History / Life in communism vs democracy in Poland [234]


I tried thinking about it and couldn't come up with any other animal in the animal kingdom that kills or harms other (whether same or different species) just to get his pathological rocks off, or out of hateful intolerance. Lions don't kill antelopes because they look funny or belong to a different religion, they kill them to eat in order to survive. Give me an example of an animal that waterboards other animals, for example...

As far as the press.media goes, here is the difference between Communism and Democracy:
Communism: Lies, omissions and disinformation plus a healthy dose of trivial garbage regarding manganese production.
Democracy: Lies, omissions and disinformation plus a healthy does of trivial garbage regarding celebrities and cool gadgets you can buy.

History / Life in communism vs democracy in Poland [234]


naw, it's the people. people can only get along for so long, then they turn on each other and all goes to rot. the theory isnt flawed, its people - the only animal on earth that kills/mistreats for pleasure, etc..

History / Life in communism vs democracy in Poland [234]


true, but unfortunately in reality the execution didn't meet expectations:
low crime: nothing valuable enough to steal
no unemployment: many people had unfulfilling jobs provided by the state, and often the state chose your career path for you
free education: ok, that was nice, I agree
free medicare: in hospitals that were under equipped and staffed by questionable doctors (sometimes). although I generally agree that ****** health care is better than no health care..

same standards for all: in theory only, like I said the CP members were the elite and they generally had the law on their side (or a judge here and there who would look the other way because they were "connected").

With all this said, it is not unusual to find Poles who think back fondly upon those times, although this could be simply a matter of reminiscing about the days of their youth, who knows!

History / Life in communism vs democracy in Poland [234]


if you signed up for Communist Party membership and were accepted, then yes there were pros, or rather benefits. Why do you think it lasted as long as it did? The people in charge did everything possible to stay in charge, including handing out privileges to the select members of society who could be trusted.

The people who bemoan the demise of communism in Poland are the ones who received comparatively decent wages in the day, and now they earn shite if they even have a job (miners, teachers, etc).

Most people nowadays would argue that the cons (dumpy economy, empty shelves) outweighed the pros (modicum of security in many spheres of life) during the PRL period.

But the whole lack of democracy thing is an overblown argument - now we supposedly have democracy but its limited, and we still have our "masters" everywhere, the only difference is that society has been placated with nice toys and consumer goods so that we willingly shut up and forget about our problems..

Language / Polish Swear Words [1242]

you are right, the rafik , the distinction is that wypierdalaj means something more like "get the F&%K out of here" like as in get out of my room. Spierdalaj is a simple F&%K OFF.

History / POLAND: EASTERN or CENTRAL European country? [1080]


that's easy to answer - the West is seen as more successful and prestigious, and some Poles have long had an inferiority complex associated with that simple fact of life. The East is popularly seen as the land of the barbarians (read: Russians and Mongols).

Saying you live in Central Europe is a small cheap boost to pride, as it makes it sound like you are closer to the west. Saying you live in E Europe makes it sound like you live amongst the Ruskies. Not all Poles feel this way but this mindset isnt that rare.

Life / Polish and Czechs [190]


Just a guess but stupid nationalism, mostly. I'ver heard many a fellow Pole say that they (Czechs) are wanna-be Germans, too Germanic to be proper Slavs. I've also heard one or two people mention that they didn't try hard enough to fight Communism until the last minute, when the rest of Eastern Euroipe was doing so, which is simply stupid.

Czechs might resent Poland sending troops to squash the uprisings in 1968 (rendereing the above argument pointless), and they probably resent the domineering numbers of their neighbors up north, we have way more people and are more demanding politically . I'm sure they resent Poland's self-proclaimed role as champion of all things Eastern European, which doesn';t surprise me, especially considering the former paternalistic, backwards-looking government (Czechs probably see thermselves as more European than Poles, who are often seen to be overly-religious and who aren't cool enough to be in the EU...

Language / Polish words difficult to translate into English [66]


no, but you don't find these buildings in the city...when people say "w której kamienicy mieszkasz?" what they really mean is "which building do you live in?" Otherwise fine, have it your way and translate it as "Which urban buiding made of stone do you live in?"

Language / Polish words difficult to translate into English [66]


this probably translates as "a dozen or so..."


"building" is sufficient, or stone building

wychowanie is "upbringing" or rearing as in rearing of children

zabytkowy is "historic"

Genealogy / Polish surname Gil. My ancestors were from the town of Widelka. [74]


it also means booger

USA, Canada / Do many Polish people in America hate Americans? [592]


Most Poles in Poland look down on the Poles who sit in places like Chicago (or London, or Toronto, or wherever) and do nothing but complain about where they ended up. But chances are, if they complain in Chicago they definitely complained back in Poland. Otherwise, they would have never packed up what little they owned and hauled ass to Chicago. think about it.

News / Poland's Vietnamese: A tough transition but they're surviving [31]


just like their Polish hosts....

Food / The name of a Polish pastry? Chrust? [59]

they are called Faworki if it is only dough with a covering of powdered sugar. If they are stuffed with something they are called something else: paszteciki contain pate or perhaps mushrooms, szpinakowce contain spinnach, etc..

USA, Canada / Do many Polish people in America hate Americans? [592]


In general most Poles like Americans, and it seems that the older they are the more they like the US. Teenagers and college age students often roll their eyes with either real or mock displeasure whenever the US is mentioned, maybe because in Europe its trendy to do so. But I can't think of anyone who actually wishes the US any ill....if it helps answering your question any, yes most here are convinced that Bush is crazy and Americans are fat...


that's probably because usually there is something to complain about

Travel / What do you know about Torun, Poland? [30]

lots of students, quite a few decent pubs...

History / POLAND: EASTERN or CENTRAL European country? [1080]


Here is some of your own medicine: Britain sat around during WWII with their thumbs up their arses. Other than flying around in their planes and thus doing little more than creating a nuisance and of course puttering about in North Africa in old tanks, while Russia and the United STates did most of the work.

Food / Mother of all hangovers....Polish Beer! [71]


so doesn't television. so don't their in-laws. so don't a lot of things.


maybe Bob was cookoo to begin with. or more to the point, the cookooness was deep inside of him, and the weed just hastened its release...

Food / Mother of all hangovers....Polish Beer! [71]


there's nothing wrong with it if you accept the risks - it's definitely not harmless and can be addictive. weed isn't harmless either, but unlike alcohol, at least it hasn't ever poisoned anyone to death...and no, it does not cause hangovers but don't be a dummy and go mixing it with alcohol unless you want a bad case of the spins...

Food / Mother of all hangovers....Polish Beer! [71]


all alcohol can cause a hangover if you drink enough. cigarettes intensify hangovers. if you have a problem with hangovers, switch to weed, which does not cause hangovers.

USA, Canada / What do Polish people think of the USA [287]


you are making a common mistake: you are assuming that he picked his advisors, and unfortunately chose wisely. It is more likely that they chose him, because they knew he would be a loyal reliable puppy...


consider the pattern: Kennedy was chosen and once he really started stirring things up, the men behind the curtain blew his head off. Allende was elected as president of Chile, and once he started stirring things up, they blew his head off. There are many more examples...

Law / Polish EU Drivers Licence - can I get one the easy way (by paying for it)? [185]

as mentioned before, to get a Polish license you need to have a permanent address in poland and pass the written test, unless you get lucky and find a contact to buy one on the black market, which is increasingly harder..

History / POLAND: EASTERN or CENTRAL European country? [1080]


Greek alphabet was the basis for Cyrilic, compare the two and you will see that they are very similiar.

Why get all riled up by trollers and pedants who argue about something that doesnt really matter or have any effect on your life or the life of the good Polishvolk

History / POLAND: EASTERN or CENTRAL European country? [1080]

yawn..

Love / Are there Polish women who date black guys? [281]


I don't care if you go forwards, backwards or sideways. You should have specified that you want the opinion of a Pole living in Canada, which I know nothing about. I gave you the opinion of a university-educated Polish male living in a big city. Go to the countryside and you will hear different opinions, trust me...my view is shaped (like most people) by media coverage which this one well known case received, although I also know of quite a few Polish girls who are happily dating or married to an African. I am guessing you are trolling for the answers you want to hear such as poster #4

Love / Are there Polish women who date black guys? [281]

you will be a hit with the girls who just want to try "something new" or with a taste for the exotic, although unfortunately because of a widely publicised case where an African dude infected a bunch of Polish girls with HIV, you may encounter hesitation...

Off-Topic / Do politicians need to speak a foreign language? [15]


it suggests that they are educated and worldly, as opposed to undereducated and closed-minded...the more languages you speak the more aware of the world around you you seem-good thing for a leader to be. nothing like a closed-minded bumpkin who is afraid of his neighbors and cant even say hello in their language.

USA, Canada / What do Polish people think of the USA [287]


not much of a choice I'm afraid, face it America's healthcare system is morally bankrupt and it only serves the insurance companies - you can thank Nixon for bringing it all about..

Life / Racism in Poland - the future [441]


other than occasional stupid ignorant comments you dont see this often, especially in big cities. in the warsaw school where I work we have a few non-poles but they never experience any problems..

USA, Canada / What do Polish people think of the USA [287]


it's not that easy because:
1. you are unprotected when between jobs-sometimes you have a waiting period when you start a new job and you are uncovered
2. low-paid, temporary, part-time, and seasonal workers rarely get health care coverage
3. You can have health insurance but when you develop a serious disease (ie cancer) the insurance company sometimes cancels your policy because the treatment is too expensive (these cases are often challenged in court but the insurers sometimes win their cases anyway)

I for one do want the government to dictate my healthcare...when the private insurers start treating me like an unprofitable piece of meat, I want the government to kindly tell them to F*CK OFF (in the STates often the reverse is true).