Why do Polish people hate to be called Eastern European?

Is there any reason?

@cocktail▲ 0▼ 0

First I heard of it...

@milky▲ 0▼ 0

Because it's used in derogatory contexts. And Poles wouldn't be any more "Eastern" than Sweden or Greece if they weren't sold out to Stalin by their Western allies.

@MyMom▲ 0▼ 0

Hate? Not sure, but it shows lack of geographical knowledge. It's hard to say but here's a link:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geographical_midpoint_of_Europe

@Olaf▲ 0▼ 0

Russia is not Europe, It is niether Europe nor Asia. Poland is in Eastern Europe

Here is an article referring to Russia, Eastern Europe as separate entities

avert.org/aids-russia.htm

dept of Russian AND Eastern European Studies at Washington University

lib.washington.edu/subject/History/tm/russia.html

Dept of Russian and Eastern European studies at Manchester Uni :

llc.manchester.ac.uk/subjects/russian/

ox.ac.uk/admissions/postgraduate_courses/course_guide/russian_east.html
travelsphere.co.uk/destinations/europe/grand-tour-of-eastern-europe-and-russia/
reenic.utexas.edu

@KingAthelstan▲ 0▼ 0

Russia is in Europe. Its called a transcontinental state.
Eastern Europe is all the former states in Europe from USSR.

Poland is center of the main land (geograhpically) and is an Eastern European country.
Although Poland is more 'westernized' than other EE.

Poland is Eastern European country seems fine

Poles might get upset when its phrased differently:

Poland is an Eastern European country which is backwards (from communism).

The last is a bit more 'in your face'

@legend▲ 0▼ 0

Geographically, Poland, together with Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Austria, is Central European country.

@MyMom▲ 0▼ 0

Deja vu.

Wasn't there a thread about this only a week ago?

@Teffle▲ 0▼ 0

They are not used to it. Polish media uses term Central Europe.


The thread you mean is 4 years old and the discussion is still running...

I've just checked the map and counted the meridians and the meridian spliting the Europe in two (more less) equal halfs is close to the Polish-German border (on Polish side). If so I can accept being called Eastern European. Satisfied? ;)

@a.k.▲ 0▼ 0

Excuse me - what?

Sorry??

Look everyone look!!

Pole in eastern European admission shocker

; )

@Teffle▲ 0▼ 0

Indeed there was.

Unfortunately, there's a troll who insists on calling Poland "Eastern European", despite the fact that we keep telling him that it's in CENTRAL Europe. But considering that the same idiot thinks that Russia is "not in Asia or in Europe", it's hardly surprising that this nonsense keeps popping up :)

@Sidliste_Chodov▲ 0▼ 0

Poland is indeed not Eastern European. It is a central European country, historically related to "Mitteleuropa". To call this country Eastern European is an insult.

By the way, this means Poland is not serbian, sarmatian, lusatian...as well :)
Churchill once told "Europe ends at the Bug".

@sobieski▲ 0▼ 0

because it associates them with the Soviets and real Poles hate it.

@bberlin62▲ 0▼ 0

If I'd live in Szczecin I could argue though ;)
Ok, I don't mind being called Eastern European but if someone will ask me where I come from I will say Central Europe... because that's what I thought whole my life :|

@a.k.▲ 0▼ 0

In the UK you are seen as Eastern Europeans

ref
1 news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7574061.stm
2 dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1361502/Ed-Miliband-admits-Eastern-European-immigration-underestimated-Labour.html
3 unstats.un.org/unsd/methods/m49/m49regin.htm#europe

yes ref 3 was the official UN regional divisions, Lo and behold Poland is in Eastern Europe.

@KingAthelstan▲ 0▼ 0

you'll probably say, you come from Poland to begin with. Usually people don't bother using this central or eastern crap at all.

@bberlin62▲ 0▼ 0

KingAthelstan knows this - and this is exactly why he insists on calling Poland "East European".

What he says is like going on an Indian or Bangladeshi forum and saying "you're not from the Indian sub-continent, you're just Third Worlders - that what we call you in the UK".

It's an insult and he knows it (and why).

@Sidliste_Chodov▲ 0▼ 0

The mainstream media: news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7574061.stm (BBC)

refer to you as Eastern Europeans.

How about the UN's official designation of Poland?

unstats.un.org/unsd/methods/m49/m49regin.htm#europe

I spoke to my Polish cleaner lady last week and asked her if she minded being called Eastern EUropean?

She replied: 'No, I am from Eastern Europe'

@KingAthelstan▲ 0▼ 0

Poland was always a west oriented country but this is how we're paying now for being a Soviet puppet for over 40 years.

@bberlin62▲ 0▼ 0

Don't you dislike Poles bacause they take jobs of working-class English?

@a.k.▲ 0▼ 0

I hate when they call Poland eastern Europe because they are ignorant of geographical facts.

@Marek11111▲ 0▼ 0

its basically the same ball park as all those idiots that run around with London post codes for their car number plates. I mean who really gives a crap? East, West whats the difference.

@Wroclaw Boy▲ 0▼ 0

facebook.com/pages/Eastern-Europe/108006242561753

@KingAthelstan▲ 0▼ 0

KingAthelstan
I asked you a question:



@a.k.▲ 0▼ 0

What is it to you, you don't even live here. If you feel so Polish, why don't you come back home then?
They're not ignorant, they're just punishing us for being a Soviet puppet for so long. it surely is their fault too, they could have done more to help us back then but then again, our Armia Ludowa that fought with the Soviets is really responsible for our misery. If not for them, the Soviets wouldn't be able to create their satellite state or practically saying another Soviet Republic and if they stayed here, that would be called invasion and maybe then, the western countries would have done something about it. As it was, Poland was officially a free country and if anyone would have wanted to do something about it, it would have meant another world war and no one in the right mind would be willing to do that.

@bberlin62▲ 0▼ 0

LOL. Poland is so close to Siberia, I thought it is already Asia... :)

@TheOther▲ 0▼ 0

That's a very stupid thing to say.

@MyMom▲ 0▼ 0

[quote MyMom that's a very stupid thing to say.[/quote]

only in eyes of people who believe in all this Soviet-Polish friendship bullshit. Half of my relatives was erased by the Soviets and you're trying to tell me how I'm supposed to feel about "your friends"?

@bberlin62▲ 0▼ 0

Why look at labels? Anyway, if Gorzów is Eastern Europe and Cottbus is Western Europe, where the heck is Central Europe? How can two border towns preclude the possibility of any central ground?

@Seanus▲ 0▼ 0

What is stupid is who are you blaming for Soviet occupation. Armia Ludowa influence on Poland was negligible. The fate of Poland was sealed at Yalta.

@MyMom▲ 0▼ 0