USA, Canada / Polack/American Polonia/Plastic Pole "culture" [568]

Where did I claim to be a "patriotic, proud Scot"?

I couldn't give a toss about being patriotic and proud. Looking at the idiots in Poland who promote such "patriotism" - they're the ones who sulk and complain because they didn't get their man into the Presidential Palace.

Sorry, but I consider myself more European these days anyway.

Life / The Polish Dream - move out from Poland as fast as possible [73]


It doesn't do any good, and all it does is stop them being unemployed for a few years.

I'm convinced that the "free education" policy in Poland is simply to keep the amount of unemployed people down and it has nothing at all to do with education.

Heck, I met two PhD's working in first line QA work - doesn't that tell you that the education system is badly in need of reform?


There are small scholarships, but nothing worthwhile. It would make far more sense to introduce fees for all but the best students - with the caveat that the grades are routinely double checked by outside invigilators.[/quote]
You can see this among young women - no-one is going to hire a woman just out of university, because there's a widespread assumption that she's going to want to get pregnant quickly. The worst thing is that it's quite true - you get people with 1-2 years work experience after university deciding that they want a baby, or just after they get the permanent contract in their hand.

Given that many people have the attitude here of "**** everyone else, I'm allright Jack" - I'm not surprised that many employers treat them like crap in return.

Work / Black English Teacher going to Wroclaw [247]


Or she's simply told him "Poland or nothing".

USA, Canada / Polack/American Polonia/Plastic Pole "culture" [568]


Fuzzy, if you actually were an English teacher worth listening to, you'd know fine well that these things often differ. But you know, I suppose Jersey Shore English is a bit...hmm, bastardised? ;)

Unless of course, you're one of those publishing bores who believe that the only "right" version of English is the one that they know. Or maybe you've simply been learning Polish too long, what with the strict definition of "what is Polish".

Sorry, but all that the Polonia did was to get upset about things, while hiding from communists because they were too damn cowardly to do anything about it themselves. I'm sure Poland was perfectly capable of defending itself from such accusations - they didn't need some Plastic Poles to defend themselves!

The American Polonia are, by and far, nothing but mouth. The election results show this ;)

(interesting thread though : shows that PiS voters are supportive of the Polonia, yet everyone else dislikes them. Ties in with the false "patriotic" message that they spread, I suppose.

USA, Canada / Polack/American Polonia/Plastic Pole "culture" [568]


Jealous, Fuzzy? It's not the greatest field ever, but there is *always* a need to market your products. Given that Poles generally have next to no idea about how to do this to the West (recovered territories, anyone?) - it's something that I can do quite easily.

But - you know, carry on with your teenagers! Personally though, who the hell wants to be an old man teaching kids?


Teaching? Well, if you want to be 50 and still teaching sulky teenagers, you're welcome :) Anyway, is America so poor that they'll let anyone teach without a qualification?

Well, as they say - those who can't do it, teach :)

USA, Canada / Polack/American Polonia/Plastic Pole "culture" [568]


If you're true to Poland, you live here and contribute to the country. End of story.

If you pledge allegiance to another country, you cannot be Polish - it's a simple fact. It's actually treason to pledge allegiance to another country.

Sorry Fuzzy, but the resume is already quite strong :) What with several years of marketing experience, a marketing degree and still doing some here on a freelance basis - it's not going to be hard to get a job in the UK in my field. But why the hell would I want to, when Poland is a much more attractive place to live?

Anyway, the services company hasn't failed, it's been put on the shelf. I'm still getting about 5-10 enquiries a week - and they're being passed onto a lawyer that I know, because I simply don't have the time to bother with it. Teaching pays more than enough for now, and I like the amount of free time that I have. It won't last forever, but for a couple of more years, it'll do nicely.

What's the market like for biologists who have been out of the game for several years doing something totally unrelated? Can't imagine there's much demand for them, especially without current experience. :)


Personal insults aside, you've made a really good point here - and it's worthy of another thread. I know in Spain, there are many expats that are exactly as you say - bitter, stuck in another country and with absolutely nowhere to go. It's usually the ones with families that are the worst - it's much harder for them to pick up and go elsewhere without much fuss.


I like the winters, but that's because I come from a city where it rains constantly in winter. I like the cold too, so ;)


I've got an EU passport and can go wherever the hell I want without much trouble. Stuck here? Quite the opposite. But not everywhere offers Prague, Berlin, Lviv and Vilnius within an easy car drive ;)

(remember Fuzzy, us EU citizens have it much easier....)

Life / The Polish Dream - move out from Poland as fast as possible [73]


Doesn't everyone?

I'm trying to find an English teacher at the minute - and of course, paying as little as possible for the best quality is what I want!

USA, Canada / Polack/American Polonia/Plastic Pole "culture" [568]

The American Polonia suck, this is true. Poles in Poland? Most of them are wonderful people who will try to help you in any way if they can. About the only ones I can't stand are the nationalist, xenophobic idiots who are stuck in the Stone Age - and every country has them.


You really do pay a lot of attention to my posts, don't you? :D

I could name lots of things I like about Poland, such as the guaranteed snow, lack of rain, the people, the nice pubs, the nice restaurants, the general unpredictability of it all, the location, the quality of the food and more. You know, because I actually live here - and I'm not a "Plastic Polack".


Yup, there's a lot to enjoy here. I've met a hell of a lot of interesting people, and a lot of them, I wouldn't have met in the UK. Heck, I looked at my client list yesterday, and most of them have fairly impressive job titles - lawyers, senior management, doctors, etc.

In fact, about the only thing that makes me mad is the way that some "Plastic Polacks" come into Poland and start telling US how things should be done. I've heard so much moaning from them - that Poland isn't like the United States, that it should do this, that it should do that, that they can't live here because (insert rubbish excuse), and so on. Sure, us expats might complain about things, but we also try to change things as well. And anyway, we pay taxes here ;)

Heck, what's NOT to enjoy about the fact that within a few hours drive, you can be in all sorts of amazingly interesting places? Heck, I even enjoy the fact that I can rely on the public transport here!

Anyway, I'm a European Union citizen. If I hate one country, no problem, there's another 30 to choose from!

It has to be said, if I hated Poles so much, I'd hardly invite a forum member to come and meet lots of Polish people, would I? :)

USA, Canada / Polack/American Polonia/Plastic Pole "culture" [568]


I find it highly unlikely that many of the American Polonia have suffered for a day in their life.

Unless you call not being able to understand why "Busha" didn't know that Krakow is now touristic as hell as "suffering".


But - that's ok, because it's foreigners adjusting it to their tounge. But when people claiming to be Polish don't even know how to say their name - well, you see my point. See also - Adam Andrzejewski. To say "I'M POLISH" and then pronounce your name "An-gee-ef-ski"....what a twat.


They're about as cowardly as it gets. Waving pierogi around while hiding behind Reagan's nuclear bombs does not mean you're a patriot! Let's not forget that many of those cowards left Poland JUST as she regained independence - how patriotic can you get!

I know the Polonia are in denial, but the fact remains - the vast majority couldn't hack it in Poland. It was a tough place from 1919 onwards, sure - but running away is just cowardice. Likewise with Communism - I understand completely the ones who ran away in 1945 and couldn't come back (who would go back to torture/death?) - but afterwards? The ones who ran away in the 60's/70's were just cowards all the same.

(one thing's for certain - this thread proves that the American Polonia are insecure people)

At least there's one small mercy - the Polonia elsewhere are a credit to Poland.

Study / Going to Medical School in Poland (University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn / and others) [51]


Ahaahahaa. Not a chance.

It's one of the best in terms of giving Americans an easy ride for their cash, and for diverting all their resources into foreign students - but it's not the best in the country, that's for certain.

USA, Canada / Polack/American Polonia/Plastic Pole "culture" [568]


The ones I mix with have no problem with foreigners seeing faults - it allows them to find out what we think. Likewise, they often offer interesting criticism of my own country.

USA, Canada / Polack/American Polonia/Plastic Pole "culture" [568]


And I and the other residents of Poland will do the real Polish thing and point out all the bad things.

Seems fair, I think - you can concentrate on the things that don't make a difference to our lives (like true Polonia) and we will concentrate on the things that do make a difference.


You don't have to look far to find bad things in Poland.

USA, Canada / Polack/American Polonia/Plastic Pole "culture" [568]


Wow, this is a really important argument in this discussion. I'm so impressed.

USA, Canada / Polack/American Polonia/Plastic Pole "culture" [568]


So, who was providing you with cheap oil and other exports?

It's not exactly the biggest secret that the Soviet Union poured a lot of money into the other Warsaw Pact countries - do you really think they'd have stayed Communist for long if it wasn't for the economic subsidies?

I seem to remember from one of my books that the GDR collapsed partially because the Soviet Union refused to assist anymore economically - because it couldn't afford to. Likewise, they gave up their grip on Poland easily - because they couldn't afford to keep the Red Army presence there.

USA, Canada / Polack/American Polonia/Plastic Pole "culture" [568]


Sure.

My ancestry is rather dull - as far back as I've traced (about the start of the 1800's or so), my family comes from one distinct area - North East Scotland. I'm even from there, though it seems some members of my "clan" made it to Poland in the 1600's.

So - ancestry can only be Scottish too. Rather dull and unexciting.


There's a few of us in Poznan :)

Lodz...well, I don't know anyone there, but I was there once for a training course :P

USA, Canada / Polack/American Polonia/Plastic Pole "culture" [568]

Poznan :)

USA, Canada / Polack/American Polonia/Plastic Pole "culture" [568]


Scottish. And European, definitely :)

(I definitely believe in the European dream these days - I know Brits, Hungarians, Russians, Japanese, Chinese, Canadians, Americans, French, Poles and more in Poznan - it's wonderful)

USA, Canada / Polack/American Polonia/Plastic Pole "culture" [568]

Sorry Polonius, but I think those people were cowards through and through. The real opposition was inside Poland, the ones who were willing to get killed in their fight for freedom. The ones who formed underground resistance, the ones who were willing to put up with endless harrassment in the name of freedom.

It hardly took guts to shout about Katyn from several thousand miles away, under the shield of Uncle Sam - but it damn sure took guts to talk about it in the PRL. Likewise - it's nothing for some Chicago Polish American Katyn 1940 group to go around demanding that the West apologise for it - it was another thing to be demanding this in public in the PRL.

If the Polonia are really so out of touch as to believe that they, not the Polish people themselves were the ones fighting for freedom, then no wonder they're all absolutely delusional.

Sorry, but the Poles in Poland are the ones that deserve praise, not a bunch of cowards in another continent. Let's not forget that the same Polonia either ran away from the PRL or they ran away at the start of the 2nd Republic. Hardly the work of Polish patriots, is it?

USA, Canada / Polack/American Polonia/Plastic Pole "culture" [568]


Polack, Polak, what's the difference? Polack is just the dumb American spelling anyway ;)

(anyway, in English, there's lots of words for people of foreign nationalities - Frog, Kraut, etc)

USA, Canada / Polack/American Polonia/Plastic Pole "culture" [568]


It is derogatory. It's meant to be insulting - these people are claiming to be Polish, yet it's all lip-service. How many of them actually volunteered for Polish military service, I wonder?

As a minimum - if you're claiming to be Polish, then you should change your last name to the proper Polish spelling (not some weird bastardisation) and pronounce it correctly too.


Doesn't matter - if you claim to be something, then you should be authentic rather than insulting.

I wonder how many of our Plastic Poles know the national anthem? I know it, and I'm not Polish.

USA, Canada / Polack/American Polonia/Plastic Pole "culture" [568]


Hmm - could be either, but I'd use the term more to describe those who aren't Polish, who don't speak the language, who make a big show out of doing "Polish" things and who tend to be very sensitive about Poland being criticised in anyway. They're Plastic - because - they're only Polish when it suits them. If they were forced to choose, they'd pick American. They're the ones who get upset with the term "Polak/Polack", because they're so ignorant that they don't know what it means.

It can also be used for those Poles who have lived in America so long, who have got American citizenship and who have absolutely no intention of returning - usually the ones who pretend that they've forgotten Polish and that they regard everything Polish as being inferior.

It's a PF invention I think, but it does describe them rather well.


That's why there was a significant amount of hostility towards the American Polonia interfering in the Polish Presidential election this year, then?

As I say - I'm on the ground and living here. You're not.

The thing that makes me laugh most of all is the way that the Polonia insists that they are TRUE POLES - yet many of them know -

a) nothing about the partitions
b) nothing about the difference between nationality and ethnicity (and how it's changed)
c) nothing about Poland apart from what "Busha" told them
d) nothing about being Polish
e) nothing about the likelihood of someone being 100% genetically Polish

News / Polish Lithuanian Diplomatic War? At last. [533]


The problem is that Poland doesn't want to give them citizenship. From what I gather, many of them in Lithuania and Belarus are very poor - they're not the "elite" of society. Given that Poland just got rid of lots of its underclass, it doesn't want any more!

Anyway, the Lithuanian ones can move to Poland anytime they wish - so I don't know what they're complaining about.

USA, Canada / Polack/American Polonia/Plastic Pole "culture" [568]


The divisions are already there. Just look at the Presidential Election - when America was so massively out of sync with the rest of the world, you know fine well that the people voting were American, not Polish.

Perhaps you choose to deny it, but I, as a European, have far more in common with Poland than Americans do.

USA, Canada / Polack/American Polonia/Plastic Pole "culture" [568]


Worst thing is, that seems to be their attitude - that Poland is poor, and while it's fine to come and visit (and look down at) the relatives, it's not for staying in.

Yet they claim to be proud Poles. Ugh.

USA, Canada / Polack/American Polonia/Plastic Pole "culture" [568]


But they should stop pretending that it's Polish in that case. Everyone knows Quebecois French is nothing like the French spoken in "Le Metropole" (or is it La? I forget... ).

And they absolutely should stop insisting that Busha is the Polish word for grandmother. Interestingly, the Western Ukraine word for Grandmother is "Babusha".

Oh, and the other thing that gets on my nerves - the insistence that their family came from Poland, even before the Polish State was re-established. "I'M FROM POLAND"....no mate, you really aren't.


The odd thing is why they appear to vote Kaczynski, yet idol-worship Walesa and vote Democrat. Doesn't make any sense at all!


I wish I knew. They seem to believe that Poland is some sort of utopia, myths purportrated seemingly by the grandparents. And then there's the lunatics who insist that they're from Poland, even when it seems that their grandparents/great-grandparents were actually from pre-1945 Germany!

Of course, many of them only discovered how Polish they were after 2004.

(mind you, many Jews did too...)

USA, Canada / Polack/American Polonia/Plastic Pole "culture" [568]

I think it's just the general way that they seem to think that they're Polish, but they are so completely removed from Plish life that it's not even funny. Take the whole Smolensk issue - the Polonia media was/is full of complete garbage about it - essentially regurgitated Kaczynski talk.

Then there's the way that they get offended on Poland's behalf, when Poland isn't even offended. And we won't talk about the way that they get upset when they come to Poland, because it's "morally decaying" or some such nonsense.

Adam "An-gee-ew-ski" was probably the best example of this.

News / Polish Lithuanian Diplomatic War? At last. [533]


The use of "Polack" for me is a way of saying "an exceptionally stupid Polak" :)

(wonder where it originated from?)

Love / Why do so many Polish girls dye their hair BLACK? [124]


That's because they're not Polish, but American Polonia.

Different race.

Life / Babcia or Busha - any social class difference? [359]


And this is the one big difference between the redneck American Polonia and the Polonia throughout the world - the American Polonia can't even use their own name correctly!