How do people react when you tell them you are Polish?

Pan Kazimierz:

When I was in the States, I was in the South. And when I told them my accent was Polish, the average mook asked me if I "speak Poland?" (no kidding), and the intelligent-ignorant asked if I was Jewish. Either way, I usually responded with percussive maintenence to the cranial lobe of the individual in question, and then gave the appropriate answer.

adrian11224Threads: 9 Posts: 52 Joined: Nov 14, 08	Edited by: Administrator Aug 2, 09, 04:23 / #
Just wondering I'll sometimes be talking to different kinds of people and it gets to the point where I have to tell them I'm from Poland and they react like if I just told them I sell insurance for a living. Has this ever happened to you ? Its never like that when I tell people I'm German or Italian or French! Thanks.

z_dariusThreads: 22 Posts: 5,091 Joined: Oct 18, 07	Aug 2, 09, 04:29 / #
Not enough options. Most of the time a person I tell I'm Polish says someone in their family is Polish, of Polish descend, married to a Poles, their nephew, cousin, uncle or what have you married a Pole, or at least there was a granny somewhere along the way who came from Poland.

plk123Threads: 30 Posts: 6,410 Joined: Aug 29, 07	Aug 2, 09, 05:58 / #
or the say huh? or where is that? :D

z_dariusThreads: 22 Posts: 5,091 Joined: Oct 18, 07	Aug 2, 09, 06:00 / #
plk123: or the say huh? or where is that? Some actually know it's somewhere close to the US border with China.

EurolaThreads: 6 Posts: 2,647 Joined: Dec 2, 06	Aug 2, 09, 06:04 / #
Right on z_d. Especially around Chicago. It's almost hard to meet someone who does not have some kind of polish heritage, whether immediate or or going back a couple of generations... or simply a family member who just married a Pole...Jeez :)

plk123Threads: 30 Posts: 6,410 Joined: Aug 29, 07	Aug 2, 09, 06:12 / #
z_darius: Some actually know it's somewhere close to the US border with China. lol.. ain't that the truth. Eurola: Especially around Chicago. up and down the great lakes. ever been up in milwaukee or GB? who doesn't have a polish name up there?

EurolaThreads: 6 Posts: 2,647 Joined: Dec 2, 06	Aug 2, 09, 06:24 / #
Yes, I agree...besides Chicago at least a half of Wisconsin residents (lots of farmers) bear polish last name! :) The same goes for Michigan.

krysiaThreads: 26 Posts: 3,604 Joined: Aug 10, 06	Aug 2, 09, 08:59 / #
plk123: who doesn't have a polish name up there? I don't

Bratwurst BoyThreads: 11 Posts: 14,563 Joined: Apr 2, 07	Aug 2, 09, 09:02 / #
adrian11224: Its never like that when I tell people I'm German or Italian or French! Why do you tell people you are German, Italian or French???

Amanda91Threads: 3 Posts: 336 Joined: May 27, 07	Aug 2, 09, 09:41 / #
krysia: I don't and few others too :-)

BartolomeThreads: 2 Posts: 1,342 Joined: Sep 14, 06	Aug 2, 09, 10:57 / #
I get mostly positive reactions. But then again I'm in Scotland. I don't know what reactions I'd get in other parts of the world.

scrappletonThreads: - Posts: 1,365 Joined: Apr 28, 09	Aug 2, 09, 21:06 / #
z_darius: In the is US they do that so that it is clear they are American ;) It's done to differentiate between other Americans living in America. Not abroad. French Canadians don't do it? Indians?

z_dariusThreads: 22 Posts: 5,091 Joined: Oct 18, 07	Aug 2, 09, 22:33 / #
scrappleton: It's done to differentiate between other Americans living in America. Not abroad. Indeed, abroad some Americans wear Canadian flags, sold by some of the US tourists agencies. I met a nice couple from Kentucky in Paris. Not fooled by their back packs with Canadian flags I asked them where they were from, since their accents sure weren't ones you hear daily in Canada.

adrian11224Threads: 9 Posts: 52 Joined: Nov 14, 08	Aug 3, 09, 02:13 / #
Bratwurst Boy: Really! oops yes!... does or has any one of your Polish family members or ancestors owned a railroad Bratwurst Boy ?

z_dariusThreads: 22 Posts: 5,091 Joined: Oct 18, 07	Aug 2, 09, 17:05 / #
Bratwurst Boy: Why do you tell people you are German, Italian or French??? In the is US they do that so that it is clear they are American ;)

SashaThreads: 2 Posts: 1,558 Joined: Apr 19, 08	Aug 2, 09, 18:46 / #
Option #4 from the top.

adrian11224Threads: 9 Posts: 52 Joined: Nov 14, 08	Aug 2, 09, 20:33 / #
Bratwurst Boy: Why do you tell people you are German, Italian or French??? to make it seem like I'm rich somehow of course. Who's going to believe a Pole owned a railroad from the 1700's ? you know ? Maybe I'm just shining light on my subconscious thoughts cuz I came from a filthy poor family where we battled with roaches since I've been 9. Meh.

Bratwurst BoyThreads: 11 Posts: 14,563 Joined: Apr 2, 07	Aug 2, 09, 21:00 / #
Really!

scrappletonThreads: - Posts: 1,365 Joined: Apr 28, 09	Edited by: scrappleton Aug 3, 09, 03:01 / #
z_darius: Indeed, abroad some Americans wear Canadian flags, .. and some Canadians bear swastika tatoos. Probably not as loose an affiliation like the one you're chirping about above. z_darius: since their accents sure weren't ones you hear daily in Canada. Meaning theirs were intelligible. Strange how often your posts swing back to the US.. on a Polish Forum. One might observe it's a bit of a compulsion for you?

sledzThreads: 29 Posts: 3,202 Joined: Sep 19, 06	Edited by: sledz Aug 3, 09, 03:28 / #
krysia: who doesn't have a polish name up there? I don't lol :) scrappleton: Strange how often your posts swing back to the US.. on a Polish Forum. One might observe it's a bit of a compulsion for you? Hes one of, if not the biggest American bashers on here.

scrappletonThreads: - Posts: 1,365 Joined: Apr 28, 09	Aug 3, 09, 03:39 / #
sledz: biggest American basher on here Must be.. Why throw punches on a thread that has jack sh.t to do with the States? We'll fix him but hopefully he won't counter with a Gordon Lightfoot thread. :-(

beckskiThreads: 19 Posts: 2,105 Joined: May 15, 07 MEMBER	Aug 3, 09, 03:39 / #
adrian11224: How do people react when you tell them you are Polish? I don't need to tell people I'm Polish. My Polish surname is usually a dead giveaway... Honk if you love PF :)

z_dariusThreads: 22 Posts: 5,091 Joined: Oct 18, 07	Aug 3, 09, 04:01 / #
scrappleton: and some Canadians bear swastika tatoos. Probably not as loose an affiliation like the one you're chirping about above. No, it's an old symbol. Very old. This is a town in Ontario: These are US Navy buildings: scrappleton: Meaning theirs were intelligible. They were talking about dawgs messing the streets of Paris. scrappleton: Hes one of, if not the biggest American bashers on here. scrappleton: Must be.. Sensitive little poopsies, aren't we?

polishcanuckThreads: 10 Posts: 583 Joined: Feb 11, 07	Aug 3, 09, 04:15 / #
Usually people think i'm swedish (blond hair, light complexion) but when i say i was born in poland they become nervous and quite often the discussion ends. It's like they're scared to ask me questions about my background, much like people here in politically correct canada are afraid to ask a brown/black/asia etc guy where he's from for fear of offending someone. I'm actually quite an easy going guy and often joke about myself so i don't understand why people behave this way. I'm also white, so i can't pull out the race card.

scrappletonThreads: - Posts: 1,365 Joined: Apr 28, 09	Aug 3, 09, 04:18 / #
z_darius: This is a town in Ontario Scenic.. you can almost hear the stomachs growling. You won't charge me a tax for looking at the pic, will you? z_darius: These are US Navy buildings: Function over form, champ. However, I'm sure that won't keep either you or Bratwurst from searching earnestly for some clandestine link that explains the pure evil intent of the US government's design. Do the Canadians even have a navy? Did the British give you permission? We all know you would squat in a stream if Queen Mother wished it of you. z_darius: They were talking about dawgs messing the streets of Paris. You're the one who has just misspelled "dogs". z_darius: poopsies Like I said, the Kentuckians were probably intelligible.

PlasticPoleThreads: 10 Posts: 5,181 Joined: May 28, 09	Aug 3, 09, 05:08 / #
When I tell them I am Polish, they are in awe of my greatness, kiss my feet and give me all kinds of cool stuff.

adrian11224Threads: 9 Posts: 52 Joined: Nov 14, 08	Aug 3, 09, 05:46 / #
PlasticPole: When I tell them I am Polish, they are in awe of my greatness, kiss my feet and give me all kinds of cool stuff. haha keep dreaming.

Pan KazimierzThreads: 2 Posts: 276 Joined: Jul 4, 09	Edited by: Pan Kazimierz Aug 3, 09, 13:38 / #
scrappleton: Function over form, champ. You do realize that it's sitting right next to two other complexes of entirely different design? My guess is that it's just older than the other two; renovating can be much cheaper than re-designing. scrappleton: However, I'm sure that won't keep either you or Bratwurst from searching earnestly for some clandestine link that explains the pure evil intent of the US government's design. Do the Canadians even have a navy? Did the British give you permission? We all know you would squat in a stream if Queen Mother wished it of you. You do know the history of the Swastika? It far predates Nazism and Hitler and the like. Just like the Roman Salute (which the US and oh-so-many other countries, as with the swastika, used to use, until it acquired that association with Hitler). PlasticPole: When I tell them I am Polish, they are in awe of my greatness, kiss my feet and give me all kinds of cool stuff. When I was in the States, I was in the South. And when I told them my accent was Polish, the average mook asked me if I "speak Poland?" (no kidding), and the intelligent-ignorant asked if I was Jewish. Either way, I usually responded with percussive maintenence to the cranial lobe of the individual in question, and then gave the appropriate answer.

adrian11224Threads: 9 Posts: 52 Joined: Nov 14, 08	Aug 4, 09, 05:55 / #
Pan Kazimierz: When I was in the States, I was in the South. And when I told them my accent was Polish, the average mook asked me if I "speak Poland?" (no kidding), and the intelligent-ignorant asked if I was Jewish. Either way, I usually responded with percussive maintenence to the cranial lobe of the individual in question, and then gave the appropriate answer. Its terribly dissapointing to me about how people react to being Polish. Its really not that bad though looking at the other side of the grass, because we in existance, but the amount of time I have spent in the united states (12 years) has put me around some really intelligent people that sadly were never Polish. I look at the nation compared to Germany and England, and for some reason I am not surprised that they make BMW's and Benz while we make Kielbasa. Not that that's a bad thing but if we were only more out on the media and entrepreneurial, than I really would have something to be proud of. And don't get me wrong I try as best as I can over here. Its just disappointing about the USA that so little trust worthy people are here, especially in NYC where the Population of the surrounding boroughs of Manhattan are grossly infected with the people, who's racial insult terms that start with the N word and the S word for Hispanics I won't bother to mention so that this post can move on. Just the truth is people are like little machines and you have to learn to become the master of them. Make them work for you! This is how Jews think ;) Who are among the most amazing people on this planet. I believe.

z_dariusThreads: 22 Posts: 5,091 Joined: Oct 18, 07	Aug 4, 09, 06:09 / #
scrappleton: Do the Canadians even have a navy? Why would Canadians needs its own navy? We got the entire US Navy at our disposal. We spend our money on far more important things, such as mittens in Winter and hockey arenas. You boys keep up the good job. Much appreciated. Oh, don;t forget to fill your income tax return. That navy ain't free after all. adrian11224: Population of the surrounding boroughs of Manhattan are grossly infected with the people, who's racial insult terms that start with the N word and the S word for Hispanics adrian11224: Germany and England, and for some reason I am not surprised that they make BMW's and Benz while we make Kielbasa. Glad to see how the amazing Jews look at Germans and Poles. After all it was Poles who practically forced Germans to attempt the extermination of all European Jews. And all Germans ever wanted was just to build BMWs.