zelazy) many years ago. Can't for the life of me recall either the actors or the even the director (Wajda??).

Thought it was a bit heavy handed myself. Any thoughts from our members?

Life / Political correctness in Poland [210]

"Why do Asians........?"

!!??? Are you smokin' somethin' other than Salem Lights, dude? Some of the most pervasive of all stereotypes concern
Asians, e.g. the sneaky Chinese, duplicitous Japanese, the secretive, hermit-like Koreans.....

While some of these beliefs are based solely on Western, partcularly Anglo-Saxon interpretations of Oriental cultural practices,
such thinking abounds, having nothing to do with not having done anything bad!!

Love / Attraction from a Polish man? [22]

As I never tire of reiterating, Challis et al, it's not about being Polish, Greek, American or Transylvanian, it's a matter of the person's

level of upbringing and background! One can't and shouldn't generalize regarding a person's nationality and infer from that fixed behavior
patterns. However, whatever the person's country of origin, they will tend to act more acceptably depending on how they were educated,no
matter where they're from, it's a simple as that.

Life / Political correctness in Poland [210]

The reputation for being "dumb" surely derived from the misconception that because a country is somehow lagging behind
their neighbors such as England, Germany or France in terms of infrastructure and technology, that the inhabitants of that
country therefore must be plain stupid.

How about the "dumb Swede" jokes? "My name is Jan Jansson, I come from Wisconsin....", even the cartoonish portrayal of
the somewhat backward-talking Swedish missionary in "Murder on the Orient Express", as portrayed surprisingly by Ingrid
Bergman, is but a further example of negative stereotyping, albeit rather harmless.

Well, in both cases, their detractors are now having the last laugh, aren't they!

History / Your favourite Polish Patriotic films [49]

Fair enough. I'd tend to be of the same mind.

Polonia / Poland and France cultures are similar [112]

Altered at any rate.
Curious as to whether the introduction of such delectables in their own right, for example Morrocan couscous above all, has in fact "enriched" staple French cuisine, haute or pauvre:-)

Maybe so. Somewhat different than my saying that pasta were a "foreign" influence in France's time-honored cooking, since the latter shares ever so much with their neighbor to the south, that it's almost like saying New England vs. Southern in the US. The latter is nonetheless seen collectively as "American".

North Africa is a different element, both dietarily as well as culturally.

"Stupinized"??, "freakenized"??LOL Crow, what are you talking about?

Life / Political correctness in Poland [210]

No, Dirk!

It's not up to the minority in question to merely disown those among them who give their group a bad name. Rather, it is up to the majority among the majority group, in this case W.A.S.P. or white Christian Americans in general, to enlighten themselves with regard to those non-whites who live among them.

One "welfare leech" doesn't an entire ethnicity make! How about anti-Polish, let's say just "Polish stereotypes", ok? It that any more or less unfair than stereotypes which unfairly caricature African-Americans, Hispanics or Jews??

Where do we eventually draw the line?

History / Your favourite Polish Patriotic films [49]

I saw that one years ago. Yes, quite a powerful epic-type film.

History / Your favourite Polish Patriotic films [49]

Would you consider "Katyn" a patriotic film?

Life / Political correctness in Poland [210]

You might be right.

History / Your favourite Polish Patriotic films [49]

I see.

Life / Political correctness in Poland [210]

Racist by association maybe.

History / Your favourite Polish Patriotic films [49]

Either one:-)

I mean, " Niewinne Czarodzieje" or "Rozdrodze Café", although from two different generations, were both entertaining, while scarcely 'political' in content.

Life / Political correctness in Poland [210]

Germany has her long beloved "Gartenzwerge", and yet they're completely inoffensive, save for perhaps appearing to make fun of LilliputiansLOL

Certain German children's stories, especially nursery rhymes from around the 19th century, frequently showed the "big bad wolf" theme in terms of a Jewish caricature, with the caption "Trust not the fox alone on the heath, nor the Jew at his word!", as a warning to little ones easily waylaid by some nice old man tempting them with sweets or candy!

Life / Political correctness in Poland [210]

"Neger" survives in the chocolate treat "Negerkoepfe", and yet I avoid mentioning it when I can.
Perhaps because the blacks I encountered when I lived in Germany were either half-German or originally from Nigeria who came to then Eastern Germany as university students and therefore so thoroughly fluent in the language as well as the culture, I never thought of them as anything but "German"!

However, the term "Schwarze" can be a bit denigrating, I will admit.
Much older German-Jewish emigres here in New York often referred to low-paid African-American domestics as such, and it's DEFINITELY not positive.

History / Your favourite Polish Patriotic films [49]

Obviously, a strong, anti-Stalinist statement!

Yet name me any Polish film, aside from pure entertainment fluff, which is NOT "political" in some way:-)

Life / Political correctness in Poland [210]

So is "Br'er Rabbit and Br'er Possum" by Joel Chandler Harris here in the States, but, as with lawn jockeys and Aunt Jemima images across America, it sends disturbing signals about the intelligence as well as the role of African-Americans within our society!