Brief Intro: I am a fine black 24 year old guy and i visited Poland recently for 2 weeks.
Honestly speaking, I have many fine things to say about my experience, Obviously scared before I went there but I soon realised how friendly and very very very helpful some people were to me. I say this based on personal experience of course and might vary from persons to persons.
I only witnessed light racism which i think happens everywhere [Fact: Everyone can't like you, even if we are all purple, we just can't always accept others].
I was in Warsaw, Lodz, Krakow and Poznan during my visit, I had a fantastic time, fell in love with Polish pierogi and cheap beer, krakow was my favourite. The women were beautiful as well i need to say.
Anyway one thing I couldn't understand and still have mixed feelings about is why I was stared at every time and everywhere I went to. I've never ever been that conscious of my self before, it did make me feel uncomfortable though. People in groups especially girls always stare, speak in Polish and giggle and I just feel even more unease with the surrounding.
I'm just curious to find out what the idea of a black person is to Polish people.
P.s. I have a few decent Polish friends in England as well.
I am sure you didn't see that many black guys in Poland so you are exotic in this land. you are different here and different attracts eyebrows. Some people like exotic, some people don't.
My wife's grandma is a really sweet grandma (she is 90), and every time she sees a black person on TV, she is so impressed!!! not in a negative way, but she is not just use to see black people.
Remember a big part of Polish society grew under a regime, with limited freedom and contact to the outside world. You are new to them, many use this as an advantage!!
This has been discussed ad nauseam... Some people are moved by racism, some are moved by curiosity, some don't give a damn... who knows what goes in their minds. Your Polish friends will be able to enlighten you better than any of us here.
Well, Poland has VERY few people of color.... so naturally natives are curious when they do see a black person. As has been said before, some might be racist, but I suspect most are just curious and surprised.
Like you said, even if we were all purple, not everyone would accept each other. But imagine if you saw a purple person walking down the street. You'd be certainly be curious wouldn't you! Now, I know this sounds TERRIBLE to say... after all there are no naturally purple people, while a dark skin color is very normal and natural. But, to the majority of people in Poland who have probably NEVER seen a black person in the flesh (unless they visited England or the US or France or another country with a sizeable black population), it's just DIFFERENT.
I know when I visit Poland, even I'm surprised to see a black person simply because it's so rare in Poland. And I live in the U.S. in a very ethnically diverse city.
Yes, and the accounts are always one-sided. For all we know the OP was staring at the locals everywhere he went and so it would be a very natural reaction for them to stare back at him. Also if you go into a shop and linger too long in one section or wander around without really looking at the merchandise then any owner or clerk would reasonably become suspicious. Shoplifting and robberies are a fact of doing business so employees are often attuned not to what someone looks like but how they are behaving. Appearances only matter afterwards when a crime has been committed and the police need details of the suspect.
Furthermore, self-consciousness in public could very well stem from anything including shyness, a guilty conscience or paranoia whether other people are actually staring or not.
Merged: Why do many Polish people feel threatened by black people
Like Polish men are intimidated by the black men and women by black girls. The responds I will get now should make my question clearer and you will see exactly what im talking about. Not all by the way only most of them. Bare in mind that I have been around Polish people since I was 14, im in my 20s now.
I'm just curious to find out what the idea of a black person is to Polish people.
Positive or neutral. There are quite a lot of black people here, they work in different branches, from a cashier to a doctor. Not to mention sport. Even fanatic soccer fans, who are usually racist, got used to the view of black players on the pitch.
Black people in Poland are accepted and integrate well into society , but there are far left elements here that will try and put a negative spin on relations, often citing a very small minority of right wing football hooligans.
