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PolAms -- do you regard yourselves only as 'white Americans'?


FUZZYWICKETS 8 | 1,879
27 Aug 2010 #31
can you get any whiter than Polish? if you're white, and you're american, there's no need for hyphens of any kind. otherwise, like previously stated, we'd have 3,592 hyphenated variations on the census.

strong words coming from someone who has never been to America, but i digress. the fact is this isn't just a Pol-Am phenomenon in America, it's many different ethnicities. Puerto Rican, Mexican, Chinese/Japanese/Korean, Indian, on and on and on. Even first generation kids don't speak their parents' languages or have no familiarity with their country of origin.

But then again, what can you expect from the descendants of very poor Poles from the turn of the 20th century?

really? are you suggesting that if people had poor grandparents or great-grandparents that immigrated to their country, they are going to be "stupid" and "idiots"? 100+ years later? man, that's offensive.
plk123 8 | 4,142
27 Aug 2010 #32
Sorry, but if you claim to be Polish-American, then you should be fluent in Polish (not just in listening/speaking) and you should actually have spent a decent amount of time in Poland. Holding a Polish passport and voting Jarek doesn't make you Polish!

no, polish americans don't have to be fluent in polish.. they should be fluent in english, however. it doesn't seem that you understand the meaning of the term

It's because the American Polonia are idiotic to the point of hysteria about it. Look at for instance, the British Polonia from post-WW2. That generation has more or less successfully integrated - and while there's plenty of Polish names about, the grandchildren consider themselves to be British, not Polish. They accept that they come from Poland originally, but they don't go on constantly about it - they are British to all practical extents. Really, I can't say a bad word about the post-WW2 British Polonia.

that made 0 sense dude.. it's the same instance with the US polonia.. wtf are you going on about?

Then you get the American Polonia, who are frankly idiots. They consider themselves to be Polish,

the same generation as the english one you are comparing them to doesn't see themselves as polish but american.. again, wtf are you talking about?

yet they don't speak the language,

huh? oh but many many do speak polish.. there are schools, churches, doctors, lawyers etc. all in polish in chicago an d nyc and other places.. moron

nor do they have any interest in the country. They vote for people like Jaroslaw Kaczynski based on what's reported in the English press -

so, do they show interest or not? voting and keeping up on what is going on in PL sounds otherwise.. you can't have it both ways bucko..

nd they constantly preach about how great it is to be Polish - yet they're about as Polish as I am

lol.. seems you wish you were polish.. fat chance, limey boy

The fact they even use words like "Busha" tells you about them!

you're a real moron.. it's a word from prior centuries.. wtf is it to you anyway?

Then there's the fact that many of them can't even pronounce their name properly - I'm sorry, but you can't claim to be Polish if you can't even say your last name properly. Then you get the fact that many of them claim that their great-grandparents came from Poland - yet when you listen to them, you discover that they emigrated before 1920. Most of them have absolutely no concept that Poland didn't exist for 120 years or so.

yes, there were no poles 120 years ago.. and then you wonder why i and others call you a dolt.. hmm.. lol

But then again, what can you expect from the descendants of very poor Poles from the turn of the 20th century?

and you are just a jealous punk.. get over yourself..

So then if someone goes to college and learns the Polish language fluently, learns how to pronounce their last name perfectly, learns more Polish history, and then discovers that their grandparents emigrated in 1921, they switch from not being Polish to being Polish? Is that how ancestry is decided? It doesn't make sense.

to shallow minds like this limey, yes.. lol

They're still not Polish, because they won't have spent any significant time here. If they move here and live the rest of their days here, then maybe, just maybe, they can be Polish. But otherwise? No.

you truly outdid yourself today.. lol

The problem is that most American Polonia have no concept of what they might actually be ethnically. It's highly unlikely that many of the American Polonia are actually genetically 100% Polish, especially as many of them are descended from Poles who came from the Eastern part - which was a complete melting pot for so long.

That's why I get irritated with the 100% TRUE POLISH crowd - because many of them don't have a clue.

hey buddy.. you are the one without a clue and working on some huge assumptions which are wrong.. you're a real dummy.. go have a shot of vodka and give it up.. lol

Get over your self, you said your not Polish, go care about something else useless.

that's right.. he's just a village idiot. haha
FUZZYWICKETS 8 | 1,879
27 Aug 2010 #33
plk123 wrote:

working on some huge assumptions which are wrong

i've been saying that since i first started posting on this forum. good to see others are starting to call him out on his shite posts.

amazing how much one can claim to know about America and it's people without ever having been there.
plk123 8 | 4,142
27 Aug 2010 #34
i always have.. he really is clueless.. even about PL.. he said that Poles from kresy and areas beyond Bug R aren't even polish.. those areas have been polish for only a millenium.. he's a joke.. that's all. lol
TheOther 6 | 3,674
27 Aug 2010 #35
yes, there were no poles 120 years ago

There were ethnic Poles who were either Russian, Prussian or Austrian citizens.
PlasticPole 7 | 2,648
27 Aug 2010 #36
The US Census seems to divides Americans into white, black, Hispanic, orietnal, Pacific Islanders, native Americans and a few other, but lumps all the rest in the 'white American' categoo. There has been a movement in somw quarters of Polonia to have PolAms cross out that term and pen in 'Polish American'. How do you feel about that?

I always choose "white" or caucasian because I have no black or Indian blood so that is what I choose. My skin is white, so I choose "white" on any form.
Matyjasz 2 | 1,544
27 Aug 2010 #38
i always have.. he really is clueless.. even about PL.. he said that Poles from kresy and areas beyond Bug R aren't even polish.. those areas have been polish for only a millenium.. he's a joke.. that's all. lol

No, he said that they probably aren't 100% ethnically polish, which is a huge difference. People from kresy ethnically are a very mixed bunch. Part of my wifes family comes from what is now Belarus. They were pretty much polonized belorussians or lithuanians. No polish blood running thorugh their veins.

As for the consensus, it definately serves a purpose, and that is to find out how many hispanics there are in the US of A, so no wonder the government doesn't give a fak wether you are a PolAm or IrishAm. The days of Ellis Island are long time gone.
trener zolwia 1 | 939
27 Aug 2010 #39
No, he said that they probably aren't 100% ethnically polish, which is a huge difference.

You'll find that Plk123 tends to twist things, exaggerate, lie...
That's what it takes to make a dishonest point or when someone doesn't really know what they're talking about but keep talking anyway...

Oh, and everyone else is clueless but him. Lol...
sascha 1 | 824
27 Aug 2010 #40
The US Census seems to divides Americans into white, black, Hispanic, orietnal, Pacific Islanders, native Americans and a few other, but lumps all the rest in the 'white American' categoo. There has been a movement in somw quarters of Polonia to have PolAms cross out that term and pen in 'Polish American'. How do you feel about that?

Do u have an identity problem?
Matyjasz 2 | 1,544
28 Aug 2010 #41
I don't think it's purely a polish phenomenon. Even the term plastic paddy proves it.

In order to be seen as one of us you need to speak the lingo. At least this is the case when it comes to me. Language is the portal to understanding and existing in the culture.

I may be wrong but sometimes it seems as if this "I'm Irish American", and "I'm Italian Am" was a form of snobbery amongst yourselves. You know, everyone wants to be something special and not just yer plain american mutt.

Not you specifically, and not all of you of course. But some americans behave that way.

PS: Don't get me wrong, personally I do feel a kinship with people who pride themselves to be part polish and I do definitely feel happy and proud that there are people who openly admit to their ancestry. Especially that it wasn't always easy for you to disclose this info in public.
TheOther 6 | 3,674
28 Aug 2010 #42
I do definitely feel happy and proud that there are people who openly admit to their ancestry

Why? Honestly, who cares whether great-great-grandpa was a Pole, a German or a Brit?
Eurola 4 | 1,902
28 Aug 2010 #43
PlasticPole:
I always choose "white" or caucasian because I have no black or Indian blood so that is what I choose. My skin is white, so I choose "white" on any form.
Clearly you are a racist.

Lol. So nowadays it is racist to choose white even when the person is actually white?

"The US Census seems to divides Americans into white, black, Hispanic, orietnal, Pacific Islanders, native Americans and a few other, but lumps all the rest in the 'white American' categoo. There has been a movement in somw quarters of Polonia to have PolAms cross out that term and pen in 'Polish American'. How do you feel about that?"

Polonius3, yes, I know many people who did it. The polish radio was promoting it so 'they', I guess Americans - will know how many PolAms they have! The radio should be taken off the air for messing up with people's minds like that. Apparently the US does not care how many or they would ask. I can only imagine the census employees scraching their heads wondering what to do about that. Some perhaps were thinking, 'jeez, that's dumb...we did not ask for that'. Like somebody said above, 'they' only care to know how many Mex-latinos 'they' have at this time.. :)
shewolf 5 | 1,077
28 Aug 2010 #44
Part of my wifes family comes from what is now Belarus.

Matyjasz is that you? You're married now? aww. How cute.

I may be wrong but sometimes it seems as if this "I'm Irish American", and "I'm Italian Am" was a form of snobbery amongst yourselves. You know, everyone wants to be something special and not just yer plain american mutt.

But even the government does that. They use the terms African American and Mexican American on the census form.

Not all Americans are a large mixture of races. There are a lot of legal immigrants and first generations. Some immigrants required their children to marry within their race. For some races, it was not even legal to marry a person of another race. Being American doesn't automatically mean racial mixture.
Patrycja19 62 | 2,688
28 Aug 2010 #45
PS: Don't get me wrong, personally I do feel a kinship with people who pride themselves to be part polish and I do definitely feel happy and proud that there are people who openly admit to their ancestry. Especially that it wasn't always easy for you to disclose this info in public.

Thank you matyjasz ;) yes it is hard for many growing up, I think that people dont
realize, when you take a large group of people who immigrated and continued to stay
segregated after they moved to America ( some still do ) living only in areas where
polish, hungarian, japanese, african , Italian did.. scorning their own for marrying into
other families because it was wrong to do.. but now accepted more.

people from different ethnic backgrounds went thru some crap over here. now we have
some idiot chick saying oh, you cant identify yourself with your background.. who
are you to tell us??? go bugger off ( one of my great english friends taught me that! )

all four of my grandparents were polish, both my parents are polish, when I was growing
up, they spoke polish to each other, but I was a kid, who is supposed to teach us this?
your parents. so you tell us who never had the chance to learn that we cant be who we
are cause you say so?? get a life witch.
when they came the lived in a heavily populated
polish area, people started marrying into other ethnic groups, some familys disowning
them, and those who were already americans were treating them like they were nothing
you have the audacity to come in here telling people they cant identify with their
ethnic background.. again bugger off!!

I will do what I want, say what I want, my ethnic background is all polish from poland
I can go get a citizenship if I wanted, says your govt!! you going to stop them??
good luck.

uote=FUZZYWICKETS]really? are you suggesting that if people had poor grandparents or great-grandparents that immigrated to their country, they are going to be "stupid" and "idiots"? 100+ years later? man, that's offensive.[/quote]

she was born from the brain aneurysm tribe......only one in existence left. the rest all
had surgery and she is now the last living of her kind.. sorta endangered if you know
what I mean..

I dont think she realizes that immigration didnt stop in 1920.. shhhhhhh dont tell her
she might not be able to process it.
lowfunk99 10 | 397
28 Aug 2010 #46
I was watching an American TV show with someone with the last name "Marchewka"

Wow, Mrs. Carrot, that's funny.....
Pinching Pete - | 554
28 Aug 2010 #47
this is a stupid damn thread.. fodder for one of Polonius' columns or something.

what the hell else would a Pol Am be besides white? Seems like a fair amount are devoid of melanin all together.
delphiandomine 88 | 18,163
28 Aug 2010 #48
No, he said that they probably aren't 100% ethnically polish, which is a huge difference. People from kresy ethnically are a very mixed bunch. Part of my wifes family comes from what is now Belarus. They were pretty much polonized belorussians or lithuanians. No polish blood running thorugh their veins.

Exactly. It is very unlikely that many of them can trace Polish blood (and only Polish, nothing else) right back through to the founding of the Piast dynasty - it's almost certain that there will be Lithuanian, Belarussian, Ruthenian, Russian, Ukranian and more mixed in there. I don't expect any of them to know this, but seeing as Poland was a "safe haven" for many different ethnic minorities at one point, it would seem rather unlikely that they are "100% TRUE POLISH" like they claim to be.
OP Polonius3 994 | 12,367
28 Aug 2010 #49
I regard myself as a Polish American first, last and always. Ethnicity is a matter of both genetics and subjective self-awareness. But since genes cannot write in our cross out anything, it is the consciousness that prompts a person to identify or disidentify.
plk123 8 | 4,142
28 Aug 2010 #50
No, he said that they probably aren't 100% ethnically polish, which is a huge difference. People from kresy ethnically are a very mixed bunch. Part of my wifes family comes from what is now Belarus. They were pretty much polonized belorussians or lithuanians. No polish blood running thorugh their veins.

all poles are mixed to some extent.. the eastern poles aren't any less slavic then the western ones, however..

You'll find that Plk123 tends to twist things, exaggerate, lie...
That's what it takes to make a dishonest point or when someone doesn't really know what they're talking about but keep talking anyway...

Oh, and everyone else is clueless but him. Lol...

no, just you and delph and a couple other donks..

Like somebody said above, 'they' only care to know how many Mex-latinos 'they' have at this time.. :)

but as you quoted they also want to know about other ethnicities, not just latinos..jeez

It is very unlikely that many of them can trace Polish blood

that's not true at all.. look up the dna studies since you don't seem to want to believe it.

"100% TRUE POLISH" like they claim to be.

by your logic, not one person in PL is Polish then.. more nonsense from a limey punk.. seriously dude
Patrycja19 62 | 2,688
28 Aug 2010 #51
look up the dna studies since you don't seem to want to believe it.

thats to reasonable, he would rather argue with you then believe that science has
proven something without his consent.

more nonsense from a limey punk.. seriously dude

lmao, i called him a chick, oops my mistake.

anyways, off to work..
TheOther 6 | 3,674
28 Aug 2010 #52
The only things that make you Polish are your parents and the culture in which you grow up. A Polish baby that is raised by German parents in Germany will automatically become a German. A German baby raised by Polish parents in Poland will automatically become a Pole. There is no such thing as "Polish blood".
Plusa10 3 | 23
28 Aug 2010 #53
if I could, I'd put "Polish-Irish", born in America....
TheOther 6 | 3,674
28 Aug 2010 #54
How far would you go back? Do that for a couple of generations (both father's and mother's side), and you might end up being an Irish-German-British-Polish-Russian-French-Dutch-Belgian-Martian American. This whole ethnicity concept is completely BS if you think about it.
plk123 8 | 4,142
28 Aug 2010 #55
There is no such thing as "Polish blood".

How far would you go back? Do that for a couple of generations (both father's and mother's side), and you might end up being an Irish-German-British-Polish-Russian-French-Dutch-Belgian-Martian American. This whole ethnicity concept is completely BS if you think about it.

all th epeeps in my fam tree have always lived on polish soil/territories and married only poles.. that is polish only blood
delphiandomine 88 | 18,163
29 Aug 2010 #56
all poles are mixed to some extent.. the eastern poles aren't any less slavic then the western ones, however..

And then you say...

all th epeeps in my fam tree have always lived on polish soil/territories and married only poles.. that is polish only blood

Hmm.

that's not true at all.. look up the dna studies since you don't seem to want to believe it.

I prefer to stick to facts - that barely anyone in Poland and certainly not mongrel Polonia can trace back solely Polish blood (and solely Polish, not Lemko, Kashubian, Silesian or any other ethnicity that lived in Poland through the last 1000 years) to the start of the Piast dynasty. Come on, look at modern day Poland - there are Roma, Lemkos, Kashubians, Germans, Ukranians and more - all with Polish passports. Are they Polish?

by your logic, not one person in PL is Polish then.. more nonsense from a limey punk.. seriously dude

See above. Rather unlikely that someone can trace 100% PURE POLISH BLOOD back to 966, isn't it? Especially when mongrel Polonia are all off marrying Americans, Brits et al.
Patrycja19 62 | 2,688
29 Aug 2010 #57
I prefer to stick to facts

so your saying that scientific proof isnt facts? how do you think they date stuff!

lol
hague1cmaeron 14 | 1,368
29 Aug 2010 #58
Exactly. It is very unlikely that many of them can trace Polish blood (and only Polish, nothing else) right back through to the founding of the Piast dynasty.

Very good observation, and I am sure your knowledge of history is a lot better than many PolAms:)
delphiandomine 88 | 18,163
29 Aug 2010 #59
so your saying that scientific proof isnt facts? how do you think they date stuff!

I'm saying that DNA analysis for ethnicity isn't exactly proven yet. They can obviously narrow it down to a certain degree - but anyone that claims that they can distinguish between the DNA of Poles and (for instance) Kashubians are frankly liars. Heck, from what I know, there was a lot of mixed marriages between Ukranians and Poles in Galicia - and I doubt DNA testing would be able to point this out.

So - how many Polish Americans can trace their family history back as being 100% TRUE POLISH right back to the founding of the Piast dynasty? That means no Germans, No Jews, no Lemkos, no Ukranians, no Kashubians, no Russians, no Ruthenians, no Czechs, no Slovaks, nothing. Just Poles. Not very likely, is it?

Very good observation, and I am sure your knowledge of history is a lot better than many PolAms:)

Thanks :)

Heck, many of them keep saying "my grand grandparents came from Poland in 1911" or similar...er...no...they didn't...
Patrycja19 62 | 2,688
29 Aug 2010 #60
Heck, many of them keep saying "my grand grandparents came from Poland in 1911" or similar...er...no...they didn't...

You know, for me, I would understand what they are talking about, because my
family came from Poland.

I say Poland because thats what my father said and mother. and what their parents
said to them. they left poland for a better life, apparently other countries had to rule
Poland , thus uprisings etc.. but in spite of their having to act like they are russian
they still went home and wrote in polish and still kept their traditions alive in the privacy
of their homes.. isnt that sad.. sad that a country was taken over, god how many times???

borders changed over time, so tracing your ancestors is really a pain in the dupa
but its possible,, we are lucky that people will help ( those who understand)

those who dont understand or fail to understand that each person should be allowed
to follow his destiny whether its going to the moon or tracing your ancestors needs
to mind their own business, its not like you could even stop it from happening, so why
make such a big deal over something that doesnt concern you?

if you dont want to find out your familys history, find out who brought you to who you
are today, who braved war, disease, oceans, poverty, starvation,, who fought the
biggest obstacle known to man ( survival) and won.

dude whatever your passionate about, we wont stop you, we wont make fun, or
try to disrespect your dreams, or talk bad about your family, if you told us a interesting
story about how your family is from nobility, who am I or anyone else to shoot that
down just for the mere reason to make you look bad..

Poland is our country, its where my family originated. I was born American, but I
am 100 % according to my ethnic background.
I was a child, I was never taught about poland, now that I have interest in it , I will
learn.. maybe my quest might take me past Poland , who knows. but for now
its my heritage, so same as yours, having a ethnic background, would you say your
family is 100% or did your family marry off into Irish /german or did they stay within
their own.

its not really that difficult , whether you dont like it or not, cause it appears you have
a huge problem with it, that yes, as polish americans will always continue to identify
with poland and you alone will live your life, spend all your dying days, having major
issues with us.. oh well. toooooooooo badddddddddddddddddddd.

you cant beat us, maybe you should join us.. muwhahhahahahahahahahahah


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