"Poles" or "Polish people" - which is better to use?

Wyspianska	Aug 25, 07, 15:47 #31
Quoting: telefonitika something that is stuck in the ground or you can dance around Thats even nice association, isnt it? :P

Lady in red	Aug 25, 07, 15:49 #32
Quoting: telefonitika prefer to use the term "Polish" so do I.......and thats what I wrote on here......... :)

WroclawThreads: 74 Posts: 7,274 Joined: Apr 1, 06 ♂ [Moderator]	Edited by: Wroclaw Aug 25, 07, 15:52 #33
My two ha' penny. The Polish / Polish people. . Which is not exactly what I wrote in post number three.

♂

Edited by: Administrator Aug 26, 07, 08:07 #34

I went to the A3 car boot this morning and their was a stand run by Poles selling all sorts of things-wooden Russian babushka dolls as well as Second World War German swaztika badges. When I asked him that I thought that the Poles hated the Nazis yet you are selling their memorabila for £12." He replied "It is not me it is the English I am selling them as it is the English who love to buy" What an idiot. One minute they hate the Germans and then want to profit from such sales.

BubbaWooThreads: 46 Posts: 4,438 Joined: Sep 26, 06 ♂	Aug 26, 07, 08:13 #35
there is no shortage of nazi memorabilia for sale in poland

ajgrahamThreads: - Posts: 167 Joined: Jun 9, 07 ♂	Aug 26, 07, 08:18 #36
Quoting: Michal To me they are simply stupid Poles, maybe they are the same type of Poles that should be stuck in the ground! I see your in a bad mood again Michal?.......I collect military cap badges for a hobby and i also have some German stuff....So does that make me a Nazi also?

♂

Aug 26, 07, 10:35 #37

Quoting: ajgraham

does that make me a Nazi also?

No, I was not saying that. I bought some stuff, so called German war memorabilia and I was later told that it was fake back in England. I bought it in a market in Szczecin many years ago, it did not cost very much about £10 or so so I would not have lost much. If you are interested in memorabilia you could try a car boot even, you may pick up a bargain.

Lady in red

Aug 26, 07, 11:24 #38

Quoting: Michal

To me they are simply stupid Poles, maybe they are the same type of Poles that should be stuck in the ground!

Yippee.............another horrible post about Polish people from Michal.........
you need help man. You have a weird fixation and hatred of Polish people.

I expect they make you feel inferior.......so you come onto the forum to get rid of all your pent up feelings...............

Ah well, PF can be your therapy tool........:)

FrankThreads: 27 Posts: 1,342 Joined: Aug 14, 06 ♂	Aug 26, 07, 12:22 #39
LiR, don't pander to those who would generalize in a negative, stereotypical fashion the people of Poland.

MichalThreads: - Posts: 2,408 Joined: Feb 27, 07 ♂	Aug 30, 07, 11:16 #40
No, I agree, you can not generalize about any one race at all-that would not be fair. In fact, I have just come back from the Welsh border and I found the people very nice indeed yet the English always have a certain 'thing' about the Welsh and I do not know why.

plk123Threads: 30 Posts: 6,410 Joined: Aug 29, 07 ♂	Aug 30, 07, 11:24 #41
Quoting: Firestorm If people from Poland are called "Poles," why aren't people from Holland called "Holes"? beacause they are actually netherlanders.

plk123Threads: 30 Posts: 6,410 Joined: Aug 29, 07 ♂	Aug 30, 07, 11:25 #42
Quoting: Matyjasz “Pollock” that also = pollack and there are a few other veriosn too. btw. pollock is also kind of a fish.

plk123Threads: 30 Posts: 6,410 Joined: Aug 29, 07 ♂	Aug 30, 07, 11:27 #43
Quoting: Lady in red Show me an english dictionary that states that then !! try google.

MichalThreads: - Posts: 2,408 Joined: Feb 27, 07 ♂	Aug 30, 07, 11:59 #44
Quoting: plk123 beacause they are actually netherlanders. Ecactlly, I have already ponted out somewhere that Holland technically only describes two provinces in the centre of the Netherlands. Wij zein nederlanders omdat we in de Nederlands woonen!

♀

Edited by: ella Aug 31, 07, 09:37 #45

Quoting: Michal

Most people know them as 'the Poles'.

Normally/officially :

A person from Poland : I am from Poland = jestem z Polski
Nationality (narodowosc).... Polish/ rarely Pole = Polak or: jestem Polakiem
Language (jezyk)....Polish = Polski

I wonder what are you doing here Michal anyway, are you trying to translate "their" (our Polish) language while having fun to play with the words or ...?
Why don't you try to help your nationality/the Russians?
Greetings

m.pollock	Dec 16, 07, 01:00 #46
I'm an American that's 25% Polish, so maybe i'm not much help in saying whether saying Poles or Polish People is more correct, personally it doesn't bother me with either one, but when I hear "Pollock" thrown around, it offends me when it's used offensively or as a "joke" mainly because of how they mean it and also because it's my last name.

♂

Edited by: Administrator Dec 16, 07, 03:34 #47

Quoting: Michal

One minute they hate the Germans and then want to profit from such sales.

- The pig calling itself 'Muckal' hates the Polish people, but sticks to this forum like pig crap, and even plays an expert on things Polish such as Polish language. Needless to say, the pig is totally ignorant about those things. What a mentally confused pig. Why doesn't the great heaven bless the pig with a cancer and finish it off quickly?
:)

z_dariusThreads: 22 Posts: 5,091 Joined: Oct 18, 07 ♂	Edited by: z_darius Dec 16, 07, 05:30 #48
Quoting: Matyjasz I heard that in the USA the word “Pollock” is considered to be a derogatory word It may be but I'm not sure to whom. Pollock (and pollack) is a fish. Damn fools are too stupid to even offend properly :)

PolsonThreads: 15 Posts: 2,814 Joined: May 9, 07 ♂	Dec 16, 07, 08:27 #49
Quoting: z_darius pollack Polak means Polish man in Polish...so it's half "bad"... ;) Poles or Polish people...Poles is shorter but can be misunderstand ('pole'...)... :)

omniba

Dec 16, 07, 12:12 #50

Quoting: Lady in red

I was educated at Polish school that using the word "Poles' was offensive

“I’m a Pole”, “I’m an Italian”, “I’m an Englishman” etc. etc. or “I’m Polish”, “I’m Italian”, “I’m English” - these are just definitions of nationality.
Even thinking that people could take offence for something similar is a bit worrying while looking for offence everywhere is paranoid and denotes an inferiority complex. Whoever taught Polish children that being called Poles was offensive had a very limited knowledge of the English language and was “a f o o l” or "f o o l i s h"

♂

Dec 26, 07, 15:29 #51

When u call Poles 'Polaks', it can be offensive or have a negative connotation. Much like being Caucasian and saying 'niggas'. African-Americans can say 'niggas' amongst themselves, much in the same way as a Pole could say 'jestem polakiem' and it would be acceptable. It's like saying dickhead or fuck. What one is worse? Well, it depends on the intonation and intention of the speaker. Most would say fuck but it could be used to express frustration whereas dickhead could be used as an insult towards another or others. It just depends on ur audience!!

Lady in red

Dec 26, 07, 16:22 #52

Omniba ! You highlight text from a post I made in August, which was in response to previous ongoing discussion. However, as you have seen fit to quote me and make comments I shall reply to your post accordingly.

omniba wrote:

Whoever taught Polish children that being called Poles was offensive had a very limited knowledge of the English language and was ?a f o o l? or "f o o l i s h"

RUBBISH to your comments. I disagree.

omniba wrote:

Even thinking that people could take offence for something similar is a bit worrying while looking for offence everywhere is paranoid and denotes an inferiority complex.

RUBBISH !

SeanusThreads: 22 Posts: 30,160 Joined: Dec 25, 07 ♂	Dec 26, 07, 16:31 #53
What's the best way to find the answer, test it out!!

omniba

Dec 28, 07, 11:01 #54

Seanus wrote:

'jestem polakiem'

There is no other way of saying "I am Polish" in Polish (unless of course one is a female) - it's not quite like saying "niggas" or "niggers" if one is Afro-American.

Lady in red wrote:

RUBBISH to your comments. I disagree.

Well, you're quite free to say and think anything you like - nonetheless being called "a Pole" is simply not an insult.

Seanus wrote:

it depends on the intonation

Exactly! But in this case - if the intonation is aggressive (for example, as when words are written in capital letters, where the aggression is implied) even "Polish" could become an insult.

SeanusThreads: 22 Posts: 30,160 Joined: Dec 25, 07 ♂	Dec 28, 07, 12:06 #55
So could Scottish or any other country you choose to nominate.

omniba	Dec 28, 07, 12:09 #56
Precisely!

♂

Edited by: Express12 Dec 30, 07, 19:07 #57

Firestorm wrote:

why aren't people from Holland called "Holes

Because Holland is not a name of a country, but just a name of two of our twelve provinces; i.e. the province of Noord Holland = Norht Holland, and Zuid Holland = South Holland; the entire nation is The Netherlands.

So, we call ourselves ( Nederlander ) and we call our language ( Nederlands ). English people call us ( Dutch ) and they also call our language ( Dutch ). :-)

uncuncunc	May 31, 08, 21:59 #58
I'll take Pole, Polish person, and Polak, the real word for one of our kind. But if Polak is used, it MUST be spelled correctly. If I ever see "Polack" (actually pronounced Po-latsk) or "Pollock" (A type of fish) again, I will kick something!

z_dariusThreads: 22 Posts: 5,091 Joined: Oct 18, 07 ♂	May 31, 08, 22:26 #59
Firestorm: If people from Poland are called "Poles," why aren't people from Holland called "Holes"? That one's easy. PoLand HoLLand

southernThreads: 116 Posts: 10,899 Joined: May 17, 07 ♂	Jun 1, 08, 04:59 #60
Polaci is good.And polky for women.

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