When one becomes a blogger certain arcane powers are bestowed on one by the hidden kabal of semi-reptilian, semi-bovine multi-dimensional beings who own and run the interweb thingy. In a horrid and blood soaked ritual that takes place at a secret location beneath the janitor’s closet in E wing of the Googleplex the new blogger acquires several super-hero-like abilities. Among these are the power to believe that the entire world is probably interested in reading your inane rantings, the power to smile smugly whilst saying “you really should read my blog you know,” and the power to ‘see’ what other, lesser, mortals are searching for on the internet. Of course I’m taking a grave risk by telling you about this but I’ve taken the precaution of balancing an empty beer bottle on my doorknob and the whole place is rigged to blow at the touch of a cunningly concealed toggle (what do you mean you’ve never seen Conspiracy Theory?). If you’re a blogger and you don’t remember this, it’s all down to the MKultra-style mind-fiddling tricks they deploy. There is a cure, but you need large quantities of obscure intoxicants and a couple of weeks of free time to put it into practice.
By performing certain ‘clicking’ actions in a certain order on certain ‘screens’ that are known only to the initiate the blessed blogger may gain access to a certain sacred ‘document’ known as ‘blog stats’ (I wouldn’t expect you to understand – it’s pretty advanced stuff). Buried deep within this hallowed document is a paragraph headed “These are terms people used to find your blog.” Therein may be found vast and disturbing knowledge of the average web surfer. In other words, “these are the things that some poor sap somewhere typed into Google and then ended up on your blog.” I intend to answer some of these queries in full.
In no particular order they are as follows (all are completely genuine search engine queries):
1. “Are polish people generally short?”
I’m tempted to say, “Yes they are all generally short of change,” but I suspect that’s not what the questioner had in mind. I have to say I’ve experienced a bit of a revelation in regard to this point recently. The ever-delectable A (who will probably kill me when she reads this) is certainly of diminutive stature. For many months I took great pleasure in pointing this out to her by the simple expedient of holding objects at the limit of my tiptoe reach and observing that she couldn’t reach them without recourse to a step ladder. My how I laughed, until she discovered that a carefully placed blow with the knee tended to collapse my superior position. From the floor I observed, in my defense, that she was indeed remarkably short and, moreover, that knee strikes of that kind were explicitly outlawed by the Geneva Convention. “Look around you” she said “you’re the freak. Everyone else around here is my height!” And do you know what, she was absolutely right. The next time I went out on the street I had a good look, and it’s true. Almost everyone, especially the women, barely came up to chest height. I started to feel a little like Gulliver and took more care about where I was treading.
The short answer: yes, most Poles are short-arses. Or possibly I’m a freaky giant from freaky-giant land.
2. “Polish facial characteristics”
We’ve been through this one before. No, there are no unique facial characteristics that enable you to identify a Pole (unless you count scowling and staring). Most Poles believe that they can spot another Pole on the streets of London or Chicago just by glancing at them. I say once and for all that this is total nonsense. It’s all down to body language and clothes. I’m glad that’s finally settled and expect to hear no more about it.
3. “How to meet Polish people”
Go to Poland. Or Camden Town. Or Baron’s Court. Or Chicago. You won’t be able to move without tripping over them. I suspect the subtext behind this query is actually ‘how to meet gorgeous Polish women.’ Since almost all Polish women are gorgeous, it’s less of a problem than it may first appear. On the other hand there’s a big difference between ‘being on the same street as’ and ‘meeting.’ Chatting up a Polish woman on the street or in a pub is next to impossible, unless she’s previously spent six months in Camden Town, Baron’s Court etc.
4. “Are polish people rude?”
Yes. Next.
Ok, sorry I should I go into this a bit more carefully. When I first came to Poland I was appalled at the way people constantly barged into me on the streets. It took me months the realize that this was actually my fault. Polish people pass on the opposite side to English people, as they drive on the opposite side. Amazing but true. It was me who was barging into them. Once I had figured this out I smiled benevolently at pedestrians and marveled at the ease with which I was able to walk down the street. I was happy right up until the point somebody barged in front of me in a queue or blithely allowed a door to swing shut in my face. The simple truth is that ‘street’ manners in Poland are generally appalling. If someone doesn’t know you, fancy you, or want something from you they’re likely to treat you with about as much respect as they might a rabid mongoose. It’s a jungle out there. Once I had realized and understood this I began to ‘go native.’ I’m a fairly big chap and entirely capable of winning in a pavement game of chicken. Nowadays, if the local barge merchants don’t get out of my way they tend to end up sprawled in the gutter. This is particularly amusing if they happen to be frail young lasses in high heels.
If I may stray into seriousness for a moment I think the root cause of this is that Poles are extremely judgmental. If they don’t know someone and that someone isn’t dressed from head to foot in pure mink/stepping out of a Mercedes SLK/emerging from a government office at that moment they tend to assume that they are scum. Poles are hypersensitive to social divisions (read: money). In truth the national flag should be pure green, because jealousy and envy are the driving forces behind most social interactions. Poles will bang on endlessly about how courteous and hospitable they are as a nation, but what this actually boils down to is three things:
1. giving up your seat on the bus to a female who is either a) pretty or b) likely to give you a severe ear-bashing if you don’t;
2. inviting people around to your house and plying them with food and drink in order to demonstrate that a) you have expensive stuff in your house and b) that you can afford to ply people with food and drink;
3. sucking up to people who may be able to do you a favor at some unforeseeable point in the future (elsewhere this is known as bribery).
By crikey I’m in a wicked mood today!
5. “Poland shop cigarettes”
Yes, there are shops and cigarettes in Poland – often in the same place. Most of these cigarettes have, in fact, been smuggled across the Ukranian border secreted in the undergarments of Polish grandmothers, but this doesn’t effect the taste significantly. I once knew a guy who worked in a massive American Tobacco plant somewhere in Poland. He received 20 percent of his wages in the form of cigarettes and took great delight in distributing them with gay abandon.
6. “Did poland ever have any colonies?”
Hmmm… tricky one. Basically, no. Poland never had colonies in the same sense that France or Italy or Germany or Britain (ahem, largest empire in history, ahem) did. Having said that, for much of the Middle Ages Poland was substantially bigger than it is now and it’s kings ruled over huge parts of what are now the Ukraine, Belarus, Germany, and Slovakia. Much good it did them. Of course today large parts of north and west London could be considered Polish colonies. I’m just waiting for the Polish Protectorate of Baron’s Court to be declared. It will do us all good and I intend to apply for citizenship immediately (see 3 above).
Flowing from this is the perennial question about Poland’s geographical ‘bad luck.’ As I indicated above, Poland was doing screamingly well for a long time in the Middle Ages and was known as one of the richest kingdoms in Europe. Somehow everything went pear-shaped following the Reformation and Poland has been invaded, partitioned, or occupied about once every three weeks since then. The standard response to this poor showing usually refers to the idea that Poland is surrounded by “powerful neighbors” and was thereby “doomed” to repeated invasion and occupation. This is a steaming pile of horse phooey as far as I can make out. Almost all countries are surrounded by “powerful neighbors.” France is “surrounded” by Germany, Britain, and Italy but has somehow managed to get through the centuries without dissolving into a vague concept for hundreds of years at a time. Britain is “surrounded” by France, Holland, Scandinavia, and Ireland. Germany is “surrounded” by France, Scandinavia, and Poland. How come the Germans aren’t complaining that they’ve been subjected to consistent and unsporting invasion?
7. “Poles drink?”
Yes, I believe I have occasionally seen them do so. It was all pretty lilly-livered and unprofessional stuff so I don’t like to cause embarrassment by going on about it.
8. “Pictures of polish people”
I suspect that whoever typed this in ended up directed to my slightly wicked picture of the traditional Polish drunk. I do hope it didn’t put them off at all 
.
9. “Crazy polish women”
I’m too scared to comment on this, although I should point out that it turned up 14 times (I just Googled it and discovered there’s a YouTube vid titled ‘Crazy Polish WomAn’ which may explain a lot, although she’s clearly not Polish – she would have been armed if she was).
10. “Types of homes people of Poland live in”
Bizzarely this one comes up all the time. I can only imagine that there’s a school system somewhere that requires its students to write “600 words on the average domicile of the Polish person” or some such nonsense. It was the repeated appearance of this query that inspired me to write Where do Polish People Live, but the whole subject turned out to be a lot less interesting than I had originally envisaged.
11. “Jews responsible for World War 2″
Errmm… I think, on balance, that a couple of minutes considered thought generally points fairly strongly towards the conclusion that this is unlikely. I don’t say this often but – WTF!?
Dear Author,
It is me, you historical conscience, again.
Re: the Middle Ages
Do you really think that the 15th and 16th centuries, when Poland was so big and – supposedly – powerful, were part of the Middle Ages?
Poland seems to be generally believed to have been constantly lagging behind the Western powers but, trust me, the Rennaisance was in full swing here too at that time.
Re: the rudness of Polish people or, rather, the question of savoir faire
Actually, I have met a considerable number of foreighners in my life and, many a time, I have been unable to come to terms with their absolute lack of table manners or manners in general. They do not let me go first through the door ( I am spoilt, I admit) or shut it in my face when I expect them to hold it for me. If I have to dine with some American or English people (sorry, my dear friends), I need to prepare myself for all sorts of suprises at the table. Holding a knife like a pencil is just one of their little sins …
Eating with Polish people seems to be less stressful but, certainly, there are appaling exceptions.
Re: are Polish women crazy?
Yes, we are. I do not dare leave home without my shining, though second hand, armour and I am always armed to the teeth in case a big foreigner fancies me sprawled in the gutter.
Jolanta
(definitely on the short side)
Kretyn.,na więcej szkoda czasu.
Hi, I do not agree with everything but the following is sadly true: “sucking up to people who may be able to do you a favor at some unforeseeable point in the future (elsewhere this is known as bribery” in my country, we avoid people we do not like but according to my experience in Poland and in Vienna where I live (my husband is Polish), they almost never will show you if they do not like you, when I asked my husband why do you tolerate so-and-so’s bad behaviour, his reply is always “Because I may need his help with something in future” I do not understand this mentality. Also, the money issue is something that really upsets me, lots of discussion about money who has and who does not have. I also think they are experts at using the situation to their advantage as far as money is concerned. Yes, Polish woman are as a rule, really attractive but I find they lack class. Beauty is not everything. I am lucky to have a very nice Polishy family whom I love dearly and they are all, including the woman, tall.
You are talking like this about your own husband??? Shame on you, I thought you meant ONLY Polish people are like this. By the way it’s not where you come from it’s who you are. In England people are worse when it comes to money but most wouldn’t tell you the truth, at least he told you the truth.
FUCK YOU STUPID POLISH BITCH STOP STEALING ENGLAND YOU CUNT YOU WHORE
wow…are you on social benefits ‘Serena’? (not even an english name…)
Jolanta: Remarkable restraint considering my rudeness. I was having a bad day; sometimes being a stranger in a strange land just gets you down.
I researched my historical comments thoroughly by glancing at a couple of amateur websites and dimly recalling something I read in a book once. I thought Poland was rich in the Middle Ages too…
I think my point about manners was that although the niceties are in place there doesn’t seem to be anything genuine behind them. People hold doors open for ladies, but don’t actually have any respect for them. It all seems to be more show than substance. Table manners are a good example, they don’t actually matter in any sense, but it doesn’t stop people gasping with horror when someone uses the wrong spoon. It’s seen as a sign of poor upbringing (i.e. poor social standing) more than anything else. I would prefer people not to push into queues or stampede for a newly opened checkout as a much greater priority than holding their knife in the correct way.
Evidence of my status as a freaky giant is mounting.
this is the most greatest thing ever in a million years
Hi Englishman….I a am polish living in USA and I so happy for this article of Polish people I love iit especial one about the money ..so right on…..my family is so envy and pissed off that I am living in USA they are trying to do everything to brign me back to Poland so I can be unhappy like them…and boy they are so gereedy beyond imagination ..money is the only one thign to drive them …..I am so glad that some else said that …thank you !
Dear Author,
1. Table manners.
Of course, in the long run it matters more if one is kind-hearted and pleasant to be with than the mere fact that one is proficient in using all sorts of cutlery, choosing the right glasses for the right wine etc. However, there are a number of decent people who seem to be capable of both.
By the way, I hope you are not against good upringing, are you?
2.Street manners.
Each time I come back from abroad I keep smiling at people on the street for a while but, after a day or so, I stop because it dawns on me that the passers-by find me strange, to put it mildly. Perhaps in Poland being polite in the street means looking ahead (hence the collisions on the pavement), not meeting anybody’s eye and keeping a neutral (but not hostile) expression on one’s face?
On the other hand, that ever-present smile on American faces may be just a facade, don’t you think?
I have noticed that a lot of Polish people fall over themselves to help a foreigner in distress. It suprises the foreigner so much sometimes that he or she even offers money in return!
I myself jump to foreigners’ rescue on the street, on the tram or on the train and I am often told that such behaviour would be very unusual in their own country. I have been offered money by Dutch, American, Swedish and English people and – to their amazement – I have never accepted it.
So, is something wrong with the foreign attitude or do I look that poor?
3. Queue manners.
If you had joined a five-mile queue for the toilet paper / meat / tea etc. just once some twenty-five years ago, you would know now that either you fight for it or you do not get it. Bearing this in mind, you might be more inclined to make allowances for the ways of the people who are over forty. There is no excuse for the young generation, though (perhaps it is genetic?).
4. Historical references.
I do recommend the books by Norman Davies for a start.
5. I do agree with your comment on question no.11.
Regards
Jolanta
As for distintive Polish facial characteristics – I too used to think that there are none. And then somebody suggest that I look at cheekbones.
[...] title, I’m referring to a brain fever that seized me the other day as I was writing “Eleven things you always wanted to know about Polish people and weren’t in the least bit disin…” I’m afraid I was terribly rude and unfair about Polish manners. I’m usually [...]
Dear reader,
1. No, I’m not against decent upbringing, but I am against judging people who haven’t had one (whatever that means). My point was that there seems to be an awful lot of social judgment in this country. The distinction between the educated urban elite and the (supposedly) uneducated rural ‘peasantry’ seems particularly marked and unfair. I’m afraid I can’t be dissuaded from the view that being seen to be ‘well brought up’ and economically comfortable is of overwhelming importance here. I know one can claim that good manners and generosity are marks of good character that transcend economic barriers, but I’ve seen too many examples of ‘simple’ people being scorned for their simplicity to honestly believe that this holds true.
2. I’ve thought about this one hard in the past couple of days. I’m afraid I’m still convinced that the average person looks at the clothes and the demeanor first and then decides how polite they are going to be. In almost any anonymous social meeting the Polish party always seems to be judging how rich and important the person is before deciding how to react.
3. The subject of queue manners occupies many hours of conversation among Brit ex-pats in Poland, believe me. It’s our number one horror. The weird thing is that British queue manners and Polish queue manners developed under almost identical conditions. Deep in the days of WWII rationing in Britain just thinking about jumping a queue was sufficient to get you sent to the gallows. There is some absence of common feeling in Poland that promotes an ‘every man for himself’ mentality. By the way, 20-east has also written about this.
17. I’ve added a new post that goes some way to explaining my rather vociferous mauling of Polish manners in this one.
Island,
Where to start?!?! (I’ll be brief)
1/ Agree with Jola, you can distinguish Poles from others with about an 80% accuracy. It takes quite some time to be able to do it, but it is possible.
2/ LOL! I had exactly the same street walking problem as you describe when I first arrived. I now have that problem when I visit the UK.
3/ We’ve never met but I think you must be over 1.8m tall?
4/ Rudeness. I think they can be considerably ruder in public situations where they clearly have no idea who you are. In any other, more private situation, I would say they are more polite. (than Brits) To Jola’s point, the entire world is more “genuine” than your average American, although there are exceptions.
5/ Colonies. The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth must be the closest. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_lithuanian_commonwealth
Generally on the issue of search terms that end up at one’s blog, I have the same fascination and same weird results. The strangest I ever had was something like “exploded view of a deconstructed chair”. Go figure!
Dear Author,
When I suggested that you make certain allowances I did not mean that you should accept jumping the queue but that you be a little bit more tolerant towards those pushing mercilessly the fellow “queuers” and standing so close to one another that you are bound to guess the contents of their stomachs. Personally, I hate it as much as you do (as I am fairly small in stature and easy to get overlooked in a queue) but I try to understand the origins of such behaviour.
In the past, if I recall it correctly, jumping the queue would result in the “jumper’s” immediate death. In order to prevent such unfortunate incidents people used to set up “queue committees” and to make a list of all those standing in a line; they would regularly check who was present and if you were unlucky, they would strike you of the list ( I am talking about those several-day-or-week-long queues for building materials, furniture, hosehold appliances etc.). By the way, the period of rationing in the UK seems to have been a little shorter than the communist era here …
My parents and my friends’ parents are, in most cases, the so-called first generation intelligentsia. Most of them are university graduates; they have never been rich and, under communism, they were state employees, teachers, doctors, engineers. They could not give us much in the material sense but they gave us something which I can only term as “decent upbringing”. As a result, I do not judge people by their financial status but by the way they think and behave.
My grandfather, a small holder so small that he had to become a travelling stove maker to provide for his family, endowed his six children with his gentle manners and a good upringing too.
And please, show mercy and do not imply that people abroad do not judge their countrymen by their clothes, cars, houses and other status symbols!
Jolanta
Dear EVERYSINGLE ONE OF YOU READERS AND AUTHOR,
i am an american but born into a very polish family.
i can agree and disagree with many of your “11 questions”
but i do not think you have the right to blog about a country you have visited once or twice and call the polish people rude, grreedy and basically describe them in all the negative ways. you should focus on the culture more and be more observant of the people and the way they interact, ALL cultures are different with very different temperaments. if your going to sit on the internet and blog about cultures and people from different parts of the world please take a couple anthropology classes so you don’t offend your readers. I’m sure you have a fatass and like to stuff your face every night with pierogi. you have offended me and i hope you learn more in your life because your just a woman who has no knowledge of culture.
The polish male and female I live with are the ones that stuff their faces and have flat wide asses simply because thay sit on it constantly complaining about this or that person until they feel like being pleasant in order to get something..if were lucky. Otherwise its the scowel! And may I add ignorant!
Grammar lesson for the authors of your search engine queries:
The word “polish” means blask, połysk, lakier, pasta, płyn etc., something with with you shine things like shoes, furniture, etc.
The word “Polish” is the adjective referring to Poland.
I’m SICK of seeing the two words confused with each other.
It may be that MS Word’s Spellcheck, which changes ‘Polish’ to ‘polish’ by default, is to blame. People of all nationalities think that Bill Gates Knows Better, and, deferring to his greater wisdom, switches to lower case.
It may be that Poles themselves, used to a language which has Proper Nouns but not proper adjectives, simply apply the same rule in English.
It may be PEOPLE DISSING MY COUNTRY (in your questions 1, 4, 8 and 9).
Dear Baduin and Scatts,
You seem to have got me (?) wrong. The terms “Slavic / Slavonic” refer to a linguistic category, not a racial one; thus, there cannot be any distinctively Polish / Russian / Czech facial features, if we are to be serious about it, of course.
The notion of “the Slavic race” (certainly inferior -Untermensch) was popularised some seventy years ago by … guess whom.
Jolanta
All: Yes, I think Scatts mis-attributed the ‘Polish facial characteristics’ comment to you Jolanta.
This whole issue has become something of a bugbear of mine since the argument previously broke out in the comments to What is Poland Anyway? This is what I think: yes, it is possible to identify Poles on the streets of London or Brits on the streets of Krakow without hearing them speak, but this is emphatically not because of any facial characteristics. Any Pole who’s lived in the UK and any Brit who’s lived in Poland will recognize the phenomenon. You see someone or, more usually a group of people, walking down the street and you are immediately and absolutely sure they are countrymen of yours.
I contend that there are several things that allow you to form this opinion, usually correctly, but that facial characteristics isn’t one of them. Body language, style of clothes, hairstyle, gestures, facial expressions yes, but not physical facial characteristics. Carefully look at the faces of Polish people on the street next time you go out then look me in the eye and tell me honestly that there are some common and universal features. It just isn’t the case. Yes, of course we all know Polish girls with slightly close-set or broad-set eyes and killer cheekbones (or whatever your favorite is), but think about it, we also know Polish girls who have neither of these things (I know, I know, but I’ve never had the inclination to closely study Polish male physiognomy).
As Jola quite correctly points out the notion of purely Polish racial characteristics is both absurd and faintly nauseating. It could only really be entertained in a country where 99.9 percent of the population is white and culturally homogeneous. I’ve certainly been in situations where I was immediately sure that a person with African or Asian racial characteristics was British, or American, or French, or whatever. In other words, a Brit who happens to be black is as immediately obvious to me as a Brit with ginger hair and bad teeth in the same way that one can spot an Algerian-Frenchman or a Turkish-German. It’s not in the face.
As I mentioned in the previous discussion a Japanese-American called Dyske Suematsu conducted a very interesting experiment that goes right to the heart of this issue. He wondered if it was really true that Japanese, Chinese, or Korean people could actually identify their fellow countrymen simply from a photograph of the face. The answer: no, not any better than an Eskimo guessing on pure chance. I’d love to prove that this is also the case with Poles, Czechs, and Russians, but have yet to summon the time or enthusiasm to carry out a similar operation.
By the way, I do not mean to imply that anyone who has commented on this is in any way racist or bigoted, but I do think there are some dangerous concepts lurking behind this whole idea that need to be brought out into the open and heavily stomped on.
Michael: I’ve often thought that it must be highly annoying to Poles that they can be mistaken for poles or that being Polish might imply that you can bring a shine to leather footwear. I am aware of the grammatical distinction and apologize if I’ve allowed it to slip through in the past.
Are you implying that I’ve dissed your country? Well, yes I have and I intend to continue doing so as long as I feel like it. I have of course also heaped praise, and very deliberately.
scatts: (I can’t help but find your nick vaguely, well, scatological… please supply some alternative explanation that I can get behind)
2) It’s so true. People back in Blighty never believe me and often conduct complex experiments to prove me wrong. Of course the results are slightly skewed by the fact that they take place on Kentish Town High Street where you’re as likely to be walking past a Somalian fresh off the boat, or a Pole, or a Lithuanian, or an slightly lost Russian billionaire, as a you are a born-and-bred Englishman.
3) I’m a little over 1.8 m (6 foot 1 in old money) which is by no means exceptionally tall in the UK. I lived in Warzsawa for a couple of years and I suspect that down here in the south people are generally a bit shorter. I’m sure it’s the result of to too much walking up and down mountains, it wears their legs down.
4) Rudeness. Yes, there really is something in it. There is a moment of judgment that precedes the decision to be polite or not. As a typical scruffy Englishmen I think I often fail to make the cut.
Search terms are indeed fascinating. I’m just worried by the fact that the chap who typed in “Jews responsible for World War II” ended up with me. And by saying that I have of course just doubled the chances that it will happen again. Self-censorship enters a new era–you dare not mention the phrases that you don’t want to be associated with…
scatts: going for the record on self-commenting, but it just occurred to me to mention DarthSida who blogs in English about living in the UK. I will get around to blogrolling him just as soon as I can figure out what the hell he’s going on about.
Hello to this blog, everyone, everyway
Hope you’ll pardon me a personal intrusion into your interesting topic:
=> island1
I was living in the UK for a very, very short of time, albeit long enough to make me feel like launching a London-about blog. Back in Poland, I’d want to comment on [inter alia] miscellanies of / in British media / life – either to keep pace with the UK should I return there – or to keep pace with my English (leid).
J
Keep on putting your thoughts down… keeps me laughing and checking your big words…
sorry will miss Krkw for New Years… maybe another time when warmer.
blessings,
L
I’ll sort of skip the whole “race” thing except to say I appear to have mixed up Jola & Baduin. Also to say I do honestly think there are such things as Polish faces, same as there are English ones. Lastly, for something I’m skipping, doesn’t “99.9 percent of the population is white and culturally homogeneous.” apply to Poland more than……any other country you can think of?
As for my nick. My surname is Scattergood (as per the “who me” section of the blog). When everyone eventually grew out of calling me “scatterbrain” at school they settled on “scatts”. I still have many friends I have known for well over 30 years and so this nick has sort of stuck. Although it does have certain shitty connotations, it has been my nick since before computers were available to the general public so I saw no need to re-invent myself especially for virtual purposes.
darthsida: Hi to you too. Your intrusion is quite welcome.
Thanks for the clarification. In skipping through your voluminous blog(s) I admit I missed the point where you ceased to be a foreigner and came back home.
Lon: Actually the weather is unseasonably warm (again), but it is terrifyingly gray, damp, and gloomy. I’ll keep putting in the big words as quickly as I can pick them at random out of my Big Boy’s Book of Hard Words
scatterbrain: aha… I have that feeling you get when somebody tells you something you’ve previously figured out and then forgotten. I do remember looking at your Who Me and this occurring to me before. I have to say your About page has significantly more information and significantly less cod Latin than mine. You can make up your own mind as to whether this is a good thing.
But WHY do you think there are such things as Polish faces, or for that matter English faces? It just isn’t true! You CAN identify people of your own nationality, or of a nationality that you know well, but it’s not the face that allows you to do this. Why do I say this? 1. Because studies have shown it just isn’t true (Dyske Suematsu’s experiment is just one easily accessible example). 2 Because non-white British people (or Americans) still look like Brits or Americans to me.
Rant over.
1. faces: the thing that gives Polish people out is deifinetely hair cut. usually very bad. this, however does not usually apply to women.
2. rudeness: there is something in what Island1 says about lack of genuine respect behind the gestures. i’m impressed with how observant you are. i think i’d generally agree… but not with one point. manners and money are not that connected. at least not in Poland.
in uk it’s different, and i think it comes from the general attitude of the British “working class” towards education of any kind. in poland poor and uneducated people still have a huge respect for the educated and education. that’s one of the reasons it’s usually the university professors who comment on things on tv, not “an average Pole”.
poor people in Poland also know the manners and pass them to their children, like other things they want to teach them
what i meant is that manners are not a reflection of your bank balance, but of your education/mentality
very interesting.
i’m adding in RSS Reader
[...] you prove me wrong, you have to, well, just admit it, to yourselves: Polish guys are beautiful. PS Island, if you’re reading: there are some Polish facial characteristics. (Except for those making us [...]
[...] mustache, snor, wąs, wąsy, ūsai Unique Polish facial characteristics were denied their existence. Or it’s said, admittedly, if there’s anything unique about Poles, [...]
You are right about the Middle Ages. Poland was indeed quite powerful during the Middle Ages (the monarch was the third wealthiest in Europe, just check out what remains of his former tapestry collection at Wawel) and Renaissance, and the “Rebirth” actually made its way from Italy to Poland before it did to other parts of Europe).
Also, yes, Poland did have colonies, in mainland Europe. And if you count Tobago, which was colonized by the Courlandians which were then a fief of Poland, you can count a remote colony as well. But it quickly fell to the Dutch and Poland was too embroiled in its own internal affairs to give a hoot.
And one more thing! How tall are you? You must suffer from giganticism, because the average Polish height is 176cm, hardly what one would call short.
Bob: Courlandians eh? Sounds interesting I’ll have to find out more.
176 cm may be the average but believe me there are and awful lot of short people down here in Krakow. Maybe they’re all 2 meters tall in Gdansk to bump up the average.
Why are u pissin off polacks. What are you a british Pri**?
Stop sayin bad things, and say somethin about urself that u guys are ugly as f***, ur teeth are as big as rabbits and u guys have no manners at all.
island1: Being an American, I wanted to find out my “genealogical roots”, and I actually went as far as having a DNA test done. I was surprised when the results came back “Polish”, especially since I have traced all my ancestors back to the England (to the 1500′s). In an attempt to find out more about Polish people, I ended up reading your blog. I think you are absolutely hilarious and a fantastic writer. You should come here to California and become a comedy writer!
Genene: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it. Now tell me you’re the head of a major studio and want to offer me a job.
Good luck with the Polish roots thing. Plenty of interaction between England and Poland even before 1500; Hanseatic League traders and all that.
If you’re interested in Poland do click over to Polandian; a collaborative blog where most of my stuff appears these days.
But you Brits (or English is maybe more accurate) are obsessed with queueing. You have to admit that it is more than a little silly to queue for a bus, when there almost always is a place for everyone. But I also agree, that the Poles could learn a little from the English, but there’s no need to go to either extreme.
Hmm about height.
Let’s maybe u r taller than poles ;p
Average height of polish men is 174 cm
And i am 157cm.
Small?
most polish i met abroad are rude (not in poland). they talk about other nationalities like they are superior. talk about asians not speaking good english when they themselves were poor in english. they look down on you – they look at your clothes, your car, your everything. even casual parties they dress like they’re going to an Evening Ball. They are very much concerned about money. money money money.
@i hate polish
I could say the same about Asians sometimes. All they do is look at status and look at what you drive. Cookie-cutter asians with their nose pointed in the air or at accounting textbooks.
See what I did there? It is very easy to demonize another race/culture.
Also, we do not dress to show off, we dress up to show we have respect for ourselves enough to not dress like trash, however, That does not mean we do not dress casually. =]
Yes, at times we are rude/crude, and even racist, and we are very outspoken, however, I am sure that can be applied to all races given a certain context.
I am Polish, my Fiance is Chinese. Kind of blows your initial comment out of the water doesn’t it?
I wandered by this comment and felt the need to have my own say.
Wrong about the height bud,
Most of the people in my POLISH family are above 6ft tall, women ranging from 5’8″ to 5’10″
I myself am 77 in. tall and damn proud to be
I am a first timer to Poland currently sitting in a hostel thinking how did I end up reading this fascinating blog when I’m in a foreign country (another story for another day).
I have to say that I’m of the friendly type and smile at someone if they look at me in the eye (walking down street, in a bar, anywhere pretty much) and I get scowled at quite regularly.. Why is this?
Is it because I 185 (with sun streaked hair and a definite surfer image I’ve been told)?? Are people here heightists or is smiling at a stranger not acceptable here.
I’m of the opinion that a lot of people here in Wroclaw don’t really meet many other people than drunken british males looking for good looking polish women to ravage who in turn look out for british males and avoid them at all costs… again just an opinion but could it be true?
Oh and by the way.. Drinking Guide… what a brilliant blog!
1. I am proud to boost the average to 193 cm (six foot four, as we say in Chicago). I have no idea whether the polish food my babcia served, the fumes of Chicagoan traffic, or some ingredient in my school lunch did it, but I’ve outgrown my entire extended family. In my humble opinion, Poles are no shorter than most other races once corrected for nutrition, Masai and Pigmies aside.
2. The facial characteristics might be subtly there, but I believe much of it is culturally learned. Perhaps we Poles can sense others with our minds?
3. On the subject of courtesy, I believe we generally are cautious, but not rude. Last I checked, our tourists do not have the unfortunate habit of stealing signs from our neighbours.
http://www.utterpants.co.uk/news/world/rudesigns.html
4. On the subject of alcohol: simply check the Polish ranking in beer consumption per capita – it is difficult to find an adult (or teenager) in Poland that has not imbibed two drinks in the past twenty four hours.
5. Historically, all of Eastern Europe could have been speaking Polish by now if not for two unfortunate tendencies: poor allegiances and worse bureaucracy.
Our neighbours (with Lithuania as a major exception proving the rule) generally either allied against us and then divided up the resulting spoils of crushing us (multiple times), or our allies were content to sacrifice us in the hope of appeasing their enemies (see: Roosevelt, Churchill, although the Sudetenland felt this, too).
Our politicians may have been even more lamentable; after the strong monarchy Poland initially possessed faltered and a legislative government took over, we Poles have been (pardon the pun) shafted. If it wasn’t the horridly mistaken liberum veto policy of the sejm (one vote against negates the entire vote, ad infinitum), it was the puppeteering of the Soviet government. After the Kaczyński twins left office, the most common complaint I hear about Polish politics is that it isn’t even entertaining anymore.
Polish women,
Great in bed but deadly in all matters of the heart. They are cold as hell and razor sharp. No wonder Polish men have a reputation for heavy drinking…..I have had a few encounters and been close to hitting the hard stuff my self. Polish women have no idea what they want (even less so than other women) but they are damn sure that all the problems in the world are your fault and they are going to get even with you for it…well in advance.
I am seeing a Polish girl now (it took me a year to recover from the last one) and frankly………she is ………hell on toast! Great looking though. Lets see. What the hell am I doing. I just never learn.
Dear idiots,
You have no clue what your saying! First of all any country can be rude and just because poles don’t open the door for your spoiled ass doesn’t mean there rude! Gosh, your being rude right here and very selfish expecting everyone to move for your big BRITISH ass.You think every country has to bow down and kiss your feet when you strut down the street. I’ve been to Britain and theres all sorts of ignorant and selfish people. BTW I’m not polish, I just think you’re stupid.
This is the strangest website….. It appears to be based on nothing factual or intelligent at all. What a waste of time!
I think this website should be a study in the pitfalls of stereotyping.
You guys are wrong on so many points I think it’s not even worth writing about?
I guess I’ll address a few….. Poland was dominant in Europe in the 15th and 16th centuries.
Poland is the 19th tallest country in the world. (according the the chart I read). From my personal observation the people in the north seem to be a bit taller than the ones in the south.
As an expat living in a foreign country (Japan) I completely understand both the need to vent on apparent differences and the feeling of being judged by everyone around you.
I’m under the impression that all expats, everywhere, feel that the people in the other nation are judgmental because manners are essentially culture- culture that you did not grow up with, culture that you may never completely fit into. Truth is, we are being judged. This happens everywhere.
That being said, I was disappointed that the author would merrily engage in some serious stereotyping despite having suffered under so much stereotyping himself.
Commentors, too- I’m rather sick of being judged because I’m American. Just like the Polish are sick of being judged for being Polish; same for the British. Come on, people.
Having spent some time in a smaller city in Poland… the distinctive aspect of the Poles is that the young women dress to kill (tight jeans, high books, short skirts), the young men dress like hooligans, and the old people all look like tired alcoholics.
When I enter a train carriage everyone greets me.
People drink astounding amounts.
The young women are beautiful, eager, smart, and if you filter out the obvious semi-pros, nice. I’ve never been so flattered in my life as with my Polish girlfriends (4 or 5 in a cloud right now).
I love the Poles, to be honest: traumatized, brilliant, beautiful, tough, fucked up, hard working, brutal.
Uhm, that should be “high boots” not “high books”…
Hi all, I am but another random person searching the net and stumbling onto this website. I never usually blog, 1st time infact, but this one got me going.
Well actually i am into mining and was looking for “Polish” mines after chatting with a mate on the subject, thought what the hell and ended up reading this and loving it.
I, as a brit, lived in Chile for a while with a completely foreign culture and yes you do feel strange with the perception of manners, but generally people are being polite in their own defined way, its just that we dont fully understand their mannerisms, thus we may percieve them as rude.
Ok i do drink loads of beer and that does fit with the brit abroad type but i never cause or get involved in any trouble, infact i actively avoid it. I do hold open the door for the person behind me and end up standing there for ages while everyone walks through, but hey, id rather wait a few seconds than let it close in your face.
I get really pissed off when i hear all my fellow so called countrymen slagging off foreigners, saying stuff like, they are taking all our jobs. Here we go…. 1. How many brits think they are too good to do that job, fucking loads. 2. especially when their education isnt exactly up to scratch, and the “foreigner” has a proper education. 3 why work when you can sign on?.
I was eating out in the summer and the place was being staffed by Polish people. These guys get up at 5am or earlier to go out on the boats and catch the fish, crabs, lobsters etc. They cook, prep and serve all day they clear up after us. Someone complained to the manager that the waitress had been rude, when infact she had been courteous and polite, the rudeness was coming from her. It was a blatent attempt to get the poor girl in trouble. Anyhow we informed the manager after she had left and all was well.
Ill just say that all the experiences i have had with Polish people here and abroad, albeit not many have been perfectly polite.
Respect to you guys for leaving your country and busting your hump to better yourselves. Its an admirable quality that many a chav could do with learning.
Final point, I may be a bit of a traditionalist for modern britain, but whats with some of our girls these days? You wonder why so many British blokes like foreign women.Ok maybe they should quit with the drunken attempts to pull.
But, Different Country, culture, language, looks and expectations of life and then see how much more interesting it can be getting to know a foreign girl. Its amazing!!!
Szczęśliwe Boże Narodzenie, I hope that says Happy Christmas.
No offense to you mr.island1, but Polish are not rude. They are quite the kind and caring, well-mannered, and respectful people. As for the part about them being short…that’s not really true. Women are 5′ 5” or 5′ 6” on average and men around six feet. Believe me I know A Lot of Polish people and they are Kind and Tall.
first off…i wouldnt consider polish people short in general..i’m 6’2″ (188 cm) and im muscular and heavy at 240lbs (109 kg) my hometown prides itself on being polish, most polish men ive met in my life were near my height or taller…im friends with 4 brothers whom all are pure polish blood, and they all tower over me in height and weight..
i personally can tell if someone is polish, for the most part… we (in michigan) are a breed of hard working monsters who are struggling from a failed economy…
as far as the polish people being considered dumb, i think it might be derived and twisted from our ability to get hit over the head with a baseball bat, shake it off, and put the guy who did it out of his misery…
alas, my personal experiences with chicago and west michigan poles..
the reason why we you think we have bad street matters, is because we dont talk to people we dont know because we dont want to know you we just want to be on out way and thats it
P.S. I now live in Chicago
I have to disagree with a lot of what you said. Polish people are not rude when you get to know them. Many polish men are very tell, and most children are taller then other races. Another thing, polish people are drunks. Not trying to be rude to anyone, but we do drink a lot. Vodka is like our own product.
Hi! I am another random googler that landed on your blog searching for facial characteristic of Polish people. I see certain characteristics in my oldest daughter, myself, and my female cousin…wondering what part of our heritage they are.
Thanks for the post, it was a nice read.
Just a note, calling Lithuania a polish colony is a really good way to piss them off. I am 2nd generation Lithuanian in America, my parents get PISSED when people call the polish.
most of what you wrote on this website is bull, most polish men are tall, and youth, girls and boys, are usually tall now as i am and im still a kid, and if you really are truely polish you can tell a polish person form another, and polish people arent rude, look around if u piss someone of in any race they will be rude to you, so im guessing thats why you did. Oh and polish people do drink a lot, so btw unless ur polish you shouldnt be making up a website about the country or people ok.
im 50% polish, and i totally agree with the guy above me
Sorry to break it to you, but No.1 is incorrect. Studies have shown that Polish people, or more specifically men, are taller than most European groups. Their average height is 5’10″, but apparently the Dutch have the tallest average.
Hi guys,
I’m writing thesis about Poland and Polish people in foreginers opinion.
Please fill out the survey below. It will help me with my researches.
If you have any friends, somebody from family who were in Poland please forward this message too.
Survey you can find here —> http://www.moje-ankiety.pl/wypelnij/kwestionariusz/16814/
Thank you for your help:)
Grażyna
Dear author!
))
As you can see from the comments that emerged after you took a liberty to write about our dear polish friends, they have another very interesting characteristic: pride. The more stupid pole, the bigger the pride will be. Their pride is usually huge, and amazingly, mostly groundless:) I have to yet figure out what is it exactly they are so proud of…
By the way, about the green flag , RIGHT ON !
haha heyyy i was reading this and found it interesting although it took me awhile to get through it (ummm skipped alot)
My grandfather was Polish (hes dead it sounds weird to say he ‘is’ because to me he’s gone) BUT that was a tangent ha…
I was just interested in the facial features and build because when people ask me my heritage i obviously say polish and whatever else but they seem to pick the polish and say they can see it in me like i have high cheek bones and i dont know i was just interested in why they say they can see it.
Oh my. You are one angry person.
Everything you wrote has no sense, and is not true. You must be high or just plain scared of our culture because it’s not like yours.
People. everything on here is lies. Please do not believe this person. We are nothing like she described. This person makes us look like bunch of stupid, unmannered jerks.
And you are the authority on this topic how again…?
I immediately ceased taking your blog entry seriously when you used “it’s” incorrectly.
Cheers
Hi,
I’m an English expat working for a Polish company in the far east.
My immediate boss is Polish as is the MD of the company and several other colleagues.
I have found my Polsh boss and colleagues to be polite, respectfull and easy to get along with.
Yes, they have a tendency to consume industrial quantities of alcohol and can seem morose and maudlin at times.
The one characteristic that stands out is how loud they are when talking to each other and the tone of voice used.
It sounds like they’re having a massive arguement when in fact they’re simply enquiring as to the health of the wife and kids. Has anyone else noticed this ?
Also my boss, who’s in his early sixties, has a hatred of the Russians boardering on an obsession. Given his age and Poland’s recent history this is explainable. Younger Polish guys don’t seem to have the same hang up.
I don’t think the Poles complain too much. They seem a bit like the Brits; just get on with it.
Fu*$ the Brits
Best you could make changes to the webpage title Eleven things you always wanted to know about Polish people and weren’t in the least bit disinclined to ask Wyspianski unwinding to something more catching for your blog post you make. I enjoyed the blog post yet.
You’re an ignorant sad, sad person. I’m Polish.
Almost NOTHING you said was true about Poles. First off, as a 5’7″ female I’m considered short in my family, that’s above average in the US. Poles are far from being rude as a whole, what did YOU do to upset them? I’m assuming from this one post you’re English…your country has the stereotype of being rude with no personality. It’s also thought of as one of the least attractive countries (your few thousand years of inbreeding at work). How many supermodels are English? How many are Polish? You’re as ugly inside as I’m sure you are on the outside.
Oh, I read the comments and saw your picture, you are in fact, very unattractive, maybe because of the English inbreeding? I wouldn’t smile at you either. Why would I? Guys always take like it’s their lucky day && I would ever be interested. No, and ew.
About “1. giving up your seat on the bus to a female who is either a) pretty or b) likely to give you a severe ear-bashing if you don’t;
2. inviting people around to your house and plying them with food and drink in order to demonstrate that a) you have expensive stuff in your house and b) that you can afford to ply people with food and drink;
3. sucking up to people who may be able to do you a favor at some unforeseeable point in the future (elsewhere this is known as bribery).”
This is a total example of a typical English person, they all live in small houses comparing to Polish people, they always want others to think they are loaded, the car is more important than 52″ tv as this is what most people see them in, then they have kids at 16 and live in council association houses, maybe they will change their couture now that Cameron has lifted the limit of endless housing rights. There is much more to write about how rude and feckless English people (not all) are, as much as there is on any other country, but I appreciate that you did not only slag us off as a nation but also said a few good and more true things, other blogs only write about the bad things but don’t realise that all countries have good and bad things they are known for. Maybe you just don’t want to get beaten up by someone who could recognize you while visiting Poland. In terms of people being rude and have attitude on streets I suggest you take a trip to the centre of London, you will get a lot of loving and appreciation from Londoners – NOT!
(maybe your next topic? lol)
youre a racist fuck
Do all polish men have small (appendages)?
Polish people only care about money and how they look, theyre mean and insensitive. I lived in Poland for two years. If you dont go to the store in full dress looking beautiful people will look at you like you dont belong, like you should get shot!
Polish people are one of the meanest people in the world. they think they are a superior race.
Oh you poor thing ……… how difficult time you have had , my dear, with us superior race . Lucky you , you haven`t lived in Germany ! Then you would know what this ” superior race ” mean ……..
maybe you just didnt live in the right area. polish people dont only care about money actually money isnt so important to us. most polish people believe that you should dress nicely when you go out no matter where you go its just proper. when my mom was a kid it was embarresing for yourself to wear sweatpants when you take out the trash. We are not mean, and you are rude by assuming they are like that. It may only seem like Polish people think they are the superior race because we are proud of where we come from. In history we have fought for out country so many times.
and yes i believe all polish men have small appendegaes! at least a certain one in Lodz does.
I visited England once and I must admit that in most cases people live in houses which they rent to others coz they can`t pay the morgages . That`s the rule . So there is no normal family life over there . The jokes about the Scots are only to hide english real nature – sly, stingy and mean . They live like pigs in a pigsty. They don`t wash themselves , taking a shower it is just a waste of money ! And they drink heavily . It seems like they have never enough of strong alcohol , they drink not by litres , it must be measured by hectolitres . It seems that everybody is drunk after work including females and kids. Some start drinking as early as the stores get opened . The majority of Brits are obese and ugly , and this uglyness t can`t be hidden by cosmetics . I have never met a pretty face over there among males or females . And what was striking me – big crooked teeth as if they never heard of orthodontist . They start coming to Poland now to have their teeth done , coz it is cheaper , lol . They are stingy so it explains the cause .
THANK YOU FOR THIS HILARIOUS BLOG POST!
!
I was born in the United States to Polish parents who came from two different areas of Poland, feuded incessantly, and ended up divorcing (not to mention, dragging me to court, wedging me between themselves, leaving me burnt beyond all belief, dealing with it on my own).
I have traveled to Poland many times.
It was hard growing up with a Polish ideology at home, and otherwise being immersed in Americana and growing up in upper suburbia.
My father drank away his problems (typical).
Although I speak, read, and write Polish fluently (I attended a Polish language school on Saturdays for the majority of my grade school years), I am far more drawn to the “American side” of myself. I’m open minded, sarcastic, witty, warm, and charitable. I enjoy my personal space.
Back in the day, when I used to do a lot of work within the Polish community, I was organizing charity events, cultural events, and contributing to a local Polish publication. All on my own time and dime. For this, I was accused of “being a self-promoting snob.” Sigh.
I don’t eat pork (I hate it), and no, I’m not Jewish. I don’t drink liquor. I don’t drive a Toyota or Nissan (the bland, go-to people movers you see parked at Polish gatherings here).
Polish people do not actively listen to what you’re saying. Perhaps this is why talk psychotherapy is something that never caught on over there.
Their world view has been indefinitely tainted by communism. So, someone’s personality and personal worth = their job/role in society.
They criticize everyone. I could never watch the news growing up with hearing about how the news reporter looks.
They are the biggest complainers I have ever met. To the point where I stopped attending Polish mass, because I’d hear the women gossiping about me DURING MASS.
They don’t have fun. They criticize people for having “too much fun.” Such as myself, with my collection of cars. I always get comments: How could I be so selfish? How can I waste money on “nothing?” I get extra layers of resentment because I’m female.
Clearly, I posted on here as a way to release some of my resentment. If you’ve read up to here, thank you.
I am of Polish blood, and I respect many things about the culture, but I will not be part of the Polish community. I forgave the back stabbing and hypocritical abuse, but I will not be hurt any longer.
just thought id say that you have to get to know someone. Not everyone in Poland is the same. You can’t just assume everyone is the same. But most people in europe are partiers (including Polish people). Ive lived in Poland my whole life. Have you ever been to a Polish wedding? the only thing people do at those is party. but nice try.
It seems to me that a number of your observations of the Polish people/culture comes from direct experience. However, many of your observations do not take into consideration certain historical aspects of polish culture. The sociopolitical climate during Solidarnosc in the eighties, rising above a Soviet communist regime, persecution of millions during World War II: all have attributed to the Pole’s social identity, and to a certain extent cultural identity as well. Previous posters and “island1″ have mentioned Polish people to be rude and in certain social situations even callous or “judgemental”. I disagree with this statement. Throughout the Holocaust, two World Wars, the Turks, Ottomans, etc.; Polish people have been persecuted, killed, and governed since before its inception as a modern republic in 1919. The younger generation of poles are being influenced by the older generation that still harbors distinct isolationist tendencies, antisemitism, and xenophobia (though to a far less degree than say Japan for example). Therefore the idea that Polish people are rude is a generalization that doesn’t take into consideration the social climate that shaped these ideals.
Polish people do have certain muscular and skeletal formations in their face that designate a Slavic/Eastern European descent. High cheekbones and a prominent brow with light colored eyes are a product of environment (e.g. windy highlands with less sun). Therefore it is possible to determine if somebody is Polish by their face. This ability does take many years of observation and immersion in the polish culture however.
“Poles drink?!” Yes, many Poles do. Are you implying that Russians, Germans, Slovakians, Yugoslavians, Belarusians, Irish, Serbians, French, Italian, Greek etc. do not partake in rituals of drinking? Every culture has its own preconceived notions regarding the social consumption of alcohol. Poles may have a higher rate of alcohol consumption than the U.S. for example, but far less alcohol related deaths and DUI’s. The reason for that being drinking alcohol does not have such a stigma associated with it as in the U.S. Alcohol is taught to be a cultural ritual that is used in moderation in Poland, whereas in the U.S. it has become more of a “restricted entertainment”. Every culture has individuals who do not drink in moderation. They are called drunks and are not an adequate representation of an entire population sample.
Geographically wise, of course Poland has been invaded, annexed, governed by foreign ministries over its tenure as an European republic. Its position between Eastern Europe and western Europe makes it a geographically significant axis between these nations. Trade, especially through the Baltic sea, is a major component of the Polish economy. Throughout the 2000′s, Poland remained the only country in Europe that had a positive Gross Domestic Product rate, and continues to do so still. In addition Poland produces approximately 25% of Europe’s legumes/grains supply as well as tin, copper, and vast amounts of coal. It is a valuable location because of its agricultural impact on Europe, as well as its economical impact. This is precisely why Hitler invaded Poland in earnest after the acquisition of Austria in 1939. It provided the springboard for his war against Britain and the Allies.
Finally, I feel I need to question your understanding of European borders:
“Britain is “surrounded” by France, Holland, Scandinavia, and Ireland. Germany is “surrounded” by France, Scandinavia, and Poland. How come the Germans aren’t complaining that they’ve been subjected to consistent and unsporting invasion?”
Britain is “surrounded” by no landmasses. Ireland is a part of great Britain…which is an island. WATER is actually quite a deterrent; there are reasons why Hitler built his U-Boat battalions and had them patrol the Channel. At one point the Armadas of England and Spain were the most powerful military forces in the world because they could circumvent this obstacle. I can’t even explain that more clearly. The Germans only bombed Britain, rather than try a land invasion. As for your assertion that the French, Scandinavians, and Polish haven’t persecuted the Germans…I am honestly at a loss for words. Beyond the fact that Poland had only been an actual represented country since 1919 and had a relatively liberal political and militaristic stance, or that Scandinavia was a neutral country that actually helped the German transport goods and soldiers as well as provide Iron ore for the war effort, or the French who welcomed Hitler with a parade and a half-hearted defense at the Maginot line. The countries you mentioned were either neutral with barely any military presence, allies, or provided tens of thousands of men to the German army (according to statistics 38,000 French soldiers lost their lives under German command). The Germans have been invading consistently and “un-sportingly” since before World War I and have spat upon the “fair” Geneva Convention and Versailles Treaty numerous times.
Are Polish people short? Every population tends to have a bell curve in regards to height, with extremes in either direction of the spectrum respectively. I believe that you are making a generalization based on your own experiences rather than statistical fact. Regardless, Polish individuals are very much average in height, when taking the averages of the entire world.
Finally for the least serious topic: Are Polish Girls crazy?
Not necessarily. Every girl can be crazy or irrational regardless of nationality. I just prefer mine to be Polish AND crazy
Wow! This has been a long discussion. I came to this site because I love a Polish man who doesn’t know, yet, that I fancy him!
But I feel I must say that our English parish priest has NO manners. He opens doors and just walks through them in front of me and does not do any of the gentlemanly things that ladies expect – e.g. pull out chairs for us etc. He’s a good priest – but as a “gentleman” he’s a slob.
I’m sure my Polish man, when I get to know him, will be so different!!!!!!
As for rudeness, if saying what you think and giving an honest opinion is rude then so be it.
Tables manners do tend to go out of the window depending on how hungry you are – is that really so bad!!
Sucking up to people you may need a favour off in the future is always wrong and probably fruitless anyway cos you’ve probably chucked that much wodka down their necks they’ll not remember anyway.
Not a full Polak but Gran was and she was without doubt the most beautiful , honest person I have ever met.
Dear Author,
You are very wrong on so many levels. For one, Polish people are not short. Some are short, but the majority is TALL. I am Polish, I have many Polish friends, and I have visited my country 7 times. 90% of Poles are tall. Also with manners, Polish people may not respect men, but when it comes to women they are very respectful. All women in Poland have the utmost respect from men. Table manners are also very important in Poland. If you were in a pub, then I am not surprised as Polish people are heavy drinkers, but in general we respect dinner time and expect manners at a table. Lastly, how can you not tell if a person is Polish?? Polish, Russians, Ukrainians, and Czechs, all have very similar facial people. After all, they all belong to the Slavic family.
Please get your facts straight next time
This is 100% right, I Love You for saying this
I agree with you all the way Mela. As for ,island1, the author of this entry, you really need go over your facts. I am a Polish-American and I’m 5’10- 5’11. Note that I am a girl and not a ‘short arse’ as you would say. Really the way that people judge us. Yes we may be known for some things more then others, but making false assumptions about us and not actually asking or looking into it more is sort of annoying. All races have their good and bad sides.
The Questions:
1- Proved it. Not all poles are short. Depends on family traits. (If I were to judge like you I would say that most girls in Chicago are short-compared to me)
2- Yes, there are unique traits that stand out to the point of identifying a Pole or at least identifying a European. It depends on the persons ability to recognize diffrences in facial characteristics (I can identify another Polish person around me.)
3- I agree. Anywhere pretty much.
4- Are Polish ppl rude? That depends on the person. Not all Poles are rude. Though from what I have noticed, Poles do judge other races. Just like anyone else.
7- Yes Polish people are known for drinking a lot.
9- “Crazy Polish Women”….*sigh* really?
Anyway. Sometimes I sigh from the stupidity of all races. I dont consider myself as a full Pole or a full American person. I’m a bit of each, but I will stand-up for my side and what I believe in. Making us seem different then from we really are is stupid. You had your own experience where it might have not been so well, but that does not mean that we act like that all the time.
Hmm…..how to end….I’ll quote Mela^
“Please get your facts straight next time”…See ya!
Wll shit son, if you have nothing good to say about Poland, you always criticize it, you don’t like our customs, ways, traditions and the way we look or talk then why don’t you move back to your precious England, where people with crooked teeth will get you some nice tea to dry your tears?
Polish people are the rudest people I’ve ever met! They are loud, don’t respect their neighbors, don’t give a damn. They’re awful. The most used word in the Polish language is “kurwa” and “pierdolic”, both translate as “fuck”.
I agree with the guy who said young Polish men dress as hooligans and the girls dress to kill (actually the fashion police should come to this country! LOL)
nice
I’ve been in touch with Polish guys for almost two years and yes they are so mean, insensitive, superior race and racist! I was so blind for not realizing those traits earlier, maybe because I’m a fucking stupid jerk. I found somebody (Polish Guy) closer to me, I liked him so much more than that, he always makes me smile and I know he likes me too. Oh btw appreciated his effort of staying up late just to be with me.
But everything ended up into nothing. He’s a liar a user! Second time in a row I was searching for a friend in UK (chat) I don’t know why I always end up to a Polish guy. I think large part of UK could be considered a Polish Colonies. True?? And guess what they’ll come from failed marriage/ divorced. I wonder how they treated woman. (Rude) Sorry I’m not referring to all this is just based from my experience. Now I know what “kurwa” means THANK YOU Mister (ES)
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Who you? are you polish? oh that’s why…
i have to have an argument with these things because i am polish and i do live in poland.
first of all Polish people compared to americans are not short. When i went to america the people were very short!
second maybe it doesnt seem like this to anyone that lives in america but yes we can tell by facial features who is polish. generally speaking polish people do have a certain nose and shape of the face. When i came to america i can tell right away if they were polisha nd most of the times i heard them speak in polish too.
Polish people can be rude but they aren’t. when i came to america i was shocked to see no manners from anyone. everyone in america is very rude. In poland people have a lot of manners.
and poland was not responsible for any killing of people following the jewish religion. that is very mistaken.
BULLLLLLLLLLSHITTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT ! :@ :@ :@
I hate this crap
Yea i hate Polish people they are so rude! insensitive and user. ..
Ur a dum ass
POLSKA!:) I dont really have anything bad to say about Polish people they are hard working, women take care of them selfs, they know how to cook and clean, have well raised families, go to church, proud, good lovers, and the women KNOW HOW TO KEEP THEIR MENNN, once you fall inlove with a Polish woman its tough to get out, in a good way;)
God bless North America!
Im not against them or anything. Every Polish person i met look alike. I looked up pictures on google and the girls mostly have those bubblish lips and those cute round eyes. The boys also sometimes have those round lips or flat lips and round eyes. My friend would CONSTANTLY mention that she is polish. Im russian and she somehow understands russian better than i understand polish since the languages are sort of alike. And she CAN be a bit bossy and always in the lead.
I’m a Canadian engaged to a Polish guy. I spend my summers in Poland. I have to say the cultural politeness is very different from that of Canada. I find the men are very loud and overbearing and basically pumped full of testosterone so they talk louder and louder over each other. I find the men have this ritual of shaking hands when they approach a group but never acknowledge the women. Compared to Canada, the drinking is VERY heavy. Having multiple hard-liquor drinks at a meal each day is the norm and drinking into the night is extremely common. In Canada, maybe a beer, two tops but a mickie of vodka is quite extreme. They defiantly are offended when you choose not to drink at a meal.
As for looks I would say Polish women are very well put together. All women have their hair done nicely when they go out and are clean and polished with tans and their nails done. They always wear nice clothing and ALWAYS have heels on. I can’t seem to figure out these young mothers who wear heels pushing their strollers down cobblestone roads….boggles my mind why they wouldn’t wear supportive shoes. I think this is partly where the concept of “rude” and “greedy” come from. The fact that they wear stilettos to the grocery stores presents a shallowness and narcissistic attitude (as opposed to relaxed, functional footwear) about the culture and I think North-American’s perceive this as eluding to being materialistic and stuck up. In Canada, if you were to wear similar clothing to the grocery store you would defiantly get weird looks. It’s funny cuz the Polish men do seem to dress like bums overall.
As for the money-hungry part. From my own experience, my fiance came into A LOT of money and the first thing that happened was his family had their hands out waiting for presents and gifts. Examples: his dad bought a new house and gladly accepted $250 000 CAD to pay for the whole thing instead of accepting only enough to pay what was left over of the mortgage after using the money from the house he just sold …and didn’t even offer to put my fiance’s name on the deed. My fiancee’s aunt and uncle from Poland sent us a mile-long list of what they wanted us to bring them when we only have so much room in our luggage (expensive perfumes, GAP clothing, electronics etc). My fiance bought himself a F150 truck but his dad HAS to drive it to his work to show it off to his coworkers as if the two trucks he already owns can’t get him from point A to point B. My fiance bought a BMW 335i here in Poland and his uncle insists on driving it to church and work, leaving us stranded to take the taxi. My fiance took myself, his aunt & cousin shopping and OMG I was embarrassed they wanted & had my fiance buy so much clothing they couldn’t carry all the bags to the car. There’s even been random people approach my fiance for money just because they are both Polish. Or the childhood friend from Poland needing money because their coke-sniffing husband landed them in trouble. My personal opinion is the Polish culture is very materialistic, maybe because the country isn’t as well off in some parts as we are in North America, but still I can say appearances, whether it be physical or material, are a big part of the culture as a whole.
hmmmm, sounds familiar to me..what’s your ex fiance’s name? I prolly know him
You are a small minded imbecile.
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Is the word “Pollack” pejorative? I’m very curious about this.
I have read through these comments with interest. There are rude people in every country and indeed beautiful and ugly people in every country and not all beautiful people are nice! I think all English, Polish, White Russians, Germans, northern French people look the same and only have different languages and general cultural differences. Same for the Italians, Spanish, southern French, Portuguese, Greeks, Albanians, Romanians look the same too. I am glad to say that I have a wide range of friends-Finnish, Dutch, Lithunian, French, Serbian, Jewish, Indian, Chinese, Korean, Phillipino. I am married to a Chinese and I am of Irish, Scottish, French, English, Spanish descent.
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i was born in poland and moved to america and i must say yes polish people are “short on change” but they have huge hearts and id rather be a broke loving guy with many freinds, than a rich asshole with fake freinds so i say this with all due respect fuck off, you dont know anything about us. go guess things on other races/cultures and write like you know what your saying again, i find it ammusing
To Anonymous just great that you can’t put your name down. In reply to slagging me off with name calling and swearing at me! Just shows me how immature you are! Okay you were born in Poland and moved to America; Poland must have thrown a party the day that you moved to America and by the way you are not Polish you are American and one of the minority that are
thrash! I never said anything about Polish people being bad in fact my daughter-in -law is Polish and I have met many from Poland whom are very nice people and certainly not like you! You don’t know the meaning of respect. I don’t happen to be rich at all and have had too work two jobs until I retired, I am in my sixties and I am still working and my friends don’t happen to be fake at all. Learn manners and be polite in future because I doubt with your attitude you have any friends!!
…One vote from here that Polish girls are pretty & nuts…Fell in love w/one when I was 19-20, married her & she broke my heart. Twice. Took awhile to get over that….Polish girls learn their skills from their mothers, like all girls do…If your potential Polish mother in law gives you the cold yet polite shoulder, Run Forrest, Run!…
I eventually got over the pain of getting my heart ripped out twice & since then take consolation in knowing that she has been busy for years screwing up other guys lives. This is what they do.
..What’s the difference between a wake & a sunday afternoon dinner in a polish house?….At the wake, at least the corpse is smiling…There ya go.
You are English right,and talking about manners?loool
try to stop in middle of road in Oxford street,people will push you like a piece of meat.take a walk in friday midnight in centre-many people behaving like animals,they r noisy,agresive,looking or fight,kicking in bins,layng on pavements…
if you go to even a posh restaurant in england,the stuff is treating you as a piece of shit,ignoring,and behave arogantly.-this is never happen in solid restaurant in my slavistic country.-whatever you are wearing,however you look,you are treated equally as a costumer with respect.
talking about crazyness in polish women? look on english women in friday evening-drunken,smoking,takin drugs and go home with another drunken lad,and next friday another lad.
money-well,polish might seem to envy because they just talk about it but when english get jealous,they will cruely get you in troubles.-at woek,shool,they envy easterneuropean look,or envy higher inteligence you name it..i see every day.
what i hate on engligh mentality is they are money greedy sooo much and will do anything for it.like there wasnt any other much beautiful things in world than just a carier and money.its a sad thing…money hunger destroied your country that was good 60 years ago not now.
all the school system for example,u ripping of (especialy)international students-after they pay solid cash you leave them and doesnt matter if they will get a skills and jobs in futures,all they got is famous london education that should be enough right?well u can take that paper and use it in toilet.polish,slovakia,czech,hungarian education is 50 times more better than english.and if these nations wanted to show ya whos dat king here,they would,belive me.strait away:-) matter of time:-)
Have lived in UK since 2001, I come from Romania. Though I find SOME Polish people a bit abrupt and rude, I am sure they are all different; same as Romanians, English
But I do agree with you, with what you say about English men and women. And I don’t mean it in a superior or sarcastic way, because I believe that they do not realise the way they are perceived, they do not really care and I sincerely believe that they need help. Anyway, all the best to all of you no matter the country, language, colour, sex… Love you all xxx
dont worry polish people,he is just one of english with mental issues and low inteligence.
I worked where there were Polish in good retail stores jobs, but cleaning, don’t get me wrong,I would/will have done it! I am out off work now. Maybe the gov’t pay extra for these folks…best of luck. I may be cardboard box by end of x yr.
My grandmother made coffee using a beaten egg in the coffee grounds. I’ve tried and cannot get it right and my grandmother has been gone for many years now. Her coffee was outstanding! Does anyone know how to make coffee this way?
Wow, so many stereotypes. When I moved to the London, I thought Brits were quite short and this after having lived in East Asia for a few years. I’m a Polish-Canadian woman, 180 cm tall and about an average height for women in my family. To read an Englishman describe Polish people as rude is quite rich. I could understand some people of other nationalities weighing in on that and coming up with a similar conclusion, but come on you’re English. No you don’t cut in line, but rudeness is rampant on British streets, in shops, workplaces, etc. Good manners are important in Poland, regardless of your socio-economic background, as is a good education. Although in the years following the fall of communism, consumerism has become rampant, I wouldn’t think it’s any worse that in many Western European, North American, or for that matter, East Asian countries. Wealth and status symbols are very important in British society, as is social class. I have actually never lived in a country (and I lived in a few) where an apparently modern society was as stratified and segregated by class, language (dialects and accents), and geography (northern, southern, midlands). Your knowledge of history and geography is dreadfully inadequate. Although I’m assuming that coming out of a British education system it would be difficult to gain much knowledge in more than 2 or 3 subjects. Britain, last I checked is surrounded by the North Sea, Atlantic Ocean, the Channel and a few other smaller bodies of water. It doesn’t share a border with other countries (apart from Ireland). This aspect of British geography is particularly useful in deterring invasions. You showing pride in your country’s colonial past shows very poor taste; is this a British thing? You are proud that your country exploited countries and people across the globe for financial gain only to squander everything in less than a century? Do Poles drink? Hell yes, unfortunately. But again coming from a Brit?! I could understand a fellow Canadian making this comment… Binge drinking is rife throughout UK, among men and women. As for the staring, it’s a cultural thing. Having finally moved back to Canada, it took me a couple of months to get used to the fact that I could look at people without any strange, negative feedback. And was reminded that it took me even longer to learn to avoid eye contact completely with strangers when I first moved to the UK. Are all Brits short, rude, ignorant, arrogant, drunks… certainly not, but there are enough to give that impression, if that is what you’re looking for.
The heart of your writing while sounding reasonable initially, did not settle properly with me personally after some time. Somewhere throughout the sentences you were able to make me a believer unfortunately only for a very short while. I still have got a problem with your jumps in assumptions and one would do well to help fill in those gaps. In the event you actually can accomplish that, I will definitely end up being fascinated.
ummmm where are you getting that information that Polish people are short. I beg to differ. My family is from Poland and yes not mixed until my direct Grandfather with other ancestry (His being Welsh, German). My great grandparents were tall, my grandmother is 5’8, the men in our family stand at 5’11 to about 6’5. The shortest person in my family is one female cousin who stands 5’7. When I was a tour guide I had a group of Polish people and I can say it’s the first time I wasn’t towering over midget Americans. Everyone in the group, men and women alike were my height or taller (I’m 5’9 1/2). Though I am mixed unlike my grandmother and great parents, our height comes from our Polish side. You can’t just put people in a box. Are you also going to say all Germans are blonde and blue eyed…I know a girl who is German she could double for Snow White she was gorgeous with long black curling hair and the whitest skin. Do you assume most Poles are blonde and fair haired too. My family from Poland is all dark with blue eyes being dominant. My grandmother though was born with platinum blonde hair which turned to dark brown as she aged. They have darker skin, more olive colored, compared to my cousins and I who are mixed with German, we do have lighter hair and my grandfather whose Welsh/German genes bought us green eyes. Maybe the area of Poland you were in or people you were meeting from were an area where short people did indeed dominant and they may have been blonde and fair you can’t stereotype all Poles to be that way.
soo comment number 4. Poles are basically Slytherins. lol Also your description pretty much sound like ppl in Massachusetts so I guess they all immigrated here. This is the rudest country hands down and I live in the rudest state of it.
Im polish and i find this entry very insulting, we are not at all short as most of the women in my family are around an average of 5″6′-5″7′ and the men are even taller, we r also not at all rude, anyone would be rude if they were pissed off so u must have angered the polish ppl u encountered in some way, and yes maybe we do like to drink some but we r not all drunks. Whoever wrote this has some kind of problems with poles and none of this whatsoever is based on any kind of factual info, so please do not believe what this person has written about Polak’s for it is not true and highly insulting!
I am of Polish descent somewhere along the line (about 2 or 3 generations), though I am believing this less and less each day due to nearly/absolutely no searchable records of my ancestors arriving in America.
Every person has their own opinion of others and they are entitled to that. Personally I look down at those of higher social stature (to go back to the “manners” conversation), whether this is due to them thinking me “trailer trash”, their inability to have fun aside from drinking champagne, or them socially “spitting” at me, I am not sure. I myself was raised to be respectful of everyone.
Everyone chooses to think their country/region is “above” another at some point in time. Saying that something is “typical” of another’s nationality is very stereotypical, actually, and I’m sure that these people don’t realize they are driving themselves deeper into a hole (as I am sure I am doing as I write this). But as I said earlier, every person has their own opinion.
As one of maybe 5 (if that many) Polish people in my tiny town in southern Indiana, I have heard my share of Polish jokes and stereotypes. I commonly ignore them or deal with them as I choose. However, when these jokes (or people in general) get out of hand, I speak up. I will admit this has gotten me into troublesome situations when my mouth speaks before my brain has a chance to think. My friends and mother say that when I get excited (angrily so), they can definitely see some Polish characteristics.
When it comes to height and looks, I am about 5’10, surpassing my Polish father (5’9) and my mother, who is of many nationalities, (5’8). I have blonde/light brown hair and light blue eyes with subtle specks of green. Three of my friends are foreign exchange students, all of Germany, however one is half Russian and has lived in Poland for part of her life. They said they could, at times, see the Polish features in me.
Well, I have added my two bits into this conversation, so I shall leave to let the condescending remarks fly. (I am honestly not as snarky as I sound, I suppose I am just tired lol)
10 things about what “This is” :
1.a Pure- hatred.
2.Generalized- to the maximum.
3.Funny- cause you put so much energy to put it.
4.Sad- cause it was not worth it, neither was worth reading.
5.a Bunch of lies- seems that you were frustrated writing it.
6.An angry blog. Do you play angry birds?
7.Showing you are negative person with blinders on your eyes, cause you simply- even after traveling to Poland and meeting Poles- haven’t gotten any clue who are these people.
8.Hence- this is your primitive world of your personal interpretation.
9.Even more sad- None of the stories make you seem as an intelligent, witty, relaxed or down to earth person.
10.a Nonsense-None of it makes sense – as Enstein said:
“Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex… It takes a touch of genius – and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction.”
This is 75% fake we r nice, tall, and awesomw
I agree with Avatar
Ur wrong , poles r cool
OK. I never write comments but I must say something. I started reading your little numbers of things about Polish people I dont know where you are from I didnt ready everything but let me explain, I am from Poland speak it and live it. Currently I live in Chicago. FIRST,When I walking down the street I can tell if someone is Polish or not, so you make me laugh, its not about the clothes they have good or normal fashion sense everyone is different. Anyways its their faces, they have very strong characteristics. SECOND, Polish people are talllll, usually, again everyone is different, haha but I dont know what you are talking about? THIRD drinking vodka is normal I dont see my life without vodka, my father comes home after doing construction with his friends who also work with him and the first thing is not dinner, its sitting down at the table with the vodka. And FOURTH, Polish people are very very polite, manners and going to church is very important although Polish women love little rumors and talking, they are not rude to people on the street nor to strangers. How ever they have strong characters, they may be loud, rude, and crazy, but this is around their friends and family, or if their boyfriend does something bad. THAT is a Polish person.
Agnieszka
It’s a blog. Which means that it is the author’s opinion. It’s also, I’m guessing, supposed to be snarky in order to draw the reader in. Signed, A proud Wisniewski.
polish ppl are great!! they even have the north pole and the south pole named after them ffs
.. not to mention the fat bearded guy aka’ santa ‘.. he’s got to be polish right?? billing address ‘ north pole’ it all makes sense to me.
I see a lot of people here think that being tall makes them superior to those who are short. Tell me how being tall is more important than being intelligent, wise, polite, respectful, good-natured, etc…
I guess you all get your judgement from the “intelligent” Hollywood movies.
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i’m polish woman and i’m ugly but nice. i break the stereotypes
nothing special about the poles .. ugly and nice everywhere ,, its the way of the world
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