The Art of Complaining by Polish people

Yes. I've read it. It's worth reading for entertainment (which of course is why it's written) but yes, far from profound. Fair enough really, since it isn't meant to be deep scholarship.

Hi, I never said it was profound reading. This isn't a profound reading thread and I'm too far from elitist to discount two Polish girls opinions of their own people regardless of if they lived in the USA or not. I thought it might be a fun book to glance over and it is thus far.

Take it with a pinch of salt.

Poles often complain about Polish complaining. It's a steteotype about Polish people that we are aware of. We're not a constantly happy bunch. There's even a saying: co się śmiejesz jak głupi do sera.

#30 * else not elementy - autocorrect.

One Pole said to me, "We Poles aren't complainers, we're merely suspicious of optimists!"

Yes and in my family the first words are usually Psy krwi

that should be psiakrew, what you wrote is "dogs of blood" whatever that is....

It's called "he read an article on strange Polish sayings and translated it using Google Translate".

Mustve been before my time mever heard those before. I've heard 'dzesz sie jak stare pszescieradlo'

You're yelling like the way old sheets tear.

And one of my faves - ciemno jak w dupie u murzynek

It's as dark as the inside of a black mans ass

Complaining is a passive act in itself. It is not a proactive position or solution building, it's reactive. It's also congruent to the traits of victimhood. Poles may be aware of this underlying trait but in some small way are they actually proud of it as a type of badge of distinction? "Bother us, and we'll complain you deaf!"

Further reading recommendations mentioned by the book in question are: "The Polish Complex" and the "Modern Polish Mind"

Actually delphmarino you are wrong but we all know how YOUR mind works overtime.
However I just did do that and the translate came out......Syn suki.
I remember it sounding like sha kreft though.
When I was about three years old that popped out of my mouth and my Father started laughing so hard.
My Mother knew exactly where I had heard it.

Idk about solution building. I've complained relentlessly about prices, contract terms, etc to the point where the opposite gave up and I got what I wanted in negotiations before. So in that way I guess I am one of the professional polish complainers. I remember one recent trip to the car dealer where the manager literally had me sit in his chair and show me all of the costs he spent on a car someone traded in that I wanted. I ended up getting the car for less than they paid for it because I was able to convince him the car was unpopular, hard to sell, itd sit in the lot for more months further depreciating, etc etc. I even managed to get a full tank of gas too because all the other cars I test drove that day had a full tank.

"Psia krew!" or "Psa krew bydlo!" is rather a now somewhat old-fashioned curse, isn't it?

@johnny reb
It is psiakrew indeed. It's pronounced more or less as you put it. There's also psiakość and psiamać. And that's it. All of these are pretty euphemistic.

Your dad must have had a good laugh :)

cholera jasna is an old one but good one, no one apart from me seems to use it in Poland anymore

I guess cholera is much more common than psiakrew.

Yeah cholera jasna is very popular even today

its funny translating these 'bright cholera' hmmm.....

I still don`t like complaining too much. I consider it a bit unmanly. Besides, there is not much I can complain about - the main and practically only object of my complaints is PiS government and its stupid deforms. As for everything else, I am fully relaxed. :):)