My advice to any Black or dark skinned foreigner is choose some better place.
Which country will you suggest then?LOL! Poland has been one of the safest countries I have lived so far and I'm very very Black. I can't even take a picture at night :))) Your experience might be different from others so I don't think it's good to generalize.
Yes, but they face a different kind of racism to non-white people. They also are very rarely held accountable for the crimes of other white immigrants, for example if an American immigrant in Poland gets nicked for raping a girl, it's very unlikely that a bunch of blokersy are going to give a Ukrainian a kicking because of that.
I am not sure what you are getting at, I have lived and worked in countries where the color of my skin would get me a right old whakbaring, Just by being in the wrong place after Friday prayers , China is a good place for a good kicking if you happen to be white and a group of Chinese soldiers have little too much to drink.
Should I expect racism as a 'black' woman in Poland
if you are decent person and behave as civilized, don`t expect problems. But, if you cause problems with people, expect problems in return, even on racial level or if you are fat, even that can turn to be problem
Spot on crow, the majority of people on this earth are not racist, they just want to get on with their lives in peace, It amazes me how so few idiots can cause people to fear for their safety, but the idiots are few and the open minded and kind heart'd are many.
Roz show me an example of the above being said after a real racial attack, bit of a silly analogy don't you think.
Roz I do not deny that racists would also use the phrase " 'playing the race card".
My family and I have been subject to racial attack, but I have also seen people use their race as leverage to gain advantage, and as a non racist i would say that those taking advantage are playing the race card.
Roz ok I will find another phrase if that offends you but please stop using the N word in any context in this day and age, It should not be used in full even when explaining the events of a racial attack,. Nword will suffice , I have also commented on the use of the term nitty gritty on this forum which I also find offensive.
The above has been posted out of respect and understanding and in no way should it be taken as sarcasm (which sometimes i am prone to) on my part.
Indeed but unfortunately big chunk of people want to play race card to achieve their goals.
Yes, they are called "Liberal Progressives". They use words like "racist", "bigots", "homophobe", "politically incorrect" etc. to insult and belittle anyone that disagrees with them.
Even here on the P.F. they stand out glaringly by getting very nasty when we refuse to be brow beat by their liberal brainwashing.
Being Poland is not a liberal country and refuses to have political correctness shoved down their throats to be intimidated with. Poland stay Polish.
Yep I wish to speak and have an opinion and I honestly do not want to go out to offend and individual or race, but how does one proceed in this day and age, and yes at times I feel intimidated if I speak about being Polish, Polish values and its religion. as Poles are we considered a race? should our right of freedom and speech be protected.
Is it ok for people to say that in general we Polish are racists and our priests are child molesters,
My point was in answering the "black" woman's question of should she expect racism in Poland is, "most likely more than you would in a more liberal country like Britain or France."
If you have manners and show respect it won't matter what color you are in most countries. Sad to say that many people without education and manners use their color to demand what they want making them the racists in reality and then cry racism when they get insulted by people that don't tolerate political correctness for a convenient cop out.
Two police officers get the call about the robbery near by. The person calling described the thief as a black man in a hooded jumper. Police is driving around the robbed house and notice black man in a hooded jumper, they get off the car, stop him and ask him for the ID and then he is screaming "it's a racial discrimination, you stopped me because I'm black!"
And that's playing the race card rozumiemnic, I'm surprised that something like this has to be explained to you, if it was InPolaska that would be expected but you?
You will be perfectly safe in Poland, people may be curious, they may comment behind your back but it's only because black ladies are not common in Poland. Once people have a chance to get to know you they will judge you as person not as an ethnic minority!
I am from Africa, and I went to Poland for two months in 2016 for scientific reasons. I was working with wonderful people and everything was fine, until once at midnight in Warsaw, I was at the bus station waiting for the bus to the airport, a young man came to me and said "I hate migrant", I replied "I am not a migrant" he replied "you are and I hate you". It was midnight and I was so scared, I decided to change the bus station and on my way, another young man saw me and suddenly he was coming close to me by speaking loud in Polish in a very bad way, I realized that he was insulting me so I run away up to the next bus station and he backed off. It was a terrible experience for me. I went to Poland for a second time, nothing happened but I was very scared everyday.
Despite that experience, I really enjoyed my stay in Poland (Warsaw, Cracow, Poznan and Bedlewo) and during my stay it was difficult to see black people so I can understand why some people are not glad to see black people.
I'll throw my three coins for the people following up on this subject. My father is Polish, my mother is Iraqi, and we live in the West. Because my parents wanted to raise us (me and my siblings), in both cultures/traditions, I've travelled to Poland on numerous occasions, including the ones on my own. Althought I do look Polish, I also have a 'hint of Arabness' in me; very dark eyes, dark hair and a little darker skin completion than naturally White native Pole. I'm a Muslim by faith, which is unusual in almost uniformly Roman Catholic Poland. MY overall experience had been positive so far, however, there are things that should be mentioned. Save for the very large cities, such as Kraków, Poznań, Warszawa and Wrocław, the rest of the country is uniformly White, Polish culturally and Catholic. One can experience a hint of Western multiculturalism in the afromentioned cities due to the foreign students, diplomatic missions with the people working at them, and the few migrants living in the country permanently. However, outside of them, such as in towns and villages, anybody who's not a 'stereotypical Pole' can easly experience unwanted attention, sometimes positive, sometimes negative. As for the people themselves, the boundaries as to "who to avoid" can be very murky and difficult to predict, some elderly people are very open minded, while others aren't, same thing goes for the younger generations, some people are very open minded and keen on meeting you, while others are very hostile and nationalistic. In my view the rule is simple, the less non-Polish/non-European looking you are, the bigger chance of drawing attention to yourself (positive or negative). My advice to those who are non-Christian and non-White, keep your religion to yourself and try to stick to the main, big cities. Avoid street political manifestations (they usually end up as a fight between the left wing activists and the right wing ones) for example as during the Polish Independence Day, respect the customs and culture of the people (Polish people, in general, seem to be very patriotic and proud of their history) therefore avoid talking about controversial things such as refugee crisis, Islam, Catholic Church's actions and views and such. I would also avoid football stadiums (many football supporters are far right activists), and walking alone late at night (big chance of meeting groups of drunk skinheads or "street kids"). Whenever you go out, always try to go out as a group with your (Polish) friends, and in case of something small happening, downplay it. Violent behaviour will provoke surely a similar response. Every should keep in mind that the country was 50 years alligned to the Soviet Union so it was closed to the outside world, something that created a common fear of the different and unknown, however, it slowly changes especially with the new, younger generations, and there are many people waiting to befriend a non-Pole! Be respectful and you should enjoy your stay there, save for the lack of mosques for me to pray, I love Poland. Pozdrawiam!
Yes unfortunately it's inevitable that you will experience racism. Poland has low immigration therefore most people are isolated from people of colour. They might alienate you and see you as an outsider. One type of racism you may experience is glares, stares and whispers. This will mainly come from the older generations. Although harmless they may make you feel uncomfortable. Unfortunate it's almost part of Polish culture for the elderly to stick Thor nose in anything they see as their life's are quite uneventful and anything out of the ordinary will spike their interest, especially someone that behaves or looks different to themselves. Polish people have a tendency to be nosey and in Poland all the neighbors know every thing about each other and they love to make a big deal out of things that you and me would find totally normal. Another type of racism you may experience is violent, spiteful and rude behavior from teenagers and the general youth. This is because they are intolerant, uneducated and isolated. They behave like this among themselves as well as others. They are know for being racist, homophobic and just disrespectful. I hope this doesn't put you of off visiting/ living in Poland as it really is a beautiful country with an amazing culture and lovely, welcoming people who love to take care of other. They will gladly feed you and take care of you once they overcome that racial barrier. Unfortunately racism is a very real and very disgusting problem in Poland. The best advice I can give you is to find accommodation in a very large and ethnically diverse city in Poland. The bigger the better. I'm Polish but I live in England so I can't relate to or understand the racial views of other Polish people as I was brought up in England but from my own experience and knowledge this is the most I can tell you. I hope you have a great time in Poland!
" I'm Polish but I live in England so I can't relate to or understand the racial views of other Polish people" , then you have not seen the change that has happened in recent years things have moved forward in a positive direction Poland has become more European and tolerant, things are certainly moving in the right direction.
Poland has become more European and tolerant, things are certainly moving in the right direction.
Amen.
I can't relate to anyone who judges someone by the colour of their skin, by the origin of their surname, by their religion, their culture, their sexuality, their gender, their appearance, their whatever.
As Robert Burns said, człowiek to człowiek w każdym bądź razie...
My2cents, your fault for being born there. Your fault for your parent's immigration. The reason why a lot of Poles, Slovaks and Czechs are 'different' is because they were isolated for over 60 years!
There aren't a lot of Asians or Black people in Slovakia, at least in comparison to Poland and the Czech Republic: where the attitude to different coloured people, different cultures, etc is more tolerant but not as tolerant as the West. However, Warsaw and Prague are equally as tolerant as cities such as Berlin, Amsterdam and Stockholm. After all, the biggest Vietnamese communities in Europe are located in Poland, Germany and the Czech Republic and their counterparts: Warsaw, Berlin and Prague.
So stop complaining you arrogant idiot, I don't see African countries, save for South Africa (which remains segregated to this day), taking in other cultures and skin colours.
unfortunately you will, Poland is a back water, stuck in the past. Unfortunately, all the polish try to leave poland to get away from their fellow Polish, but end up bringing their backward ways with them, wherever they roam. That is why the UK voted to leave the EU, mainly to get rid of the Poles, even if that meant stepping outside eu and alone.
The UK would rather that , than the polish parasite Infection, that we now have. My advice, is to go to a more advanced country and leave the poor backward country, poor and backward.
