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JANEK's quasi-essay on RACISM, NATIONALISM and POLAND
”Think for one fucking second!” - Christian Bale in his leaked outburst audio.
Cześć! Korey and Co-Host talked about racial issues on the latest LET’S DO THIS. I decided to share my thoughts on this subject, so here they are.
I understand what they're saying about the racial stereotypes, but it's not only the black people that have really bad stereotypes. I know they know it, but it inspired me. I'm Polish, and man-oh-man, we're almost black.
Most stereotypes? Poles are lazy, uneducated thieves, who are dumb, poor drunks and - obviously - hate and killed Jews with Adolf Hitler in WWII. The truth is? Although there were Poles who helped the Nazis, many, many Poles were helping and hiding Jews and dying, because of a death sentence as a penalty for that - and Poland was the only country with a death sentence for helping Jews then, as far as I know. We were murdered with Jews in the concentration camps, killed and slaughtered by Germans and Russians alike, and fucked hard in the ass by the American, British, French, German, Russian and Austrian folks.
People still portrait us in a very stereotypical manner (and of course if your character is Polish he has to be a God-fearing catholic or a Jew). And you can still get an aggressive or arrogant responses these days just because you are Polish (which I once experienced and my friend almost got beat up in England for that).
You can never beat ignorance - it always will be there and always was. It has nothing to do with your skin color or nationality. No "sensitive classes", about which Co-Host and Korey talked, will help. When people are censored, PCed or told to be nice to other people, they won't listen - that's just the way people are.
"Sensitive classes" are bullshit.
I’m not saying ignore the problem. I’m not.
What you need to do is teach some history. Not just racial history. Some controversial history. When we would learn about our race and/or country things that aren’t normally taught, that we, as a country or as race, were fuckers too... and Poles were fuckers at times, believe me – not because they’re Polish, but because they’re human. Educate people – kids and teens especially – on sociology and psychology a little too. Then they may open their minds and look at it from a different perspective. You can't beat racism with law, PC or intelligent statements. Until people get smarter and more intelligent there still will be racism, nationalism, homophobia and all that shit.
But it won't happen.
People need an enemy. Or maybe not even an "enemy" per se. They need someone, something to look down upon and make fun to feel better. For life to make sense, because they live in a hierarchal society. That's why there are stereotypes, and why people make fun of other people. Unless you humanize a black man to the racist or a lesbian to the homophobe they will think about them in 2D terms like good/bad, white/black, normal/freak, etc.
As stupid these Transformers ”nigrobots” may be I don’t think they should be an issue. We all know there are black people that are caricatures (e.g. many black rappers), same as there are Poles who are caricatures too. I understand that some people can get irritated while looking at those bots, same as I get irritated when Poles are presented as dumb simpletons in movies. We should be able to laugh at it, but we don’t because we know that there are people who think about us in these kind of terms. And that’s the real problem, and that’s a shame. And we know that. But as I said I don’t think bringing it up and getting angry about it will really get us anywhere. It will only make Michael Bay – the accused – go on some show, stand before the cameras and say: “Yeah, sorry. I love those black people. It was just a joke. I have a poster of Malcolm X in my room and I love Spike Lee’s movies”, as it was written for him by his PR manager.
Just don't give a fuck and do your best to showcase your race or nationality in the best light - be smart, clever, intelligent. Don’t be lazy and ignorant. Learn about the world, people and history. Don’t be a stereotype. Be the best person you can be, and then “wear” your race, nationality, orientation or whatever with pride. Show to other people that even though you’re black, yellow, Polish, Scottish, gay, bi, or whatever, you are still a person that has its value. And it keeps rising.
Feel free to discuss. I'm open to a conversation.
Cześć! Korey and Co-Host talked about racial issues on the latest LET’S DO THIS. I decided to share my thoughts on this subject, so here they are.
I understand what they're saying about the racial stereotypes, but it's not only the black people that have really bad stereotypes. I know they know it, but it inspired me. I'm Polish, and man-oh-man, we're almost black.
Most stereotypes? Poles are lazy, uneducated thieves, who are dumb, poor drunks and - obviously - hate and killed Jews with Adolf Hitler in WWII. The truth is? Although there were Poles who helped the Nazis, many, many Poles were helping and hiding Jews and dying, because of a death sentence as a penalty for that - and Poland was the only country with a death sentence for helping Jews then, as far as I know. We were murdered with Jews in the concentration camps, killed and slaughtered by Germans and Russians alike, and fucked hard in the ass by the American, British, French, German, Russian and Austrian folks.
People still portrait us in a very stereotypical manner (and of course if your character is Polish he has to be a God-fearing catholic or a Jew). And you can still get an aggressive or arrogant responses these days just because you are Polish (which I once experienced and my friend almost got beat up in England for that).
You can never beat ignorance - it always will be there and always was. It has nothing to do with your skin color or nationality. No "sensitive classes", about which Co-Host and Korey talked, will help. When people are censored, PCed or told to be nice to other people, they won't listen - that's just the way people are.
"Sensitive classes" are bullshit.
I’m not saying ignore the problem. I’m not.
What you need to do is teach some history. Not just racial history. Some controversial history. When we would learn about our race and/or country things that aren’t normally taught, that we, as a country or as race, were fuckers too... and Poles were fuckers at times, believe me – not because they’re Polish, but because they’re human. Educate people – kids and teens especially – on sociology and psychology a little too. Then they may open their minds and look at it from a different perspective. You can't beat racism with law, PC or intelligent statements. Until people get smarter and more intelligent there still will be racism, nationalism, homophobia and all that shit.
But it won't happen.
People need an enemy. Or maybe not even an "enemy" per se. They need someone, something to look down upon and make fun to feel better. For life to make sense, because they live in a hierarchal society. That's why there are stereotypes, and why people make fun of other people. Unless you humanize a black man to the racist or a lesbian to the homophobe they will think about them in 2D terms like good/bad, white/black, normal/freak, etc.
As stupid these Transformers ”nigrobots” may be I don’t think they should be an issue. We all know there are black people that are caricatures (e.g. many black rappers), same as there are Poles who are caricatures too. I understand that some people can get irritated while looking at those bots, same as I get irritated when Poles are presented as dumb simpletons in movies. We should be able to laugh at it, but we don’t because we know that there are people who think about us in these kind of terms. And that’s the real problem, and that’s a shame. And we know that. But as I said I don’t think bringing it up and getting angry about it will really get us anywhere. It will only make Michael Bay – the accused – go on some show, stand before the cameras and say: “Yeah, sorry. I love those black people. It was just a joke. I have a poster of Malcolm X in my room and I love Spike Lee’s movies”, as it was written for him by his PR manager.
Just don't give a fuck and do your best to showcase your race or nationality in the best light - be smart, clever, intelligent. Don’t be lazy and ignorant. Learn about the world, people and history. Don’t be a stereotype. Be the best person you can be, and then “wear” your race, nationality, orientation or whatever with pride. Show to other people that even though you’re black, yellow, Polish, Scottish, gay, bi, or whatever, you are still a person that has its value. And it keeps rising.
Feel free to discuss. I'm open to a conversation.
Views: 48
Tags: Poles, america, antisemitism, black, country, germany, hate, homophobia, nation, nationalism, More…
Comment
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Comment by Dr. Detfink on July 10, 2009 at 4:28pm -
The longest I've ever spent out of the USA would be 6 months at a time. I can't speak for any other country. All I can speak of, is based upon my own meandering experience.
As much as America debates the ethical prowess of stereotypes, believe me when I say America enjoys them as much as they protest. It's the unofficial way of how to size each other up. When I moved to NYC 15 years ago, I was the only American born worker in my department. People were constantly trying to figure me out so they put a label on me. Culture is a powerful means of identification and more importantly self-identification.
I am a product of a bi-racial marriage. My mother is Asian. She was a war bridge from the vietnam war and immigrated with my two step sisters. Like many of the old country, she never bothered to learn to read and write english. She only cares about her own people, language, religion. Over the last 15 years, my mother has visited me and every time, she never ventures outside of Chinatown. One time, she told me, "I went to Queens!" I said, "That's great mom! Where in Queens did you go?" She replied, "They have a chinatown in Queens!"
See what I mean?
People voluntarily segregate themselves and that has Nothing to do with racism but compatability. It's much easier to socialize with someone you have a common denominator. Race and culture are the easier bridges to cross.
So why was every one in such an uproar when Michael Bay not only depicted two caricatures but a scary looking toothless illiterate working in an Italian meat shop?
Well, for starters no one likes their culture or race to be depicted negatively. I have many German friends from Berlin who roll their eyes every time a Spielberg movie comes out. My friends who are Dominican and Puerto Rican can't stand the drug dealer cliche.' I don't think I have to talk about my Arab and Jewish friends who btw get along with each other. Certainly, I would be lying if some of the horrible Asian accents Korey tries on Let's Do this don't bother me a little. To be fair, I was more upset that the accent was lousy.
Secondly, while every race going back to the Irish and Italians were discriminated against in this country, the Civil Rights movement was freshest in every one's mind. Do we celebrate the abolition of the Asian Exclusion Act of 1882? The fact that the US government actively deported Asians because they were settling in the gold rich areas of San Francisco after laying out track for the Rail Roads? Noooooo. Do we celebrate the plight of Caesar Chavez who did more for not just Mexican farmers but all American farmer rights as well as early framework for many established worker unions today? No. We celebrate Martin Luther King's day. We try to say this is an inspiration for all races but let's be honest it's a holiday for Black Americans from Africa, the West Indies, and the rest of the Americas.
Lastly, there's nothing wrong with racial humor so long as its done with wit and thought. I think Woody Allen is a safe but dated example of how to make fun of Jewish insecurities and neurosis. He stops short of rubbing it in. I think in the case of Michael Bay he didn't know when to stop. In all of his films, there is always, ALWAYS one raving lunatic of a fat black American...or one that is just stupid.
80s humor only goes so far.
It's naive to think that we won't rub each other the wrong way because from the other person's perspective some cultural personalities may appear strange...the key in film is using a visual language where we laugh with them (like Spike Lee in some cases) as opposed to laughing at them.
[/soapbox]
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Comment by Janek the Crov on July 1, 2009 at 3:32pm -
Well, it's also what I talked about. I think we are so angry about stereotypes and find racism in them, because we know there are people who actually believe them.
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Comment by Maciek of Poland on July 1, 2009 at 3:26pm -
By the way - I heard some rumors that the new Disney Movie "The Princess and the frog" got acuse of racism just for having few stereotype-theme elements about black people in it... (same was spoke about Disney Pochahontas for "showing Indians in stereotype way"... I wonder, how else they where suapose to show them?) I think there are some things its just hard to avoid where you are showing a particual culture and people must rather concetrate on positive values and don't get cary away some times...
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Comment by Maciek of Poland on July 1, 2009 at 3:21pm
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Personally I never meet with intolerance for being Polish. I meet with some wacky stereotypes , intolerance, ignorance and xenophobic-like behavior for being Christian, but that’s a diffrent case. To me the biggest misunderstood thing is the term “Polish death camps” (from which people assume that it where the death camps made by Poles) . Yes, we did have death camps in Poland but they were made by Nazis who at the tame, took over our country.
I actually don’t mind stereotypes in movies/comics/books as long they are done without any malice. Stereotypes don’t necessary mean that the director/ writer was, a racist or ignorant. It may very well be used to show some positive light on some cultures or use in a smart satirical way to point out some things about it.
I also heard stuff that some people abroad thing Poland is a third-world-country and it’s Iraq-like which is far from true…
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Comment by Janek the Crov on July 1, 2009 at 3:08pm
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I agree completely. And my message is not only to those who hate, but also to those who solidify and maintain these stereotypes (the caricatures). Unfortunately every race/nationality/orientation/etc. has its caricatures - mostly they represent ignorance and stupidity too.
Although as, I stated, I'm rather realistic (pessimistic?) about these things and the world, and that's a quite idealistic message I try to make. :)
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Comment by Conejita on July 1, 2009 at 3:02pm -
And that can apply to any other race as well I suppose.
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Comment by Conejita on July 1, 2009 at 3:01pm
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I still think Co-Host had a point when he said that blacks are always taken a step back with stuff like that chicken video. I mean, as much as one person might go with what you said, being "smart," "clever," and "intelligent," there will always be those ignorant people perpetuating the stereotypes as if it's a badge of honor.
*weeps over the futility of it all*
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