Life / Polish people and racism. [943]


Poles made about 50% of the Polish-Lithuanians Commonwealth population. Can we call PLC a homogenous country?

How would you define modern multicultural country, Seanus?

Life / Polish culture do's and dont's? [106]

Actually it's not about criticism but about how you are going to voice it. Lets take those two comments for example:

"I must say, the state of the roads here in Poland are far from being good."

"Dear God, the roads here are as much filthy and crooked as you polish bastards!"

Basically those two statements carry the same message but since they are conveyed in a tottaly different manner they will cause a totally different response.

History / Polish hatred towards Jews... [1290]


I also had some kids that didn’t have the first communion. None of them were Jewish though. Bad luck? Not necessarily. In my primary school there were bullies that would pick on you because you were fat, skinny, poor, wealthy, teachers pupil or the worst learning kid in the class. Being Jewish might had been a good cause to pick on you as well. Children can be cruel you know.

UK, Ireland / I have concerns over the British immigration policy so I wrote to my MP. [126]


Since that’s the case maybe admin should think about opening a sub forum for Brits disappointed with their countries immigration policy. Seems to be quite a popular topic on polishforums.

Food / Kopytka, pyzy, kluski [60]


Yep. I see Seanus that godosz jak prowdziwy Hanys. :)

Life / Polish people and racism. [943]


I get the message, but I do have a tingling feeling that I must have had said something wrong as we clearly talk about two different Polskas.

I never tried to imply that today's Poland is a multicultural country. My posts were just a response to isthatus claim that Poland never had a multicultural society when in fact not only it had but it made a huge impact on our national identity today, whether some poles are aware of it or not.

So maybe there were no Pakistanis, Indians and Chinese but there were Armenians, Vlachs, Karaites, Tartars, Turks or Jews who were just as exotic and different for Poles from those days as those three nationalities were/are for your people now/few decades ago.

As I mentioned before Poles made only about 50% of the whole population of The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth with the rest being all those earlier mentioned nationalities in this and my previous post, which made quite a colorful mosaic. Basically in the ol Republic you could see a catholic church, protestant church, Jewish Synagogue, Karaites Kenese, and Muslim mosque standing in one city without any bigger problems. If you would go to the market you would most likely hear Polish, Ruthenian, German, Greek, Turkish, Persian, Yiddish and what not. Of course just as it is in today's UK, sometimes the communications between the communities were better and sometimes there weren't any, but the truth is that all those cultures influenced each other. Everything started to change after the partitions of the first Rzeczpospolita and now you will see a strange look on some Poles face when he hears that some Belorussians claim Koścuszko and the 3 may constitution to be a part of their history, or when he hears that Lithuanians consider Adam Mickiewicz, polish national poet, to be Lithuanian. Oh well..

Life / Polish people and racism. [943]

It is something slightly different though. For Adam Mickiewicz it wasn't contradictory to call himself a Pole and write "Lithuania, my fatherland..." For him it was obvious that he can be both and that was the beauty about The Republic of Both Nations.


Certainly, it depends on the scale as well as on the influence those communities have on the mainstream culture. I agree.

It is a very fascinating topic, and a very underestimated and forgotten period in the history of Poland and Central/Eastern Europe at the same time. Somehow people prefer to read about the failed uprisings than about Jagielonian or RoBN times. It really is a pity.

Unfortunately I will have to disappear for some time as I have a lot of work to do and can't be distracted but I will give you a link that will make a quite interesting introduction for the topic we have discussed here. Or at least I hope it will be interesting for you. :))

commonwealth.pl

Enjoy.

PS: I still don't get it why they mentioned French people and forgot about Dutch communities in Poland. Oh well, you can't have it all right? :)

Pozdrawiam

Maciej

Life / Polish people and racism. [943]


Thats a long story.


Well since it's not about immigration into the UK I doubt that it'll be a smashing success here on PF. :P

But yeah, it is a very interesting site. It could have been more detailed, but you can not have it all...

Life / Polish people and racism. [943]


Isn't it very similar with Turks in Germany these days?

Life / Polish people and racism. [943]

Well than it looks like I shoot myself in my own foot with this comparison, hehehe... :)

As for the Polish-Jewish history it's description and evaluation will always depend on askers intention, thus it doesn't come as a surprise that Poles on this forum will point out the positive facts while you will highlight the negative ones, which certainly did exist. Yes, there were pogroms in Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth. Still, it would be hard to find another country which would in such great extent give those people rights and freedoms as Old Rzeczpospolita did. The reason why Jews remained in many cases attached to Yidish is because they were allowed to keep their cultural autonomy. The same reason stands behind the sheer numbers of them living in rzeczpospolita. Certainly if it would be that harsh for them they would migrate elsewhere, for example to Germany, where it seems they were so loved that they decided to totally assimilate. :)

As for the question whether Poles loved Jews, well some did as there were many Polish-Jew marriages and some hated them to their guts. All in all I would consider our joint history definitely positive rather than negative.

Food / Kopytka, pyzy, kluski [60]


Hehe.. We also say istny here in Wielkopolska. Well, maybe it's not exactly being said by the young generation, but still...

My grandmother would say that jezdeś rychtyg Hanys. :)

Food / Kopytka, pyzy, kluski [60]

Yeah, we've been part of Prusia/Germany for over a century so there certainly was a German influence here. We still love kartofel salad and golonka's. mmmm :)

Food / Kopytka, pyzy, kluski [60]

We say "pyry" here, thus Greater poland is often being called "Pyrlandia" and it's inhabitants simply "pyry". And kartofelsalad is called "saładka z ziemniaków".

Food / Kopytka, pyzy, kluski [60]

No, pyra is just a potatoe. Mashed potatoes came here from france, thus they are called here "puree" or "duszone ziemniaki". (in Greater Poland "duszone pyry" :) )

Genealogy / Do Polish people have big noses? [451]


As ridicules it may sound for you Bubba, you can consider yourself Polish and not exactly be the owner of "polish genes" at the same time. For example, after the end of WWII Polish eastern frontier has been shifted more to the west and few millions people made their exodus from their home land which suddenly became part of Ukraine, Lithuania or Belarus to the new established Poland. Many of them were polonaized Lithuanians, Tartars, Belarusian’s or Ukrainians. They were called "zza Buga" (Poles from beyond the Bug river). So, you don't have to have Polish genes to be polish. You can have Armenian genes for example, as myself, and still consider yourself Polish.

Genealogy / Do Polish people have big noses? [451]


I know what you think about 2+ generation Americans who consider themselves Poles. Still I'm talking about all those Wrocław or Szczecin inhabitants who speak fluently polish but don't have to necessarily have polish blood in their veins.

As for the Polish honk, who am I to argue. I will live it to people who are more concerned with this fact. Still, I have many friend with names as Poznański, Weiss, Bluma, etc, so the Jewish gene could be responsible for this bane. Another reason fro my Polish anti-semitism. ;)

Genealogy / Do Polish people have big noses? [451]


I like the term distinct. :)


Dear God, my girlfriend likes to make fun of my enormous nose. If Poles are known for their big noses, and I'm being accused to have a huge key hole amongst Poles, how my nose must had been perceived by the anglo-saxons? The horror! ;)

Life / Any good Polish films to watch? [110]


Seksmisja isn't a hilarious comedy, but it is definitely fun to watch.
If I were to recommend someone a quality polish humor, than I would have to go with Koterskis "Dzień Świra". It's not a typical comedy, but certainly a great one. For a more lighter note I would recommend Kabaret Potem or Moralnego Niepokoju. Just keep awal from Koń Polski, Rak, Elita, Jurki, Pod Wyrwigroszem or that Ani mru mru nonsense.... :/

History / "Poland's Concentration Camp" ?? [570]

You lot still talkin about them Jews? ;)

History / "Poland's Concentration Camp" ?? [570]


Harry, did you have the pleasure to meet Puzzler? I imagine you two would get along together very well. :)

History / "Poland's Concentration Camp" ?? [570]

I think Harry is right. It's high time we stopped being in denial and took responsibilities for the horrific actions of our forefathers. I think it should be initiated by our PM Tusk calling families of the victims of Polish concentration camps up with a sincere apology.

All 20 of them.

;)

Life / Drinking games in Poland [44]

No to po szklanie i na rusztowanie! <- construction workers toast. :)


This one reminds me of a toast my friends uncle made once at a wedding.

Zdrowie pięknych Pań! Miejmy nadzieję, że do nas jeszcze dotrą! ;)

Here's one for the beautiful ladies! Lets hope they will still manage to show up! Hahaha :)

Food / What's your favorite Polish beer? [870]


It is just a matter fo time Z. You will love it, I tell ya! :)

-edit-

Oh, and I see that I didn't answer your post in January.


Yes, you can drink in there, unfortunately they don't sell Fortuna. I was thinking about my local tavern in my home town. Proletaryat is still fun though.

Life / Why there is always around a horrible smell of sweat in Poland [188]


What is this?

History / History of Poland in 10 minutes. Really worth seeing! [134]

Sasha, I'm genuinely interested in Russian version of the event.

History / History of Poland in 10 minutes. Really worth seeing! [134]


Battle of Warsaw, 13-25 August 1920 caried out bewteen Poland and Bolshevist Russia, included by a british historian, lord Edgar Vincent D'Abernon to 18 most significant battles in the world history. Here is your source:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Warsaw_(1920)

How does that foot taste in your mouth? ;)

Life / Disco Polo - No No No No No! [95]

"Mydełko Fa" was thought as a parody of Disco Polo, or at least Disco Polo's direct predecessor, but in the end it became it's classic tune.

Szabada szabada.... :)

Language / Poland in different languages? [74]

The song is "Kibel" and the band's name is The Bill. The song is about making plans while using the toilet. Is it bad? It depends what you had in mind.

Life / 3 reasons why you hate Poland. [1049]

"Sorry you were out'? Ohh, that's so sweet. In Poland the notice only informes you that you have to pick up the letter at the post office.

As for Poczta Polska, well it inherited a very inefficient structure from it's communist predecessor and I doubt that they will make it once the monopoly will end in few years time.

Life / 3 reasons why you hate Poland. [1049]


I understand your frustration. Nevertheless, I stand by what I wrote. :)

As for my list:

1. January, February, March - I love Polish weather. I like it that we actually have four seasons, but those three months are too much for me. I really wouldn't mind if spring started, lets say, in February.

2. Complaining, although to be fair, it is slowly changing.

3. Talking but not acting. That is what really drives me mad. Alas, I have to say that I'm also guilty of that trait.