Is the word "Polack"rascist?

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Feb 24, 07, 09:08 #31

Quoting: Eurola

My Italian friend calls me jokingly at times "Polack' and I tell her she is such a 'wop'. I call my German friend a 'bucket head" as she calls me 'Polack" sometimes and we both have a good laugh. I never been referred to as "Polack" by my American friends, they seem to be more careful in name calling...
However, ethnic people themselves have no problem laughing at each other old stereotypes.

A wop? never heard that

where did it come from?

Im sure we know irish are called, paddy's and mick's but what else?

EurolaThreads: 6 Posts: 2,647 Joined: Dec 2, 06 ♀	Feb 24, 07, 13:43 #32
daffy, it's a popular one in the US (Dictionary.com) wop /wɒp/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[wop] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation –noun Slang: Disparaging and Offensive. an Italian or a person of Italian descent.

MatyjaszThreads: 2 Posts: 1,786 Joined: Jul 20, 06 ♂	Feb 25, 07, 06:40 #33
Quoting: Jasiu Quoting: professays Is the word Lah abusive? put it into context, Profe Lach is just another name for a Polish person, used by Ukrainians, Russians and Turks. It's not offensive, although taking under the consideration the history between Poles and those nations I guess that some people might use it in a rather abusive context.

mbti	Apr 3, 07, 05:00 #34
as far as I'm aware the dance polka originatet in the czech/slovak country

clink77

Apr 15, 07, 21:31 #35

I'm half Polish, with a very Polish last name. Throughout my years of schooling in Chicago I was called a dumb polack or polack pretty much all the time. Not only was it used to degrade my nationality, but it was used to describe something that is stupid or dumb to the person saying it. Such as "What kind of polack move was that?" Just the word Polish was/is associated with stupidity here in the US. Personally, after being degraded for much of my childhood by these slurs, I fill with hate and rage when they're directed to me or others.

I find it interesting that something in the Polish language that simply means a Polish man can turn into the offensive(at least for me) word it is now. Fortunately, I let people know that direct that kind of speech towards me are punished swiftly(i.e. get that their ass kicked).

FrankThreads: 27 Posts: 1,342 Joined: Aug 14, 06 ♂	Apr 16, 07, 02:40 #36
Quoting: clink77 get that their ass kicked Clink....why though do people in the US....as you appear to do, not seek verbal satisfaction......"sticks and stones will break my bnes but words will never hurt me"...so goes the rhyme....and then think that physically hurting/killing people will settle things, be the civilised way to seek redress?

clink77

Apr 16, 07, 12:30 #37

I know my "get their ass kicked" comment sounds brute and wrong, but personally, I say fight fire with fire. Lets say a black or hispanic person calls me a polack(they have in the past), and I call them a ****** or spic in return, I am the racist while their polack comment is funny and OK. How do you win against that? Whine and complain like many people from all races and nationality do here in US? Not for me.

I would love to deal with offensive verbal terms against myself with less violent behavior, and trust me I have. I tried to make people understand that I was offended by there lewd comments, but everyone would just respond, " Oh it's a joke." Well, I'm tired of jokes directed to the great Polish people.

We have been slaughtered by the millions, without a country, and looked at as inferior throughout history, yet we always recover and build a nation that is stronger. My hope is that Poles throughout the world can be shown the respect they deserve. We have survived near extinction time and time again. Polish Americans especially need to be pround of their heritage. I know too many that don't stand up for Poles when they are lambasted with negative comments. I just hope that could all change.

Grzegorz_Threads: 80 Posts: 6,102 Joined: Nov 16, 06 ♂	Apr 16, 07, 13:08 #38
Quoting: clink77 How do you win against that? **** them up.

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Apr 16, 07, 15:08 #39

Well...its a poor reflection on USA society......when any people, race or nation is picked on.

Yes we all have our own preferences........not long ago in the 50s it was ok to put a notice up in the windows of British landladies saying...." No Blacks, dogs or Irish"

The sh1t the Irish have taken for centuries/decades has been pretty unbelieveable....used to be known at times as the negroes of Europe......

So what you do is beat them at their own game......stand up...show how able, robust, well qualified and responsible you are........be proud of your heritage..........give the sh1t right back or call their bluff and involve the law.....employers have a duty of care.......IT IS NO LONGER ACCEPTABLE TO BEHAVE IN THIS MANNER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So ignore them...don't respond in the way they think you should.......

Celia	May 1, 07, 15:08 #40
I suppose some folks might take offense but I think it's pretty funny, myself. Coming from my friends it's almost a term of endearment. But then again, I'm a Polish girl from New Jersey so I'm used to geting it from all sides, lol.

sledzThreads: 29 Posts: 3,202 Joined: Sep 19, 06 ♂	May 1, 07, 17:25 #41
It is concidered a insult in Chicago to call a Polish person that. Some guys will want to fight others laugh it off, depending on the context of use.

debbie	May 2, 07, 00:15 #42
yes especially growing up i had a lot of polock jokes that were eluding to the term as unintelligent, and i still feel it is offensive, but you learn to live with it and realize people as ignurant when they use that term for a polish descendent. I am proud of my heritage.

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May 2, 07, 07:05 #43

An Irish-American relative once sent me a printout of "polak" jokes, which interestingly were exactly the same as the "paddy" jokes that the english tell about the Irish.

I lived in England for a while (I'm Irish) and we referred to ourselves as "paddy" or "mick" - this devalues the cultural nastiness of the term. I don't find tem offensive, and especially not when they're meant to be offensive. We call the British "brits", which they use themselves also. Some English people regard it as offensive. We Irish also have the word "tans" which refers to the English in a more derrogatory manner, but this is a word the English wouldn't understand, so it's not really an offensive noun!
Generally speaking English culture looks down on the Irish (a fromer colony) and this occasionally surfaces even at the highest levels of government. Which we Irish cheerfully ignore :)

Paddy, Polak, Mick... People who use these terms as an offensive weapon are generally the less intelligent ones themselves. The trick is to recapture the word, so it's offensiveness is devalued...
...course then they'll find some other word to use!

myatska	Sep 11, 07, 20:49 #44
My grandfather's parents were Polish.And he didn't look white at all.He had very brown skin,dark hair,and short.People that didn't like him,allways called him a Greek ******. Especially when he got his hair permed,lol. But,his eyes were browninish hazel. I don't know why he had such dark skin.He sat inside a dark American Legion bar all day.

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Sep 11, 07, 21:02 #45

Quoting: pingwin

I just smile and say I'm proud of it. Hey, my friend is SO PROUD he personlize his car plates to read POLAK.

Hehe. Very nice. I used to see a guy in my old town with a license plate that read "TIKANEIS" (ti kaneis being Greek for "how are you?"). I liked that one as well. It's good to see people keeping some spirit of the old country. :)

Anyway, about the word "polack," I think it depends on what you have been taught. If you're from Maine or someplace, you might not think it's a bad choice of word, but speaking as someone who grew up in the Chicago area, I would never use it myself. There are cleverer ways of being rude anyway, if it's appropriate under the circumstances.

adelinaThreads: - Posts: 13 Joined: Dec 28, 07 ♀	Dec 28, 07, 16:06 #46
haha all my friends call me Polak

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Edited by: z_darius Dec 28, 07, 21:39 #47

Real wrote:

By the way, Polka music comes from Ukrane not Poland.

Nope.
It is a Czech dance.
The name comes from Czech "pulka" meaning "half" (beat), which is the rythm of the dance. Eventually "pulka" was changed into "polka" which in Polish means a Polish woman. Hence the confusion.

A similarly confusing one is what is known as "polska". It is a Swedish 3/4-beat dance which has Polish roots.

HAL9009 wrote:

The trick is to recapture the word, so it's offensiveness is devalued...

Much like what Canadians did with "canuck"

freebirdThreads: 3 Posts: 638 Joined: Jun 8, 07 ♂	Dec 29, 07, 01:54 #48
shakeNbake07 wrote: Is the word "Polack"rascist? No it's not but it's degrading Poles.

JumpinJuniperThreads: 1 Posts: 23 Joined: Dec 29, 07 ♂	Dec 29, 07, 03:44 #49
I dont mind being called polack as long as they dont mind being called ginny, crout, ruskie or irish prick ect. if you know what i mean. If they can dish it..... they have no option but to take it. thats what go by

noimmigration	Dec 29, 07, 10:47 #50
a polish person is only a polack when they are an immigrant

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Dec 29, 07, 10:54 #51

noimmigration wrote:

a polish person is only a polack when they are an immigrant

Nope. The word, as used in English, is of German origin and has nothig to do with immigration.

The word often appears in reference to Poles who were no immigrants at all. You need to brush up the literature of your own country before you get a whack at those you know nearly nothing about. Read Hamlet. You won't have to go far, Act One, Scene One. And that's just one example.

isthatuThreads: 4 Posts: 1,627 Joined: Jun 8, 07 ♂	Dec 29, 07, 17:16 #52
HAL9009 wrote: "tans" which refers to the English in a more derrogatory manner, but this is a word the English wouldn't understand, so it's not really an offensive noun! er,you couldnt call them "blacks" though could you,fienian. Spik,Wop,Polack,what is this,a West Side Story convention,geez.

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Jun 10, 08, 05:19 #53

Thread attached on merging:
Does being called a Polack/Pollak offend you?

Obviously Poles understand that the term Polack is an actual Polish word meaning a male Pole but many times the term is used to demean Poles. For example in the United States the term POLE is just starting to be used but many people whether it's ignorance, not caring or usually just not being aware, do not know that in English a person of Polish decent should be called Pole and not a Polack. I don't really have a problem with being called a Polack but for whatever reason the term has a negative feel to it in the United States.

Just like the Irish, Italians in the past and basically every other culture/nationality in the past has faced being the butt of jokes, it seems that Poles are just starting to get past it and it's fallen onto Hispanics now. How many Polack jokes did you hear growing up? I still to this day will over hear someone saying a Polack joke in the background before they find out I am actually Polish and then they did the whole "oh yeah you know I wasn't trying to offend you it's just how the joke goes it could be a Irish, Mexican or blah blah person instead"

Anyone else have this similar experience? Basically the 'Dumb Polack' ******** that i'm sure we've all experienced at some point in our lives.

SeanusThreads: 22 Posts: 30,160 Joined: Dec 25, 07 ♂	Jun 10, 08, 05:21 #54
I know Americans here who use Polak only for digs at Poles.

telefonitika	Jun 10, 08, 05:24 #55
Not really no ... though my sister was disgusted at someone calling her a fkin polish bch the other week in a high street store all because she had a pushchair and loads of clothing bags on it ... my sister responsed with the word "OI we'll have less" .... !

Wyspianska	Jun 10, 08, 05:28 #56
MarcinD: MarcinD My English boy only calls me Ewiwooobear hahah

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Jun 10, 08, 05:31 #57

MarcinD:

I know Americans here who use Polak only for digs at Poles.

For the most part I agree, but then again i've definitely been asked how do you say, I'm AN "American" but if your Polish?

You wouldn't say i'm a Polish. Most people still don't know your supposed to say Pole. They either ask me or just say Polack and figure Polack jokes are just like Mexican jokes. Obviously the joke is on them since they are using a Polish word to try and insult an actual Pole.

It would be like me saying someone is a dumb latino instead of mexican. Either way it's stupid and for the most part I do believe we get a raw deal. I dunno where all the Polack jokes originated from or why but I just figure it was our turn to face the same crap every other nation did when they immigrated to the U.S.

On the other hand, me being from San Diego, you don't see/run into many Poles which sucks on one hand but then again you don't interact with the scum/lower denominators of a large population. I've heard stories from my family and seen news clips on Polish channels of Poles in Chicago. Big population = more poor/uneducated Poles which give the rest of us a bad name.

Something odd is that I rarely am asked if I'm Polish. I have a 12 letter last name but usually i'll get asked if i'm Czech, or from Ukraine and sometimes Russian which is really odd to me. I do believe that for the most part Poles get a raw deal and deserve better.

PolanglikThreads: 40 Posts: 848 Joined: May 16, 07 ♂	Jun 10, 08, 07:53 #58
I can't see why we should be offended if someone calls us Polaks or Pollacks. English people refer to Americans as Yanks, Septics (ie.rhyming slang Septic Tank), Aussies call Brits Poms .... maybe someone could explain why ?; I don't see anything derogatory in these terms; it's only when one places fu**ing or some other obscene term along with it that I have a problem :o)

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Jun 10, 08, 07:57 #59

MarcinD:

Big population = more poor/uneducated Poles which give the rest of us a bad name.

This is exactly how polish jokes started. When Poles began emigrating to the US in the early 19th c many were uneducated (farmers, labourers) and could not even read/write in polish! Hence the term "dumb polack."

Personally I have never been the victim of polish jokes and there are many poles where i live (toronto area). I think it all depends on how you present yourself and your level of integration into society.

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Edited by: EbonyandBathory Jun 10, 08, 14:52 #60

MarcinD:

I dunno where all the Polack jokes originated from or why

When Polish people came here after World War One and certainly after World War II they came with a large section of Eastern Europeans who were officially title by the American Government as "Displaced Persons" because they couldn't speak English they were percieved as being stupid and this phrase "Displaced Persons" becamse "D.Ps" which became "Dumb Polaks" not just Poles but for all Eastern Europeans at the time.

I've been treated like an idiot because I was Polish a handful of times in my life but it's never bothered me. There are many groups in America that face much more resistance and insult than us, thats for sure.

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