Life /
Poland's expats' colonial mentality? [176]
ifor bach
And presumably your Polish is good enough for you to understand well what the non-English speakers tell you?
I think you're yet another one that makes the mistake of taking Polish people at face value. Trying to make out that they're all "incredibly poor" is quite, quite wildly off the mark.
I don't listen to what people say, but rather observe what people do. A lot of Polish people emigrate abroad for mundane and commonsensical reasons. (It's very difficult to have enough money to raise a family here). Of course, not all people are 'incredibly poor'. In fact, most of the people I know personally are well off. But I don't take these people to be the 'norm'.
No-one is saying that they're wealthy, but they certainly aren't poor by world standards.
No, Polish people aren't poor by world standards. They are by Western European standards. Very poor. This is not putting people down but stating a simple and obvious truth. The minimum wage in the UK is about five times that in Poland. Deductions for social insurance are far higher in Poland then the UK. There is no child allowance in Poland.
Poland, by Western European standards, is not an easy place for 'ordinary' people to live.
If you don't know that, then I'm afraid you don't know Poland.
Of course, I know what 'kombinować' means. Do you?
Tell you what though, do a test. Do an exercise with their students, and ask them about a variety of scenarios in which someone is doing something bad that doesn't affect them directly.
I suspect that my knowledge of such issues is deeper than yours. It does not come from reading students essays, but rather from real-life experience. All countries have a 'black economy' to a greater or lesser extent, including the UK.
I know about illegal and semi-legal ways of employing people here. I also know people who have lost their businesses for doing so, and I personally know of people reported to the authorities for doing this.
Rules and regulations are tougher in Poland than in the UK, and are enforced in a far more arbitrary manner.
See, you're yet again displaying complete arrogance towards Polish people. They aren't incredibly poor compared to Western European standards, because for a start, many working class people actually own the properties they live in. Get your head out of your arse and stop being so bloody condescending towards them.
I'm just stating facts. You are being arrogant for writing about a country you appear to know practically nothing about. Your comment about working-class people owning the properties they live in is absurd. Where I live (Szczecin) 90% of the housing is owned by the city. The owner-occupier rate for the UK is around 70%.
Now, please remove take your own advice about removing your head from your posterior.
