What is the reason for POLISH jokes ?

Not the AC but the fan.I was told it once,very stupid joke ,he would have to turn off the engine not some fan.

Plenty of Polack jokes here - polackjokes.com

And why not? Seems a popular sport in Europe.


That's what I thought. A result of Polonia crying, I guess.


Interesting interpretation. Seems like history repeats itself? Couple of million stupid Poles fled Poland after 1990, having lost the Soviet protection, and the intelligent ones stayed there to build the 3rd RP?

Why not start with some solid background? Surprisingly easy:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_joke
Many of the so called "Polish jokes" originated from Nazi German and Soviet hate propaganda in conjunction with their joint invasion of Poland and further attempts at confounding of the Nazi crimes against ethnic Poles and Soviet repressions. Some of these jokes were subsequently brought to Hollywood from war-torn Europe with waves of Anti-Polish bigots.

However,
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-Polish_sentiment#United_States
British writer Christie Davies in The Mirth of Nations, which suggests that "Polish jokes" did not originate in Nazi Germany but much earlier, as an outgrowth of regional jokes rooted in "social class differences reaching back to the nineteenth century." According to Davies, American versions of Polish jokes are an unrelated "purely American phenomenon"

For decades, Polish Americans have been the subject of derogatory jokes originating in anti-immigrant stereotypes that had developed in the U.S. before the 1920s. During the Partitions of Poland, Polish immigrants came to America in considerable numbers, fleeing mass persecution at home.

So it's not 'distance and ignorance', and not a 'usual thing not worth mentioning'. But no explanation still. Why would the citizens of the land of the brave make such effort to denigrate Poles in particular? And the Irish, I think...?

By the PC brigade. But then again Poles do strive to be just like the west ;)

Yep, seems so. It's actually showing itself again - the intelligent ones are staying here, building Poland (and rising in prominence) - while the uneducated ones are staying abroad and doing menial jobs. The same uneducated ones had a fairly ok standard of living in Communist times (a flat, a job, holidays, etc) - and now they don't.

I don't think it's a coincidence that those who stayed post-1989 are now leaders of industry and so on.

Interestingly, Wikipedia also says this -


So, MediaWatch - by whining and complaining so much about "anti-Polonism" - are you admitting to being a support of LPR or Samoobrona? Even the leader of the opposition doesn't cry about Polonophobia.

and the Italians, and the Mexicans, the Filipinos, the Russians, the Japanese, the Indians, the ... (you fill in the blank)

because they're different, and we humans are wired to simplify what we see, so if we don't understand something, we ridicule it. It's just most unfortunate, but it takes smart, enterprising individuals to prove the stereotypes wrong, one by one. I'm also happy to say that more educated people tend to be more open-minded, as do people who come from places with a mix of races and nationalities.

It's very far from truth that negative stereotypes don't hurt anyone, and it's just some PC outrage that makes people fight them.

It's also very sad that some people here who tout their education are not only close-minded but proud of it.


that's actually very funny to suggest that Hollywood is to blame for Polish jokes...

trust me, it's not the Nazis or the Soviets, or any kind of organized propaganda. It's because Polish immigrants used to be unskilled and not adjusted to the culture. I'm saying "used to be." On average. There were exceptions.

It's not a fair picture of an immigrant nowadays to picture them as uneducated and therefore lacking prospects in Poland. Sometimes it's precisely the educated who find better prospects elsewhere. And yes, sometimes it is the uneducated, but again, it's not fair to say that everyone who left Poland is doomed to have a menial job. This has always been the land of opportunity. Very often those who had literally nothing back in Poland, except for a drive and high hopes, here are successful and respected.

Would you want to exchange with other predominant features if you could? Honest question here...Do you think "dumb" is worse than "nazi"?

let's say none of those stereotypes paint the respective nationalities as exceptionally smart.
it's not that the Polish negative stereotype is somehow stronger than the Mexican or Irish one. Each of them has their own "label" and all of them are equally damaging. This is not the point. The point is, whoever harbors those does it only to feel better about themselves somehow, which is the case with all stereotypes. You have the "superior" group denigrating the "inferior" one. Happens everywhere. There is nothing special about the Americans disliking or distrusting the Polish.

So, even if it's not about distance, it is about ignorance.

People who say other ethnicities aren't laughed at are wrong, be something else for a day and you'll see. I saw people laugh at Blacks, Mexicans, Asians/Oriental (often actually since they keep to themselves and are on the quiet side) Albanians, Poles, Russians, other whites (immigrants) are few here in the States. I was at a mall some time back and a black guy who worked there was laughing at an Asian guy cause he was looking at womens shoes, buying them for his wife. The black guy turned to me and says "look at that stupid Chink he's checkin' out women's shoes"

what about Italians, Irish, Russians and others? They were also unskilled and uneducated...

Italians and Irish try to fit in with the communities around them. Same with most southern Asians. Most Poles keep themselves to themselves.

yes, Z, they were. that's why there are just as many Italian, Irish, or Russian jokes. They might just not stand out as much in any Polish mind (I would even venture the opinion that some would find the Russian jokes hilarious). And they're all damaging. Did you know that a thing that people thought would be a serious obstacle in electing JFK for president was that he was of some distant Irish origin?


define "most" and how do you know it's "most?"

That's true, i've heard Americans says they don't like us because we think we're better than everyone else, a Polish family walking to church sees some people standing on the corner they give them a look of disgust raise their heads and cross the street, as if they didn't see that. Or walk by and talk bs in Polish about others.

This was further on, right.

The question remains, how come that only stupid Poles migrated, and not stupid Italians, Germans, Irish, whatever, as it has been suggested here.


I just did a hasty research:
Italians - predominantly criminals, mafiosi
Mexicans - lazy thieves
Irish - stupid, Catholic, drunk (not sure these were American jokes)
Germans - ?

The majority of Poles I know in Scotland for instance, how do I know its most? Cos I am there boss and also cos of my past ties with Poland get invited to a few of the parties. I joke at the parties why am I the only Scotsman there :D

These thingsmake sense since both Hollywood and the Media over here are predominantly inhabited by stinking LibCommies. And they're all about disseminating propaganda and pitting classes against one another.


LOL!

Yet this ignorance results in showing Italians as mafiosi, and Poles as idiots. Different kind of ignorance?


Exactly my question, worth repeating again. Any 'Ruski jokes' in the USA?

Anal retentive, humourless, robot Nazis ?

Well have Poles ever done anything in America that would be worth mentioning? Or are they there just to clean the toilets and ***** about how people dont understand why they live in the USA rather than contribute something to their own country.

both examples tell me that you're talking about recent Polish immigrants. Yes, they do tend to stay together, although it's not a rule, there are exceptions. But most people who claim Polish origin are not recent immigrants. Even first-generation immigrants are predominantly not recent (i.e. past 10 years). The longer you stay here, the stronger ties you form with people outside your ethnic group.


ok, if anyone has an inferiority complex about being Polish, that should cure them...


no, not really. let me ask you, you're going to apply for a job, and the boss thinks all Polacks are stupid, all Mexicans are lazy, and all Irish are drunk. Is it better in this situation to be Polish, Mexican or Irish?

In Europe, I'd say so. In the US too?

Another thing, those millions of stupid Poles migrating as of late all over the Europe. Somehow I can't see any wave of 'stupid Pole' jokes. In Germany, afaik, it's mostly about searching for your stolen car somewhere East of that river, wossname...

Have you ever even been to the US ??? Poles come here work hard open their own business ( restaurants, construction, manufacturing) some of them big businesses, send their kids to college. No one sits on welfare mooching off the state, that's considered embarrassing. Poland wasn't able to contribute even a job for them especially when most came in the 80s and 90s, who the hell would have wanted to leave their homeland if they weren't forced to by hardship?

You really don't understand?
How about fuller, more enjoyable life?
Warm weather.
More bang for your buck.
Better service.
Less aggravation.
And this 'toilet cleaning' bit just reinforces the image all the immigrants are trying to live down. Most have to do a little clawing to earn the good life. Besides, sometimes cleaning toilets is better to get where you're going, then kissing ass.

you're assuming that the stereotypes are actually true...


I say "Mexican," you think "illegal." That is stereotypical thinking as well.

It's not about actual harm, it's about being "different." All recent immigrants are "different." There is no more Polish jokes than any other ethnic jokes. I know it's nice to feel special, but there is nothing special about it. In fact, many of the Polish jokes have variations where the "Polack" is interchangeable with "Italian," or "Texan," or "Canadian."

I've definitely heard the same jokes used against the Irish (thick paddy being a common stereotype) in the past. And I'm almost certain that the same jokes have been used by the English against the Scots, and the Poles against Russians.

You asked.


With as much as half of our Mexicans being illegal and it being a big issue now it is quite reasonable for someone to step to this conclusion.


This is true. I once saw a Polish/ Italian joke book that was half Polish jokes and half Italian jokes and many of the jokes were suspiciously similar.

Seems they were doing Poles a favour :)


I am assuming stereotypes have roots in reality, often quite strong. I can't actually see the roots of 'dumb Polack' stereotype, so I am assuming the reason for these jokes was not an existing stereotype, but the other way around.


Of course.

Surely that's obvious? Large amounts of stupid Poles left for America, and thus the stereotype was born there that Poles are stupid.

Funny how that works. :)


It does seem to more be the work of engineered propaganda, like the link quotes you posted earlier said.

You're assuming that people actually care that much about Poland. From what I can see in Europe and the USA, no-one does.