News / Poland in the European Union. Polexit? [559]

How so, if you'll permit me playing the Devil's Advocate for a change? Seems your definition of freedom needs some clarification. In the US, since Attty Gen'l Ashcroft, those who are merely deemed at odds with the US are labled "enemy combatants", placed on no-fly lists, and made into paraiah in their own country. Our sitting duck president expressed a desire to even close the NY Times if their criticisms of His Highness became too truthful.

In Germany, casual references to the Hitler Era, mocking the Third Reich in public might land one in jail.

Where's the difference, pray tell?

News / Poland in the European Union. Polexit? [559]

Is the EU "anti-freedom" any more than the US?

Here, our Federal Government, nationwide, controls each one of the 51 States. Over there, the leadership of Bruxelles,
living fulfillment of Metternich's dream, "The Concert of Europe", controls over 21 among numerous countries, a number of
which aren't yet EU-members!

Our country began with a mere 13 independent colonies by 1778. By 1904, much of the Western Territories had only quite recently been established as states, and even then, certain areas had yet to be granted statehood by Washington. The last US-territory to become a "state", was Hawaii....in 1959!!! That was nearly over one-hundred odd years in the making.

Moreover, a handful of states over the past centuries have even desired breaking away from the Union, namely Texas. Yet, nobody in our nation's capital seriously

entertained the notion of a "Texit"LOL

Now, you tell us which is "freer", Europe or America?
:-)

News / Poland in the European Union. Polexit? [559]

As I've reiterated on at best any number of occasions, a Polexit would be a disaster for Poland!
It's geopolitical implications for the rest of Europe remain to be seen.

History / Why are Poles/Poland disliked by Germans? [140]

Totally, pawian.

A lady friend of my wife and mine from Hamburg just returned from Krakow and of course was full of her trip. She confessed that her Polish hosts bent over backwards to speak to her only in English, inviting her to dinner and explaining the menu selections and so forth. Yet, upon he arrival, a few words in Polish, and some local knowledge brought tears to her host family's faces and she ended up having a great time. Had she only spoken English, she confessed (they spoke no German, only English and some Russian), she wouldn't have had half the experience she did:-)

History / Why are Poles/Poland disliked by Germans? [140]

My experience with younger Germans especially, those between 20-40 or thereabouts, is that they are perfectly open minded about Poles and Poland!
I'm pleased to say, a number whom I know, are even learning a bit of the language to prepare for their trip:-)
Oh sure, they realize most Poles will try to speak English, some a bit of schoolbook German, to be hospitable, but they feel that learning some Polish will

only make their holidays more pleasant, not to mention, much more fun.

As most have said on this site already, and it's really true as well, it depends on the generation of Germans, that's about it.

History / Why are Poles/Poland disliked by Germans? [140]

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!

History / Why are Poles/Poland disliked by Germans? [140]

@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.

History / What is Poles opinion on Intermarium (Międzymorze)? [188]

It can't, B.B.

History / Why are Poles/Poland disliked by Germans? [140]

Very simply, the reasons are because Germany has always believed herself to be superior to nearly everybody, including the Poles:-)

History / What is Poles opinion on Intermarium (Międzymorze)? [188]

Language was never a great barrier between you both because Russian was the lingua franca of the former Eastern Block along with German.

History / Why do Polish people hate to be called Eastern European? [120]

Central aka "Middle" Europe is in fact considered Austria, Hungary, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Slovenia and the former Yugoslavia. Eastern Europe would therefore be Poland, Russia, Ukraine, Romania, and Bulgaria:-)

History / Why do Polish people hate to be called Eastern European? [120]

Geographically of course, the Poles are clearly Eastern European, albeit more Western in their outlook compared with the Russians or the Ukrainians.

Genealogy / Perception of hair color in Poland [14]

Fairly typical, I should think. When in Poland, I observed how much I stood out from the crowd, even in a medium to large city!

News / Pawel Adamowicz, Gdansk mayor, dies after stabbing [353]

Poland remains to be sure a rock-ribbed, conservative society. For a new idea to break in would be harder than breaking into Fort Knox:-)

Law / Anybody adept in requirements for non-EU citizens to start business in Poland? [39]

PLubbe, I assume you're from Germany, but perhaps from The Netherlands?
Only curious as I've noticed over the past several months, many from either Scandinavia, namely Sweden or Denmark, Germany or The Netherlands, have this interest in setting up a concern in Poland.

Off-Topic / American Jew Voice in Poland [93]

Jewish is not a race! Never was, never will be. It is BOTH a religion as well as an ethnicity, much as being "Hispanic" is also being Caucasian aka "white", while their faith is "Roman Catholic", NOT their nationality:-)

Language / Your perception of the Polish accent [145]

...or that they'll be found out:-)

Knew a fella named Jerry who went back to Poland. He thought that if he said his name's "Jerzy", he'd immediately be identified as Polish, and so he try to Americanize his accent as best he could. A crying shame his personality couldn't keep pace with his ambitionsLOL

Life / Feeling ashamed of my Polish heritage. [237]

Over-"liberalization" is to be sure problematic, people. However, is the converse any better? We need more Centrist and less partisan leadership.....BADLY!

Off-Topic / American Jew Voice in Poland [93]

Black is "Negroid", Jewish is "Semitic", technically (not theoretically) a branch of "Caucasian"!

Language / Your perception of the Polish accent [145]

One of many reasons I've noticed over the years (and not only for the Poles, by the way) that foreigners typically will mask their noticeable accent and/or faulty English grammar etc. behind rapid-fire slanguage and shorthand as distractionary tactics so that no one will call them on their foreignness:-)

Life / Feeling ashamed of my Polish heritage. [237]

Merkel's egregious mishandling of the migrant issue is undoubtedly one of the chief causes for her abrupt exit from politics.

Although her heart was clearly in the right place in trying, however wrongheadedly, to make amends for a shameful NS-past, she fumbled the ball at the

ten-yard line and let the other team win the point:-)

Language / Your perception of the Polish accent [145]

Exactly, Milo! Right on:-) Final devoicing ALWAYS marks the Pole vs. the lazy Russian tendency to pronounce same "Good mawnnin", whereby the final "k" becomes lost.

History / Poland is great Mother of all Slavs from Baltic to Balkan [177]

...not to mention way beyond his present English capacity!
LOL

Language / Your perception of the Polish accent [145]

Polish is more easily recognizable, immediately in fact, as compared with certain other Slavic languages. Poles and Czechs speaking English, I will admit, DO often sound almost alike. However Russian for instance sounds nothing like Polish, Croatian, Slovak or Slovene, very hard to imitate:-)

Language / Your perception of the Polish accent [145]

Without making any value judgements, the Polish accent is as distinctive as other accents. Frankly, I find it relatively easy to identify:-)

Language / Your perception of the Polish accent [145]

When Polish women are speaking together, once more, it often sounds to my jaded Germanic ears much like birds chirping. Men on the other hand, often sound sort of almost world weary or bored:-)

News / Pawel Adamowicz, Gdansk mayor, dies after stabbing [353]

A tragedy of its own as well, jon!

Haven't looked up the specs on this bloke, but it's still pretty horrific.

News / Pawel Adamowicz, Gdansk mayor, dies after stabbing [353]

And what about that Cox woman, gunned down at a flower show or some such event in the North of England, right?

News / Pawel Adamowicz, Gdansk mayor, dies after stabbing [353]

Any kind of hate speech, especially in public, hurts everyone, is therefore everybody's business, both victim and onlooker!!
National disgust and rage notwithstanding, such virulent forms of expression really cannot be justified, albeit the roots of such hatred can
be readily understood.

Polonia / Poland, Germany, France, Spain or Greece? [35]

Nice one, B.B. Two points:-)
lol