IS "MURZYN" word RACIST?

Polonius3Threads: 963 Posts: 4,547 Joined: Apr 11, 08 ♂	Dec 2, 08, 17:12 #1
Black footballer Paulo Ferreira, who plays on Poland's national squad, said the word "Murzyn" in Polish is racist. Most Poles believe it to be is a netural, descriptive, generic term with no racial overtones. "Czarnuch" would be offensive. He also said Tuwim's "Murzynek Bambo" should be removed from schools and lirbaries. Do you agree?

SeanusThreads: 22 Posts: 30,160 Joined: Dec 25, 07 ♂	Dec 2, 08, 17:15 #2
Czarnuch is much stronger but Murzyn, with the correct intonation, is racist. Neutral my ass.

MistyThreads: 6 Posts: 196 Joined: Jul 20, 08 ♀	Dec 2, 08, 17:23 #3
So people with Murzyn as a surname have a racist surname?

polishgirltx	Dec 2, 08, 17:25 #4
if i want to buy 'black coffee' in the coffee shop in the us, should i rather ask for 'afroamerican coffee'? ;) i used to know a family with the last name Murzyn... nobody was making any jokes about them...

osiolThreads: 59 Posts: 4,714 Joined: Jul 25, 07 ♂	Dec 2, 08, 17:29 #5
There is the English surname Ramsbottom. It is still rude to call someone a ram's bottom, eh Seanus? Seanus: my ass.

SeanusThreads: 22 Posts: 30,160 Joined: Dec 25, 07 ♂	Edited by: Seanus Dec 2, 08, 17:31 #6
My ass is hip slang, like my n****. Yo, my ass it ain't Hmm...the above proves that it's my bed time :(

McCoyThreads: 46 Posts: 1,755 Joined: Jul 3, 08 ♂	Dec 2, 08, 17:33 #7
Polonius3: Black footballer Paulo Ferreira, who plays on Poland's national squad ???

osiolThreads: 59 Posts: 4,714 Joined: Jul 25, 07 ♂	Dec 2, 08, 17:38 #8
Seanus: hip slang Being in the farmyard, perhaps we should familiarise ourselves with calf slang.

♂

Dec 2, 08, 17:38 #9

well its hard topic... im from poland and when i say " Murzyn " i dont have nothing bad on mind, as far as i know those few black ppl they dont get it as offensive. And yea i belive " Czarnuch " it is offensive for me . But still this is very hard for black ppl to notice when someone offending them and when not. I play football with black ppl sometimes and rly i can say anything and they dont get it as a abusive, but same word in someone else mounth can hurt them rly bad... its about black ppl fears and suspicion about all non black... and i understand that ofc. its about time, more dif color skin ppl gona come to poland and then in few yr all that racist topics in tv,net etc will die. Ofc there goan be always some racist like in every country but we cant do anything with that. And Murzynek Bambo in same way can be taken as racist but i bet when Tuwim was writing it, he dont mind about anything like that. Those times (1894-1915) ppl, wasnt think in this way, for most poles someone black was almost same amazing as UFO so text " Murzynek Bambo w Afryce mieszkal" (Murzynek Bambo was living in Africa) was more like imagination about black ppl not racist poem.

northropThreads: 4 Posts: 34 Joined: Nov 30, 08 ♂	Dec 2, 08, 17:39 #10
McCoy: ??? ??? indeed. Ferreira plays for Portugal.

McCoyThreads: 46 Posts: 1,755 Joined: Jul 3, 08 ♂	Dec 2, 08, 17:42 #11
& hes aint negro

♂

Dec 2, 08, 17:47 #12

A word in itself, and here I mean any word, is not offensive but the intentions can be. The word "murzyn" for me is a neutral word, however it can be used as a derogatory word if the person who uses it will have the intentions to offend.

Let’s take the word Paki for example. For a person from the US it’s just a short form of the word Pakistani. Nothing insulting about that. The situation is totally different in the UK where the word Paki is commonly known as a very racist term. It’s all about intentions.

And “Murzynek Bambo” is definitely not racist.

PolsonThreads: 15 Posts: 2,814 Joined: May 9, 07 ♂	Dec 2, 08, 17:48 #13
What should a man called 'Dick' think?..

nunczkaThreads: 15 Posts: 572 Joined: Sep 13, 08 ♂	Dec 2, 08, 17:50 #14
Polonius3: He also said Tuwim's "Murzynek Bambo" should be removed from schools and lirbaries. Do you agree? I might agree if it would be "Murzynek Sambo"

PrinceThreads: 26 Posts: 826 Joined: Nov 4, 08 ♂	Edited by: Prince Dec 2, 08, 17:51 #15
http://www.moikrewni.pl/mapa/kompletny/murzyn.html There is 2600 people with Murzyn surname in Poland. I doubt that they are black or they fell offended when somebody uses their surname... I don't find Murzyn racist.

MatyjaszThreads: 2 Posts: 1,786 Joined: Jul 20, 06 ♂	Dec 2, 08, 17:55 #16
Prince: There is 2600 with Murzyn surname in Poland. I don't find Murzyn racist. Ahh but have you met all of them? ;) Polson: What should a man called 'Dick' think?.. Or DICKinSON? ;)

PolsonThreads: 15 Posts: 2,814 Joined: May 9, 07 ♂	Dec 2, 08, 18:09 #17
Matyjasz: DICKinSON Yuk. Death penalty, huh? ^^

Easy_TerranThreads: 4 Posts: 473 Joined: Mar 31, 08 ♂	Dec 2, 08, 19:11 #18
Polonius3: "Murzynek Bambo" should be removed from schools and lirbaries Long Live Political Correctness, whoo-hoo!!!!!

BzibziohThreads: 6 Posts: 3,648 Joined: Oct 15, 08 ♀	Dec 2, 08, 19:23 #19
Problem is we don't have anything else in Polish than "murzyn". Do we? What else we can call black peoples from Africa so not to offend them?

McCoyThreads: 46 Posts: 1,755 Joined: Jul 3, 08 ♂	Dec 2, 08, 19:46 #20
Bzibzioh: Problem is we don't have anything else in Polish than "murzyn". Do we? What else we can call black peoples from Africa so not to offend them? kuntakinte

Filios1Threads: 15 Posts: 1,953 Joined: Nov 13, 07 ♂	Dec 2, 08, 19:57 #21
Bzibzioh: What else we can call black peoples from Africa so not to offend them? Afrikanczycy? lol...

Easy_TerranThreads: 4 Posts: 473 Joined: Mar 31, 08 ♂	Dec 2, 08, 22:28 #22
Afropolacy

MoonlightingThreads: 60 Posts: 307 Joined: Apr 28, 07 ♂	Edited by: Moonlighting Dec 3, 08, 02:56 #23
I'm really annoyed by all that political correctness. Soon, each language and culture will have to loose their identity and references just because it annoys some minority. When it's not some minority, it's another one. Can't people just accept who they are?

♀

Dec 3, 08, 03:06 #24

Matyjasz:

Or DICKinSON? ;)

I worked with a girl who married a guy called Hardcok - now that's an offensive surname :)

Kasz:

then in few yr all that racist topics in tv,net etc will die.

Nope, what will happen will be a lot of PC rubbish and having books removed and logos removed and anything else that might offend the guests in your country!

Should Cilla Black change her surname? Oh and my friend has an uncle Paki (pet name for Patrick in Ireland)

Welcome to our lovely multi-cultural society :)

DaisyThreads: 16 Posts: 2,172 Joined: Apr 28, 07 ♀	Dec 3, 08, 07:16 #25
I used to know a man named Michael Hunt, he was known as Mike, honestly that's true, he had a real hang up about it

♂

Dec 3, 08, 08:06 #26

Daisy:

I used to know a man named Michael Hunt, he was known as Mike, honestly that's true, he had a real hang up about it

My aunt used to teach a young man from a religious family with the same surname. They called him Isaac.

True story.

ShelleyS:

Should Cilla Black change her surname? Oh and my friend has an uncle Paki (pet name for Patrick in Ireland)

Welcome to our lovely multi-cultural society :)

It's all about context, as has already been demonstrated:

Matyjasz:

A word in itself, and here I mean any word, is not offensive but the intentions can be. The word "murzyn" for me is a neutral word, however it can be used as a derogatory word if the person who uses it will have the intentions to offend.

Let’s take the word Paki for example. For a person from the US it’s just a short form of the word Pakistani. Nothing insulting about that. The situation is totally different in the UK where the word Paki is commonly known as a very racist term. It’s all about intentions.

Lotnik767Threads: 6 Posts: 210 Joined: Nov 12, 08 ♂	Dec 3, 08, 09:13 #27
Q. IS "MURZYN" word RACIST? A. Not at all it's who they are

♀

Dec 3, 08, 16:15 #28

MURZYN wasn't racist until the fashion for political correctness was imported to Poland from the US :P Without PC nobody would even think there can be something offensive about. Any word can be offensive if used with such intention. The racist word in Polish is CZARNUCH.

I've heard that African immigrants (mainly African students :) ) want themselves to be called CZARNOSKÓRZY (lit. black-skinned). But for me it's artificial.

lesserThreads: 7 Posts: 2,014 Joined: Oct 19, 07 ♂	Dec 3, 08, 16:30 #29
Lets ban murzynek cake as well. Switezianka: I've heard that African immigrants (mainly African students :) ) want themselves to be called CZARNOSKÓRZY (lit. black-skinned). But for me it's artificial. They should call us białoskórzy (white-skinned) following this logic.

SwiteziankaThreads: - Posts: 525 Joined: Jun 17, 08 ♀	Dec 3, 08, 16:40 #30
lesser: They should call us białoskórzy (white-skinned) following this logic. LOL. Or maybe "bladolicy"? That just sounds so silly...

POLAND . The Unofficial Guide.	Unanswered \| Archives
POLAND . The Unofficial Guide.	Meet Polish People at PF!	Witamy, Guest \| PF Members \| Gold Members

Home \| Unanswered \| Archives \| Random \| Statistics	Time in Poland: 13:43 / Feb 9
About Us \| Contact Us \| Rules, Privacy \| Poland Advertising	© 2005-12 PolishForums.com