Foreign crap OK, Pułaski not!

Xenophobia is the dislike of foreigners, but Poland is probably the only country to which the term xenophilia (love of foreigners) would apply. Naturally not all foreigners -- Romanian Gipsies, Arabs, Russians and a few others would be exempted.

A good example comes to mind. An acquaintance told me that back when baseball caps were al the rage in Poland but were scarce, he sent his cousin's son a batch of them. The kid sold them all at a hefty mark-up regardless of whether they sported such logos as Harris Funeral Home, Joe's Tool & Dye, Finley's Bar & Grill, J & M Dry Cleaning, Newark Refrigeration, etc., etc. The only one that generated no interest read: Pulaski Post PLAV (Polish Legion of American Veterans). These were kids aged 11-13. Why would they already be anti-Polish at that age?

They weren't. They just didn't know who the hell this Pulaski guy was and why they had to forgo sausages for a week in his memory.

(Post, geddit?)

I'm sure they know what a funeral home or dry cleaning outfit is!

They would have snapped that one up because of the typo. This kind of error would make a US Post Office stamp priceless.

Back in the day (this sounds like early 90s to me) rest assured, the average kid wouldn't have had a clue.


Disclaimer: I have been constantly made to feel welcome in this country for over 16 years now. BUT - if you really believe this and are not just fabricating the identity of a benighted prude to generate discussion - basically, Mate, you are as mad as a box of frogs.

Well, maybe the workshop made tools and dyed clothes. (Only joking: it should have been 'die'.)
I should have added that the PLAV baseball cap had a crowned white Polish eagle on it, so the ethnic connection could not have been in doubt.

Maybe they were just rubbish caps?, nothing about loving foreigners or hating themselves.

I'd go with Occam's razor on this one.

Poles back then eagerly lapped up any rubbish thtrown their way as long as it had a foreign ring flavour to it. They wore T-shirts with writing they didn't understand, as long is they looked foreign. You surely must be familiar with Mickiewicz's line: Co Francuz wymyśli Polak polubi. Only now, the term Jankes would be more appropriate.

That xenophilic trait is among the reasons Poles have not really developed their own, indigenous style in many areas. It it largely a copy-cat society.

Probably because Poles have been politically dominated by Foreign Nationals for the past two or three hundred years. Politically a divided people, no? It sure appears that way reading this forum

Actually Americans have a higher opinion of Polaks than the Poles do. Pulaski and Kosciusko have all kinds of towns and counties and roads named after them. All from their contribution two hundred years ago. Polish people probably don't know who they were.

Polonius, hypothetically, if you were to get that tattoo you always wanted on your neck, which would you choose? One written: TIGER, or this one?



They mean the same thing. :)

1jola I denounce you as anti-Polish. Any true son of these broad fields would have nothing other than 'tygrys', surely...

I know it. I wear a T-shirt I got at the Shaolin Temple which says DRAGON in Chinese characters, but you will never catch me with one saying SMOK. On second thought, I would wear one if it said SMOK WAWELSKI. So, I'm still cool and proud. :) Got out of that one.

Yeah, but you still made it onto Polonius3's enemy list. Expect a knock on the door around one in the morning in a few days.

I better get back on his good side pronto and raise awareness: