News / Communist era 'newspeak' appeals the most to Poland PiS supporters (what a surprise) [89]


No, thank you - after all, you're choosing to disregard official figures in favour of the usual PiS "BLAH BLAH I CANT HEAR YOU FINGERS IN MY EARS BLAH BLAH BLAH" nonsense. Thanks :)


Usual PiS tactic - "I WON'T DISCUSS BLAH BLAH YOU'RE WRONG BLAH BLAH FINGERS IN EARS".

No wonder the educated voters laugh and sneer at PiS types.

News / Communist era 'newspeak' appeals the most to Poland PiS supporters (what a surprise) [89]


Let's be honest - the statistics say it all. PO voters are richer and smarter than PiS voters. End.


Wow. One isolated incident is all you can produce?

And at least he had the courage to do something, unlike PiS 'bohater internetowy'.

News / Communist era 'newspeak' appeals the most to Poland PiS supporters (what a surprise) [89]


What's funny is your accusation that I vote PO when I actually voted..hmm..three times now against them.

When was the last time anyone supporting PO threw stones at the PiS headquarters, I wonder?

News / Communist era 'newspeak' appeals the most to Poland PiS supporters (what a surprise) [89]

Nah, you support PiS through and through and only deny it when it's inappropriate to admit to it - for instance, in educated company. I noticed that after the last electoral humiliation, 30% of Poles voted for PiS and only about 20% actually admitted it. There's always an amusing discrepancy between total votes and total supporters - this forum saw at least two, maybe three clowns suddenly claiming to have voted for Nowa Prawica despite showing no pro-Korwin Mikke sentiment before.

And, uh...what makes you think I can't hold a debate in the language of Poland? I had an interesting chat the other day with someone about local politics, actually.


edit


That's because they normally are. Or worse.

It is terrible amusing watching people spout the same old tired PiS slogans while denying to be PiS supporters, though.

News / Communist era 'newspeak' appeals the most to Poland PiS supporters (what a surprise) [89]


Among the uneducated US Polonia - yes.


That's exactly, word for word, how PiS supporters behave. This entire thread contains proof of it - even when given evidence, they immediately dismiss it as propoganda because the Dear Leader told them so. They often claim to "know the truth" and will not entertain any rational debate - most young PO supporters will actually have a very open mind and are very open to better alternatives.


And you honestly think that the Dear Leader wouldn't sign it (and ratify it) straight away, bearing in mind his brothers comments about internet users?

We all know that the only reason he opposes it is for the sake of opposing (and the fact that most of his supporters couldn't afford to buy the films/music/etc anyway.

The current government is anything but totalitarian - in fact, it shows how short your memories are if you've already forgotten what a totalitarian government was.

News / Communist era 'newspeak' appeals the most to Poland PiS supporters (what a surprise) [89]


They really were a tinpot state - I can't remember the quote now, but in one book I have, it makes reference to how the Germans absolutely embraced Communism - and were even better at it than the Soviets.


Yup, and there were several (unreported at the time) diplomatic crisises between the PRL and DDR too.

I must dig up one of them for you - it's to do with territorial waters, and is very very interesting.

News / Communist era 'newspeak' appeals the most to Poland PiS supporters (what a surprise) [89]


Really? The fact that society was breaking down, that there existed the very real and scary possibility of civil war (as any serious historian will tell you) and that the State was failing to function wasn't a good reason? Jaruzelski had no way of knowing that Moscow may have let Poland go - especially after the build up for forces for the "Soyuz 80" moves that were a thinly veiled threat towards Poland.


Indeed, and it proves my point - newspeak is very appealing for them. And again - it shows how conditioned they are by the Communists.


This is now commonly accepted as the reason - there was very little room to move on his part. He was clearly installed by the Soviets to sort the mess out in Poland - and from his point of view, it's very easy to see (after what happened to Kania) that he either sorted the problem out or they got someone else that could sort it out.


It wasn't just the Czechoslovak army that you had to worry about, but also the East Germans who were rather keen on beating Poland up. With the Soviet numerical advantage, I can't imagine that Poland would have lasted long, especially as the "will to fight" had gone at that point. Gomulka's threat of fighting was taken seriously - but Jaruzelski could never have used the same threat.


"Soyuz 80" - it made it painfully clear to Jaruzelski what he could expect. I'm not sure how else he was supposed to think - we know now that the Soviets wanted a Polish solution to a Polish problem, but how could Jaruzelski know that after the actions during 1980?


Yeah yeah, I know **** because I quote from Poles about Poland. Truth is, you and your ilk are classically conditioned - you just can't accept the painful truth.

News / Communist era 'newspeak' appeals the most to Poland PiS supporters (what a surprise) [89]

Basically, PiS are hard left economically - they are very much socialists. It's denied, of course (socialism is a dirty word here - but it's almost certain that they would hurt small/medium businesses in order to help the huge state-owned businesses. They're also very pro worker-rights - so depending on his business, he might very well be in a bad place if PiS won. Generally speaking, they stand for all sorts of benefits for workers and little rights for employers - which is why most business owners are against them.

News / Communist era 'newspeak' appeals the most to Poland PiS supporters (what a surprise) [89]


Actually, you just prove the point. PiS supporters instantly denounce anything that doesn't agree with them as lies - which is exactly what the Communists did. Again - Western propoganda was often denounced on Soviet Bloc TV - the infamous "black channel" in East Germany was probably the best example, though it went on elsewhere too.


Err...you might start with his boasting about how they spied on his coalition partners.


He already boasted about how he used the ABW.


Newspeak through and through.

News / Communist era 'newspeak' appeals the most to Poland PiS supporters (what a surprise) [89]


Not PiS, that much is for sure ;)


That's right - you're showing everyone why PiS must be kept firmly in opposition.

The topic is -

News / Communist era 'newspeak' appeals the most to Poland PiS supporters (what a surprise) [89]


The simple answer is that they weren't hunting down corruption, but rather hunting down political opponents. The way that Kaczynski boasted about spying on his coalition partners - well...what can you say?

The other answer is that they pretend to be anti-Communist, but anyone who actually takes time to look at their platform sees that they're about as socialist as it gets. These days, they're definitely more left-wing economically than the SLD - much of what they propose amounts to huge amounts of direct interference in the economy. They are very much in favour of huge social transfers - and worse still, they're in favour of transferring the money to people like miners. I still remember Kaczynski's refusal to support nurses, too.

That, and they've been seducing football hooligans.


What's even more amusing is watching all the PiS supporters go on the attack instead of talking about the topic. Par for the course, and nothing surprising.


It's certainly far more of a success than a Government which spied on everyone, including their own coalition partners and who led Poland to international ridicule.

News / Communist era 'newspeak' appeals the most to Poland PiS supporters (what a surprise) [89]


Of course, we all realise how utterly brainwashed you guys are - all it takes is the mention of "Gazeta Wyborcza" and you're drooling at the mouth.


It's not his studies. Then again, it's no surprise that the average PiS supporter wouldn't understand the difference between "journalist" and "academic".


Defending PiS again? ;)


It's what we all know here - that PiS are really just Communists under a different flag. The language, the tone - much of it is borrowed from the PZPR way of doing things.

Genealogy / Are all Poles blue eyed and blonde? [450]


Actually, in Polish, you'll find that "ciemny blond" is quite wide. As Jonny said -

Genealogy / Are all Poles blue eyed and blonde? [450]


I've just found a picture of Emma Watson on a Polish website, being described as "ciemny blond" -

Quite clearly not by English standards, but clearly so by Polish standards. Different language, different place. Meaningless, except to those who deliberately choose not to understand this.

Genealogy / Are all Poles blue eyed and blonde? [450]


...

Des. I know you've never been to Poland, nor do you speak any foreign languages - but let me explain something to you. What might be logical or sensible in English isn't necessarily the way people think in different languages. Concepts can be different in different languages - what might sound "odd" to us in English can be perfectly acceptable in a foreign language. The best example is with "ciemny blond" - which translates to the commonly heard "dirty blonde". It's not blonde - it's mousy brown. But they call it blonde because in Polish, the phrase is "ciemny blond" - which translates nicely into "dark blonde" - or the more common variant, "dirty blonde".

It's a fantastic example of where English speaking Poles have taken a Polish concept and translated it directly into English - and as Wroclaw has tried to explain to you, it's incorrect, but it's due to a lack of vocabulary. No-one is bothered by it, everyone knows what they mean - it's in common usage here, even among native English speakers - hence why I say that it's "Polish" because it is - the concept is very much dependent on the translation.


They're not uncommon, sure - though thinking about it now - I know one who has stunningly Nordic-esque hair. A friend of mine (who..er...let's say has knowledge of this) confirms that it's natural, too.

Not that it means much really - I even know one Polish carrot-haired girl.

Genealogy / Are all Poles blue eyed and blonde? [450]

Des, please read.



The mods are certainly watching this one, I'd wager.

Genealogy / Are all Poles blue eyed and blonde? [450]


You've already had it explained to you by several posters that in Poland, Poles will use "dirty blonde" to refer to a specific shade that isn't actually blonde. It's just the way that the language works - and if you actually spoke a word of Polish, you'd soon understand that you can't always apply the English way of thinking to Polish concepts.

I suppose you'll tell me next that "kominować" actually means "to combine something".

Genealogy / Are all Poles blue eyed and blonde? [450]


Oh Des...if only you'd come to Poland and actually learn a thing or two about this country.

Genealogy / Are all Poles blue eyed and blonde? [450]


Are you really from Poland, Ironside? I'm starting to wonder, given that "dirty blonde" is in almost universal use by Poles in English as a translation of "ciemny blond".

Genealogy / Are all Poles blue eyed and blonde? [450]


As said above, "dirty" blonde is a term used here, and anyone living/in contact with real Poles would know it. It's not offensive, it's not a big deal - it's just the terminology used. The hair colour isn't the same, hence the need for some terminology. Perhaps you might want to familiarise yourself with the concept of "ciemny blond" (like Jonny asked you to) before resorting to abuse.

Nice of you to call Polish people "idiots", though.

Genealogy / Are all Poles blue eyed and blonde? [450]


Your ignorance of Poland knows no limits, does it?

Anyone who actually lives here, or knows anything about Poland would know that "Polish" dirty blonde is quite characteristic for Poland - hence the quotation marks. It's a Polish trait.

Genealogy / Are all Poles blue eyed and blonde? [450]

It's strange that you have such indepth knowledge of Nazi racial theories, isn't it?

However, as someone living here, it's rare to see genuine blondes. I don't know many - plenty of dirty "Polish" blondes, but nothing like you'll find in Sweden or the like.

Then again, I actually live here and know a thing or two.

Real Estate / Residential real estate values go down in Poland [455]


More than enough. Most Polish people don't live in big cities, and right now, 260k will buy you a lot.

260k is certainly more than enough for a 3 bedroomed flat of 80-90sqm in a commuter town for Poznan. A 45 minute commute is hardly the end of the world, and work isn't concentrated in the centre of Poznan too. For example - let's take a couple who work for Allegro. It's located near the airport, and with the opening of the dual carriageway past Lawica, living in a small town about 20km away isn't a big deal. With 6000k a month in their pocket, it's perfectly possible for a young couple to do well in such areas.


This is one of the real problems - very often, women are studying something useless for 5 years, getting a worthless bit of paper - and then getting that first job. They get the "umowa o prace" - and suddenly fall pregnant. Their career is finished, because no employer will trust them again - and they stagnate, if they even go back to work.

Quote and personal remark removed

Life / Poland - abandon all logic [25]


I got served in English by an elderly chap in Daventer at 6am in the morning - which blew my mind away.


In Berlin Hauptbahnhof, Paris Gare du Nord, Madrid Atocha and Rome Termini - they're going to speak English.

Life / Poland - abandon all logic [25]

It's quite shameful when it's the main train station in the capital city of a large European country, actually.

Life / Poland - abandon all logic [25]

There's a great chap who works in Poznan Glowny that speaks English - gave me a hell of a shock. What's more, he also recommended better routes/ways to save money - I actually wrote them a letter of praise for the service, because it was so utterly unexpected.

Life / Poland - abandon all logic [25]


Not exactly so - but here are my comments.


True, and absurd. The current situation where public universities are opening more and more "directions" without any logic, just to provide more jobs and power for their own is absolutely ridiculous. Much of the blame has to lie with the employers demanding papers for everything, however. Polish people seem to be shocked that you do things "without education" - for instance, working in a kitchen. Yet - most of the top chefs in the world are completely unqualified.


That's not true, is it?


Doesn't seem to be true. Poland doesn't have much of an issue with personal debt.


And yet this is far more than most of the world earns.


Not true. Average wage is now what, around 45k a year. As for parking - I can't talk about Warsaw, but I've never had any problems finding places in Polish cities.


Applies to every country. You'd go insane if you tried to understand the German way of life.


This is changing rapidly - at least in Poznan, language skills are obligatory if you want to be hired to work in public administration.

Real Estate / Residential real estate values go down in Poland [455]

He called me a ******* Tory, I should be allowed to abuse him as much as I want!

(former card-carrying member of the SNP)

Real Estate / Residential real estate values go down in Poland [455]


Oh dear. Do we have to start with the history lesson about how poor Poland actually was in 1989-1995?


I'm still waiting to hear where in Europe you can find "Easily available affordable housing". There's some in East Germany, but absolutely no work - hence why Poles bought up property there, because there was plenty of work in Poland.

By the way - I was in Media Markt a few days ago, and there were plenty of people carrying out huge TV's and all sorts of expensive stuff. The same shopping centre was packed full of nice cars and people buying nice things - often in cash. Could it be that your image of Poland has been tainted by the fact that your own family are non-achievers?


Now you're just trolling.

If you want to talk about "affordable accommodation", ask yourself why many Spanish people stay at home for years and years. Or, or - ask yourself why there are such few locals buying property along the Croatian coast. Or or or - why not - ask yourself why people live 2 hours from their work in London! Or even - why not ask yourself why people are buying property 100km away from Dublin despite working in Dublin.

So - tell us - what's different in Poland with young people?