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COMBATING "POLACK" JOKES [460]
I think that if MediaWatch feels connection to Poland and Polish people because of his/her roots he/she has right to feel in this way. Even if he's/she's rather odd ;)
There are a lot of Poles and people with Polish roots outside Poland and we feel connected to them. We call them "Polonia":
In Polish:
pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polonia
In English:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polonia
I've always heard Arabs are the kings (or sultans?) of conspiracy theories but I wonder if the Polish might actually excel in that arena? LOL
Why do you think so? I doubt Poles (at least in Poland) create any conspiracy theories behind jokes.
I simply wrote how I feel about those jokes. And explained to beelzebub why Poles may be sensitive about them.
I know some Poles who say that they think some of the anti-Polish Bias out there could possible root from an anti-Slavic/East European bias. The Poles being the largest Slavic group in the US made them a target (although it's less today then 30 years ago). At least that's what some say.
Well, I don't know, it's hard for me to tell. I suspect that it's probably more "the white Anglo-Saxon vs. all the rest" ;))) I doubt people in USA know what a "Slav" is ;) Or do they?
Some Russian people think that people in the West consider Slavic people as inferior or something.
But I don't think that's the case :P
I think people in the West probably look down upon all countries East of them - Slavic or non-Slavic. It's the case with all poor and not as developed (in many areas) countries as their own. Another thing is the fact that the Eastern countries were behind the Iron Curtain. So the West and the East have different experience and different problems.
And don't know much about each other as they were divided for 50 years.
I guess for people living in the Western countries everything that lies East of them is a land where dragons live, there's an eternal winter and polar bears walk the streets ;))) In the US probably the more so ;)
Also, in the Eastern countries dominate the Orthodox Church and Roman Catholic Church. In the West either protestant churches or atheism, and in some countries - Catholic Church.
Remember that Roman Empire reached only Germania (so Romans stopped in the middle of today's Poland, I guess). I'm not a historian but it probably had it's influence. Romans introduced in their colonies Roman law and Latin. In Poland, Czech Republic and Slovakia Latin alphabet is used, in Serbia - both Latin and Cyrillic alphabet, but in Ukraine, Belarus, Bulgaria, Russia - only the Cyrillic. The West is a Roman culture, and most of the East - Byzantium culture.
So despite the fall of the Iron Curtain there is a division into the West and the East. Those are different cultures. And some think that this what is different is worse and thus dislike it and mock it. But I think such people are probably in minority on both sides ;)
I notice that even reporting on Slavic countries like Ukraine and Russia, the media reporting is not exactly positive.
Ukraine is struggling, has many problems right now, so it can't be very positive.
And Russia... well... Russia hasn't got good press in Poland either ;) But that's another story.
After Russia didn't do so good in the Olympics recently and it was reported that the Russians were depressed about it, there were some late night people making fun of the Russians. One guy made a "joke", in so many words, that Russia can only do well in the Olympics when "Russia's women athletes look like men". I thought that was tasteless and disrepecful to Russians, especially when in my opinion some of the most talented and prettiest female athletes are the Slavic/Russian iceskaters like Oskana Domina (not to mention Russian female tennis players).
Yes, I agree with you.
Maybe seeing Russian athletes in this way in the US is a remnant of the Cold War era. In the times of communism female athletes from the East Germany (GDR - German Democratic Republic) were famous for taking steroids (and God knows what else ;P) and they indeed looked masculine. Simply in communist states sport was an important propaganda tool and athletes had to win whatever the cost. Even if their health was at stake.
Anyone who makes fun of the looks of Russian women athletes are ignorant of the pretty Russian female athletes like Oskana Domnina
Ahhh, I'm a fan of figure skating :)))
In this free dance Maxim and Oksana skate, among others, to the music of Zbigniew Preisner from the movie "Double Life of Veronique" directed by Krzysztof Kieślowski :)
It's one of my favourite films :)
In my family, we generally have an appreciation for other Slavic groups :)
Well, I try to appreciate all ethnic groups and nations ;)
