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Posts by RoughFlavors  

Joined: 18 Jan 2012 / Female ♀ 		Last Post: 29 Jan 2012
Threads: Total: 1 / In This Archive: 1
Posts: Total: 100 / In This Archive: 59 		From: USA
Speaks Polish?: Tak

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RoughFlavors   
20 Apr 2012
Life / Teenage Pregnancy in Poland [108]

Sex means responsibility.

in an ideal world. this is reality.

Condoms are expensive,

Really? You'd rather sterilize people to save them the all-in-all insignificant expense of buying condoms?

Why not give condoms out for free at schools then? Whatever you'd pay for medical and psychological evaluations, and for surgical staff and facilities, would buy truckloads of condoms.

You do realize in some places it's mandatory for girls to get parental consent before getting a birth control prescription? Not to mention sex education may often be outdated and inadequate, and delivered by utterly unqualified people. Wouldn't it make more sense to fix that before anyone rolls out the snipping campaign?
RoughFlavors   
20 Apr 2012
Life / Teenage Pregnancy in Poland [108]

And for some they're beneficial. And there are birth control methods that don't involve any hormones or surgery whatsoever, not to mention they prevent STDs, too. I would rather provide kids with education and contraception than with judgment and sterilization. You voice your disapproval equally at birth control and abortion, which is rather self-contradictory.

One consequence of having sterilization as the preferred solution would be that teenagers would avoid/postpone making that loaded decision and do nothing, and therefore be actually more likely to get pregnant than if they could simply go to a doctor or a pharmacy for contraception with ease, without being judged, and without lifelong consequences.

Teenagers have sex the world over. It's what you do when you're young. Most civilized societies figured out, more or less, that education is the key here, not surgery.
RoughFlavors   
20 Apr 2012
Life / Teenage Pregnancy in Poland [108]

i didn't mean it wasn't safe, just drastic, unlike taking the pill. You can be on the pill for years and then stop and go back to regular cycles. With tubal ligation, there's no going back.
RoughFlavors   
20 Apr 2012
Life / Teenage Pregnancy in Poland [108]

People already have the option. No need to push it on teenagers.

Whatever changes a female body undergoes on the pill (and some of them positive) is nothing compared to tying the tubes.

I thought we just agreed that people at 16 are not particularly thoughtful about what they want in the future?

They're not old enough to drive, to drink, to get a regular job, or to join the military. Some of them haven't received half the education they will during their lifetime, and they have maybe 10% of their general life experience at that point. They haven't seen enough, met enough people, tried enough ideas. 16 is simply not old enough to make irrevocable decisions about something so important in your future.
RoughFlavors   
20 Apr 2012
Life / A recent visit to Poland. First time after 12 years. [19]

Upper Silesia in general has never been the most picturesque of regions. Nevertheless, my family has lived, worked, and died there for generations, and I've always been proud of it. It is ugly there, but there is beauty in ugliness when you understand your history and your roots, and all the struggle and hard work that went into that ugly neck of the woods... I guess I just wish things had gotten much better over the past 12 years than they did.
RoughFlavors   
20 Apr 2012
Life / Teenage Pregnancy in Poland [108]

Medical professionals would determine if someone is a candidate for such a procedure

Medical professionals are people, too. They make mistakes, sometimes all too often. They have their own biases, beliefs, and agendas. They're not objective. I doubt any of them would want to bear the responsibility and the liability of authoritatively recommending the permanent disabling of one of the functions of the body of a teenager.

How about the parents? Wouldn't their word count? Would a person at 16 be strong and independent enough not to yield to the pressure of his or her family, potentially resulting in an irreversible step they may regret years later? Would every parent always give the right advice?

How about their future relationships? Wouldn't this early decision make them less desirable as spouses and life partners in the future, potentially leading to unhappiness? Shouldn't a couple decide together whether or not they are ready to and want to raise children?
RoughFlavors   
20 Apr 2012
Life / Teenage Pregnancy in Poland [108]

it is viewed negatively

I have a number of friends and coworkers who did that and there actually isn't any value judgement associated with it, otherwise they wouldn't be sharing it with anyone. But they all made that decision carefully in their 30s and 40s, after they had the kids they wanted or whatever other personal reason made sense to them. God, if i knew at 16 what I know now, it would be a whole different life for me, but it's all about the ride, right?

Of course, the person would be making a decision about what they want to do.

oh, i thought we needed medical professionals to determine who is suitable?

let's face it, if teenagers were somehow miraculously capable of such diligent introspection and such thorough analysis of their future states of mind, there would be no teenage pregnancies in the first place.

as well as no broken marriages, no career changes, no dropping out of schools. possibly no return desks in department stores. or confessionals, for that matter.
RoughFlavors   
20 Apr 2012
Life / Teenage Pregnancy in Poland [108]

why not give them the option of sterilization

because it's irreversible, or close to being so. as far as i know, it's not illegal and accessible to anyone who wants to do it now. if it's easy and cheap, and so convenient, why do you think it's not more widespread already?

there's teenagers who already have a negative view of responsibility

well, since you'll already be giving them a responsibility test in order to decide whether they should be sterilized, why not share the results with the DMV? It may save some car accidents in the future. Maybe a future employer, too? So they don't get hired, by any chance. And while you're at it, the banks, so that they don't get a loan they might not be able to pay off. Or a potential boyfriend or girlfriend, so they know what they're getting into ahead of time... Actually, we might just give them armbands to wear at all times, so that we all know who they are!

People should be free to make mistakes in their lives. That's what life is about - learning, growing, gaining experience, and passing it on.
RoughFlavors   
20 Apr 2012
Life / Teenage Pregnancy in Poland [108]

omg, you are actually serious

How is birth control shirking from responsibility? I thought that is what responsible people do, actually.

It's not about personality, it's about means and being able to provide for your kids. Hardly anyone can do that when they're 16, and just because they don't want kids at 16 doesn't mean they won't want them at 30.

People have such a negative view of sterilization, but why is it such a bad thing for people who do not like or want kids?

It's an individual's decision. No government and no society should ever tell an individual what to do with their body, or be able to decide who should or should not have kids. It's egregiously overstepping any government's mandate and no civilized country would ever back such a measure.
RoughFlavors   
20 Apr 2012
Life / A recent visit to Poland. First time after 12 years. [19]

I can not believe she didn't have any positive experience.

well, your assumptions are far from correct. I was happy to see my family, old friends, neighbors and some teachers. in case you missed it, my point was that not a whole lot has changed, and the changes that did take place were not all positive.
RoughFlavors   
20 Apr 2012
Life / Teenage Pregnancy in Poland [108]

You can't possibly be serious about any of that.

NO teenager wants to have kids while they're teenagers. NO teenager knows what they want to do when they grow up, let alone whether they will or won't want to have kids in the future. Who would decide which kid seems nurturing enough not to get sterilized? You? A school psychologist? A priest?

Would you sterilize poor people, too, who can't afford to have kids, so they don't become a burden to the society? How about people of less than perfect health, so they don't have unhealthy kids that may need social assistance in the future? How about people with "wrong" political or religious views, so that the social order is preserved for generations?

you must be joking, in which case it's not even funny
RoughFlavors   
20 Apr 2012
Life / Teenage Pregnancy in Poland [108]

I'm all for people who don't like kids but want to have sex getting their tubes tied or vasectomies.

and how does this apply to teenagers?
RoughFlavors   
20 Apr 2012
Life / Teenage Pregnancy in Poland [108]

JUST DON'T FORNICATE!

that's just as realistic as forbidding driving cars for fear of accidents

funny how usually people who are against abortion are also against sex education, easy access to cheap/free contraception, or social support for poor mothers/families, and they are the first to judge and ostracize pregnant women who are single. The term "unwed" itself is just so judgmental, as if it was a woman's duty to get married.
RoughFlavors   
20 Apr 2012
Life / Teenage Pregnancy in Poland [108]

I can't say much about what it looks like right now, but sex education is always a challenge in a country with huge Catholic influence. I remember in high school, "sex ed" was split between biology (and it was so obvious the teacher was painfully uncomfortable with the subject - she told one poor guy to stand in front of the class and read a chapter out of the textbook, aloud, while she was just sitting there, not contributing anything at all) and religion (and our "katecheta" telling us how he only had sex with his wife once a month, which was pretty gross...) So imagine how useful that was.

It is up to the individual to make such decisions, not society or government.

exactly
RoughFlavors   
20 Apr 2012
Life / A recent visit to Poland. First time after 12 years. [19]

Interesting theory based on a single incident.

I told that story to my family and friends when I arrived and they gave me tons of similar examples of when they were vacationing abroad and met other Poles who didn't want to be Polish. Lol, my mom told me about another airport incident in Milan, where she hear a family speaking Polish and went to ask them a question about something, and the parents pretended not to understand what she was saying but the kid replied to her in Polish, which earned him a smack in the head from his dad....

Besides, I don't see how a simple Dzien dobry can be an annoyance. It's basic politeness, imo. If two Americans met in a distant country, or two Germans, or two whoever, they would exchange a Hello.

Poles pretending not to be Polish - sorry but what crap is that,

LOL, dude, you obviously personally associate with Poland yet you make a point to say you're not Polish.

same as in any other country

In most countries I've been, it would actually be considered somewhat rude, almost like asking about how much you make or how much money you have in the bank.
RoughFlavors   
20 Apr 2012
Life / A recent visit to Poland. First time after 12 years. [19]

Let me explain the piece about Poles pretending not to be Poles. When I was waiting for my connecting flight in Frankfurt, I noticed a Polish looking guy. Then he pulled out his cell phone and called his dad to tell him to pick him up when he arrived in Katowice. In Polish. Then he sat down next to me and pulled out a book. In Polish. But when I said Dzien dobry, he pretended not to understand, and replied in German. I laughed and I asked him why he was reading a book in Polish, he said, "Ja sie ucze polski." So I replied, Jak sie polski ucze to dzien dobry umie, nie? This had nothing to do with assimilation. It's just an inferiority complex.
RoughFlavors   
20 Apr 2012
Life / A recent visit to Poland. First time after 12 years. [19]

I just got back from visiting Poland for the first time after 12 years.

I have been regularly in touch with my family and friends throughout that time and, listening to them, I imagined some incredible changes must have taken place since. My excitement and anticipation to go see everything with my own eyes after over a decade was quickly met with disappointment, though. Here are a few observations:

1. While abroad, Poles still pretend not to be Polish. How sad.
2. Other than more signs advertising everything from "Instalacja Kotlow" to "Biuro Rachunkowe Estimate," a bunch of new banks and car dealerships, everything looks the same. In fact, the school I used to go to actually looked better back in 2000.

3. The use of English words is as ubiquitous as it is ridiculously out of place and incorrect (Biuro Rachunkowe Estimate - wtf?!)
4. People are just as rude and wary of strangers as before. One simply sticks out.
5. Nobody thinks twice about littering in the street, flower borders and containers are conspicuously devoid of vegetation but instead full of trash, There's spit on sidewalks. Nothing changed.

6. People complain about everything, as always. They were very proud to tell me about the new Galleria (a mall) but then proceeded to ***** about the prices there, in the very next sentence.

7. Roads are just as bumpy and narrow as before, sidewalks just as crooked.
8. Everyone wanted to know what kind of car I drove and how big my house was. As if they were keeping score.
9. When I was trying to tell them a little bit about the life in the US, it was either, "Oh, yes, we have that, too..." or "Stupid Americans." I gave up.

10. All the programs on TV were copied from western stations. Seems like there was no original programming, other than the news...
11. Clothes continue to be a status symbol. At the same time, everyone shops in consignment stores.
12. Travel agencies seem to focus mainly on third-world countries.
13. Finally, people look tired and pooped. My peers look way older and they seem disheartened. Nobody seems to truly enjoy their lives, everyone is worried and constantly fretting over everyday stuff.

I really don't care if anyone agrees with me or not, but the thought that I came back with was, if I escaped that and made it to where I'm now, I can do anything.
RoughFlavors   
29 Jan 2012
News / Poland now soft-pedalling ACTA signing [107]

well, D, let me explain to you how far your head got up your a$s.

my father served for years in the Polish army, before went on to a career in chemical engineering. His father served in the Polish army, too, and then worked for decades in a coalmine, until his job cost him his life one day. His father, in turn, fought in the first two Silesian uprisings - he would have fought in the third one, probably, too, except he got killed. My mother's father and his brother fought all the way through Europe with General Anders, and were just two of those many silly "village" Polacks running up the hill of Monte Cassino. He survived, only missing an ear, and came back to Poland afterwards - his brother wasn't so lucky. My grandpa became quite known in our "village," too, for coming to all the nine high schools for years just to tell the students about the war. His father fought all three Silesian uprisings - and survived, only to be taken to Auschwitz for helping his Jewish friend and his pregnant wife, never to be seen or heard from again. The earlier generations died various deaths, from being shot for teaching Polish to dying in Prussian and Russian prisons for participating in the Greater Poland Uprising and the January Uprising.

so excuse me for not being duly insulted by some "urbane" f*cktard like you because I supposedly hail from some "village." There is very little you can tell me about being Polish, or about respecting my freedom.

and no, your Indian counterfeit drug BS does not convince me to let myself be monitored 24/7
RoughFlavors   
29 Jan 2012
News / Poland now soft-pedalling ACTA signing [107]

you'll never say a bad word about the country that let you escape from the village, eh?

even if you had the guts to tell people the truth about the sh*thut you left behind, you still wouldn't have the brains to understand a concept more complex than America=bad. "Village" is not an insult, D. I happen to be proud of where I came from, and proud of the country where I chose to live, even if I'm critical of both at times.

Now, why don't you put your wikipedia PhD to work and explain why ACTA is such a brilliant idea. Or is one semi-smart argument that does not involve bashing America too much to ask for?
RoughFlavors   
29 Jan 2012
News / Poland now soft-pedalling ACTA signing [107]

You're the one that brought up health care, not me

as a matter of fact, i did not. I just responded to your nonsensical statement about generics.

you gave up your civil liberties the second you took up American residency.

you're boring as f*ck with your anti-Americanism.

the rest of it - tl;dr
RoughFlavors   
29 Jan 2012
Law / IT department (computer programming) - Opening up an Office/Business in Poland [53]

Anyone recommending Katowice for anything other than ritual suicide deserves scorn.

typical nonsense you'd expect from D

I would say the location is less of an issue, given that computer programming is something you can easily do telecommuting. This way you can concentrate on hiring people with the best qualifications, rather than worrying about where they live. You may not even need an office and just set up a virtual organization, with people collaborating online. It saves a lot of overhead, significantly expands your labor market, and may lower your compensation expenses. Poland is a small country, one time zone, you can drive from one end to the next within a day, why create artificial limitations? It's the 21st century after all.

to be perfectly honest, though, PF is a very poor choice for sourcing market research. you can't be serious about opening a business if that's where you're looking for information.
RoughFlavors   
29 Jan 2012
News / Poland now soft-pedalling ACTA signing [107]

wtf, D? i mean, seriously, you can't pull one scrap of logic out of your a$s... what's all this India nonsense? I'm going to make it real simple for you - I, and many other intelligent people, do not want to be under surveillance by an ISP acting on behalf any government. It's a basic right of a citizen under any civilized legal system. And your counterargument is knockoff drugs, supposedly from India? For real?! There already are laws against counterfeit drugs, and they don't require monitoring the entire population, or people giving up their civil liberties.
RoughFlavors   
28 Jan 2012
UK, Ireland / Cultural misunderstandings - Polish and English [26]

Polish people can sometimes act like professional contrarians

I think there's a two-fold explanation for that. For one, Poles are a relatively homogeneous society and therefore tend to be dismissive of anyone who is different, particularly foreigners, but also anyone who stands out from the crowd. The other reason is that Poles are often argumentative (two Poles - four points of view, or whatever), and can argue about anything and nothing. We also complain notoriously and, at the same time, cherish our supposed exceptionalism. In other words, you can't win an argument with a Pole, at least in his or her mind.
RoughFlavors   
28 Jan 2012
News / Poland now soft-pedalling ACTA signing [107]

less generic ripoffs

D, you're being clueless again. Generics are not ripoffs, they're perfectly legal (for now) and safe. You can only patent an invention or a design for so long, afterwards it becomes available to everyone.

Theoretically, you couldn't even try to recreate at home a dish you had at a restaurant, because it would be the chef's intellectual property. Essentially, protection of intellectual property becomes supreme to every other right under ACTA, which is completely absurd.
RoughFlavors   
28 Jan 2012
Love / Why do Polish girls and women look at me in a flirty way? [44]

They were brainwashed

oh, please. a girl can make her own mind about who to date. some choose black, some choose domestic, get used to it.

and whoever showed her boobs to mauritius was either stupid or thought he was stupid
RoughFlavors   
28 Jan 2012
UK, Ireland / Cultural misunderstandings - Polish and English [26]

Ok, D, how far "outside" the mountains did you actually travel?
People tend to return a smile and a hello "outside" the mountains, unless they're particularly uptight and pissy.
I grew up in Poland and I can guarantee that what is "normal behavior" there would be extremely abnormal anywhere else, when it comes to the standards of politeness and friendliness.
RoughFlavors   
28 Jan 2012
News / Poland now soft-pedalling ACTA signing [107]

You're totally missing the point, D, and I can't believe you actually need the explanation of an obvious fact. Nobody is advocating in favor of piracy and stealing, got it? But neither governments nor corporations should be allowed to spy on EVERYONE just to catch a few bad guys. You wouldn't want the police to come to your house whenever their fancy strikes, without a warrant, would you? Just to look through your stuff to make sure everything is a-ok? You wouldn't want your phone company spying on your phone calls for no reason, or the post office opening your letters, would you? Well, this is what ACTA is mandating - that the ISPs monitor where you go on the net, and what you look at, and what you download.
RoughFlavors   
28 Jan 2012
UK, Ireland / Cultural misunderstandings - Polish and English [26]

Expressing either anger or impoliteness or impatience just like politeness or patience is frequently a part of play.

Polish retail store and post office reps must be really good at that "play," surpassed only by township clerks and revenue service workers... What is generally considered normal or neutral behavior in Poland, would seem downright rude in many other countries. That includes giving a weird look to someone who greets you with a friendly Hello, even if you don't happen to know them.