Life / Are foreigners welcome in Poland? [267]

How about Romanians? I would like to to for the 3rd semester of the Master programme in Warszaw, and if everything goes alright, for the PhD as well, since my research area is on Poland, but I am a little bit reluctant.

Genealogy / THE MEANING AND RESEARCH OF MY POLISH LAST NAME, SURNAME? [4500]

Can someone please tell me the meaning of the name Daszkiewicz? Thank you.

Love / How do Polish boys feel about foreign girls? [163]

I don't think there's a rule at all, not even a "most of the times". I have friends with polish fiancees, either men or women. It all comes down to chemistry and love.

Life / Racism in Poland - the future [441]

Funny how things go... those that cry the hardest that they are being discriminated, are those that discriminate the most.
We don't have blacks, but we have another ethnicity who cries wolf all the time, while they are the biggest racists on earth.

Life / Racism in Poland - the future [441]

I am curious about one thing: what do you understand through multiculturalism, the part that you blame? (by you I mean all those that have done so in the previous posts).

I like multiculturalism and don't like it at the same time. In my understanding of the concept, it reverts to meeting new people, making friends, knowing one's culture, life, history, etc. From this point of view, I am among those that want to participate in exchange programs such as Erasmus. I am really hoping to go to Warsaw for the next semester, I am quite fond of Polish culture and language - not doing very well with the language part. I want to get to know your country, spend some time - a few months, make some friends go back to my country and have a life and perhaps return to visit .But this is where my concept of multiculturalism ends.

The multiculturalism that I don't like is the part where persons with extremly different cultural background come and establish in one's country and than demand to impose or have space to practice their culture. When you establish in a country, I think that you have made a conscieus choice and that you have to comply and obey that country's culture and laws, and as much as possible also keep yours but only as long as it does not conflict with the local one.

I am curious what multiculturalism you don't like, because I would really like to know what to expect to if and when I will be going to Warsaw. I have never been for more than a week abroad and I an quite scared at the thought whether the people I'll meet will be friendly or not towards foreigners.

Life / Racism in Poland - the future [441]


Bardzo djiękuję Dariusz! Very encouraging. I will be a complete alien :), hope it will go well.

Life / How would you describe the Polish sense of humour? [66]


I am curious how the german humour is, I think ours (romanian) is pretty sadistic and black at times, but of course it is extremly self-ironic most of the times.

Can someone post some jokes specific for polish people, russian and german?

News / Polish President Lech Kaczynski and gov officials die in a plane crash in Russia [686]

My deapest condoleances to Poland!

News / RUSSIA TO MAKE PUBLIC THE KATYN FILES... [274]


Seanus, Hitler and Stalin started WWII. For western Europeans it was Hitler, ask the Baltic states who started WWII from their point of view.
They both had their own agenda, and knew that in the end they will confront but each wanted to dominate first his part of Europe. Nazi Germany waged war with the West while Soviet Russia was occupying the Baltic States. Ask Finland, Latvia, Lithuania and most of all ask Poland.

You know, Europe is not only Western Europe, it's the whole bloody continent, and Eastern Europe has a history which for so long you didn't want to hear about it.

In the end Stalin went on the side of the Allies, but this only because Hitler was too much trouble for him. You know, when there was this Anticomintern pact, Hitler and Stalin were in such good relations that a joke circulated around that Stalin was about to join the Anticomintern side.

News / RUSSIA TO MAKE PUBLIC THE KATYN FILES... [274]


Actually it could be painfully fun to analyze this.
So, Seanus, I take it that the one who speaks first, is the looser... well considering a game. So, Stalin didn't say anything, simply invaded thus he didn't start the war. But the same did Hitler, he didn't declar it, BB is write, France and GB declared it, so they've started the war if you follow the same logic.

If you follow Churchill's logic, GB through Chamberlain is at fault for this, and so on and so forth...
Seriously, invading without declaring is not waging war is just a walk in the park... both Hitler and Stalin would have been proud.

News / RUSSIA TO MAKE PUBLIC THE KATYN FILES... [274]


Sasha, many groups from all around Europe joined the SS. On many occasions people from the same country have found themselves on opposite sides, fighting one another. In many countries there were extremists, either pro-nazi, either pro-soviet and those joined accordingly.

From your answer, it seems that you are trying to justify an invasion by the acts that followed from the invaded part, to justify the cause through pointing at the results.

Concerning the Baltic States, many groups have joined nazis in the hope of liberating their countries fallen as a result of the soviet invadings. Look for example, if you don't like the Baltic states as example, look at Finland. They were considering and tried neutrality until they were invaded by the Soviets. This pushed them on the side of the Nazis.

Except groups of the ones you mentioned when given the example of Latvia, some groups who have joined either nazis or soviets out of ideological conviction, the entire countries have joined either a side or another based on their situation at that time, and except a few, most didn't quite have a real option to not join the specific side.

If not between the nazis and the soviets both invading and trying to conquer as much, perhaps the entire Europe could have rallied, and could have done so on the side of the Soviets if their intentions would have not been from the same breeding as that of the nazis. But then again, we don't know what could have happened if not for the Ribbentrop-Molotov pact - btw, who says that Hitler and Stalin together weren't responsible for starting this war, they should perhaps read the protocol -, we only know what happened, and even if at different levels, the outcome was that everybody started killing everybody.

News / RUSSIA TO MAKE PUBLIC THE KATYN FILES... [274]


No Jed, that's the point.
The same as the nowadays Germans are not guilty for the crimes of the Nazis, the same the nowadays Russians are not responsible for the crimes of the Soviets.

But the difference is that while the Germans have condamned the crimes of the nazis and have really done impressive steps towards reconciliation, recognising the gravity of those crimes, the Russians have taken a very different approach, not recognising the magnitude of the soviet crimes and the mistakes of that time somewhat posing in victims of some anti-russian conspiracy of the present, making themselves full heirs of the soviets.

You pointed out quite well, that many from the communist leadership where of other ethnicity than russians, and the fact that Stalin had so many people killed, should be reason enought to let go of this cult for that man. It is this reluctance to differentiate from the soviets and condemn their attrocities that makes you a target for those that point fingers. Nobody has anything against Russians, but it is you who entertaint this idea by not differentiating yourselves from the soviets.

Btw, the politically correctness and the positive discrimination, to my humble opinion, are the most distructive concepts of our days. They are like powder barells just waiting to explode. Not talking about things makes no one a favor.

Even if we talk within a forum, even if at times we all get to finger pointing, blaming whining and stuf alike, we at least discuss and try to see other points as well, and even this aspect to me is a step forward.

News / RUSSIA TO MAKE PUBLIC THE KATYN FILES... [274]


Than the same applies for the nazi war criminals. I keep hearing how '80-'90 year old "war criminals" are discovered somewhere living a life, having a family and than sent to trial and to prison.

News / RUSSIA TO MAKE PUBLIC THE KATYN FILES... [274]


You know very well that these trials keep having place, and verdicts of this sort are given. You are true about being punished by living a life in fear but it seems not enough, and the families of the victims have the possibility to demand for more.


we "at least"... Jed, you are not naive and you have understood what I have ment from the start. I wasn't reffering to specific people. Like in the case of the nazis, individual convictions and trials are one thing, and recognition of some crimes by the state is another. You played the victim card saying that Russia was left to take the guilt for the soviet crimes, but unlike the other nowadays countries and ethnicities that made part willingly or not of the Soviet Union who condemned the crimes of the soviets whom ever they were at that time, Russia still is reluctant to admit that crimes took place. You expect people to see you as liberators, but how could they when the "liberation" was done most of the time through rapes and killings.

You speak of a trial, you know very well that for the Soviets was not possible for more than 50 years. Giving the argument of the winner who has to be excerpted of any judgement of its actions, you play the argumentum ad baculum in a century where it is no place for it.

You say that you preffer evolution over revolution. Nobody is talking about revolution or another war yet you feel somewhat obliged to mention it, I wonder why. Evolution can not take place through jumping over stages, trying to deny, hid or simply ignore that crimes of this magnitude have taken place on all sides is a sign of involution.

In the end, you say that we should let bygons be bygons and move forward. True, we should forgive and move forward but not forget, otherwise we move in circles. And this is what my point is all about, Russia wants everybody to forget as well. If you have been recognised heir of the Soviet Union with all its rights, then be heir with all the responsibility that comes from that past as well.