Why are Poles/Poland disliked by Germans?

Yes, now we may ponder if such a difference in mentality is important enough to create a dislike on the part of one nation towards another and if it can do it on its own.

On the face to face level, I suppose it doesn`t matter. People just don`t care if they meet a collective oriented person or the opposite.

However, on the level of nations, it might play a role. The thing that comes to my mind is that a collectively organised society is capable of achieving a better outcome from their performance, because collective work always brings about more effects than individual one. So, we may presume that collective approach causes that the country is run more efficiently than the one where individual approach is a lifestyle. Eventually, such a country is richer.

In this way, I wouldn`t treat your supposition of collective vs individual approach as a seperate notion but would include it into Reason 3 Economic - Rich Germany vs Not so rich/poorer Poland


Oh, I see. Thank you, your contribution is highly appreciated.

I disagree,I don't think it ever has.
Individuals are the key,not colectiveism.

That`s interesting, I think the contrary. Look at what bees or ants are able to do. Individual approach will never reach that level.

Of course, let`s forget about collectivism in Soviet style which was a really wasteful economy.

I think your comparison of humans to insects is frankly disgusting.
A very Socialist trait.

I disagree...a group of people with a common goal will always be more successful than the loner struggling for himself.

At one point sooner or later he will need support, even better a network....

@Ironside, I'm merely speaking from my lengthy experience, both having lived in Germany for just shy of a little in excess of a year, along with having grown up around Germans, practically from childhood:-)

Old stereotypes die hard, if in fact they ever die at all, and many Germans (particularly older ones) continue to see the Poles as simple, dumb backwoodsmen, sort of the hillbillies of Europe, who simply ought to accept their inferior station in life and make room for the German knowledge worker, infinitely able to engineer the world to perfection.

Join Pawian in his insect theory then....,..I prefer humans,I stamp on and squash insects.

I have another survey, saying the contrary...especially about young people across the EU (including Poland):

New research indicates that young people in Britain, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Poland and Spain are, by varying degrees, not inclined to embrace populist positions, nor would they support their country leaving the bloc if they had a chance to vote on it....

dw.com/en/young-europeans-believe-in-the-eu-fear-donald-trump/a-43628425

dw.com/image/43628301_401.png


...the Youth Europe 2018 study, carried out by YouGov on behalf of the TUI Foundation, found.

Question: How would you vote if a referendum on leaving the EU were held tomorrow?

Poland:
68% should stay
17% should leave
9% would not vote
6% don't know

OMG you do love your stats and surveys.....very German....does nothing ever come from the heart?

Now I am reading various blogs and fora which deal with the topic. To relieve some tension here, let me present a funny entry by a German woman :

I hate poles! You see I have this genetic condition called HEDS and one of the most observable effects of it is a lack of proprioception that makes me very clumsy. I'm rarely aware of where all my body parts are in space, so often I hit poles as I'm walking... not a full face hit but slightly with my shoulder or other body parts.

Although I must say this is not exclusive to poles, I have also slammed myself into columns pillars and door frames and I hate those too.

Now, given that this condition is rare, I can't imagine too many Germans share my hatred of poles and other architectural structures, then again I know at least one who hit one head on after a few too many beers, so presumably there is a small minority of Germans (myself included) who hate poles, however I can't imagine we are significantly more than the minorities in other countries who share our feelings.

Huh?

As compared to "I KNOW people X hates people Y because some Z people I know said so?"

Yes, I prefer stats to that! :)


So...you really believe any individual on his/her own would be more successful than a network of people supporting each other?

Typical German,all stats and surveys,no heart.....

The poll conducted by the Hungarian Nezoepont in October 2017 as reported by the Polish "Dziennik Gazeta Prawna" says that the most pro-European nations (supporting the membership of their country in the EU) are the Austrians (86%) and the second most are the Polish (84%). The poll was conducted in the EU countries of Eastern and Central Europe (including Germany and Austria) plus Serbia.

forsal.pl/artykuly/1098116,84-proc-polakow-popiera-czlonkostwo-w-ue-sondaz.html
Spośród przebadanych państw najbardziej popierają członkostwo w UE Austriacy (86 proc.) i Polacy (84 proc). In Serbia 61% said 'yes' to an EU membership.

You called me a liberal and leftist. Now it is socialist. Soon you will call me a communist. Will I later learn that I am Che incarnate?


Now, I must react seriously, killing animals without purpose is a sign of utter primitivism. Don`t even admit it in public. Educated Poles would never do or say such things. You can`t be Polish.

Milo,

Germans typically believe only half (or even less!) of what they HEAR, while nearly 100% of what they read. As long as something has the "authority" of the written/ printed word, many Germans will take it for face value. If the author's an alleged "expert" with a high degree, all the better!

The general attitude of Germans voicing their opinions about Poland there is positive. Of course, I haven`t tried ultra nationalist German sites, then it might be different.

But a typical post looks like this:
Wolfgang
No, I do not see reasons why I should dislike Poland, I do have some Polish friends and colleagues who are all very nice persons. And I visited Poznan which is a nice and beautiful city. But I dislike statements of some Polish politicians who seem to be obsessed of the idea that Germany is hostile towards Poland together with a very conservative point of view which I do not share at all. On the other hand I can understand this obsession given the history we share...Finally, I think one cannot dislike a country ...

Oh don't be dragging politicks into this thread, please.

Surely it will be different. One thing all nationalists have in common, the hate of other nations!

As long as they are on the fringe margins one can ignore them...its when they gain power and come to rule is when it gets dangerous.

@Ziemowit such a poll should always be preceded by a warm up questions to make people realize what they're supporting:

> Are you up for an unelected EU bureaucrats deciding crucial political matters over national Parliament's heads?

> Are you up for mandatory taking in of a violent, permanently unemployed North African muslim "refugees" just because some other EU country (Germany in this case) have decided that you have to?

> Are you up for giving up your country's Christian values and traditions to make space for a new neo-marxist ideology which is being forced by the EU core?

> Are you up for building an EU Army, basically a Bundeswehr on steroids, which aims to be a direct competition to NATO and sees the United States as one of their enemies?

Yes, the problem is that when they cease being the margin and become a real power, then it is too late to stop ignoring them.

I feeI I must turn in.

Before I leave, let me remind all posters about the last Reason No 6 - Religious in this post https://polishforums.com/history/poland-poles-disliked-germans-84481/#msg1673150 called Ardent Catholic vs Lukewarm Protestant

So far, nobody has commented on it.

Well, it is true that there are some religious news from Poland that have raised a few eyebrows, like building that ridiculous huge statue of Jesus, but I doubt that this is a significant factor. When many think of a conservative catholic country, they are more likely to think of Ireland, though this might change now. Again, this is probably just a sign of common ignorance.

But the poll that you didn't want to comment about did reveal the fact that 84% of the Poles questioned in that poll were in favour of Poland's membership in the European Union. I understand that the poll's results are in sharp contrast to the theses of your anti-EU propaganda, but then, what can I do about it?

Yeah,only as long as Poland is the largest net beneficiary of EU funds.......that will change in the future when Poland start to subsidise poorer states.

By then the pro-European youth will have taken power in Poland, so it won't matter by then.

But the fact is a fact. Who knows what the future will bring? Do you have a crystal ball which tells you the future? I do not, unfortunately...

This is true but the way things are going economically for Poland it will happen one day.

Why are you so sure about that?

Besides, you have a very low opinion of the Polish people as those who are only able to take but not give. If we become an affluent country one day, why shouldn't we be helping those member states who are less affluent once we had received help from more affuent countries than us when we were in need?

Or - as Marian Paździoch of the sitcom "Świat według Kipskich" used to say about their attitude toward the European Union - "panie Ferdku, trzeba doić tę krowę póki jeszcze ryczy i mleko daje!" ?

It's not a question of having a low opinion.
We all know what Poles are like when it comes to money.

How do you know that?