What's the stupidest question asked about Poland?

it's an obvious mistake, the answer is "you do French there right?"
;-)

Not exactly about Poland here, but I remember a time when I was a sophomore in high school and we were discussing World War II, and the subject of the importance of Italy during the war was brought up. After a bit of discussion about the mass-rape of Italian citizens by British soldiers (I figured we were being a bit biased continually talking about Red Army atrocities and whatnot), some kid said:

"Hey, wait a minute, I thought Italy was a city in France?"

He was dead serious - it was rather sad, really.

That seems a reasonable question for someone foreign to enquire. Afterall Poland only entered the EU 5 years ago, although listening to some here one would think Poland was one of its founders.


Whats so stupid about that ? While the rest of the world had mocrowaves years ago, Poland didnt and a lot of consumer products were only made available years after communisim fell. Most countries could afford to buy microwaves a decade before you guys could.


Not sure why that seems dumb either. Afterall before you joined the EU 5 yrs ago you werent allowed to travel so easily and thus very few European people even met a Polish person nevermind heard what dialect they used. There are no notable Polish people in the international media, none in entertainment etc and Polish culture etc wasnt known so its to be expected that a lot of the world knew nothing about you, or your language. Only except perhaps the pope was Polish. You must remember that until very recently Poland was considered along the same lines as Belarus internationaly, you still have a lot of catching up to do in peoples minds


That doesnt seem particularly stupid either considering there were little or no direct flights into Poland from the likes of Ireland before Poland joined the EU and people usually had to change elsewhere, so its normal to assume that might be in a neighbouring country.


Why is that stupid, many people in their 20s were alive during communisim ? It seems very reasonable someone foreign might ask what it was like to survive through communisim.


20 years ago you had no 'discos', and as 20 yrs isnt a very long time to be coming out of communisim I dont consider that to be a very stupid question, ignorant perhaps.


Im impressed they asked you that actually


Thats not stupid either, cops dont have guns in the UK or Ireland.

It shows how some people are very stupid dont even know were Poland is or what language they speak. my Polish friends love me because I know loads about their country.

Crap.
20 years ago we had something called 'dancing' (prenounced dan-tzing). We had those even 50 years ago. Asking if there are places where people are dancing with each other (and that's what she meant) is the most retarded question I have ever heard.

Apart from 'do you have cars over there' of course.


Why? War propaganda (I think it was a German one) trying to ridicule Polish armed forces often did spread that crap where in fact Poles used the cavalry to charge against vulnerable against that attack German artillery.

So what? What does EU have to do with it, anyway? We already were in Europe 900 years before the idea of EU emerged.


Before 1989 travelling was restricted, but after it there was no problem obtaining a passport. Polish people have travelled freely all over the world for 20 years. What changed after EU accession was the time of crossing the boarders - before EU, you needed a little customs clearance, and now you just wave your ID and go.


Hmmm...
As far as I know, during the 80s, there was a lot of stuff about Wałęsa in international media. And, of course, there was the pope.


Well, I don't have access to Korean culture and entertainment, neither have I met any Korean tourist crossing the Polish boarder freely, but I know that in Korea they speak Korean and not, e.g. Chinese.


Well, Belarus had never been an independent country until 1918; then, after a year or two, it became a part of the Soviet Union and regained its independence only after the fall of Soviet Union. Poland started being an independent country in 966. After a few hundred years, it lost its independence and regained it the same year that Belarus declared its independence for the first time. And since then, it has never been incorporated to any other country. So if one thinks that the status of Poland as an independent country is the same as Belarus, then one is just very ignorant about the European history. Stable, independent Belarus is something new in Europe, while Poland has been there for some time.


What do you think, people of PRL didn't party? Of course there were discos! Maybe they weren't always as cool as the Western but in those times nothing was as cool. You have a strange idea about Poland before the fall of communism. We even had a big rock festival in PRL in the 80s, mainly associated with punk today.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jarocin_Festival

WE sure did, the light ball turning at the ceiling and all. What I experienced in Poland as a kid, teen or a very young woman, I find comparable in The USA for people my age.

Only people who listen to the western media think we didn't. Poland was always very open even from behind the 'iron curtain'.

a freind of mine think that all polish people drive old cars like the Yugo and nobody speaks english in poland, he also thought poland was in russia

No of course not, Im not silly :) I was speaking generally and offering an explanation as to why a lot of people would think there were no 'discos' etc. People associate communisim with Poland, and most associate communisim with restrictions of lifestyle. I dont have any strange idea of communisim, or the idea of Poland after its fall. I live in Poland and have studied Polish history and culture extensively. I was merely offering up some logical reasons why many people not familiar with your country might think as they do.


That has a lot to do with it, because Poland is a relatively new member of the EU and people generally associate Europe with the EU.


Im aware of that :) My point being that there were nowhere near the amount of Polish people abroad as there are today. In Ireland for example there were virtually no Polish people here until EU membership, so nobody had ever the opportunity to meet or listen to a Polish person speak. Now of course I and most educated people would have known the Polish people speak 'Polish' but its not surprising that a lot might not as they had no exposure to the language or pupulace.


I for one never remember anything about seeing Poland ever mentioned in the international media. Other than of course the Pope, whos picture still hangs in every Irish home today :)


Thats a valid point, and while ignorance is never excusable I do try and understand it.


I assure you, there are many, many people who are very ignorant of history. With the widespread dumbing down of education now throughout Europe, I suspect ignorance will flourish


'Crap' indeed but an ignorant assumption easily explained nevertheless. Ireland my native country was the same under British oppression, but we still danced and drank :)


Considering that most of this generation know little or nothing about history, fictional or otherwise I find it refreshing that they know Poland was even in a war !


Arent you the same lady who recently commented that "Oh My God Polish men are the best lovers in the world, they are the best at sex in the world, Oh My God" because you were in love with your boyfriend ? Im not surprised your Polish friends love you, Im sure they are very flattered also ;)


Ha,ha the disco ball, I remember nthem in Ireland, few of them still around actually :)))

You've got no idea what you are talking about. Actually this thread is about people like you.

??????
Are people really that ignorant that they can't tell a political union from a continent?
And what, do they think e.g. Moscow is in Asia?


Niechaj narodowie wżdy postronni znają, iż Polacy, nie gęsi, iż swój język mają! (May all the other nations know that the Poles have not the language of geese but of their own - Mikołaj Rej, Renaissance writer).

And to be serious I don't see any reason why foreigner should recognize the sound of Polish language, but it's really an ignorance not to know, especially for a European, that there some Polish language in Poland. Polish is not one of 300 languages spoken in an African country with a former colonizer's lang. is he official one.

really? Even in Jews and Methodists and Church of Ireland ppl?...:)

I of course know the difference, but I didnt always. For most foreigners there is little or no difference between Russian and Polish, they consider you all accents from this side of the world similar.


No it isnt :) I have an idea what I am talking about, and I know that the nightlife in Poland during communisim wasnt comparable to that elsewhere. Please dont take it personally, I was just offering an explantion as to why people have ignorant assumptions


Yes, sadly that is the mindset of most people. They equate Europe with the EU.


Well, Im sure he has a place in the hearts of the 4% of jews, methodists and COI also :)

yeh probably..I really didnt realise this figure was so low..:)

I was curious so I googled it and I was wrong :))

Catholic 86% (I thought it was much more, so the popes pic hangs in 86% of Irish homes hehe
)
Church Of Ireland 3 %
No religion 4.4%
Not stated 1.7%
Other religions 1.4%
Christian unspecified 0.7%
Muslim 0.8%
Presbyterian 0.6%
Orthodox 0.5%
Methodist 0.3%

also, alot of people think im jewish cause im polish, plus they cant pronounce my last name! lol

That's happened to me based on my last name too. It's not jewish it's polish but lots of people think everyone with a polish last name is jewish. It's been my experience in the US.

oh man! going through school was the worst! HEY JEWISH KID!, and all the teachers, during roll call and everyone who seen my name asks how to say it, even the cops when i get pulled over,.. uh mr. uhhh how do you say that? is that a jewish last name the cop says, but hey good conversation makes good freinds and it gets me outta a ticket so im happy, its just aggrivating to correct someone a million times when they cant get my name right and the worst part of it is they really do insist!

or

"Let it by all and sundry foreign nations be known that Poles speak not Anserine but a tongue of their own."

Yeah. They annoy me too.

I don't think, I know it is there.

Yeah, that's better. LOL, I didn't even know the word 'anserine'.

Most of people who know me, they also know I used to live in Poland. One of them asked me whether Polish people eat home made cheese as you cannot get any from the shops...

....I hope that you asked them 'what is cheese?'

Anserine from anser latin for goose

FISZ Polar bears - Poland

ROTFL at that. I'll surely use it <giggles to self>

For future reference:

Yep. Moscow is an European city.

Oh... friend pls take it easy. Nathan is mentally challenged. :(

Bluenigma,

We don't really get offended. I hope you don't either when people associate Ireland with terrorism, potatoes three times a day, drunkeness, brawling, and James Joyce, of course :)

My friend - Hey Chris!! You've been to Poland a fair bit! Have you ever seen a wooden wedding??

Me - Huh???

My friend - Yeah you know, when two "Poles" get married!! :-))