Is the term 'Polak' derogatory??

BookOwl you are 100% correct.

We keep on hearing from our media how diversity is a good thing. Well aren't Polish Americans part of all the diverse ethnic groups in America? Shouldn't we be recognized for the good we have contributed to this great country and not ridiculed or dismissed just because there were some bigots in the media who were prejudiced against Polish people who were trying to condition the American public to have their anti-Polish prejudice with their Anti-Polish propaganda?

It was Hollywood's and the TV networks' shame to try to condition the American public from 1965 through the 70's with subhuman intelligence jokes about Polish people. It still continued after that..... but to a lesser degree.... only because Polish Americans finally had enough of being a "good sport" about being an ethnic punching bag and finally spoke out against all these anti-Polish slurs.

Although sadly subhuman intelligence jokes about Polish people still do exist, at least they are not in the mainstream media like they used to be. Maybe once in a while you might hear them and you basically won't hear them in polite society. This is why the anti-Polish Bigot former Senator Arlen Spector apologized when he made some anti-Polish jokes in New York City a couple years ago. Even Non-Polish people were offended at his so called jokes about Polish people. Some people say Arlen Specter lossed more then a normal amount to his unknown challenger earlier this year because of his racist so called Polish "jokes". There is a large Polish American population in his state of Pennsylvania who didn't forget his dumb inferior intelligence "jokes" against Polish people.

But it is good he apologized for his hate-through-humor jokes against Polish people. I give him credit for that.

nbcphiladelphia.com/news/archive/Specter-Apologizes-for-Polish-Comments.html

YES! YES! AMEN! PREACH IT, BROTHER!! ;-)


Good for them!! It was about time that somebody stood up to those snooty Hollywood bigots!


It is good that you can see the positive in the situation.

POLAKO MEANS SLOWLY IN CROATIAN.

Don't really know why people tend to think that "Polak/Polakiem/Polaków" is insulting... I mean polish people in Poland uses the words on daily basis...

Because they're Polish-Americans who have no idea of what is used in Poland on a daily basis, except what they read in the newspapers that support the "1920's Babusia" point of view that they love so much.

BS, that is total BS, you one crazy hobbit

Regardless, Polack/Polack is used as a term of abuse by English speakers. I'm not sure if the spelling is significant but it doesn't really matter because it is the sound of the word that is important and the intention that matters - and the intention of polack/polak, among English speakers, is to offend.

polack = contempt = ty pierdolony polaczku=you fuckin polack - i think it came from 2WW when in our territories was living many folksdeutches/poles with german roots/ or german with polish roots/ who betrayed the Poland because they speak polish very well

Polak = I'm proud to be a Polak/ Pole
- About LACHS -
there Was three brothers in Legend
Lech, Czech and RUS
Rus created the Ruś [Russia today]
Czech created the Czech ;)
Lech created Polonia? No. Lech was a leader of tribe of Polans[Greater Poland is a capital of Polans- there was also 4 other strong tribes,]. Strongest tribe[Polans was united by the christian king] on that territories. Probably Lithuanians, Ukrainians and Russians called us Lachs because the territories on the west was called Lechistan, Lachstan[not sure for that].Also Lachs is in contempt context. Lithuanians doesn't liked us, and even today they won't. You must remember the time when Poland invaded Lithuania and Ukraine in 1918-19, so they have no reason to like us.

Hello I am from Australia, living in Poland for the last 2 years teaching English. My son just a few minutes ago asked me why are Polish people called polacks. So I explained that Polish people were called that in the 70s and 80s, but I looked up the internet and it looks like they are still callled polacks. I personally don't have a problem with it(I am of Polish decent). Reading all the comments I didn't know alot of Polish people have a problem with it

They don't - it's only Polish Americans that have problems with it.

Real Polish people couldn't care less - it's the name for a male Pole, nothing else.

It all depends on how it is thrown. With the intention of describing a Polish male in a neutral way, no problem.

You are wrong Delphiandomine. Other Americans have a problem with it too because the word "Polack" in America is an ethnic slur and polite genteel people wince when they hear it from the mouths of the low-brow morons that still use it. There are even shameful people that still use it on this forum when referring to Polish-Americans, people such as yourself.

every couple of months this thread is resurrected.
For future posters - before you ask this question again, do us all a favour and read through all the comments already expressed and GIVE US A BREAK!

Not in the US though I met "Polish" Americans who after they learned that I am from Poland were saying "Oh,cool I am a Polak too".


Of course.Americans know it's wrong and even though some of them were teasing me with "Polack" with no intention to seriously offend me,they were apologizing after they learned I don't find it funny.

It should be fucking simple,if you speak Polish with me and use word "Polak",I have no problem with that but if we speak English and you use "Polak" then yes,I do have a problem with it and you can be sure I will let you know about it.

I agree. I think it's ok for Poles to use it but natives should tread with caution. If I ever refer to a Polish male, I just say 'on jest Polakiem' and that neatly sidesteps any ensuing complications of saying 'Polak'.

Personally, I wince when I hear some American say "OMG IM POLISH BUT I CAN'T SPEAK POLISH EXCEPT THE WORD BUSHA".


I couldn't care less.

Anyway, for me, Polack is to be used when describing someone of Plastic Polish origin, probably of uncertain Eastern peasant roots - they can't speak Polish, but they claim some sort of affinity to the place - often only discovered post-2004 in a pathetic attempt to score an EU passport. They've never really been to Poland, or if they have, they claim to understand everything about the place based on a 2 week visit to some senile Aunt.

By definition, a Polack cannot be Polish. Anyone using the term "Polack" towards a Polish speaker from Poland really needs to throw themselves in a river.

Delf, isn’t this a perfect description of yourself? I mean a Jew who couldn’t care less, now there’s a surprise.

:)

I have no problem with Scottish people generally. But I do have a problem with a certain Scot who thinks he's Polish just because he moved there and holds a Polish driving licence, and thinks that this somehow entitles him to decide who is Polish and who isn't.

Needless to say, we all know that he would never dare go up to a British-born Nigerian in London and say "you ain't a real nigga cos u weren't born in Africa blud". :)

I love the way that everyone is Jewish if you don't agree with them. It's cute, but it's also a sign of spending far too much time in the cupboard with a tin-foil hat on.


I don't think I'm Polish, but I'm a hell of a lot more Polish than some moron who can't speak a word of the language except the word "busha" - which isn't in the language anyway. Heck, most of them don't even understand the history, let alone their own history.


They're not though, they're British ;)

(I dunno - I know a couple of guys who had Nigerian parents, neither of them see themselves as anything but British - where their parents came from is pretty much an irrelevance in their eyes.)

Actually it’s starting to get annoying as hell, on one hand you try to downplay the Anti-Polish Jewish propaganda cause it suits your agenda, let’s face it mostly it’s the Jews who do that, on the other hand calling everyone an Anti-Semite for pointing out what’s an undeniable Jewish hatred, sweeping it aside as tin-foil hat crap don’t work on most Poles either once they got the taste of what the real intention hiding behind that word is, those actually who did traveled to US are not blind.

You could stop right here dude.
Since you are not Polish, nobody here gives a foock about your opinion on the matter who is Polish and who is not.
I don't know a Polish person who would use the word "Polack" or would badmouth people of Polish origin who are proud of their Polishness - irrespective of how real it is. By doing so you will be perceived as attacking all Poles (real Poles if you insist).

That's okay, no-one cares less about you either. I mean, you're just a faceless internet troll.


I know plenty of Poles who ridicule those in America who know **** all about Poland and yet claim to do so. Most of them either find it funny or annoying - especially when those POLISH PATRIOTS decide to insult the head of state without knowing anything, except what they've read in their racist Polonia rag.


I think you need to sort your hat out - clearly the Jews are getting through.

The vast majority of Poles couldn't care less about the American media, nor could they care about what is said there. I don't know one person here that actually sits around and thinks 'omg, the evil Jews in America are criticising Poland!' - they're thinking more like "hmm, I need to pay the mortgage, I need a pay rise, I need a holiday" - you know, normal things. In fact, in Poland, it would seem that the only people thinking about Jews are the ones who have nothing else in their lives.

The biggest threat to Poland is Poles themselves, no-one else.

I could care less what you choose to call yourself, I know better. Personally I don’t give a damn if you wear a kilt or a skull cap. Get off that "anti-Semite" bandwagon, that’s your tin-foil hat you like to talk about and wear, like everyone out there is to get a Jew, a bit paranoid, don’t you think? Be a semi descent person and I’ll treat you accordingly and do stop speaking in my name, whatever you wear one thing’s for sure you’re not one of Us.

Oh baloney.

You barely know any Poles. How can you? You barely speak Polish LOL

All you ever do is push propaganda about Polish people "here"....."hate" Polish people "there" and then you take turns attacking Polish people in Poland and then people of Polish ancestry outside of Poland.

You play the Jewish card against Polish people, not because you care about the Jews, but because you just want more hatred against Polish people. I found it very interesting how you were quick to talk about "Jewish control" of certain Polish media when that media went against your sentiments on the Smolensk tragedy. That's because to you, Russia is the most sacred country. I wonder why? LOL


Some do some don't like in any country.

But for a guy who lives in Poland like yourself (at least that's what you claim), you seem to be very interested in what the American media says. Otherwise you wouldn't have gotten so mad at me on the off topic "Russians stereotyped as being stupid" when I mentioned this story I read about your Russians about Russians being clueless and low class.

nypost.com/p/news/local/brooklyn/czarinas_of_klyn_uX2taaC5xkAzYYbc1sH7cO

By the way I have an update to the "Russians stereotyped as being stupid" topic. Its another latest jewel from the American media about your Russians.

I recall a sign posted years ago, in a Polish church hall. The sign read, "Ten dollars fine for an ethic joke, One Hundred dollars fine for a Polack joke." The sign is now long-gone. I don't know if they were joking or really serious about the fines.

I believe "Polak" is the Polish word for a Polish person. My father, born in Poland, called himself an old Polak. In Hamlet, Shakespeare uses the word (spelled Polack - probably Anglicized) several times including a reference to the King of Poland as "the Polack." I don't believe it is essentially offensive, but it all depends on how it's used. Jews call themselves that, but I've heard the work used as if it were a synonym for excrement. Used that way it's offensive.

It isn't but some people are sensitive

No, it isn't.

Of course it is. Textbook ethnic slur.

Here in Poland it isn't. Nor is there any alternative in the language.