Class system in Poland - does it exist?

Most still up and running - for better or worse.


This we know.


Rather proves my point - and this was normal across eastern Europe.


I can assure you they do not.

how do you know that?

So you live in Poland since 70s?

I don't spend my whole life at a computer arguing with feckwits.

pardon me? I did not offended you. So why the hell do you offend me? (already twice)

On the scale of feckwittedness here, you don't even figure - you're one of the nicer posters - offence barely intended.

My point is that the class structure in Poland derives from education and the professions it often leads to - and the perceived behaviour of groups. An example. When I was back in Warsaw a week ago, I was invited to dinner twice. The first time was with a teacher, a nurse and a tax collector. The other time was with a vice-minister, a senior lawyer and an eminent doctor. Those two groups would not normally spend time together comfortably. I also had drinks with a supermarket worker whose partner is a pizza chef - they would have little to say to the first group and wouldn't normally meet them socially. That is life, and that is the Polish class system.

I don't think so, so we'll just have to agree to disagree.


That is indeed your life and the way you see it, I would say the way most english people see it but don't think we all see it that way.

" Class system in Poland - does it exist? "
So people start posting about Gorales, Warsawians etc., Thats like comparing Cockneys, Scousers, Brummies and Geordies. What the hell has inter-city rivalry got to do with classes ?

Social classes are found throughout the whole country, whether you,re a Gorale, warsawian or Silesian. Each have their lower class people, middle class people and upper class people. Education plays no part in these classes either. Some less educated people have made it big, when the higher educated have failed.

Anyway, my personal opinion is that Poland has a very poor lower class who possess next to nothing, a very wealthy upper class who want for nothing ( except more wealth ), and in between are left too many variable classes.

This is close to my experience, though education (and consequent attitudes) play a huge part.


Fortunately sociologists often do.

There are no classes in Poland after communism.EU does not permit creation of oligarch style like in Russia,Ukraine.

Go on then, what do you mean? How is it fortunate and whose sociologist?


I don't believe that these "two groups" could not be friends and frequently socialise comfortably.

I think it is just a world view thing Jonni, to be honest.

look who was a vice prime minister in Poland:


I don't agree with that statement. In Poland there was no private schools during PRL so everyone was attending one public school together. And yes those nurse, pizza chef and a layer have very great probablity they meet togheter every 5 years on their school reunions.

Note also that in Poland besides Warsaw there are no better or worse districts. In one apartment can live a layer, a doctor and a coal miner.

My school friend was attending to one school with daughter of prime minister - Marysia Belka. It was when her father was nominated on that position. The school was absolutely ordinary (XXVI Liceum Ogólnokształcące w £odzi). I was attending also to one class with a son of former chef of KRRiT (he was also a taxi driver in the past) and a neese of Wojciech Olejniczak.

Everyone can be, but most of us don't - that's what class is about, isn't it.


I can assure you it wasn't him.


This is simply not true.


They each have rather different purchasing power!


Her parents are both charming people - very friendly, and don't take the trappings of prestige for granted.

I put inverted commas on the "two groups" because these are your groupings not mine.

That's all I have to say, call me nonsensical and a troll all you want, it won't change what either of use believes.

true true. Visit £ódź if you don't believe me.


but they live together. I can give you examples.

Good example is my family. Even though my father is an engineer, he was running his own business in 90s and first half of 2000s. His business stopped to be profitable and he woke up being 50-something without job. No one wanted to hire a person who is more than 45 years old, his education has outdated... so he was for some time unemployed. He had to take up some odd jobs - he was even a janitor for some period of time!

I know it well - the good parts and the bad.


But does this affect ones perceptions about ones social class? I suspect barely so! Does it affect the perceptions of others? That's the key.

the good parts? so where are the good parts of £ódź? I live in £ódź whole my life and don't know them...


well yes. The janitor you think is a illiterate simple man can be someone who graduated university...

.............................................................

Look on osiedle Manhattan or Retkinia where people of every walk of life live togheter.

Exactly...

Exactly? David you was in £ódź only once, probably seeing just Piotrkowska street...

I've never been to Lodz, but met plenty of people who came from there.

are they so bad? ;>>>

In the mantra of Seanus, some were some weren't.

£ódź got plenty of awsome places...

If he's an engineer he's intelligent. That's a tough curriculum. You're confusing temperament with intelligence.

@jonni
I'm your biggest fan.
I think I will use this forum to prove class consciousness in Poland is dead <3 I hope everyone else here is enjoying licking boots 12 years later <3

What a load of BS in this thread honestly, plenty of groups and regions in Poland favor one thing over the other, having regions favoring the opposite of each other creates tensions/rivalry.

Quiet and peaceful countryside vs loud and obnoxious city dwellers for starters.

If Szlachta origins means nothing to a person, it only proves they are not one themselves. Of course they don't care for something that is most likely unattainable for them and distanced from morals, ethics or anything one could call a noble character.

Probably guys who drink low quality beer infront of TV screaming how their football team is losing anyways.

Nope. The old class system which had prevailed in Poland in the past centuries was destroyed by partition powers and later by communists. There are no nobles or monarchs any more, we all are equal.

Bollox!
Poles still have class differences.
To say otherwise is just a lie.

@pawian
Pure BS, still nobility in Poland today. We just don't have privileges enforced by the law anymore, and Poland does have a king!

But that was all szlachta was. Like the rest of humanity they had decent people and scum, smart and dumb and often would screw up their line by greed and marrying withing too small circle

@Lenka
That's relativism, Szlachta was quite unique. Even compared to other noble groups as you put it in europe.

There are certain groups who are able to achieve more then other groups despite having same roles/influences. Trying to make a group deserving of respect less significant, especially one who is on your own side does little good.

Compare it to firefighters for instance, some are more renowned then others.

French firefighters compared to French police during ww2, or firefighters in Russia who potentially rob the apartaments they put the fires out of.

Some are noteable, some are horrible. Yet an achievement to be set as an example should be complemented.

Not all soldiers wear medals, who to many seem to only be a piece of metal with a piece of cloth sticked together. Such people try to downplay performed actions in general.

I hope and wish for a better society by and large, so I do complement and view good behaviour as something positive, and those groups forwarding such behaviour.

There are groups who are critical of said groups when they fall short however, due to naivity or lack of patience. In this modern world, there is a larger need for instsnt gratification which combats it at every turn.

My point is, if bravery, noble character, honestly, fighting crime and loving your country is to be the norm. Then every person should strive for it, regardless if a persons family members achieved a reward in the past for it or not.

Trying to downplay said achievement is downplaying the reward and trying to minimilaze good behaviour. To which all decent folk should think about