Why are Poles in other countries called "Plastic Poles"?

BS

My family has been in America since before 1900 and haven't been back. When do I become American? How long do I perpetuate the myth of ethnicity? I mean where did the Poles originally come from? Central Asia?

If you are too much a mutt you are just plain "american" ;)

From Poland. And it has been so since the beginning of that relatively young country, the United States.

Not quite so simple. I guess that the above only applies if you live in a country where it is easy to assimilate into a "dominant" ethnicity/race. If i were to move to China, and had children with a Polish woman, and so did their children, and their children, etc., do you think those grandchildren would be called Chinese? No. They may find themselves with Chinese citizenship, but no-one would call them "Chinese". It also depends on whether "nationality" is more important than ethnicity or race - none of these are the same thing.

Over here, as it is still quite easy to "hide" yourself within the British population as a Pole, it's possible for people of Polish ethnicity to claim to be "English", and no-one will know. My sister is one of those people - she can't speak a word of the language, has nothing to do with Poles except for close family, despises Polish people generally, and calls herself "English".

I, on the other hand, have always maintained contact with Polish family, speak the language fluently, and am very aware of my origins. Both of us were born in the UK. I call myself Polish, but I am also very proud to have been born in England, and will never hide or deny this fact. I never call myself English, but I have no problem calling myself British (despite the fact that our recent Government would like us to feel ashamed of this, lol). But none of this changes the fact that I am simply NOT ENGLISH.

I suppose the test could be: what would a Nazi-style person or organisation class you as, if they used every medium possible to find out who was really who? In my case, I'd be up against the wall (as would my sister, lol) as we are clearly very ethnically Polish!


Considering how much R1a DNA we share with Brahmin Indians, that's more accurate than you think! Why do you think Poles think they are so superior, lol ;)

She knows herself. Good for her.


Why??? If you think this way than you should move to Poland and embrace all things Polish. Why are you staying in England?

What do the Nazi's know? Why are they the authorities when it comes to ethnicity/nationality? Actually your line of thinking does have more in common with the Nazi's.

When one studies the migration of humankind there are no pure races. Poland is full of mutts: Swedish invasions, German invasions, Mongol invasions, Russian invasions, etc. etc.

Pure bred Polish? What's that??

It's her choice. But the only reason she can be like this is because UK Poles are white, and live in a (just about) white majority country. If Poles had dark or "non-European" skin, I imagine she would definitely feel differently about her "non-existent" Polishness.


So being proud of your origins makes you a Nazi, but telling me to **** off to a country I've never lived in (because I'm proud of my origins) doesn't? Poland has little going for it, so why on earth would I move there?


Who mentioned "purity"? Not me.

But like many of us over here, I'm sick of being told I can't have pride in my non-British, but European, ethnic origin, while the whole country bends over backwards to accommodate cultures which are not only non-European, and some of which are indeed very hostile towards European culture. I'm proud to be Polish AND British, and any leftie or Yank who tells me I'm not "allowed" to say this because it's too PC can **** off!

I'm not telling you that you can't be proud of where you're coming from. I'm just telling you that we're all human, with or without our current borders. I'm proud when I have my reasons to be proud, and I'm not so proud when I have reasons not to be. My nationality doesn't explain who I am as a person.

But ofcourse I'll be cheering when Holland wins the World Cup! It's just that I prefer to be objective. I can point out flaws in my own country, I can talk about problems when I feel the solutions can be simple. Which doesn't mean I'm a traitor.

If you're proud of your culture, fine with me, but you have two cultures to be proud of then. And what is culture? Culture always changes! Anyway, I'm proud of people who truly fight for what's right, and I don't care on which side of the political spectrum they're moving.

I'm not telling you anything. As far as I'm concerned, you're free to be who you want to be, if you allow others to be who they want to be aswell. Simple really. Just my two cents.

:)

As you were!

It's true. There isn't a lot of pure bred anything, just people with different languages and skin tones.

@STFU
Can't argue with that, really ;)

I can't help but to add my 5 cents here; don't give a rats ass what some of you think of it. And you know who this applies to since you're the types that harp about the Plastic Poles so much... I get it; the term is ment and is derogatory in a way and applies to some of us who can go freely between Poland and the US or UK for instance AND YOU FOR WHATEVER REASON CAN' or dont want to. Who cares what you think of me? You don't and never will know me. I know who I am and what I feel and dont need some ahole to tell me otherwise, however I will read your BS and laugh about it so go on!

Plastic Pole = Selfish, self centered, materialistic Pole.

All along I wondered why you were such a leftie - an old thread finally revealed the answer. Freud was somewhat right although you replaced your penis envy with wallet envy. LOL


Add communist to the equation and voilà, here's our own PP.

I'm a Pole myself, so its not something that I said to insult anyone. Its just a fact, nothing else. Not all Poles are plastic pole.

Communism have its bad and there are better aspects you can find in some form of socialism. Capitalism have its good too ... eventually a mixed economy is the best.


Really?

But yeah ... I can expect to see these here, where else! ... lol. You can imagine.


Poles think a little like Americans (or like to believe they do) sometimes. We have some of our own particular aspects aswell. I think we like to feel we have something in common with everyone (or maybe its just me who see people wishing that? ... well being very honest here).

I like many things about USA, but its foreign policy and politicians are not so good. But neither are ours. Ours are the worst I think, they make our lives miserable, very much devoted to do so. I can list atleast 100 miseries our politicians give us in 100 seconds.

You misunderstood my comment. It was geared toward the PF member Plastic Pole.

As far as mixed economy, raised in Sweden and disagree with you 100%. The Swedish conservative government has been erasing all traces of "mixed" economy and the Swedish economy has never been in a better shape. I won't discuss this issue here though, plenty of threads on this subject and I'm tired of the numerous PF defenders of this locust of humankind - the socialist/communist ideology.

Economy is always a debate. You can disagree...

Swedish economy has socialism in it. As I said, I like some socialism aspects, but Capitalism does have some good in it, will you not agree there? I thought you were an American (USA), so maybe you know Capitalism face to face.

Communism is not applicable now, to this I agree. They did too much! Lots of flaws.

What makes you apprehensive about mixed economy?

Why are Poles in other countries called "Plastic Poles"?

It is a phrase concocted by some younger members of the PF, and probably some younger Poles, who do not identify with Polish nationalism, or traditional Polish culture...They feel that they are real Poles, yet have no Polish identity...So they criticize diaspora Poles.

Yeah, it's mostly Delphian who does it. I noticed that recently...

the phrase refering to someone as plastic has been around for donkey's years.

plastic = false

there are plenty examples of its use in Urban Dictionary.

I'm just curious: how come you are not a leftie?

If you're of Polish blood and was born in Poland and just so happened to move to another country (exactly like the Poles who moved to the British Isles only recently, and chose to stay there) you're a Pole, only living abroad. If you were born in another country to Polish immigrant parents and still speak even just some Polish you're a Pole if you choose to. A Plastic Pole or anyone is someone who's grand or great grandparents moved out of Poland know zip Polish and has never even been to the country.


No Comment

Yes. That PolskiMoc kid today was a classic example. His relatives left around WW 1, he'd visited once, and is fixated on al sorts of racial theories about Slavs etc. Probably because he can't adjust to the realities of his own life. Poland is not a hobby. He wouldn't last 10 minutes in Warsaw.

No, it's a term dopehead come up with as an insult. It supposed to be any American "Polack" who cares about Poland, Polish heritage and feels emotional connection with Poland. In his opinion they are Americans and have no right to feel Polish at all. Why? Because he said so.

I have a brain. :)

Also, I saw the corruption the social-democrat party used to control the country. They were in power for some 5 decades. Social-democrat connections, connections, connections. That used to be the main way to run a business.

Having your mother fight brain cancer while battling government controlled aparatchiks in a universal health care fiasco helped too. It took a year plus of waiting for her surgery despite her having been paying very high taxes for some 35 years for this so called "universal benefit".

I'm so very sorry for your poor mother!! Did she make it?

On the side note: Canadian public "free" health care system was based on Swedish model. I know that even Sweden adjusted it but Canada is still stuck in older version. You can understand how much it sucks.

If Jews thought like that, you would have never had an Israel...Poles don't stick together...Not that I support Israel, but you get my drift.

The problem with Poles in America is that they have bought into American consumerism in a big way,and lost touch with Polish culture...My grandparents spoke Polish primarily, my mother spoke Polish well, and even I could speak the basics well when I was a kid, as I went to Polish language classes...Much of that has disappeared...As I reached a certain age, I wished to learn more about my cultural background...Unfortunately, there is still a split, as there are many new Polish immigrants to America, but many of the second and third generation Poles don't mix with them, and look at them 'funny'...Very sad, as perhaps these 'new Poles' could spark a renewal of the culture, with a new twist...Poles also have very little voice in the mass media...American culture is dictated by the most base 'cultural' values, as illustrated by the popularity of 'rap music' and the ghetto life style that it comes from...There is nothing for me in this type of 'culture'...So, I look back to my European roots, and try to learn.

Before labeling 'Plastic Poles', maybe consider how the Irish and British look at recent Polish immigrants there.

Exactly Jews are even more conscious about who they are, doesn't matter if they're 10th generation in Poland or U.S they're Jews and that's how they see themselves. But like i said if one was born in Poland and moved abroad or is a son/daughter of Polish immigrants he's Polish.


No such thing as American heritage no such thing as American ethnicity. There's American culture but more strictly it's the American way of living your life. Take me for example I was born in Poland to Polish parents, started school there remember everything from my childhood, been back to Poland several times my Polish is as good as my friends who recently came over here. You want me to forget I'm Polish? you were born here if you see yourself only as an American that's you.

Why do I think that calling someone Plastic Polack could be a sign of plain and simple immaturity?

In the old days, a nationality could give a person some entitlement to their nation's goods and services.

The original concept is still well understood although it may not be applicable in all cases nowadays.
Over the years, this notion was expanded upon and people kept modifying it to fit their needs.

Feel free to observe any 3 immature people arguing. 8 out of 10 it's about some form of entitlement... If it's not in the beginning, at some point, it's going to be later.

So what does this have to do with PF and how is this related to Plastic Polack name-calling?

Plastic Polacks are NOT entitled to have an opinion about Poland because this type of entitlement is reserved for Polish who currently live there.

I believe the above statement is very immature and I won't stand for it!

and I'm a type of a person who is not afraid to play "dirty". Yes I'm immature as well... I'm on PF arguing with you, right? So you better fucken watch it.

Edit:

Signed
Plastic Polack.

On this forum, it's a way to say "I don't agree with your opinion, so it doesn't matter." You call someone a plastic pole and suddenly their post isn't supposed to have any validity. It would be better to disagree and give reasons instead of, "what do you know, you're just a plastic pole."

I would say Americans look more plastic especially in Hollywood;)

PennBoy wrote:


see, here's where I disagree. you can't paint this with such a wide brush. to me, this person would only be a plastic pole if they claimed to be polish, talked about poland all the time yet has never been there, doesn't speak the language but pretends he knows it.....THAT'S plastic. if the kid was born in the USA and grew up like any other normal kid and just simply never took interest in where his grandparents came from or maybe he recognizes it but doesn't go on about it, i wouldn't call that person plastic. they just have other things on their agenda aside from their roots.

i mean, where do you draw the line? what if an american born kid has a mexican parent and a swedish parent. does the kid have to learn both languages on top of visit both countries regularly, take interest in each country's history and culture, etc. in order to risk being labeled "plastic"?

just sayin'.