Language / I want to learn Polish. Where to start? [180]

I tried the demo of Rosetta Stone for Polish and I have to admit, it actually worked. I'll probably buy the full version very soon. I'm downloading the demo from the website Sledz suggested now.

UK, Ireland / Polish opinion of England as a country and the English nation [64]

I'm an American. I was over in the UK for roughly 3 months on business. At my job we had a good mix of English and Polish. I saw a lot of animosity among the English towards the Polish. I talked with a few and asked why they were so spiteful. The common excuse was "they are taking our jobs" or some other nonsense like that.

Part of my job was to hire folks to do work and manage them. I interviewed hundreds of folks. And I hired over a hundred as well. Paid everyone wages based on their job, not their nationality. From my perspective, as an employer, I got more work from the Polish I hired. Or to use an American term "I got more bang for my buck."

Once they understood what to do... they did it. I never had to tell them again. The Brits on the other hand. I had to babysit many of them. I wont even get into the frustration of all the ones that would call in "sick" on payday.

Different cultures comes with different work ethics I suppose. I ended up having to fire quite a few people because they just didn't work out. (Note: firing folks in the UK is much tougher to do process wise than in the USA). Not one of the people I fired were Polish.

So the whole "Stealing our jobs" is rubbish. The jobs are there -- but if you're not going to do your job, then as an employer, I'm going to get rid you and find someone who will. I'm not hiring them because they're cheaper -- I'll pay them the same -- I'm hiring them because they want to do the work.

USA, Canada / What do Polish people think of the USA [287]

The problem with America, is it's full of Americans that have lost the understanding on the foundations of how our country works. We'll sit and point fingers and Bush all day, but tend to leave out the part about the American people voting him or any other politician in office. It's why they are called 'elected officials.' Americans have quickly shifted into 'autopilot' mode and want someone else to do all the decision making for them. We're generally ignorant and all of the major problems we face now are due to our ignorance being exploited like a sleazy car salesmen. But there is no one to blame but ourselves.

Yet, our American culture has caught this virus in the last few decades of "blame someone else." It's why our court systems are congested with absolutely ridiculous lawsuits, because American people have a hard time accepting responsibility for their actions. It shows itself on every level of our culture. Some are more severe than others.

We can't have a government for the people; by the people -- if those people are indifferent to everything outside of their tiny bubble. That's ignorance(not stupidity) and we've got to change that.

USA, Canada / What do Polish people think of the USA [287]


Unfortunately, that's not going to happen. None of the presidential candidates are worth much IMO. They all are making promises they don't intend to keep. They're all hustling to the polls/surveys. They find out what American's want to hear, and they'll regurgitate it.

And then of course, the American people, in general, don't really care and therefore don't hold these politicians accountable for any of it. We suffer from a severe case of short term memory loss.

Seems more and more Americans are content with having someone else do the thinking for them. They don't really care to use that 3lb gray mass sitting above their shoulders, and American culture, on so many levels, promotes this mental lethargy.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying all of America is like this, but the gross majority is unfortunately. I love my country, and I'm a proud to call myself American. I'm proud to have served my country in Desert Storm and Desert Shield. Yet I don't let my pride blind me of the serious issues we face in regards to the direction of this nation. Many folks like to point fingers at the person sitting in the Oval Office, but I think our biggest issue starts in the American home. Every new generation gets less and less education on the origin of America. They grow more and more ignorant on the foundation and ideals for which our Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights, and Constitution were drafted.

It's starting to become the norm that American History isn't even taught until the 8th grade. That's just madness in my opinion. It should be taught from 1st grade till 12th. If we forget our origins, then we lose perspective on our posterity.