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Whats up with Polish guys getting drunk and looking for a fight? [61]
I would like to share an interesting comment I read on youtube by your very own Polish guy. And I did not make this thread to create hatred among one another. As I said before, I have friends from many countries and religions and I respect the rules of any country I go to and will do the same in Poland. Do read this if you have a few minutes to spare
"Update: we spent three months in Poland, after I posted this message. We stayed in Krakow (Old City, downtown area). A lot of tourists, visitors. It wasn't that bad. But... I got dirty looks sometimes because I'm white, and was holding a Japanese girl's hand. It amazes me: a country that suffered so much because of nationalism (German nationalism) has forgotten all about it, and now, so many people hold similar views to those which the German's held against Poles. All these racist idiots in Poland... don't they remember, what racism did to Poland not so long ago? Don't get me wrong: most people in Krakow were ok. However, we did have two occasions where we were confronted on the street by a racists, who want to fight me, because I was with an Asian girl (they called me "zdrajca" (traitor)). Obviously, these are small-brained poor, uneducated losers, who have never traveled outside their country (or even their city). They don't understand how our world works today. These guys were wearing jackets with Japanese writing on them, and yet, were angry at me, because I was with an Asian (Japanese) girl. They're idiots. Their cell phones were made in China, their clothes had Japanese writing on them, they use Facebook- a site owned/created by a Jewish-American, they eat food produced in other parts of Europe, and drive cars made in other countries. Nothing says to people "I am an idiot" more, than when you are a nationalist. Today's world is completely interconnected. Every person and country, depends on other countries and people. We share natural resources with almost every nation. Benefits we get in medicine, come from doctors/scientists/inventions from nearly every nation (yes, that includes black doctors, Muslim doctors, or Asian doctors). Technology, finance, every sector is the same. For one person to say "we are better because we are Polish" just tells you, they do not understand how our world works. If they are "true" patriots, then they should only use Polish inventions: don't drive a car, ride a horse. Don't use a cell-phone, write letters instead. Don't watch tv, read billboards instead. Don't use electricity, don't use medicine... don't use anything that non-Poles have given to the rest of the world.
To anyone going to Poland: if you're not white, you'll be ok- if you stay in a big group, or, if you only go to the big/touristy areas, and spend a week there. The reality is, of all the countries in Europe (I've spent a lot of time in many of them), Poland, sadly is, by far one of the most xenophobic parts of Europe. There is a lot of anger and hostility in Poland. And, like many countries that are struggling economically and striving for their place on the global scale, people always need "someone" to blame for their problems. So, the most common and natural path for many is to point the finger at minorities. In the U.S., they blame their problems on Mexicans. In Japan, they blame their problems on Korean or Chinese immigrants. In Poland, they blame their troubles on Ukrainian or Gypsy settlers (and adding hostility towards anyone who isn't white is just a natural side-effect).
Anyway, in closing... it's a beautiful country with some amazing history. But sadly, many people in that nation have forgotten what their history has taught them. One of the most obvious signs that racism, and hostility in Poland is tolerated and "normal" is the fact that nearly every building on Krakow (and other cities we've been to) are desecrated by hateful graffitti. Nearly every building- even in the beautiful historic tourist centers, will have swastikas painted on them, or "Jebac ____" (means "F**k ____"). A lot of racist slurs towards minorities, or even hatred towards people from other Polish cities, or fans of other soccer teams. This is seen everywhere. You can't sit in a cafe in Krakow, without seeing hateful slogans on buildings all around you.
And to me, the fact that this is "accepted" by people in Poland, is the biggest problem. Racism is everywhere, in every country. It's like cancer. We'd like to cure it, but... at least for now, it's a sad reality we must accept. But the problem in Poland is that... no one seems to want to cure it. If people in Poland saw racism as a problem, they would push their government to create heavy fines, or even prison time, for people who damage buildings with hate-speech. Cameras installed, and used to catch people who do this. Fine them heavily or imprison them. Show it on the news. In time, once the example is set, and public outcry would show intolerance towards this, people would stop doing it. It wouldn't be worth it for them. But... it seems, it doesn't bother most in Poland, they're used to it.
So, when you do visit Poland and see all the graffitti all over buildings, be certain, it doesn't say "Welcome to Poland". Ask an honest person, what it means, and maybe even ask them... why do people accept this, and do nothing to change the face of this country. You wouldn't sit at a cafe in Canada, or Japan, or the U.S., with racist graffitti all over the buildings around it. It's unheard of. In the U.S., maybe in the ghettos. But in any decent city, in a clean area- it would never happen. But in Poland, even in it's best areas (Krakow Old City), you see this **** everywhere. It's sad how little respect the people of Poland have for the rest of the world, or even... for their own cities. It's disappointing, and tragic. And this is why millions of Poles have left Poland and continue to flee the country, no matter how "proud" a few remain. Sure, some return, but let's be honest... for every one Polish family who returns to the new Poland, 1000 more families don't return. The country has a lot to learn, and when it comes to racism, and tolerance for anyone who isn't "white", if you ask me, it's a pretty hopeless situation."
