Do you think that Polish people are rude?

For once I'd agree with Ironside.

Politeness conventions vary between societies.

It's difficult to say the conventions that exist in society 'X' are in some way better or worse than those in society 'Y'.

Ant, unfortunately, is just exhibiting prejudice and lack of cultural awareness, something Poles are often accused of.

Having lived in poland 20 years and 20 years, and now in US, my perspective is that leaving UK one will find other nations a little rude, maybe with exception of India Pakistan as those nations had 200 years to absorb British customs.

On one rainy day when I was in Warsaw, I noticed that drivers were very inconsiderate of pedestrians on the sidewalk. They did not avoid or at least slow down when driving through puddles which splashed all over the unfortunate ones walking by.

Polite is one thing. Having worked in Poznan, in an office of a large, national profile company, I was astonished by how much young adults depend on the word " kurwa" to express themselves on any subject, even issues like family or religion. Managers are no exception. I tried to blend in by peppring my talk likewise, but somehow got a less approving reaction. Does anyone know why it could be?

I worked in a big bank in Krakow and don't remember people swearing at work. Maybe things changed now or it depends on industry ( in some companies it is ashionable to swear) and maybe as you said 'young' people- it is cocky showing off?

Yes, I have.
I've been to France, Germany, Italy, Austria and Slovakia.
I've been yelled at a public place only once in my life - in Austria by an Austrian woman.


My experience is completely the opposite o_O
I don't know, maybe that's because men don't swear in front of women.

You obviously have a hearing problem or you belong to the group who use it every second word; so you don't recognise when you hear it.

I've yet to meet a Pole, other than solicitors, who doesn't use it as an adjective frequently. Furious Pete has got it about right.

When Borat was learning "not jokes" in the movie his attempts were not approved by the teacher. Does anyone know why it could be?


I've yet to meet an English guy who doesn't say "fcuk" including solicitor who I spoke to when buying my property, now explain how different is that to Polish "kurwa"

Oddly enough, I have met some Polish people who don't say 'kurwa' all the time, as well as English people who aren't constantly using the word ******'.

You're obviously hanging out with the wrong people... :)

lol
No, I don't.
First of all, I meant - at work. In all the places where I worked there were no "kurwa's" flying around, at least not in my presence, I have to disappoint you. There was basically no "heavy" swearing, and certainly no "kurwa" used as an adjective.


Well then, you clearly hang out with the wrong crowd :)
Noone in my family, among friends and acquaintances does that. I'm serious - noone.
Sure there are the "kurwa boys", I can hear them sometimes in the street, and "kurwa" is used in Poland as "f*ck" in English, but I've met plenty of Poles who are not solicitors and don't use it as an adjective frequently.


+1

K*** is the word that reveals you are traveling with polish guys on the train. Or sitting to dinner in restaurant. ;)

I agree with that. Having lived in the UK one must find Poland rude. I find it rude now, lol :D But on the other side we don't tend to burp out loud as often, at least the women

Here are some Russian tips on traveling to America that nicely sum up some of the cultural differences. Even though they are for Russians, they seem to apply to Poles as well:

"US etiquette requires that you smile in each and every situation. If you want to travel to America, be prepared to give a smile not only to friends and acquaintances, but also to all passers-by, in shops, to the staff at the hotel, police on the streets, etc.

"US etiquette also forbids lamenting the troubles of life, or sharing your problems with others. Sharing in this country can only be positive emotions - sorrows and frustrations are impermissible. In the US you only complain to acquaintances in the most extreme cases. Serious problems are for close friends and relatives only.

I think Polish people are too sensitive about not being "rude" in UK. The way we speak and act is our culture and we shouldn't change it because some bigots don't like it. Tough luck, you have to learn to live with us.

I cannot say that I have ever noticed that, lol.
But you are right, personally what I find really 'rude' is shop assistants doing that really passive aggressive thing while pretending to be all polite.

eg 'yes my love , no my love'....erg I could slap them.

Me neither, i was in a Polish shop the other day (where not many English people go) and was a little surprised at the abruptness of the assistant.

women in Polski Skleps are spectacularly rude, it must come with the job description.
My ex's wife works in one and she is the biatch from hell, looks like she is sucking a wasp.

I am not sure whether or not this can be considered as being "rude". From my time here in Poland but also in Ukraine, i have always found assistants in normal shops / supermarkets to be fairly abrupt and straight to the point with a "buy it or leave it" attitude. There simply is no need for smalltalk and to a certain extend, i actually prefer it this way. If i want a simple loaf of bread or a liter of milk, I do not feel the need to talk about my weekend plans with the shop assistant, nor do i need any special consultation about which kind of milk i should buy.

It is different in shops for clothing, electronics etc. where i would like to have someone at least a tiny bit competent and talkative. Here in Lodz, in the main shopping centers, i found the assistants in those shops rather helpful with surprisingly good level of English.

in UK Waitrose you can't get through the checkout without an intimate yet friendly interrogation. They are notorious for it. As well as the 'max ten items' checkout, they should have a stfu one.

lol , so true, ffs the checkout person is not my new best friend, in many ways I prefer the Polish approach. buy and leave. simple.

Your ex wife?? your sign shows you are a woman! is gay lesbian marriage acceptable by polish people or they just rude to them also?

was she really doing it?

Sometimes knowledge of grammar and usage of such knowledge comes in handy. Particularly when reading and understanding forum posts :) :)

Sorry still morning, didn't read the ex"S.*

Waitrose don't have one of those. Waitrose know how grammar works:



The last time I was in a Waitrose they had a Polish girl who was working on the deli counter who was extremely polite and rather charming (although perhaps slightly surprised that somebody who was clearly English was speaking to her in Polish).

I don't think wanting Polish people to be more polite and smile more is necessarily bigoted. In fact over the last 20 years Poles have become more polite and I think this is linked to them also becoming more successful in business and achieving more in life. Empathy and being sensitive to others' needs can only be a good thing. You will sell more, get promotions quicker and generally be more successful and happier. I'm often told that abruptness, aggressive driving, staring, dictatorial management styles etc. are part and parcel of Polish culture and shouldn't be criticised. Well, the most successful Polish people I meet exhibit hardly any of these behaviours.

Being polite has nothing to do with empathy.

+1


Show that indeed it is not directly linked to the people/nationality but rather to the environment in which live.

It pays to be polite in sales but I am not talking about a check out person at a large supermarket. I don't expect them to be happy processing large amounts of peoples goods for a rubbish wage. In business it is often an advantage over your rude counterparts. I get this complement often....that I am nice. Like derrrr....I am so nice while taking your money, you must be a genius. Meanwhile inside the head...'Kurwa dawaj wiencej!'

Polish teenagers are sure not polite. They tend to elbow their way to the tram or coach exit as if the word "przepraszam" didn't exist. What's it like in other countries? Are German, French, Italian, Swedish, Hungarian and other teens any better or is it an age thing?