O.T. Poland Olympic swim team

[bluedevil]

So Poland accidentally miscounted the number of swimmers they could send to Tokyo and had to send 6 back. Surely there is a tasteful Polish joke out there to cover this...

 

[eebmg]

Maybe they are the smartest of the bunch. Ready made Covid replacements?

 

[Veteran]

So Poland accidentally miscounted the number of swimmers they could send to Tokyo and had to send 6 back. Surely there is a tasteful Polish joke out there to cover this...

No, there is not.

 

[CL82]

Bazooka Joe: How many people can qualify for the Polish Olympic swimming team?
Mort: I don’t know.
Bazooka Joe: Neither do they.

 

[EricLA]

Seeing as I'm Polish (last name Otfinoski), I feel I need to chime in. Do you know why the modern day Polish jokes started? It was back after WWII.

When Germany rolled thru numerous countries (including Czechoslovakia), the locals did not fight back and laid down their arms (it's a reason Prague was not razed or bombed). The Poles, however, being a proud (but poor) people, tried to defend their country and families. They rode out on horses armed with pick axes, rakes, and other farming tools since that was all they had.

They attacked the German tanks and machine gun wielding soldiers. Obviously the Poles were slaughtered. Hence the "dumb Pole" jokes that perpetuated for almost a century now.

Me on the soap box - instead of making fun of them for fighting when they had 0 chance to win, people ought to praise them for being brave martyrs in a fight they were destined to lose. I, for one, am very proud of my Polish heritage. Of all the former Soviet Block countries, Poland has become the most prosperous, sophisticated, and financially secure country in spite of their "dumb" heritage...

Just wanted to add additionally, the Nazi's propaganda machine was horrifyingly incredible as they were able to ultimately convince most of their people that it was ok to murder millions of people who were "inferior". Historically, Presumably the first Polish jokes by German fleeing war-torn Europe were brought to the USA in the late 1940s. These jokes were fueled by ethnic slurs disseminated by German National Socialist propaganda, which attempted to justify the Nazis' murdering of Poles by presenting them as "dreck"—dirty, stupid and inferior.

Please note I'm not equating the slaughter of Poles with what happened to the Jews, or even the 10 million Russians who died defending their country, but the "dumb Pole" label was also part of the Nazi propaganda machine designed to dehumanize them and make it easier for the German people to accept the extermination of people from the country that stood up to Nazi Germany with no hope of winning.

 

[chrissaran]

Karol Jozef Wojtyla, Pope John Paul II, was one of the most intelligent people in the history of our planet. He spoke 12 languages fluently and had a working knowledge of many more. I didn't agree with many of his policies, but he was an incredible person.

 

[trb123]

Seeing as I'm Polish (last name Otfinoski), I feel I need to chime in. Do you know why the Polish jokes started? It was back after WWII.

When Germany rolled thru numerous countries (including Czechoslovakia), the locals did not fight back and laid down their arms (it's a reason Prague was not razed or bombed). The Poles, however, being a proud (but poor) people, tried to defend their country and families. They rode out on horses armed with pick axes, rakes, and other farming tools since that was all they had.

They attacked the German tanks and machine gun wielding soldiers. Obviously the Poles were slaughtered. Hence the "dumb Pole" jokes that perpetuated for almost a century now.

Me on the soap box - instead of making fun of them for fighting when they had 0 chance to win, people ought to praise them for being brave martyrs in a fight they were destined to lose. I, for one, am very proud of my Polish heritage. Of all the former Soviet Block countries, Poland has become the most prosperous, sophisticated, and financially secure country in spite of their "dumb" heritage..

I checked the polish google sport page using Google translate
The financial security EricLA talks about makes it highly probable that the 6 swimmers will win millions of zlotys by suing the PZP.

According to the Wikipedia, Polish jokes date back to the 18th/19th century when Polish immigration started. They existed (and still exist) in a more raw and brutal form in Germany. Many of these jokes had been collected from the German immigrants to this country. Their connection with the modern US Polish jokes (post 1960) is debatable.

 

[Veteran]

Karol Jozef Wojtyla, Pope John Paul II, was one of the most intelligent people in the history of our planet. He spoke 12 languages fluently and had a working knowledge of many more. I didn't agree with many of his policies, but he was an incredible person.

And Poland, a nation who's history dates back a thousand years, has produced many more world leaders than just a Pope. Nicholaus Copernicus, the father of modern astronomy, was Polish. The composer Frederyk Chopin was Polish. Marie Curie, the eminent scientist and pioneer, was Polish. And so is Lech Walesa, who lit the match that ultimately sealed the fate of the Soviet empire when he showed the immense courage to scale the shipyard wall in Gdansk and help found the Solidarity Union almost exactly 40 years ago today. Just to name a few.

James Michener, one of my very favorite authors in my younger days, wrote an excellent book titled "Poland" if you're interested.

 

[pacific 44]

These are the six they decided to send back.

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

The maternal portion of my wife's family is of Polish extraction. When I was a Manager of a theatre years ago we had an older Polish man who was a sort of know it all jack of all trades having been in the theatre (or around it) for nearly 40 years; oddly enough when I got engaged quite a few years later it turned out he knew my wife's family as they were ultimately part of an immigrant community (actually, he hated one of my wife's uncles, so who knows the truth, but then so did my wife's family).

In any case, it was an interesting perspective into an ethnic heritage - for example, in Willie's family, it was all about the kids having opportunities, so you had his brother the priest and his brother the lawyer, etc. and how he had to work instead of getting educated (he was the youngest and outlived them all). He also spoke about his parents poor command of English and unwillingness to speak Polish in front of anyone who didn't understand it.

My wife's family was likewise very proud of their heritage and the hard work her grandmother did to raise the family (her husband died? / left? at some point).

An interesting perspective that I never experienced, as my family was all of German extraction, but from earlier waves of immigrants and we were not raised with any ethnic traditions.

 

[Bama fan]

When I went to work in the Duquesne Works of U.S. Steel at 18 I was assigned to a pump maintenance and utilities gang. Most of the journeymen were Poles, and the general foreman spoke Polish to many of the crew. There were a few other nationalities too. A Ukrainian with over 50 years service time, a few Slovaks, a couple Hungarians, and one young African American who sang Stevie Wonder songs all day. These guys were not sophisticated or well educated, but they knew their way around mechanical equipment. It was a great experience. And the old man Janusz, the Ukrainian who started work in the mill at 14 years old, could work miracles with a dial indicator to keep the steam turbines and large pumps running perfectly. I first learned about "soft foot" from Janusz, and I have used that knowledge well for years.

 

[McFly]

Had an older friend, Ray Mierzejewski; first generation Polish American, both his parents from the old country. Served in Patton's Third Army. The German Army uniform had an eagle with a swastika on the right breast. He collected them. He never said how many, and I never asked.

 

[Magruber]

Seeing as I'm Polish (last name Otfinoski), I feel I need to chime in. Do you know why the modern day Polish jokes started? It was back after WWII.

When Germany rolled thru numerous countries (including Czechoslovakia), the locals did not fight back and laid down their arms (it's a reason Prague was not razed or bombed). The Poles, however, being a proud (but poor) people, tried to defend their country and families. They rode out on horses armed with pick axes, rakes, and other farming tools since that was all they had.

They attacked the German tanks and machine gun wielding soldiers. Obviously the Poles were slaughtered. Hence the "dumb Pole" jokes that perpetuated for almost a century now.

Me on the soap box - instead of making fun of them for fighting when they had 0 chance to win, people ought to praise them for being brave martyrs in a fight they were destined to lose. I, for one, am very proud of my Polish heritage. Of all the former Soviet Block countries, Poland has become the most prosperous, sophisticated, and financially secure country in spite of their "dumb" heritage...

Just wanted to add additionally, the Nazi's propaganda machine was horrifyingly incredible as they were able to ultimately convince most of their people that it was ok to murder millions of people who were "inferior". Historically, Presumably the first Polish jokes by German fleeing war-torn Europe were brought to the USA in the late 1940s. These jokes were fueled by ethnic slurs disseminated by German National Socialist propaganda, which attempted to justify the Nazis' murdering of Poles by presenting them as "dreck"—dirty, stupid and inferior.

Please note I'm not equating the slaughter of Poles with what happened to the Jews, or even the 10 million Russians who died defending their country, but the "dumb Pole" label was also part of the Nazi propaganda machine designed to dehumanize them and make it easier for the German people to accept the extermination of people from the country that stood up to Nazi Germany with no hope of winning.

Very well said and I completely agree.
I too am a proud Polish American.
Most of the kids that I grew up with, same Polish heritage, have gone on to great success as educated professionals, business owners, and generally positive contributors to society.
Much to be proud of.

 

[Magruber]

And Poland, a nation who's history dates back a thousand years, has produced many more world leaders than just a Pope. Nicholaus Copernicus, the father of modern astronomy, was Polish. The composer Frederyk Chopin was Polish. Marie Curie, the eminent scientist and pioneer, was Polish. And so is Lech Walesa, who lit the match that ultimately sealed the fate of the Soviet empire when he showed the immense courage to scale the shipyard wall in Gdansk and help found the Solidarity Union almost exactly 40 years ago today. Just to name a few.

James Michener, one of my very favorite authors in my younger days, wrote an excellent book titled "Poland" if you're interested.

I knew all of this but GREAT to read it very eloquently stated.
Stefanie Kwolek, former Chief Scientist and multiple patent holder, invented / created Kevlar.
Born to Polish immigrant parents.
Amazing creation that has saved thousands of lives.
The list goes on and on.

 

[JordyG]

And Poland, a nation who's history dates back a thousand years, has produced many more world leaders than just a Pope. Nicholaus Copernicus, the father of modern astronomy, was Polish. The composer Frederyk Chopin was Polish. Marie Curie, the eminent scientist and pioneer, was Polish. And so is Lech Walesa, who lit the match that ultimately sealed the fate of the Soviet empire when he showed the immense courage to scale the shipyard wall in Gdansk and help found the Solidarity Union almost exactly 40 years ago today. Just to name a few.

James Michener, one of my very favorite authors in my younger days, wrote an excellent book titled "Poland" if you're interested.

You had me at Chopin.