Temat: British attitudes to Poles:

warren whitmore:

Marcin B.:

warren whitmore:

I can think of a few (negative) things.

Poles are anti-Semitic.

Poles are homophobic.

Poles are racist. (to non-white minorities in Britain).

Some Poles definitely are, however, most are not.

I was talking about stereotypes. (How Poles are perceived (by some) in the U.K.).

These are not necessarily my own personal opinions.

And which are yours?

Temat: British attitudes to Poles:

Most stereotypes concern negative features of a nation.
Let us look at the positive side ...

The Poles are ..... + ..... + ........
The English are ....
etc

If my memory doesn't fail me, Warren invited us to spread love (or the love)...

Temat: British attitudes to Poles:

Wendy Tweed:
Most stereotypes concern negative features of a nation.
Let us look at the positive side ...

The Poles are ..... + ..... + ........
The English are ....
etc

If my memory doesn't fail me, Warren invited us to spread love (or the love)...

Which is fine by me and I certainly don't want to spread anything else :) I was simply curious but we don't have to push the topic. Either works fine.

Temat: British attitudes to Poles:

Wendy Tweed:
Most stereotypes concern negative features of a nation.
Let us look at the positive side ...

The Poles are ..... + ..... + ........
The English are ....
etc

If my memory doesn't fail me, Warren invited us to spread love (or the love)...

I think all these things are well worth discussing.

However, it must be done sensitively.

Providing we do so, we won't end up with a intra-national slanging match.

That's why, at present, I'm thinking before I put finger to keyboard.

Temat: British attitudes to Poles:

warren whitmore:

Wendy Tweed:
Most stereotypes concern negative features of a nation.
Let us look at the positive side ...

The Poles are ..... + ..... + ........
The English are ....
etc

If my memory doesn't fail me, Warren invited us to spread love (or the love)...

I think all these things are well worth discussing.

However, it must be done sensitively.

Providing we do so, we won't end up with a intra-national slanging match.

I wouldn't do slanging match - I'm very far from being nation-blind and if something upsets me in Poles/Germans/French/Micronesians I don't have any probs saying it.Marcin B. edytował(a) ten post dnia 11.02.08 o godzinie 22:41

Temat: British attitudes to Poles:

Marcin B.:

I wouldn't do slanging match - I'm very far from being nation-blind and if something upsets me in Poles/Germans/French/Micronesians I don't have any probs saying it.Marcin B. edytował(a) ten post dnia 11.02.08 o godzinie 22:41

You strike me as being an intelligent person, Marcin.

Temat: British attitudes to Poles:

warren whitmore:

Marcin B.:
I wouldn't do slanging match - I'm very far from being nation-blind and if something upsets me in Poles/Germans/French/Micronesians I don't have any probs saying it.Marcin B. edytował(a) ten post dnia 11.02.08 o godzinie 22:41

You strike me as being an intelligent person, Marcin.

He's just pretending, believe me ;)))

Temat: British attitudes to Poles:

Poles are anti-Semitic.

Poles are homophobic.

Poles are racist. (to non-white minorities in Britain).

I'd have to say that I think most of these hold quite a bit of truth, if at least in comparison to how I feel the British are. Brits of course have negative characteristics that are more developed than amongst Poles.

re. point number one. How many times have you seen a poster of a
politician in the street or on the bus where someone has written
'Zyd' on it, even though the person isn't Jewish. For many people
(present company excepted) it is like it is the worst insult you
could make.

Point 2 - come on, how many openly gay people do you know? How many gay bars are there in Warsaw (real gay bars not just, places with a liberal atmosphere). How many gay pride events are allowed? How many politicians are able to make comments like 'gays are freaks' and still keep their jobs?

This was quite a while ago, but I knew a black guy in Gdansk 10
years ago. During his 5 years in Poland he had been beaten up about 7 times. At uni (in UK) a Polish friend said her friends would be shocked to see photos of her being chummy with the African guys from our floor.
However, in Warsaw, now, I don't notice anything strange. People's heads don't seem to turn when they see coloured people. I had seen that in Gdansk.

I'm not saying that this is all Poles, or even that those who display these tendencies in Poland are the worst of the worse.
Britain was probably like this a few decades ago, and there are
probably countries to the east that are worse.Steven H. edytował(a) ten post dnia 11.02.08 o godzinie 22:54

Temat: British attitudes to Poles:

Patrycja P.:

warren whitmore:

Marcin B.:
I wouldn't do slanging match - I'm very far from being nation-blind and if something upsets me in Poles/Germans/French/Micronesians I don't have any probs saying it.Marcin B. edytował(a) ten post dnia 11.02.08 o godzinie 22:41

You strike me as being an intelligent person, Marcin.

He's just pretending, believe me ;)))

Yeah, as a matter of fact it is my Mini Me or one of its replicas :)

Temat: British attitudes to Poles:

At the moment all that is said is that Polish women are very attractive, and that Poles work hard.

I can confirm that opinion about Poles living and working here, in the UK.

I started visiting the UK 17 years ago and now have lived here for a few years and, so far, have not experienced a negative attitude towards myself from the citizens here based on my nationality. The few hurtful incidents that did happen to me here were more connected with personality clashes rather than what passport I hold...

One thing that may be worth mentioning is that there definitely is a difference between the media loud noise about the huge immigration numbers; more Poles giving birth to chidren here and so straining the already exhausted NHS resources, etc - and what common people here think about us Poles. Most truly have very positive ideas as to what kind of human beings we are :))

Temat: British attitudes to Poles:

P.S. As Warren said, British men in Britain now love Polish women. No idea what they say about their teeth, but the guys are definitely smitten.

Temat: British attitudes to Poles:

However, in Warsaw, now, I don't notice anything strange. People's heads don't seem to turn when they see coloured people. I had seen that in Gdansk.

I'm not saying that this is all Poles, or even that those who display these tendencies in Poland are the worst of the worse.
Britain was probably like this a few decades ago, and there are
probably countries to the east that are worse.Steven H. edytował(a) ten post dnia 11.02.08 o godzinie 22:54

Hi Steve - it's nice to know that the people in Warsaw seem to be more used to seeing representatives of other races :)
I come from Wroclaw, a big city too, and have always had many African friends; Now I am married to a Nigerian guy and we are always a HUGE phenomenon, so to say, when we visit Wroclaw and walk in the city centre with our kids! Sometimes all I can do is just stare back at people whose eyes are popping out at our sight! Or put my tongue out at them.... hahaha - it usually does the job!;-p

Temat: British attitudes to Poles:

Hi Steve - it's nice to know that the people in Warsaw seem to be
more used to seeing representatives of other races :)
I come from Wroclaw, a big city too, and have always had many
African friends; Now I am married to a Nigerian guy and we are
always a HUGE phenomenon, so to say, when we visit Wroclaw and
walk in the city centre with our kids! Sometimes all I can do is
just stare back at people whose eyes are popping out at our sight! Or put my tongue out at them.... hahaha - it usually does the
job!;-p

It is good you can laugh about it, but I'm sure it isn't always so easy to shrug off. Do you never get anything worse than stares?

Temat: British attitudes to Poles:

Steven H.:

Hi Steve - it's nice to know that the people in Warsaw seem to be
more used to seeing representatives of other races :)
I come from Wroclaw, a big city too, and have always had many
African friends; Now I am married to a Nigerian guy and we are
always a HUGE phenomenon, so to say, when we visit Wroclaw and
walk in the city centre with our kids! Sometimes all I can do is
just stare back at people whose eyes are popping out at our sight! Or put my tongue out at them.... hahaha - it usually does the
job!;-p

It is good you can laugh about it, but I'm sure it isn't always so easy to shrug off. Do you never get anything worse than stares?

I wish the antagonism we do sometimes experience in Poland was directed at myself as I wouldn't give the monkeys about it, but it is my husband and sometimes our boys that are targets of racist comments... :( which I have never experienced here, in UK.
Still, surprise surprise, my husband loves Poland and the Poles....

Temat: British attitudes to Poles:

Steven H.:

Poles are anti-Semitic.

Poles are homophobic.

Poles are racist. (to non-white minorities in Britain).

I'd have to say that I think most of these hold quite a bit of truth, if at least in comparison to how I feel the British are. Brits of course have negative characteristics that are more developed than amongst Poles.

[I pressed wrong button and lost one part of it here ;(]

with a liberal atmosphere). How many gay pride events are allowed? How many politicians are able to make comments like 'gays are freaks' and still keep their jobs?

Again, sad but true. However, it is easier to notice a handful of loud yobbos shouting "freaks". All the grass roots stuff explaining that it is not abhorrent and in fact fairly widespread is done via not-so-spectacular channels. But then again, the levels of bigotry and self-delusion have always been way higher than we ever like to admit. People say "well, maybe it ain't THAT bad but can't they just stop ruining my peace of mind now, thank you".

I'm not saying that this is all Poles, or even that those who display these tendencies in Poland are the worst of the worse.

I agree but whether we like it or not, these trends are visible in Poland. I don't want to overanalise it too much - for one I'm not a sociologist but I would have to agree that all three points are true to a degree. As I said, the sky high levels of bigotry are present and even if we correct for media bias it doesn't look great.

In a way I'm glad that once in a while a book like "Fear" is published to stir things a bit. Poles tend to think "nah, we got 1/3rd of all Yad Vashem trees so we were good chaps". Same goes for racism - "nah, we have Olisadebe, we are no racists, are we?".

Such "compensatory stereotypes" do more harm than good since they allow to justify existence of deeper and darker layers that many do not want openly admit to.Marcin B. edytował(a) ten post dnia 11.02.08 o godzinie 23:30

Temat: British attitudes to Poles:

(Response to Grazyna):

I've known a few Nigerians in Szczecin.

Two have worked at my school.

Also the nurse at a school I worked in had two half-Nigerian children.

I was once on a tram with these girls (of primary school age) when some guy started creaming at them (for no reason whatsoever):

NIE JEST NORMALNY

Really vile.warren whitmore edytował(a) ten post dnia 11.02.08 o godzinie 23:34

Temat: British attitudes to Poles:

warren whitmore:
(Response to Grazyna):

I've known a few Nigerians in Szczecin.

Two have worked at my school.

Also the nurse at a school I worked in had two half-Nigerian children.

I was once on a tram with these girls (of primary school age) when some guy started creaming at them (for no reason whatsoever):

NIE JEST NORMALNY

Really vile.warren whitmore edytował(a) ten post dnia 11.02.08 o godzinie 23:34

yeah.... well, such behaviour towards anybody is pure ignorance and we just try to treat such people as having huge insecurities and fear of unknown and just not pay attention to it. Yet, when once in a playground some teenagers started cheering each other shouting loud 'let's beat the niger' and pointing at my, then 2-year-old, son, I was on the verge of seriously losing my cool (to put it mildly!)....

Temat: British attitudes to Poles:

warren whitmore:

I can think of a few (negative) things.

Poles are anti-Semitic.

Poles are homophobic.

Poles are racist. (to non-white minorities in Britain).

Agreed, but that goes for a lot of different european cultures as well. It is deeply ruted christianity and false nationalism.

Temat: British attitudes to Poles:

Rafal Wolk:

Poles are racist. (to non-white minorities in Britain).

Agreed, but that goes for a lot of different european cultures as well. It is deeply ruted christianity and false nationalism.

American, too. You always read schholbook stories of the "melting pot" and one single visit to Arkansas can change this forever, not to mention places like the Houston Gulfton ghetto. The xenophobia in Arkansas is almost proverbial. And, more importantly, ot works both ways and Afroamerican/Hispanic populations enjoy mingling with the white population about as much as a preschooler enjoys his daily spinach. I'm making a huge generalization here though, maybe a bit of a hasty one too. What I mean is that a certain level of xenophobia is usually reached within most societies; some of them revert to gas chambers, Ku Klux Klan, and the others accept the diversity. In Poland, which had been a "WPC" (White Polish Catholic) country for years, it wasn't easy for people to accept the new order which, inevitably, brought immigrants from other countries. I think there are places in Poland where dark skin is no real problem - being Vietnamese, Chinese, Belarussian or a Gypsy is.

Temat: British attitudes to Poles:

Marcin B.:

Rafal Wolk:
and if I am not mistaken it was the cawardly French and not Italian... right?

An interesting point. But as we know the entire population of France was in Zi Resistance and the Italians sort of weren't sure ;)

not much of a point, but a stereotype that's actually very popular on this side of the sewege dump