USA, Canada / Poles and Americans, what do you think, are we friends or enemies? [190]

I've met a number of Polish-Americans who claim to have neither knowledge of not even interest in Polish. This is increasingly more common among Poles, I've noticed, than among Russian-Americans or Hispanics.

USA, Canada / What I don't get about Americans vs Polish [56]

Afraid I don't quite follow.

USA, Canada / Poles and Americans, what do you think, are we friends or enemies? [190]

I submit you know nearly ZERO Americans, at best, have observed some army brats from the States who typically behave like one of the Simpson brothers abroad, this true., while never having taken the time necessary to familiarize yourself with the best of American culture (and make no mistake, we have one).

You judge the whole batch based on a single bad apple and this is wrong!

Just imagine were I or anyone to hold you, for instance, up to the standard of ALL Poles. Heaven help usLOL

Language / Dziadzia / Babcia - help me with spelling/pronunciation [81]

"Klassenkamerad" in my experience can tend to sound overly bookish, formal, while perhaps familiar-sounding to contemporary Germans. "Kumpel" is a word I used and use constantly in German when speaking with both contemporaries as well as much younger people! As with the Polish "kolega", "Kollege" in German can sometimes be translated in English as "buddy" aka (close) "co-worker", not only "colleague.

German loans are of course most prevalent in Silesian dialects, for ex. "bana" > "Bahn" vs. "pociag", the standard Polish word:-)

Language / Dziadzia / Babcia - help me with spelling/pronunciation [81]

Once learned that "Pan Starszy!" was used in Poland with which to signal a waiter. Probably out of date, rather like "Herr Ober!" in German-speaking countries, right?

:-)

USA, Canada / What I don't get about Americans vs Polish [56]

Too many of the wrong movies, you mean!

Pre-mid-to late sixties, we were a VERY different America in nearly every respect one can think of. Model oneself after that era when the New Deal was in full force, I would say it's a good model to stick with. Apart from that, the image projected by US movies from around '68 onward, is that of a cultural and social cesspool, ready to self-destruct any time now.

USA, Canada / Poles and Americans, what do you think, are we friends or enemies? [190]

The only ones stopping us politically from becoming (or remaining) "friends" are ourselves:-)

History / 75th anniversay of Dr Janusz Korczak's death - a true Polish hero [26]

They're all deceased:-)

History / 75th anniversay of Dr Janusz Korczak's death - a true Polish hero [26]

There are several other Polish-Jewish artists and intellectuals who changed their names or adopted more Polish-sounding surnames:-)

Life / Why are Poles always so miserable? Why do they never smile? [512]

Smiling is often merely a reaction here in the States to an unfamiliar or uncomfortable situation.

Remember reading once a post card that one of the Freedom Riders' mothers read on the anniversary of the Civil Rights Movement. Schwerner had just arrived in Nashoba County Georgia in the mid-60's, after an exhausting sixteen hour bus trip from up North. "Everybody's so friendly", he wrote, "people smile and seem so nice....."

The next day, he and his comrades were dead, shot by the local police.

Not everyone who smiles at you means it!

Life / Bilingual kids in Polish schools [30]

I agree with the assessment that those bilingual children of whom I spoke were indeed exposed nearly equally to both source and target language before attending school.

In my case, I was raised partially by a German "nanny" who spoke nothing but her native tongue to me prior even to kindergarden, while my folks spoke only English to me and I never studied German formally until I was sixteen.

Does that make me bilingual? Yes, according to the narrow confines of the above definition. On the other hand, my nanny stopped speaking to me in German altogether by the time I was only eight, so there were nearly nine or so years before I actually learned the language as a young adult, having most of my adolescence to catch up, so to speak:-)

Life / Why Do You Love Poland? [907]

Being a good Christian aka Catholic means following the tenets of "Love thy neighbor". The question remains as to whether any nation which so staunchly defends the letter, though not always the spirit, of their faith is in the end Christian or HYPOchristian!

Many Catholics defend antisemitism as part of the ritual of being a good Catholic. Although not a Catholic myself, I strongly beg to differ. So would Jesus, I have little doubt.

Life / Why are Poles always so miserable? Why do they never smile? [512]

I thank the Catholic ktos for the kudos.

History / 75th anniversay of Dr Janusz Korczak's death - a true Polish hero [26]

Ashamed hardly! You've missed my point once again (surprise!). "Korczak" sounds Polish, "Goldszmit" doesn't. Therefore is it a coincedence that he would have chosen as a nome de plume a name such as "Korczak" rather than "Cohen" or the like? From "Goldszmit" to "Cohen" or the like, for instance, is like going from the frying pan into the fire.

The whole idea was to adapt a Polish as opposed to a Jewish-sounding surname!

Make sense?
:-)

Life / Why do so many Polish strive to be accepted by the West? [78]

If Poland drifts even further from Western aka democratic values, it will drive itself into the ground! As a Polish acquaintance of ours said several years ago after the PiS got elected, "Poland has re-elected the same party which nearly destroyed our country during the '90's."

History / 75th anniversay of Dr Janusz Korczak's death - a true Polish hero [26]

Quite true, as did once upon a time, Poles and others adopt Latin-sounding surnames to appear scholarly! Nevertheless, "Goldsztajn" sounds far less Polish than "Korczak", wouldn't you say?

Life / Why do so many Polish strive to be accepted by the West? [78]

I fail to see the distinction. The path away from the West is the same type of deluded thinking which once plunged Germany into two (LOST!!) world wars.

Life / Bilingual kids in Polish schools [30]

Bilingualism is a mine field. On the one hand, the true bilinguals who grew up in a country and who's parents spoke the source language at home whilst junior learns the target language seamlessly in school as their primary language of instruction, and without a trace of first-language interference, are as rare as precious gems!

Sadly, many delude themselves into thinking they are bilingual because they "feel" so easily comfortable chatting/texting away in English, for example Scandinavian, Dutch, and even German teenagers these days. The fact is, they are anything but bilingual; they may know both languages fluently, yet scarcely with native competence in either language. I know this from experience having lived abroad.

Life / Why do so many Polish strive to be accepted by the West? [78]

Compared with Russia, Poland has "Westernized" much more, both in terms of her acceptance of the Latin alphabet as well as Roman Catholicism, neither of which was by Occident (pardon the pun!). Considering how much Poland has contributed to European culture, from Kopernikus, Chopin right on up through the 20th century and beyond, it's no wonder she feels herself proudly part of Western Europe! Russia remains Eurasia, therefore a sort of bridge between East and West, a part of the other, while not belonging completely to either one.

:-)

Life / Why are Poles always so miserable? Why do they never smile? [512]

Better honest grumpiness than dishonest smileyness any day of the week!

History / 75th anniversay of Dr Janusz Korczak's death - a true Polish hero [26]

@kaprys,

Korczak was his pen name because his original surname sounded overtly Jewish!
:-)

History / 75th anniversay of Dr Janusz Korczak's death - a true Polish hero [26]

Ethnicity, ktos?? Kindly explain, please. The fact that it was an exclusively Jewish orphanage might well have been sheer coincidence. After all, Janusz Korczak wasn't the name he was even born with; he changed it to sound more Polish, you knitwit!!

Life / Why are Poles always so miserable? Why do they never smile? [512]

The issue is more to the point whether or not it is always encumbent upon one to smile in Poland when greeting somebody. To this, I add that when I was first in Poland, I did in fact find restaurant and even hotel staff a bit on the dour side, businesslike, completely professional, but more than bereft of the usual annoying small-talk, non-stop chatter ("Hi, Mark! How's yer day goin' so far?" etc. ad nauseum) which drives me to distraction here in the States.

I found Polish "grumpiness" kind of refreshing in fact, as I've said several times before:-)

Life / Why Do You Love Poland? [907]

Why???

Try beautiful, unspoiled nature (some of the last wilderness on the European continent!), gorgeous women, high quality produce, a fairly high standard of living, not to mention centuries' old cultural traditions along with music, art, architecture as well as literature, plus some of the most inventive cinema this side of the Vistula!!

That's not attractive to some down-on-their-luck Third Worlder, lucky to have ever had even an outhouse, a roof over their head or a decent job???!!

Life / Why Do You Love Poland? [907]

By making yourselves in Poland so damnably attractive to "others", shouldn't y'all therefore expect they'll be breakin' down the doors to get a piece of the action too??!

Think you're being a bit unrealistic about the expectations of foreigners from poor countries coming to Europe hate to say it:-)

Life / Do you think that Polish people are rude? [951]

This perception of Americans though, is by and large true, at least for most of the mega rich!

News / Poland's geopolitical problems [34]

Hear, hear Ziemowit! If you don't correct, they'll never learn:-)

As to the thread title, Poland is geopolitically damned if she does and damned if she doesn't! Historically, Poland has had to bear the brunt of some pretty harsh and bellicose neighbors, Germany to the West, Russia to the East. One heck of a pickle to find oneself in, I'd say.

Life / Why are Poles always so miserable? Why do they never smile? [512]

Being even sharply critical of a country, needn't mean one is that country's enemy. Often times, we criticize those we love, or at least like, in the hopes that they can do even better.

I love the original ideals of America, at the same time being deeply critical of the aftershocks from the Reagan Era which have infected our great land like a cancer, now metasthesizing non-stop under this current president!!

Life / Why Do You Love Poland? [907]

As to your last sentence, I honestly couldn't agree more! On the other hand, do you want to risk throwing the baby out with the bathwater?

Something to consider:-)

Life / Do you support Poland's frisk and search policy? [10]

So long as it's done discretely, I'd have no problems with it.