czwartek, 30 czerwca 2011
Don't you feel a bit insulted?
Whenever people say 'The British are lazy', I just reply 'Google, British inventions', 'lazy' people do not build the largest empire the World has ever seen or make massive contributions to arts, sport, media, culture etc.
Likewise, when people talk about Poles in a patronising way, coming out with cliches such as 'They are so hardworking, polite and educated, they shouldn't be working in factories, warehouses, fast food outlets, etc, etc'., has it never occured to people that many Britons with university degrees are working in jobs they are vastly over qualified for' and many Pole in this country are working as doctors, in finance, in senior management and other highly skilled jobs? Not every Pole is cleaning the toilets, still there's nothing like a bit of stereotyping, I often find the most racist and bigotted people are those who make a big issue of trying to convince everyone including themselves how non racist and non bigotted they really are.
Likewise, when people talk about Poles in a patronising way, coming out with cliches such as 'They are so hardworking, polite and educated, they shouldn't be working in factories, warehouses, fast food outlets, etc, etc'., has it never occured to people that many Britons with university degrees are working in jobs they are vastly over qualified for' and many Pole in this country are working as doctors, in finance, in senior management and other highly skilled jobs? Not every Pole is cleaning the toilets, still there's nothing like a bit of stereotyping, I often find the most racist and bigotted people are those who make a big issue of trying to convince everyone including themselves how non racist and non bigotted they really are.
wtorek, 28 czerwca 2011
niedziela, 26 czerwca 2011
EURO 2012
As anyone with any knowledge of football will know Poland had a decent national side in the 1970's, the World cup qualifier against England in 1973 is still remembered mainly because of a brilliant display by the Polish goalkeeper, our paths have crossed over the years and England have managed to maintain the upper hand, many of you who came to UK in 2004 will no doubt recall that Poland were drawn in the same 2006 World cup qualifying group as England, Northern Ireland and Wales, you will also recall the controversial decision by Howard Webb to disallow a last minute equaliser against Austria in Euro 2008 , no British countries qualified so the majority of the country 'adopted' Poland as a home country,
a lot of Poles returned the compliment and when you didn't qualify for the 2010 World cup, a lot of Poles supported their host nation, I even saw Poles wearing England shirts but after our performance, you probably wished you never bothered.
Anyway, I'm looking forward to next years tournament, when England staged it in 1996, we saw some great football, hopefully next year we will see more of the same, just one thing, England should qualify but if we play you, we won't be friends for 90 minutes!
a lot of Poles returned the compliment and when you didn't qualify for the 2010 World cup, a lot of Poles supported their host nation, I even saw Poles wearing England shirts but after our performance, you probably wished you never bothered.
Anyway, I'm looking forward to next years tournament, when England staged it in 1996, we saw some great football, hopefully next year we will see more of the same, just one thing, England should qualify but if we play you, we won't be friends for 90 minutes!
sobota, 25 czerwca 2011
A generation gap?
I have noticed a big difference in mentality and attitude between Polish people of different ages, a lot of the migrants in UK are quite young but there are some who are considerably older, they grew up under communism and experienced martial law, of course travel was not as easy as it is now and someone growing up in Poland then obviously has a different mindset, the younger generation, those who grew up after say the collapse of communism in 1989 and certainly those who took advantage of freedom of movement after Poland joined the EU definetly have a very different outlook on life in general, if I speak to Polish people aged 50+ I just notice a big difference, or maybe it's just me.
piątek, 24 czerwca 2011
Polish burglar.
I was just browsing on the website of a certain UK newspaper, I'm not naming the paper but it prints at least one negative story about migrants every day, sure we have a lot of foreign undesireables in this country and if they were deported they wouldn't be missed but we also have a lot of migrants who respect this country and are anything but criminal, we have an element of native people who quite simply are human rubbish, my whole point is, it is wrong to judge a person by nationality.
There is a distrurbing story about a burglar who broke into an elderly womans house, tied her up and left her to freeze to death, I'm sure any right thinking person would agree that this criminal deserves locking up, OK, he is Polish, the Daily M*** (guessed the paper yet?) made sure we all knew that and then went on into a predictable ramble about 'immigrant squatters', there was also a story about another serious burglary but as it was done by a British person, they failed to mention his nationality.
There is a distrurbing story about a burglar who broke into an elderly womans house, tied her up and left her to freeze to death, I'm sure any right thinking person would agree that this criminal deserves locking up, OK, he is Polish, the Daily M*** (guessed the paper yet?) made sure we all knew that and then went on into a predictable ramble about 'immigrant squatters', there was also a story about another serious burglary but as it was done by a British person, they failed to mention his nationality.
Is Polglish a threat?
I don't know but if you listen to
German rock bands such as The Scorpions, they mixed UK/US English with a Hannover accent
and came out with one of the classic lines in music, 'Bad boys vunning vild, und you bedder
get of ze vay' rather than sounding threatening, it sounded like some 60 something deck chair attendant.
One Polish guy said he was going to 'punch this guy, right on the nose' I think he learned English from
Noel Coward and Rambo but obviously, he didn't see any difference, so yes, mixing lingo is a bit dodgy.
German rock bands such as The Scorpions, they mixed UK/US English with a Hannover accent
and came out with one of the classic lines in music, 'Bad boys vunning vild, und you bedder
get of ze vay' rather than sounding threatening, it sounded like some 60 something deck chair attendant.
One Polish guy said he was going to 'punch this guy, right on the nose' I think he learned English from
Noel Coward and Rambo but obviously, he didn't see any difference, so yes, mixing lingo is a bit dodgy.
Daily food challenge
The national British dish is Chicken tikka, fact! I can't stand it myself, but love my kebabs, pizzas, Chinese takeaways etc not that I like foreign food, I have tried Polish food, I love kielbasa, I'm not insulting you people, bigos does taste nice but smells and looks a bit like blocked drains, the British contribution to World cusine is a bit suspect, Fish & chips, now this tastes great, but we drench it in vinegar and add mushy peas in to the mix, strangely enough, every Pole I have ever introduced to this dish has loved it. A full cooked, fried in batter 3000 calorie breakfast. The Scots even eat haggis, which is basically a dead animal, stuffed in a bag, in the North of England, people swear by 'black pudding', which is basically a disc shaped collection of animal blood, maybe it is swept up off some factory floor but we eat it, in London you will only ever eat eels, a fish that looks like a snake or their delicacy 'Pie & mash', please google that one, it's not that bad actually.
Before, I go on, I just want to ask why Poles insist on eating a small bowl of tomatoes, drowning it in salt and then complaining they have high blood pressure? Believe it or not, I have actually seen this and didn't read it in the papers.
Before, I go on, I just want to ask why Poles insist on eating a small bowl of tomatoes, drowning it in salt and then complaining they have high blood pressure? Believe it or not, I have actually seen this and didn't read it in the papers.
Urban Myths part 1
In this country, you can say what you want about the Royal family, but it is the ultimate sin to say anything about the Queen, the Sex Pistols caused controversy in 1977 by releasing a song which coincidentally has the same title as the National anthem and if you look at the lyrics, it is actually more of a comment on the social conditions of the time.
The Queen cannot vote but technically has the power to disolve parliament, is reported never to carry money but is one of the richest people in the world and to top it all, every swan in the UK is the Queen's property, we Brits love our eccentrics, one of our best ever exports was a rock band called Queen (I won't go into the meaning of their name) but everyone loves Freddie Mercury and he certainly crowned himself a few times! But if you haven't given up on this ramble yet and wonder why I'm going on about Queens and swans, let me explain, there have been reports in certain elements of the UK media that Poles are eating carp from ponds, rivers, etc, personally, I think carp tastes like mud but the real shocker is the stories that starving, homeless, migrants are too ashamed to return home with no money and are reduced to sleeping in fields, only emerging at night and hunting swans to eat, these people live a secret life that only a few journalists and dog walkers know about, but it's all true, I read it in the paper and a bloke down the pub told me, how dare these Poles eat the Queen's swans, I mean, don't they have any respect?
Unfortunately, some people actually read these stories and believe them, the fact that these idiots can even read must be at least something to be optimistic about.
The Queen cannot vote but technically has the power to disolve parliament, is reported never to carry money but is one of the richest people in the world and to top it all, every swan in the UK is the Queen's property, we Brits love our eccentrics, one of our best ever exports was a rock band called Queen (I won't go into the meaning of their name) but everyone loves Freddie Mercury and he certainly crowned himself a few times! But if you haven't given up on this ramble yet and wonder why I'm going on about Queens and swans, let me explain, there have been reports in certain elements of the UK media that Poles are eating carp from ponds, rivers, etc, personally, I think carp tastes like mud but the real shocker is the stories that starving, homeless, migrants are too ashamed to return home with no money and are reduced to sleeping in fields, only emerging at night and hunting swans to eat, these people live a secret life that only a few journalists and dog walkers know about, but it's all true, I read it in the paper and a bloke down the pub told me, how dare these Poles eat the Queen's swans, I mean, don't they have any respect?
Unfortunately, some people actually read these stories and believe them, the fact that these idiots can even read must be at least something to be optimistic about.
czwartek, 23 czerwca 2011
The British work ethic
I don't know where the myth about the British being lazy came from, after all Tim Berners Lee is responsible for you all being online.
The list of British inventons is quite impressive.
We invented the 5.93 mininium wage and you're really going to sweat your arse off for that.
The list of British inventons is quite impressive.
We invented the 5.93 mininium wage and you're really going to sweat your arse off for that.
Polish Soap opera
I saw bits of it, Polish migrant workers in UK, guess the rest, have you ever seen a British soap? Most of my formative years were spent listening to Hilda Ogden, the legend of UK soaps, .later on, I discovered Dot Cotton. I loved those curtain twitchers. Nosey, but harmless, old people.
The Poles set up a hot dog stand.
The Poles set up a hot dog stand.
British men.
We all love Polish women, ours generally have a random number of kids by a random number of fathers,
Poles tend to keep a relationship a bit simple, the average British guy who gets a date with a Polish woman might even use some poundshop deoderant or even be more more sophisicated and use some old spice, but when it comes down to it, if his football shirt doesn't fit over his beer gut, I'd reconsider the invite to sunday lunch.
Poles tend to keep a relationship a bit simple, the average British guy who gets a date with a Polish woman might even use some poundshop deoderant or even be more more sophisicated and use some old spice, but when it comes down to it, if his football shirt doesn't fit over his beer gut, I'd reconsider the invite to sunday lunch.
Polish Women
Everyone in UK knows the Poles came here to take our jobs, it says so in the Daily Mail, actually most people who believe that consider The 'Daily Star' to be some kind of oracle.
Believe me, you might all be living 28 to a room, you might have a Ph.d in applied Nuclear physics, you might be sending a Million Zloty a week home.
But, it's us Brits having fun with your women while you're at work.
If the Daily Mail ever get hold of this, it could make some medoicre hack into a bad journalist.
Believe me, you might all be living 28 to a room, you might have a Ph.d in applied Nuclear physics, you might be sending a Million Zloty a week home.
But, it's us Brits having fun with your women while you're at work.
If the Daily Mail ever get hold of this, it could make some medoicre hack into a bad journalist.
A Poles guide to the UK.
Now that's established, let's tell you the rest.
History.
The British used to rule the world and don't forget it, they don't forget it and never let anyone else forget either.
Language.
There are quite a few languages in UK, such as Scots and Irish gaelic and Welsh, some people speak Polish but the English only ever speak English, when travelling, speaking English, slowly and clearly as if speaking to an idiot or as a last resort shouting qualifies as communication.
Geography.
A moderate sized group of Islands in Northern Europe or the centre of the universe, just depends how you look at it.
Climate.
Bring an umbrella.
Culture.
Shakespeare, Dickens, Jeremy Kyle.
Meeting People.
The British are incredibly friendly people, they spend an average of 17.5 hours per day on Facebook and one day per year visiting family and arguing, we call this 'Christmas day', usually a lot of turkey is eaten, a lot of beer is drunk and a lot of repeats are shown on TV.
Sport.
If Catholicism is a religion in Poland, football is a MASSIVE religion in UK, the rest of the UK etc etc know they are rubbish and admit it, England think they are World beaters, every 4 years, Police helicopters are deployed when England lose on penalties to Germany/Argentina/Portugal/Mongolia/Solomon Islands, I wasn't joking about the last two. Some English people pretend to understand cricket but are generally harmless.
Dogs.
Biggest part of our culture, Americans love guns, we love dogs, a dog can bite you, use the pavement as a toilet or bark all night but do no wrong, be warned.
Legal system.
Our Police carry nothing but a note book. a whistle and a pocket truncheon, actually that's not strictly true, an extenanable ASP baton, CS gas container, 50,000 volt taser, hidden behind a bullet proof, stab proof vest while helping old ladies across the road, comes in handy.
Communications.
Red phone boxes, usually in toursist information offices, there are only 3 left in UK, the rest are in Japan.
Food and drink.
The British are very health concious, a breakfast at 6 am of fried eggs, bacon, sausages, mushrooms, beans, tomatoes, hash browns, toast or fried bread, followed by stress at work, now you're talking.
Entry into UK.
Are you serious?
History.
The British used to rule the world and don't forget it, they don't forget it and never let anyone else forget either.
Language.
There are quite a few languages in UK, such as Scots and Irish gaelic and Welsh, some people speak Polish but the English only ever speak English, when travelling, speaking English, slowly and clearly as if speaking to an idiot or as a last resort shouting qualifies as communication.
Geography.
A moderate sized group of Islands in Northern Europe or the centre of the universe, just depends how you look at it.
Climate.
Bring an umbrella.
Culture.
Shakespeare, Dickens, Jeremy Kyle.
Meeting People.
The British are incredibly friendly people, they spend an average of 17.5 hours per day on Facebook and one day per year visiting family and arguing, we call this 'Christmas day', usually a lot of turkey is eaten, a lot of beer is drunk and a lot of repeats are shown on TV.
Sport.
If Catholicism is a religion in Poland, football is a MASSIVE religion in UK, the rest of the UK etc etc know they are rubbish and admit it, England think they are World beaters, every 4 years, Police helicopters are deployed when England lose on penalties to Germany/Argentina/Portugal/Mongolia/Solomon Islands, I wasn't joking about the last two. Some English people pretend to understand cricket but are generally harmless.
Dogs.
Biggest part of our culture, Americans love guns, we love dogs, a dog can bite you, use the pavement as a toilet or bark all night but do no wrong, be warned.
Legal system.
Our Police carry nothing but a note book. a whistle and a pocket truncheon, actually that's not strictly true, an extenanable ASP baton, CS gas container, 50,000 volt taser, hidden behind a bullet proof, stab proof vest while helping old ladies across the road, comes in handy.
Communications.
Red phone boxes, usually in toursist information offices, there are only 3 left in UK, the rest are in Japan.
Food and drink.
The British are very health concious, a breakfast at 6 am of fried eggs, bacon, sausages, mushrooms, beans, tomatoes, hash browns, toast or fried bread, followed by stress at work, now you're talking.
Entry into UK.
Are you serious?
Is it 'Pole' or 'Polish'?
The reason is I ask is that, I'm not sure, many Poles (and I'm taking a risk here), are surprised when I point out the difference, between Great Britain (England,Scotland, Wales), the United Kingdom which also includes Northern Ireland and the British Isles which also extends to the Republic of Ireland, a completely indepedent country in it's own right, technically Irish citizens are 'foreigners' although anyone from Northern Ireland is entitled to hold dual nationality.
I won't go into too much detail, many people have written at far greater length on this subject.
I won't go into too much detail, many people have written at far greater length on this subject.
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