News / TVP producer fired for allowing rainbow flag on the air... [244]

The purpose of marriage is the sexual union between a man and a woman, not solely for reproductive purposes! We are not all the same as in ancient times and barreness is no longer a stigma, save among the ignorant or the privileged.

Classifieds / Kebab business [43]

Thanks, Cargo pants!

News / TVP producer fired for allowing rainbow flag on the air... [244]

Naturally Poland, as practically everywhere else throughout Europe, has an LGBTQ community!
While perhaps neither as vocal nor even as visible within larger urban centers in comparison with Berlin, Madrid, Stockholm, Amsterdam or Copenhagen, for example, Polish gays do indeed have an uphill battle, fighting to maintain both their Polish-Catholic identity in the same breath however, their independent selfhood as non-conformist men and women.

Off-Topic / Pop A Cork - Wine [440]

Thought Zubrowka was more of a type of Schnaps.
Not as strong though as bimber:-) I might well be wrong.

Life / Polish Music. [303]

If you include the toe-tappin' music of the goral in Zakopane, you're probably right, at least in Europe.

@Miloslaw, I think my post answers at least part of your question, to be honest.

Life / Questions about living in Poland [8]

My pleasure, Milo!
You see? We have indeed found common ground:-)

News / TVP producer fired for allowing rainbow flag on the air... [244]

False once again!
I NEVER stated that Poland is "mono-ethnic". I did say that the presence of Ukrainians, Ruthenians, assorted Slavs along with other white Europeans living and or working in Poland is scarcely comparable with contemporary urban areas such as Berlin, Paris, Stockholm, Amsterdam or London with a truly multi-ethnic assortment of colors, non-Western languages and religions. Of course Poland has her share of Muslims, but they are far fewer in number than in many neighboring countries.

Please don't continue playing the Devil's Advocate on this matter because we all know it's just a game.

Life / Polish Music. [303]

The answer's fairly self evident!
No thanks to Poland's historically richer and traditionally more acknowledged neighbors such as Russia and Germany, Poland as well as Polish culture, sadly, became viewed until not too long ago, as a mere backwater, inferior (if you can believe it!!) to fellow European societies.

Need I list the names and accomplishments of Poland but once again??

King Jan Sobieski - helped drive out and keep out the Turks from Europe Nikolas Kopernikus - proved that the Earth revolves around the Sun Adam Mickiewicz - penned one of the greatest epic poems in any European language Frederic Chopin - made the piano sing as none other before or since Mme. Marie Curie (nee Manya Sklodowska) - pioneered uses of radium Dr. Kazimierz Funk - discovered uses of the vitamin supplement ...etc. etc. etc.

Life / Questions about living in Poland [8]

Knowing the language though is already half the battle. You ought to specialize rather than diversify your skill set, as being an outside puts you in direct competition with native Poles.

Decide what you can do which your fellow job seekers can't and you're more likely to secure a position, perhaps even a permanent one!

When I was thinking about moving to Europe myself umpteen years back, I realized that merely knowing the local lingo wasn't enough, I needed to specialize.

Powodzenia!/Good luck!

News / TVP producer fired for allowing rainbow flag on the air... [244]

@Maf, Milo,

Not everyone is able to visit Europe every year or so! What with family expenses and work, I'm rarely able to drive up to Boston any longer, much less visit my former student and professional haunts in Germany, Poland, Denmark or Sweden, so cut me some slack.

I rely on the Polish press of varying political persuasions just like everybody else.

Moreover, there is nothing "fairytale" about any posts I've written on Poland, so quit lying merely to prove a point.

Classifieds / Kebab business [43]

Yes, I've heard that as well. Serious competition from Berlin in particular though.
Wonder about Greek food in cities such as Warsaw.

Life / Polish Music. [303]

Along with many areas of culture, including world cinema until not too recently, perhaps the last twenty to thirty years.

In books on film, often directors such as Wajda, Andrzejewski along with many others would get perhaps a few pages, if they were lucky. Even Polanski's sometimes not credited for his early Polish work. French, German, and Italian directors would have entire chapters devoted to them.

Theater's another matter though. In stage design and direction, for a while, names like Jerzy Grotowski and Tadeusz Kantor loomed large, as did Krzysztof Penderecki in the area of experimental music.

News / TVP producer fired for allowing rainbow flag on the air... [244]

If you know Poland, I presume your native country (or that of your family's origin),
you'd have no need to play the Devil's Advocate, but rather accept what we all know
about Poland...from other Polish natives!

We all know what I posted is the truth, albeit not always pleasant, and so kindly deal
with it as one deals with unflattering criticism.

It's not easy to accept captious comments about the US from foreigners, yet acknowledge
them I must or I'll never grow.

If criticism is warranted, then it should be heard, so why so defensive, Kaszub?

News / TVP producer fired for allowing rainbow flag on the air... [244]

Kaszub,
Poland was far more isolated and for a long time
almost hermetically sealed off from non-Caucausian outsiders
within their midst.

While not desirable in a broader spiritual sense, this is simply
the reality with which Polish people have had to contend, and
the inroads of the larger world face resistance from many as
they're ill prepared for the slow, if inevitable, coming together of this
planet!

An apt analogy would be of a large, homogeneous, heretofore contented, family,
a spoiled brood now being asked or rather being forced by their elders to share.
As with most children, they really don't want to and often throw a tantrum if at
first they don't get their way.

In this case, the parents are represented by Bruxelles and the children by the Poles
themselves.

Life / Questions about living in Poland [8]

Secure a permanent position somewhere, learn at least the basics of the language,
and you should be fine.

News / TVP producer fired for allowing rainbow flag on the air... [244]

@Maf & Milo,

Poland has comparatively few foreigners integrated into the total population,
particularly in smaller cities, so I've read in local newspapers. Large urban
centers practically anywhere in Europe will always continue to be the exception.

The occasional kebab stand or the like does not a "diverse" society make! -:)

Kaszub, the Swedes as well as the French, although not for the same reasons,
view themselves as bastions of both democracy and progress. The lack of diversity in
places such as Sweden, especially the more rural or outlying areas, Norway, including
Finland, has more to do with their geography than with their demography.

Stockholm, Paris or Helsinki are poor examples against which to measure the success of
multi-ethnic populations.

Even in the US, New York, Boston, Washington or Los Angeles will neve be bellweathers of
change.

Think some of y'all out there are just playing the Devil's Advocate, frankly. Even if I made
a decent point, some of you wouldn't ever admit it.

News / TVP producer fired for allowing rainbow flag on the air... [244]

Thank you, Johnny.
Add to my prior remarks the plain fact that Poland remains one of the
most ethnically homogeneous nations on the continent of Europe, logically
making drastic, indeed culturally and socially jarring changes, almost Draconian
punishment to impose on a historically monolithic populace.

"Diversity" 's all well and good in politically liberal societies such as France or Sweden,
with long histories of either colonial or advanced progressive culture. Therefore, it's easy
for Bruxelles to say, "Hey, Poles! Get with the program and welcome LGBTQ into your
living space....OR ELSE!" The actuality of the situation though is far more complicated and
this must be born in mind in the midst of our sounding off about this affair.

Love / Are Polish girls open to foreigners? [78]

How "open" do you mean?
Ignorant foreign male visitors somehow expect that they'll
hook up with a random female they meet in a bar right off the bat and then jump into
bedLOL

Such notions are about a ludicrous as they are vile.

News / TVP producer fired for allowing rainbow flag on the air... [244]

Poland's an unusually conservative country, bound by centuries-old Roman Catholic
strict constructionism.
While I'm certainly not in favor of the above action, I'd be terribly naive if I believed
the reaction of the general viewing public would be any different!

History / Can anyone from Poland tell me about Auschwitz and The Ghetto? [625]

Milo, kindly don't lump all Jews into one basket! As with Poles,
Germans, generalizations are convenient pegs upon which to hang
one's own experience(s), but they're not always accurate.

Rather like judging a country solely or even mostly by her politics, isn't it?
I mean, most English are basically honest by nature.

History / Can anyone from Poland tell me about Auschwitz and The Ghetto? [625]

Not in fact a "Jewish idea", but instead, an idea or concept
originated coincidentally by a Jew in the figure of Karl Marx, an atheist, incidentally,
who had as little use for the practice of Judaism per se as he had
for all organized religion.

Head-in-the-clouds academics rarely if ever think through
their pie-in-the-sky notions which are as far from reality as one can
get! Marx was no exception, nor was Gramsci, Fanon, any of the
Utopian idealists of the last century or two.

History / Can anyone from Poland tell me about Auschwitz and The Ghetto? [625]

Communism was and is a mere construct, posited by a German Jewish intellectual, a philosopher
to be more exact, who studied in London, was an economist by trade, and had the time to sit around thinking up abstract concept rather than "working for a living".

History / Can anyone from Poland tell me about Auschwitz and The Ghetto? [625]

With the latter comment, Kaszub1410, I couldn't concur more!
Yet boasting about individual achievement alone is scarcely a Polish trait:-)
German arrogance outpaces Polish boasting any day of the week.

History / How Poland views Europe [44]

Humans ARE animals, Milo!
We're simply a "higher" species of duoped, that's all.
Looking at the behavior of many of our fellow beings however, I'm not always so sure.

History / Can anyone from Poland tell me about Auschwitz and The Ghetto? [625]

By "Polish values" you mean Catholic values, I take it.
As Communism was in essence anti-religion, this handily explains the deep revulsion to Communism by committed, or at least pious, Christians.

Law / Noisy children outside [40]

@Milo,
I was merely responding to what others already posted.

History / Can anyone from Poland tell me about Auschwitz and The Ghetto? [625]

In terms of raw numbers, I'll have to concede.
You experienced this as living history, at least your grandparents did, and so, you'd know better than I.

Although Wajda did remain in Poland, he certainly
was critical of Gomulka, at least according to the history books I've consulted.

Admittedly, historical "truth" doesn't always coincide with the "facts" LOL

Law / Noisy children outside [40]

Never have been, Joker ol' man, never will be.
I keep my own counsel and pledge of allegiance to my conscience alone!!

Law / Noisy children outside [40]

As far as sexuality is concerned, that's really the parents' job, not the school's.

History / Can anyone from Poland tell me about Auschwitz and The Ghetto? [625]

As I recall however, Wajda, the writer Slawomir Mrozek along with a group of others, gentiles all of them, had their differences with the Polish government too.