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Posts by Matyjasz  

Joined: 20 Jul 2006 / Male ♂
Last Post: 24 Jul 2013
Threads: Total: 2 / In This Archive: 0
Posts: Total: 1543 / In This Archive: 246
From: Poland
Speaks Polish?: yes, though Polska język trudna język. ;)

Displayed posts: 246 / page 1 of 9
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Matyjasz   
15 Oct 2014
UK, Ireland / Curious about differences Polish people see with the British? [95]

But quite a few Poles I have met seem to have quite a chip on their shoulder about it, and seem to think that Brits like me 'should be told' about this opinion, whether we ask for it or not.

Regardless of our place of birth we are all still subject of propaganda of the state's we were brougt up in. Sometimes it's subtle and sometimes it's more obvious, but it doesn't matter if you are from England, USA, Lithuania, Poland or North Korea, we all went through it and are unconsciously burdened by it.

I'm sorry CasualObserver, but I'm pretty sure that somewhere in the past I was this typicall Pole who, when finally got the chance, set the record straight and explained "the ignorant" Briton our side of the WWII story... I can't even pin point the exact situation when I heard about the western betrayal... I guess it's something that just flouts here in the air.

But I wasn't trying to be malice. It was just an innocent pub banter. No harm was intended as I actually really like your country.

Talking about differences between Poles and Britons, thought, I actually think you guys are more sensitive about the words, the way, the manner and the circumstances things are being said, that often our straightforwardness is being evaluated as inappropriate and even hostile, despite our true intentions.

Plus, you expect and actually use the word please like mad! ;)
Matyjasz   
21 Apr 2011
UK, Ireland / Do Poles and EU Citizens exploit the British welfare state [129]

People who go on welfare have a habit of never getting off it. If you lose your job you should receive 6 months of benefits, not a lifetime of food stamps and free housing. After 6 months they should have to do some sort of community service, such as picking up trash along the Hi-way etc... You would be surprised how many people get off the system then!

It's not the polish immigrants that should be the adresee of your list of greviences, but the government body that actually sets the rules in GB. I mean, just like Grzegorz already pointed out, you don't abuse a systrem if you are entitled for the benefits. I guess that because of the american problem with illegal mexicans you have a chip on your shoulder when it comes to immigrants.
Matyjasz   
13 Mar 2011
History / What nation do Poles feel closer to? [74]

But what does an average Pole know about Hungary and Hungarians? Not much I'm afraid. We don't even know our neighbours...

Actually, the country we know the most about is Germany... and now probably also GB. ;)
Matyjasz   
17 Dec 2010
Love / Good looking Polish women with ugly men [416]

this is a polish (or slavic) phenononem for sure. the fact is the vast majority polish men are unattractive. how these two creatures (the polish man and polish women) come from the same gene pool is seriously one of the great mysteries of the universe! i'm not kidding.

so, how do they get the girls? i think it's a numbers game and nothing more

Every now and then I hear something similar coming from my Polish friends (male friends of course) "How can that woman be with such a fugly guy?", and just like in the case of this thread it's always with this undertone of "she would be better of with me!". It's hilarious. What makes you guys think you know better than that woman what is attractive for her? Yeah, it must be the numbers game… but maybe, just maybe the guy has what that girl is looking for? Good humour, intelligence or maybe he is remarkable in bed?

PS: And polish women do look like their fathers. At least mine daughter looks like me. :)
Matyjasz   
9 Dec 2010
News / Poles don't have a heart for math... says The New York Times [84]

I don't know what you people are on about. This article is repeating what many here in Poland have bee saying for years, really, that Poles don't have a heart for maths. The precentege of people choosing technical higher education is significantly lower here than in the rest of EU. There are too many people with diplomas in history, pedagogy, administration or marketing and management and too little in high-tech and the reason is poor education in math, physics and chemistry on the primary and secondary school level. Even the Programme for International Student Assessment, despite what has been said here on the forums, showed that clearly.

If you would read the article more carefully you would notice that it is not the Germans being blamed but Poles themselves. Look:

Later, after 40 years of Soviet domination, when the Iron Curtain fell, Poland moved quickly to overhaul its school system. But it failed to change the mind-set toward math.

Matyjasz   
28 Nov 2010
Law / Poland low on national brand chart [66]

As I showed, BP aquired Aral and kept an in Germany well known brand name (since 1924!

That's true. I think that German customers are very true to their brands. The same situation as with Spiele Max happened to Bauknecht, which is being owned by Whirlpool these days.
Matyjasz   
8 Nov 2010
USA, Canada / Moved back from Canada to Poland:). Here are the reasons why. [868]

I never thought that it could be such a problem. Warm clothes, shoes with thick sole and grok always did it for me.

I must admit that I'm not too fond of January and Ferbruary... it has to do with the post-christmass/new years eve depression, but in march everythng slowly turns back to life, etc so it's all good in the end... :)
Matyjasz   
8 Oct 2010
History / Life in Partitioned Poland (Specifically in the Prussian Partition) [118]

Bismarck's Kulturkampf wasn't anti-polish but anti-catholic church just as one example.
Pursuing one official language is also fully legal and something every country does.

It doesn't really matter whether it was meant as anti-polish or not. What matters though is that polish people were banned on their own soil in a predominantly polish environment from using their own language. Is that ok for you?

This had been the real facts.... Contrary to polish propaganda Poles had been quite well off in the most modern and advanced country of Europe at that time!

So, stop crying about mean, bad Prussia...I won't believe it anymore. hmpf

That Prussia gets a bad press here and that we are a little bit exaggerating the whole thing is true. But if everything was so fine and dandy as you portray here why would there be a Greater Poland's Uprising? You must admit that people don't risk their lives if everything is fine, no?
Matyjasz   
1 Oct 2010
Life / Gypies/Indian-looking women with kids beg for money in Poland [143]

Anyone remembers the uproar in western Europe when it came out that in Hungary and Slovakia they want to separate gypsy neighborhoods from other neighborhoods by building walls around them? So basically build them ghettos? Now it looks as if every one and his dog is trying to deport Gypsies to Romania, with the French being right there at the top of the list. Laughable.

PS: Gypsy beggars from Romania is soooo 90’s. :)
Matyjasz   
21 Sep 2010
Life / 2 months to go - I will be a Polish citizen and try to find a better place to raise my kid. [67]

he he he nah got the product delivered he he he

Are you sure it's yours? ;)

anyway on a serious note if you will have a baby here ask your Polish partner to read some Polish forums in Polish about this issues health care here is scary for the most of i.

Some people get luck ,I am not luck so we decide to pay .

I actually have a baby here, delivered in a public hospital. I can't comment on the state of hopsitals in Warsaw, though, so will have to leave you at that. Mine was born in a hospital in a small town, and although there were two things that I didn't like I don't see a reason to choose a private hospital next time.

She's also Polish...Does it really make a difference still in Poland if someone is Jewish? If so I find that heartbreaking in this day and age :(

I'm pretty sure that it does for some... For me not really. I was just messing with zion.
Matyjasz   
5 Sep 2010
Life / Polish pride. PL stickers, flags and the white eagle! Where does our obsession come from? [79]

They should just announce one date as a general "remembrance" date - have a two minute silence on that day and no more. I'm sick and tired of seeing failures commemorated too -why the hell are people celebrating the Gdansk Agreements when the PZPR had no intention of honouring it anyway?

Probably because it dates the birth of Solidarity movement but i know what you mean.

Anyway, the young don't really care and the "old" are bickering amongst themselves about it. I'm somewheare in betwean and feel pity as it really is an interesting topic that is worth remembering. But Solidarność past 89' is a disgrace. Big Cyc said it the best in 1993:

...
Matyjasz   
5 Sep 2010
USA, Canada / PolAms -- do you regard yourselves only as 'white Americans'? [187]

No it didn't.
If it hadn't been for the fear of France and GB for a strong Germany and hence pushing for a cut of german territory to keep it smaller and more "manageable" all your spirits would had still accounted for nothing.

I think it's called picking the right moment to act. War and politics is not a mano-a-mano thing. It's never fair, just like Germn invasion on Pl in 1939 was not fair.

Of course had it not been for a major conflct between Austria, Germany vs Russia, the chances of an independent Poland were slim, but WWI did happen and Poles did took advantage of it. They picked the right moment to act and done a great job. Basically all of Pl borders were settled through an armed conflict. This would not happen if the spirit wasn't there.

Poland was the one sole profiteur of WWI and the Treaty of Versailles (well, you and Czechoslovakia), for the rest of Europe it spelled doom!

You make it sound as if it was all our fault, but remember that it was not Poles who started this madness.

What's insulting about the fact that Posen was a German, not a Polish city? Documentary evidence, as well as pictures show us clearly that the city was, to all practical extents, a German one. You know, there's a rather large German castle here to remind us of that fact ;)

Interesting. According to poznan.pl poles costituted about 57% of all inhabitamts of Poznan in 1918. There was also this economical rivalry betwen Poles and Germans prior to WWI that we are being taught in school, that apparently Poles won... Could you expand more on this subject. All educational systems use propaganda and i want to know whether I am in a wrong or not.
Matyjasz   
5 Sep 2010
USA, Canada / PolAms -- do you regard yourselves only as 'white Americans'? [187]

Their polish spirit didn't help them much during the 120 years!

It did actually. Had it not been for Greaterpolands Uprising Poznan would definatelly stay in German hands as neither Piłsudski nor the Legause of Nations was keen on giving this predominantly polish land to Poland. The people had to spoke.

PS: @ shewolf: thanx :)
Matyjasz   
4 Sep 2010
Life / Polish pride. PL stickers, flags and the white eagle! Where does our obsession come from? [79]

Funnily enough, there seems to be little celebration of Walesa's election, the first democratic election in 1991 or even the election which created the Contract Sejm.

There is just too much of it these days. I don't remember so many celebrations being held 10 years ago. Everytime I turn on the TV it's some new commemoration taking place, like the start of WWII, the start of Solidarity, the battle of Warsaw, the battle of Grunwald, the fall of cuminism, etc... I real am tired of all this...

You know, when I was going to school in Poland they 'made us' to carry flags during the May 1 celebration.

Exactly. People are rediscovering themselves and this is how this process manifests itself. My parents sometmes act as if they feel they are worse than westerners because they spent most of their lifes in a communist state. My generation, on the other hand, feel that we are no worse than the rest of Euros. Nothing wrong about it.
Matyjasz   
30 Aug 2010
History / When will you Poles give back German land and the cities which you robbed? [557]

The only one started by Poles in 1919 was Wielkopolskie Uprising, after which Poles regained Poznań area still occupied by Germans.....

What about Polish-Bolshevik war?

Nonsense. The reason why Breslau was handed over to Poles was not because it was once a polish city. Germans consituted a majority in that city at least since the 17/18 th century. Wrocław was handed over to us because Stalin wanted to ensure that Poland would not stray away from the SU in the forseable future. It was certain that Germans would not let us have their land and SU was supposed to be the only guarantee for a "free" and "independent" Poland. The same thing with Stettin.

As for Gdańsk, you cannot talk about history of Poland without mentioning Gdańsk. It is a vital part of our history. However, in 1939 it was as polish as Modern Talking. The only reason why Poles wanted it to be part of their reemerged country was for pure practical reasons: Poland while resetablishing it's new boundaries managed to found itself in a war with virtually every neighbour ( apart from Romania) , and it needed a seaport to trade. Eventually Poles had to built their own sea port, Gdynia, from scratch as the inhabitants of Free city Danzig didn't want to have anything to do with Poland.

So to summarize, in politics all you need is an excuse and power and you can do whatever you want. Germans started a war, lost it and had to face consequences. Wrocław is Polish at least since 3 generations and it doesn't seem to change anytime soon.
Matyjasz   
29 Aug 2010
USA, Canada / PolAms -- do you regard yourselves only as 'white Americans'? [187]

Matyjasz is that you? You're married now? aww. How cute.

Yes, I'm married and have a wonderful little daughter. :) And it's great to see you and Patty around here again. I thought you already gave up on this place.
Matyjasz   
29 Aug 2010
History / When will you Poles give back German land and the cities which you robbed? [557]

I never said we were the winners of WWII....we lost...we lost dearly....hammered.
But look how we fighted...it needed a whole coalition of half of the world to bring us down.

A loser will always find an excuse. It's not how you start things that matters but how you end them. And every conflict that you participated in the 20 th century you ended up loosing. So, in regards to your statement that started our little discussion I have only one thing to say:

You kicked nobody's ass for a very long time now!

People in glass houses shouldn't throw stones! :)
Matyjasz   
29 Aug 2010
History / When will you Poles give back German land and the cities which you robbed? [557]

Being conquered in 4 weeks, and then after a coalition did ones work declaring oneself a winner....now THAT is pathetic!

Do you know why you have to revert to excuses? Because try as you may you were not the winners of WWII! You haven't won a single war since XIX century. :)
Matyjasz   
29 Aug 2010
History / When will you Poles give back German land and the cities which you robbed? [557]

We won the war against Poland, against Norway, against Denmark, against Belgium, against Luxembourg, against the Netherlands, against France, against GB (throwing them out of Europe in Dunkirk) first round, against Greece, against Yugoslavia...and so on.

Than why am I not speaking German, BB? Because you lost! :)

We lost against Russia and an alliance of all these losers who knew they only had a chance together against little Germany....;)

PS: Even WWI had the Frenchies and the Brits so desperate that they were crying for the US to come and save their nuts...there is no european power greater than Germany! :)

Of course, and if an oma had a mustache she woud be an opa! :)

It's always the same excusees, excuses...
Matyjasz   
28 Aug 2010
Life / You are Polish if... [433]

You are Polish if you have the guts to fart while taking a pee!
Matyjasz   
28 Aug 2010
USA, Canada / PolAms -- do you regard yourselves only as 'white Americans'? [187]

I don't think it's purely a polish phenomenon. Even the term plastic paddy proves it.

In order to be seen as one of us you need to speak the lingo. At least this is the case when it comes to me. Language is the portal to understanding and existing in the culture.

I may be wrong but sometimes it seems as if this "I'm Irish American", and "I'm Italian Am" was a form of snobbery amongst yourselves. You know, everyone wants to be something special and not just yer plain american mutt.

Not you specifically, and not all of you of course. But some americans behave that way.

PS: Don't get me wrong, personally I do feel a kinship with people who pride themselves to be part polish and I do definitely feel happy and proud that there are people who openly admit to their ancestry. Especially that it wasn't always easy for you to disclose this info in public.
Matyjasz   
27 Aug 2010
History / When will you Poles give back German land and the cities which you robbed? [557]

Bismarcks Kulturkampf being solely directed against Poles to opress especially them.
That being a Pole in Prussia had been pure terror...

Whether Kulturkampf was solely directed against Poles or not, or whether living in Prussia was a pure terror for them doesn't really matter. The point is that it did affect them to a degree that when the right time came they stood up and fought for their independence. Surely you don't risk your life if everything is fine and dandy.