Poland - the least liked German neighbour.

Is it really love? Most countries want what other countries have. I wouldn't call it love.

there are more individuals with their own sense of style in German cities. ten minutes in the area of alexanderplatz, berlin will prove that. the same young Germans in that area have no problem with Poles. Add to this the fact that at least one of the big stores there has (on each level) a plan of the store layout in Polish and German. Poles and Germans get on fine in Berlin, especially the old east.

the germans in the east seem to have something in common with Poland's recent past. there is some common ground. why would they have a negative view of Poland ?

Nah...countries can't love each other in the first place. They can share goals and be allies though;)
This survey was about how the country is viewed generally...more positive or more negative.
Every country has an image in the mind of the people, everywhere...


Well, the article says it isn't so.
The worst prejudices have those Germans far away in the West...

LOL :P

Bratwurst,
you forgot to add humor, that you displayed in the post above.

Ok, i have reasons from past experiences, they the ones i met, hated me just cause i'm Polish, that is why i don't like Germans, i really had nothing against them before. I have no proof i didn't take pictures or no one sent me any hate mail ,lol so sorry. So there's an another topic why don't you like foreigners? taking your jobs?

Explain please...


I have no problems to accept foreigners with european background...we have millions of them in Germany for decades (in the case of Poles for centuries).

They adapt and integrate well...becoming first class Germans! :)

I have problems with many non-european immigrants (Kurds, Arabs) though, who don't even want to integrate and adapt but rather demand from us natives to bend to their will so that they can feel more homy. I always wonder why they wait in queues to get a ticket into Germany if it was so much better in their hellhole they came from!

...but that is another topic!

Bratwurst Boy

Im sorry but your missing my point........... I never said we had all the answers, and we like most countries around the world have problems some really big problems, and no we don't make cars, were not very good at that anymore......... No I was making the point that Germany still wants to run Europe, only this time through the back door ........ influencing economical and ultimately political direction through running the EU.

It is suppose to be a DEMOCRACY which means when a country votes NO to a proposed treaty the result should be accepted. BUT NO, not in the good old EU, what key members like Germany and France want to do is keep pushing and applying political pressure on those countries that voted NO until the answer comes back YES.

I just find it amusing that for so long we have had Germany telling everyone else in the EU that cares to listen how wonderful a big cosy EU club is. Then along came the worst recession since the 1930's and all of a sudden the German people find out that they are down for dishing out a big juicy dollop of financial aid to those 'fellow' countries that have been, well lets say less frugal with their spending habits. All of a sudden germany wants to change the rules.

Once again thank you Germany, keep up the good work :-)

Just take a look at the map...compare the stats...the economies...Germany can't help it. Even if we just snooze Europe get's the flu.

Every small movement of Germany makes big waves in Europe...WE CAN'T HELP IT IF WE WANT TO OR NOT!

And excuse us if we as the biggest nation (besides Russia) and the biggest pay master want to have some say in Europe too...so bad of us! *whips himself*

And be honest and objective here....a more "german" Europe wouldn't be a bad thing. It would be more stable and run smoothly without your english/american bubble-economy philosophies!

We are coming to a crossroads of sorts anyhow...maybe it will come to a split between the more similiar economies in the North and the slacking ones in the South if they don't shape up soon.

Party time is over!


Well...thank you! :)

I am not happy to bring forth the old wounds, nor do I wish to offend the decent small percentage of German population, but "German Europe" was already tried during WWII.

No, it wasn't.
If it had been it would had spared us the war.

Germany is naturally dominant in Europe since the unification (1875 not 1989). That's a fact you might not like but you can't change.
There had been two wars about either to confine the new mighty kid on the block down on the food chain, behind the old schoolyard bullies UK and France, and later about Germany wanting to get violently on top of the world, much more than it could chew. Both wars were futile in the end.

Now we achieved the more natural, balanced way of things, Germany dominating but in cooperation, not in confrontation...if it stays that way there won't be any more wars ever.

And you can't quite count on the pockets of prosperous, industrious Germany and in turn deny them influence. Also if Germany is the most successfull economy right now you should maybe look more into the "german way" to see what went wrong at home...

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and rightly so. i'd be more inclined to align myself with germany for political gains than with all that anglo-american nonsense. convince me that their world is any good.

I see that you have opportunistic instincts. There is a small problem with your insticts. You are not of a superior race. lol

What's your problem?

Banjo, look at the bigger picture. Germany has the same global interests as Anglo-Americans. They play the same games and are in on the same funny business.

Bratwurst Boy i have no problem with you, you seem like a nice person, you obviously have nothing against Polish people, you would be he so often, i have met nice German American i just have yet to meet (in person) a real German that will not try to judge be based on my nationality, i'm sure many aren't like that, i just havn't met them yet, probably because as you say i havn't met many Germans only a few. Germany does have a problem with immigration, Poland might have that too some day...Vietnamese in Poland

youtube.com/watch?v=WdkfTWHicds&feature=related

that's why I don't like Germans.

You know what makes it so hard for me to understand?
You come only with plattitudes...tell me more about the background, the situation where Germans said these things to you. I can hardly believe:
"He wouldn't shake her hands because she was polish!"

You know that there is a huge anti-polish sentiment in GB because of the mass immigration of Poles looking for work recently.
What do you think about the Brits generally?


Nope..we haven't.
Why do you think Washington wants to drag us kicking and screaming to take over more responsibility, pay more, be more active in the NATO and what not, send more soldiers.

We are content with Europe, believe me!


Yeah, that will show them! ;)

Right.. they were just in China signing all kinds of new agreements. Look at AG Siemens they've done shady things.

Germany's ascent can't really be stopped though. Whether it's a good thing for greater Europe remains to be seen. It looks good in the short run I guess.

That is called business!
If Amis and Anglos getting poor we need new markets...;)

BB,

According to your survey it seems many countries like Germany. So maybe you don't need to be concerned about Poland. Its just one country. Although I think German-Polish relations, all things considered historically, are not too bad today.

Also my condolences for that German lovefest festival accident the other day.

Well, that's just a trend and trends can change. I don't like limeys but they have a hell of lot of intellectual capital and they're currently trimming fat. US isn't exactly drowning either.

Besides Chinese like American stuff too.

We are neighbours....we share nearly two millennia history...our people are mixed greatly...it wasn't all bad...Poland has alot of german heritage in their history and vice versa. We share the same interests...our both people want freedom and prosperity...we should be close!

(At least closer than with far away countries whose nice words account for nothing if pushes come to shove)

True, Poland should work with Germany and Russia, both, and with other neighbors. Put the past in the past and move forward!

This would be the smartest move yes. Lot's of space and natural resources. I doubt that ever happens though. Maybe...

That's why we should start the "spirit of cooperation" propaganda campaign, to encourage everyone to get along and work for the mutual benefit of the other :)

I agree with you. Its just common sense that there has been at some level a connection between Germany and Poland, especially along the border area. There are quite a few intermarriages in this area. I agree with you that things have not always been bad between Germany and Poland.

Fortunately in 2010, I think relations between Germany and Poland are not that bad considering all the past tension. This should not be taken for granted by either Poles or Germans. Nothing's perfect and I believe that time will help heal things more as it already has to a cerain degree.

On a personal note, Poles like my grandmother, had a German last name, spoke fluent German, but she was 100% Polish. So that says something about the interaction and understanding that Poles and Germans had for one another at a certain level, since afterall they are neighbors.

Who years ago would have thought that some of the most popular German soccer players are of Polish ancestry? LOL

Out of curiosity, what percentage of Germans think like you and would like to see more of a coming together between Germans and Poles?


That's an interesting comment.

Do you have any examples in mind?

I think most Germans think that way....we all have become quite fat and content! :)
We prefer good relationships to tensions and tantrums...you know...the quiet, peaceful life.

Prejudices, stereotypes, jokes will continue to exists...Germans have to suffer them, Turks, Poles and everybody else. No reason to get worked up about it regularly....

The one point I have to make with my people though is that most are quite blind concerning Poland. It barely exists on the german radar...and if then mostly because of either the anti-german tabloid press, Kaczynsky tantrums...or car theft, so much is true and that is so wrong.

Germans seem to look left at France and right at Russia...and that's it....

I believe if there would be more of a media presence of Poland in Germany you would climb up the sympathy ladder in Germany quite quickly. Those who are widely known in Germany like Klose and Podolski are already very popular! ;)

PS: Funny thing is that those Germans who once suffered most because of the Poles, who lost their home in what became Poland, the Expellees and their descendants, have often the most interest, knowledge and positive feelings to Poland than those who never met a Pole or have no inkling of Poland whatsoever..

PPS: The next footie EC 2012 can be the chance to change your image in Europe and in Germany...Poland and Ukraine will be in the media 24/7 for weeks! :)

(The world championship 2006 surely helped Germany to change it's image)

Best post I,ve read tonight. Cheers!!

I actually think you can thank the US for that....we started the financial meltdown felt around the globe. *winces*
Be glad Germany still had some money to lend...they fared better than the rest as a result of conservative, frugal financial practices. Unlike so many others....including Wall Street.

I don't think that is possible in this universe.

I had an opportunity to get to know really good a decent German family, average and ordinary in every way, in many ways good example for other families. There I heard quite frequent ugly comments for all foreigners ( to be honest, excluding Scandinavian), wrapped in a nice package but still bad....

I heard also something about Polish people from them. It was, let's just say, not nice....

But Bratwurst is right about something else, after 2,3 generations, it is possible for Polish people to be treated almost equally, if they become loyal Germans and forget their origins.

This family had an ex Polish (now German) family for friends. But we all had to hear that their families came once from Poland (....about equality....).