Why are Poles in other countries called "Plastic Poles"?

Never heard of it. Sure you haven't just made it up? You know, being a troll and all?

Same as plastic paddies really, heritage 100 years ago and never steped on the soil, doesnt give you the right to say you are of a certain nationality, christ my surname is Irish, Ive never considered myself Irish, its an American thing.

I'm not a troll. I didn't make it up. I first saw the term here.

That's because it's the poor who are more likely to commit crimes. Reason being: they're poor. Stealing and selling drugs just doesn't make sense when you're rich.

About "teacher's pets", I don't recall any correlation with money as opposed to things like 'desire to learn', 'willingness to work', etc. And the people (like myself) who could get away with stuff that most others could not were just the charismatic ones.

Also, you don't choose the place of your birth. Why would you be proud of something that you didn't do? You could be proud because you choose to live like and belong to a certain people, but just because you were born within their borders, or your ancestors of some sort were? Particularly if you don't even speak the language.

Not always. Poor people are more likely to get caught and go to jail. Ever hear of white collar crime? There's plenty of it. Who knows how much of it goes undetected because we don't want to tarnish the good image of the Harvard graduate?

How very true PP....in fact with alot of the crime and fraud committed by the middle classes, they don't even see it as "crime", for example employing a good accountant to avoid paying taxes. etc etc

No, no it is not. Watch this and educate yourself.

youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=a2ppie0IPGw

youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=OQLPrfuZEco

Any plastic Americans on here? I want to have somebody to belittle.

We need to devise some uniquely American surnames and start using them.
Any help would be welcomed. (braces for sh1t-storm...)

Mine would be McSkifeather

aericans really of a severe identity problem. they masquerade as people from another culture, whilst excusing their bizzare walter smitty behaviour as "celebrating our heritaage"

Not all together untrue.
So when grandma McAninich called me to tell me about Bobby Sands, or, when my father followed Lech Walesa and solidarity and told me it was very important for our relatives, I should have just laughed and said "whatever, who cares"?

I see your point, but I still think you are kind of a douchebag.

Tymoteusz

I never said that. What I am saying is recognize who you are, what your culture is and where your homeland is. you are american and you homeland is america. You are not however, polish or irish.

Recognizing your ancestors is one thing. calling yourself polish american and masquerading as something you are not, is another thing. Poland and ireland are both are both foreign countries to you, as is there culture and people.

I am a stranger in a strange land wherever I go. Home or abroad. You've opened my eyes. Thank you.

I think I like you. You are perceptive.

Plastic Poles? What about Steel Poles? Pole Cats? Totem Poles? North Poles? South Poles?
Dance Poles? Light Poles? Ski Poles? Of course, Magnetic Poles (that's me), Fishing Poles?
Utility Poles? Flag Poles? Tad Poles? ...I don't mean to be polemic.

The first time I came across this expression was on this very site. I think Harry was the one to use it first to belittle and offend some pol-am poster... but I may be wrong.

That's not what he said at all. Like your own sense of self-perception, you have twisted it into something foolishly unrecognisable to serve your own limited viewpoints. You might see yourself as Polish(?), but any actual Polish or general European person will see you only as an American laughably trying to be something he is not.

I have never mis-represented myself that I can remember. Do you presume to know what traditions or values my family practiced? We had many "old ways" that we clung to.

Based on how defensive you're being, I'd say I'm correct in assuming you're one of those Americans who attempts to identify with a foreign country.


I don't care what your family did, and neither does anyone else. Doesn't change the fact that you and they are not Polish.

EDIT: And I note the fact that you're using past tense.

I have spaghetti several times a week. I guess I should start calling myself Italian.

If this statement is true, Why are you harassing me.


Poland contains the greater part of my family history. Would it be odd for me to have some interest in it?


Is this intended specificly for me or all others like me on this forum?

What is it you want Matowy?

No.


Just not quite as much as 'blue-collar' crime.

How do you know? What about the govt handing out bail outs to banks and auto manufactures. Some argue it was because of mismanagement and CEOs living above their means when their corporations were distressed. You could say it's a type of white collar crime and it's very widespread, apparently. Face it. Criminals are everywhere and when you wave money under someone's nose most often they lose all sense of ethics.

the truth is that your ethnic identity is something that is really up to you. There is no template on who is Polish or not. It still amazes me that some people would want to try to set some standards as to what it means to be Polish, Irish and so on. It sounds like a dictatorship to me and I always find it puzzling.

Ethnic identity is your private issue.

They aren't respected, they are pander to and patronised. They are treated that way to benefit the school/teacher financially or opportunistically. I've worked in schools where little Jasiek or Gosia are put into higher classes, "tolerated" for forgetting their homework (cos the parents don't give a damn when we complain to them), etc, etc. It doesn't mean we respect them... we loathe them. They get zero help when they want an out-of-class proof reading or help with a letter etc.

It's fun when one of the little prats fails FCE and suddenly finds Daddy's money can't buy them everything.

On the question of ethnicity, how is it that a Black person can refer to themselves/be referred to as African American (or Afro-Caribbean) or a "brown" or "yellow" (no racism intended) person can be referred to as British-Asian, Chinese etc (when they might never have gone to China, Africa, India etc)?

In the days before passports were huge, there were often large communities in other countries who maintained their cultural identity and it was no considered unusual for them to be referred to as whatever the nationality was. It's perhaps only since the notion of a nation-state that it has become problematic.

Do Poles from Kresy get reffered to as "Plastic Poles"? Did szlachta in the old commonwealth get told, "No, you're a plastic Lithuanian, you were actually born in Poland"?

Imagine a 17th century conversation in Gdansk ...

"Hello, I'm Scottish..."
"Do you speak Polish?"
"No"
"Where you born in Scotland?'
"No, here in Gdansk, my parent s are both Scottish, as are my grandparents"
"Kurda! szkot plastyczny!"

Those are actually classifications put in place by the government (or at least here it is so). Anyone of Asian ethnicity has to identify themselves as one of those on pretty much any form. Most East Asians are 100% East Asian anyway. Very few of them are born here as of yet. South Asians have also not really been here that long. Black people have term "Black" on the forms, unlike in the U.S where people refer to them as "African-American" for reasons as of yet inexplicable to me.

Personally, I will extend the same ridicule to "African"-Americans that I do to "Polish"-Americans. Neither are African or Polish.

um, WOW. some people here are getting their tighty-whities all up in a bunch over who can consider themselves Polish and who cannot! Does it really bother yall that much?? It's a person's personal thing what ethnicity they consider themselves. If a Pole raised and living abroad considers him/herself Polish, I'd say that's a good thing. At least they're aware and proud of their heritage. Besides, it's not like they can help it, is it? If some one grew up with Polish traditions and a sense of Polish identity, it's not like they can just turn off that part of themselves. I was born and raised outside Poland and have only been there for vacations, yet I consider myself Polish. Not because I woke up one day and decided I was going to parade around pretending to be Polish, but because that's how I was raised. From the day I was born, I was raised with a Polish identity. It's not something I can turn off or on. If I were to say, "oh yeah, I'm not Polish at all," THEN I would be lying and pretending to be something I'm not. I'm not saying I'm a born and bred, true-blooded Pole, but I AM POLISH. That IS my heritage. Sorry if that bothers yall!

Also, for the Europeans out there, I've noticed there are some differences in how Europeans and Americans see themselves. It seems to me that Europeans generally see themselves more as the country they live, whereas Americans use their heritage to determine their ethnic identity. Since all non-native Americans immigrated here at one point or another, it goes without saying that they are all from SOMEWHERE ELSE. And often, what that somewhere else is is what they identify themselves with. It's not shallow or backhanded or sneaky. It's just how this country was formed and how that, in turn, formed people's perceptions of themselves. In a land where everyone is from somewhere else, it is easier to hold onto your ethnic traditions.

Probably because you are too thick to understand the differences between the words "race", "ethnicity" and "nationality". A so-called "African-American" born in the USA retains their AFRICAN ethnicity, remains a member of the BLACK race, but may hold AMERICAN nationality. You don't need a degree in anthropology to understand that. The only difference between them and a "Polish-American" is that it is easier for someone white to hide their ethnicity in a country in which the white race is dominant, if they wish to do so.


I would love to see you try this in reality, not online, and would enjoy laughing as an real African-American punches you out for "ridiculing" them :D

LOL!

You're funny. Errrr.....me thinks there's some truth to the above ;)

As for the term "Plastic Pole", I never heard it until I came to this forum.

Good old plastic Poles :) It's funny how they try to defend the Polish corner with the bare minimum of info on Polish issues.

Better than being made of dough like you are, BBut.

If you live in Ireland or Poland you're Irish or Polish. If you live in America you're American. If you live in America your heritage is American. If you live in America and think that you are Irish or Polish, move to Ireland or Poland. Be true to yourself. Simple.

In America we have ethnicity first, followed by "American". Polish American. Irish American. Canadian American. Anglo American. African American. Mexican American. Native American.