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3 reasons why you hate Poland.


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TOM30Threads: -
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Joined: Aug 29, 11
 Aug 31, 11, 01:51    #991
Good evening all

Once ,i decided to make a trip through some european countries, so i started my adventure from Marseille in France , Rome ,a long way by train to Austria,and an endless road on bus to slovakia ,czech and finally i ended up in the pole land .
it was a rainy dark day of october when i arrived krakow, who seemed as melancolic as tim burton has shown london in " sweeney todd movie". the most underrated city in europe,beautiful architecture with different coulours , different "european" people than i used to meet in italy or france,with their huge attachement to religion and church . maybe i havnt appreciated food so much like in the french gastronomy,but i enjoyed the simplicity and modesty of people .i was also mesmerized by a magic spell of the old Polish monarchy in the Wawel Royale Castle.it was a pleasent experience full of emotion and respect for people who have suffered a lot through the history.
i am not european,but i wish this part of europe will remain for her native people,because saddly ,some countires are destroyed by the flow of some ignorant and lazy immigrants who instead of giving a plus to this culture ,they rather fade her brightness into a black picture.

Thank u

rybnikThreads: 29
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 Aug 31, 11, 02:59    #992
1) Door slamming - this is simply rude. I know that not everyone does it but I hear it a lot here. I've had to put up signs to alert people to what they are doing. There is simply no need for it!!

seriously? How funny is that! Door slamming in my day was considered the height of rudeness - along with picking your nose and taliking with your mouth full. Very interesting.
f stopThreads: 33
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Edited by: f stop  Aug 31, 11, 05:35    #993
Actually, the ignorant person is you.

delph, seriously, do you have a beef with that person, or this is just the way you engage in conversations? You make a lot of good points, but your style sucks.

Haha , you are so funny and ignorant .

Jeez, another great debater.


The guy is getting screwed in a divorce, what on earth is the matter with you people?
aphrodisiacThreads: 22
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 Aug 31, 11, 07:33    #994
The guy is getting screwed in a divorce, what on earth is the matter with you people?

ego?
PalivecThreads: -
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Joined: Apr 22, 11
 Aug 31, 11, 07:52    #995
First of all, I don't hate anything, and certainly not entire countries. Some things I dislike about Poland are:

1) the combination of victim complex and overly romantic conception of history (Christ among nations). Makes rational discussions about history almost impossible. Although the younger generation is already much different.
2) the ruination of the "recovered territories". Mostly thanks to the Commies. Thank god the younger people, teens and twens, get interested in their home now. Often too late.
3) the lack of rules in the public sphere. Big and small adverts everywhere, tasteless buildings full of turrets and battlements, no settlement plans and so on. Sometimes Poland looks like a big mess.
TeffleThreads: 28
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Edited by: Teffle  Aug 31, 11, 10:28    #996
Three things:

1) Service

2) Staring

3) Unrealistic jingoism/narrow mindedness/black & white thinking (it's all linked)

But as mentioned, "hate" is pretty strong. More like "very annoying aspects"
ArrbolThreads: -
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Joined: Aug 24, 11
 Aug 31, 11, 14:57    #997
Arrbol,

Three reasons why you hate Poland.

1) The bureaucracy.

2) Service you get, ( or don't get, because it doesn't exist.)

3) The cheats. who rip everybody off.

I have a much bigger list of things that I like about Poland. That should be the next topic at some future date. This would be more positive than the hate subjects.
Foreigner4Threads: 22
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 Sep 1, 11, 13:10    #998
Three things:1) Service2) Staring3) Unrealistic jingoism/narrow mindedness/black & white thinking (it's all linked)But as mentioned, "hate" is pretty strong. More like "very annoying aspects

Wow all three of those were in spades today.

The staring is something that really is ridiculous. If you meet their gaze with a smile they act all p*ssed off like they're looking for a fight. I'm starting to smile and say hello more, it seems to scare them away. Seriously, you stare at people back home and it won't take more than half a day and you'll either get a lecture or you'll get in a fight- one or the other.

Here's one I was reminded of today: people who look for confrontation in mundane aspects of life. I held a door open for someone and they seemed to take it as my way of insulting their mother- WTF is wrong with this society when holding a door for someone doesn't warrant a kind response?
SeanusThreads: 22
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 Sep 1, 11, 13:29    #999
Most don't seem to see it as sth done for them. They seem to expect you to open the door and then not say thank you. That's been my experience anyway. People are not to be thanked but suspected.
IronsideThreads: 59
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 Sep 1, 11, 13:39    #1,000
People are not to be thanked but suspected.

suspected of what ? You lost me here, you mean that if you hold a door for someone they suspect you ?

The staring is something that really is ridiculous.

I would classify it as a gaping.
SeanusThreads: 22
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 Sep 1, 11, 13:42    #1,001
The look would suggest so, yes.

Not to thank sb for holding the door open, for most Brits, is a lack of basic manners. Let's just say the approach is different.
IronsideThreads: 59
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 Sep 1, 11, 13:43    #1,002
They seem to expect you to open the door and then not say thank you

They have no manners, Polish elite were eradicated and the People's Republic did not care much for bourgeois trivia.
Educate them Sean.
SeanusThreads: 22
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 Sep 1, 11, 13:44    #1,003
The thing is, some do say thanks so you can't put all Poles into one bracket. In Britain, it's not a class thing. Most do it.
pawianThreads: 90
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 Sep 4, 11, 22:04    #1,004
I hate when bikers don`t have any lights on their bikes at night. It is against the rules.
Foreigner4Threads: 22
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 Sep 4, 11, 22:35    #1,005
^Rules only apply to everyone else but not you if you're Polish...
SeanusThreads: 22
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 Sep 4, 11, 22:44    #1,006
Please elaborate, For4. I've seen this often but any specific examples?
Foreigner4Threads: 22
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 Sep 4, 11, 23:33    #1,007
yours are as good as mine but parking has got to be high on my list.
Lines are supplied in order to aid in this process yet a large minority simply can't be bothered to help make that a smooth process for everyone else.
NightgladeThreads: 9
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 Sep 5, 11, 19:31    #1,008
As probably mentioned before, 'hate' is a strong word.. If I hated Poland I wouldn't be here, love and responsibility or not.
But there are definitely things that 'irk' me so to speak. Some of them include:

- Rudeness on trams/public transport
- Jumping queues in a way that's so damn rude and idiotic it makes my blood boil (I'll write a story after the list)
- Cars going through zebras when there's a green, got knocked over once and almost knocked countless times
- Does the language count? No? Jaki szkoda
- People staring incessantly. Back in the UK you'd have your chops smashed if you stared like they do here.
- Not to generalise, but "chav-ness" (to invent a word there) seems to end at around 22/23 in the U.K, it seems to continue until death here.
- Ticket inspectors on trams/busses, bunch of arrogant window lickers
- Beaurocracy, but I tend to avoid that avenue where possible.

Ah so the story.

So me and my partner were at McDonalds, waiting to get something to eat - we hadn't ate for over 12 hours and it was late so little time to cook.
We enter McDonalds and there's a bloody big queue. There were 3 cashplaces but only one queue. When a cashier called, the next in line moved over to it.
We'd been waiting something close to 15 minutes, and we were now 4th in line. Some old hag crawled her way up from hell for a BigMac, entered McDonalds, went in front of the queue to check the "menu". Then went straight to the cashier and stood there, looking behind her with a snobbish smirk at the long queue. Cashier comes along and starts taking her order. At least 10 people aurally voiced their displeasure. Me and my girlfriend had had enough and went to the cashier and said "Excuse me, but this woman just came in and skipped the entire queue, we have been waiting 15 minutes and you start serving her.. What the *****" Cashier looked gobsmacked, and the old bat said "Theres 3 cash places, why 1 queue, I didn't know", but got her food anyway and as she walked past the queue with her grub in hand, we heard at least 3 "stary k's"' and other obscenities along the way.

Bloody hell, the audacity of some people here never ceases to amaze me ;) In the UK never experienced anything like it, to jump in front of a queue is to the English is a crime equivalent to murder.
SeanusThreads: 22
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 Sep 5, 11, 19:38    #1,009
She's old, she can do that ;) ;) She couldn't have been in the wrong, could she have? ;)
NightgladeThreads: 9
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 Sep 5, 11, 19:40    #1,010
She was about 50 ;) So not senile enough to let off
District12aThreads: 3
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Edited by: District12a  Sep 5, 11, 19:43    #1,011
1. The roads, the highways, and roads SUCK

2. Dresiarzy. I never got into trouble in one, but Ive seen them on the street in there 10 sizes bigger track suits thinking there so cool

3. And that many elderly women here think there everyones grandma and think they can tell every young looking person what to do.
delphiandomineThreads: 42
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 Sep 5, 11, 19:57    #1,012
- Rudeness on trams/public transport


Oh yes. Babcia isn't afraid to shake you out of your sleep because she wants the seat. Or worse, like the old misery guts who shoved my injured knee out of the way because his wife wanted my seat.

- Jumping queues in a way that's so damn rude and idiotic it makes my blood boil (I'll write a story after the list)


Old people are dreadful for this - I find that they've got an utter lack of manners here. Still, it can be amusing to get in their way and refuse to let them do it.

- Cars going through zebras when there's a green, got knocked over once and almost knocked countless times


I blame the idiotic right turn on red for this - what kind of moron thought it was a good idea IN POLAND to give cars and pedestrians a green light?

- People staring incessantly. Back in the UK you'd have your chops smashed if you stared like they do here.


What's fun with this is to stare out kids when you want their seat on the tram/bus - sometimes works ;)

- Not to generalise, but "chav-ness" (to invent a word there) seems to end at around 22/23 in the U.K, it seems to continue until death here.


Ah, it's a way of life, come on ;) What I don't understand is where they get the money from to be chavs - social welfare here is absolutely minimal.

- Ticket inspectors on trams/busses, bunch of arrogant window lickers


Try my favourite trick - spend about 10 minutes looking for the ticket. Always amuses me to watch them get madder and madder while you deliberately search every single pocket about ten times :D They're paid on commission, so if they're being dicks, the best way is to waste their time ;)

- Beaurocracy, but I tend to avoid that avenue where possible.


...I hate to say it, but I think it's better than the UK :(
gumishuThreads: 17
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 Sep 5, 11, 20:01    #1,013
What I don't understand is where they get the money from to be chavs - social welfare here is absolutely minimal.


theft? drug dealing? muging people (it is presumably common in the schools)?
bullfrogThreads: 4
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 Sep 5, 11, 20:14    #1,014
They have no manners, Polish elite were eradicated and the People's Republic did not care much for bourgeois trivia.


Well, not sure I agree.. In fact, I found people in Poland much more educated and polite than in Britain or most western countries, especially as far as men's attitude toward women:

- help ladies put on coats
- hold car doors for ladies
- ...

It is however true that this is less and less prevalent among the younger generation
JustysiaSThreads: 15
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 Sep 5, 11, 20:17    #1,015
The staring is something that really is ridiculous.


i always ignore it but my boyfriend hates it. staring them up and down usually helps

to jump in front of a queue is to the English is a crime equivalent to murder


ha ha yeah I didn't notice a queue at the post office once, thought it was just a bunch of oldies hanging around, I did get put back in my place pretty quick ;)

but "chav-ness" (to invent a word there) seems to end at around 22/23 in the U.K


errr not really! there are GENERATIONS of chavs living in UK, the younger, the chavvier and more gormless (exposed to chav-ness for longer ;)
WroclawThreads: 77
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 Sep 5, 11, 20:21    #1,016
- help ladies put on coats
- hold car doors for ladies


this sort of thing happens when one has a function to attend. not the weekend shopping. i've seen it as much in the uk as Poland.
SeanusThreads: 22
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 Sep 5, 11, 20:24    #1,017
I haven't seen it at all here in 7 years, Wroc³aw. I saw it in the nicer parts of my home city.
bullfrogThreads: 4
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 Sep 5, 11, 20:42    #1,018
I haven't seen it at all here in 7 years, Wroc³aw. I saw it in the nicer parts of my home city.


I know I'm probably a little older than most on PF, but I see it happening quite often in Warsaw in restaurants etc.. It's true that it's more frequent among.. lets' say.. middle aged people. But I suppose you can't have it all : Wroclaw has a large student population, which is part of its attractivity (it is in fact my preferred polish city) but this means that old school good manners tend to be less practised..
SeanusThreads: 22
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 Sep 5, 11, 20:45    #1,019
You may well have a point there, bullfrog. I didn't want to imply that it doesn't exist but it's definitely not prevalent or a cultural norm.
RumfuddleThreads: 2
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Edited by: Rumfuddle  May 22, 12, 13:32    #1,020
Well, here's my own tuppence worth - and, no, I haven't been able to read every single message on this thread, But I recently spent four days in Kraków, which was my first time in Poland. And I Loved it. No, it's not perfect or glossily wonderful, nowhere is; outside of storybooks and tourist brochures. It's real and human. I've been to many countries, everywhere you get the good, the bad and the indifferent.

But the observation I would like to make here is that people often move to other countries and when they experience something negative that could really happen anywhere, they simple blame the country and portray the problem as some sort of broad cultural characteristic. I lived in Spain for many years and noticed the exact same thing, particularly among English-speaking expats. Indeed some of the dislikes listed here are the *exact* same bitter little complaints you could frequently hear from foreign residents in Spain. When I returned home to Ireland some years ago it was a relief to be able to stop viewing the world through a prism of national stereotypes; so, when someone rips you off they're a con artist not necessarily a typical Irish person, when someone says something bigoted or racist, they're a racist and not a typical Irish person, when someone skips a queue or almost runs you over in their car, they're idiots .. not typical Irish people. When someone rants about Irish history in a crudely simplistic, rabble-rousing manner they're nationalist nutcases, and not representative of every single Irish person etc etc


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