# Polish insult **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 24, 2009, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polish-insult/500802 "2009-06-24T04:51:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2009, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polish-insult/500802/61 "2009-07-15T22:42:52Z")
Can you post some transcripts or links to YouTube videos that you think support your case? Based on what you’ve posted so far I don’t think we can take your word on the context and intent of these examples. Your use of “All in the Family” was so completely misguided that I’m having a hard time believing your examples about “The Tonight Show”, “L. A. Law”, and “The John Laroquette Show”, all of which I watched and my recollections don’t match yours. To be frank, I don’t believe you. > [@](#): > > So NO of course not there is no agenda to degrade Poles in Hollywood LOL Again, certainly nothing that you’ve shown. Especially since every ethnic group has been lampooned and made fun of you’d have to show how Polish jokes were above and beyond. And while the Polish Joke meme has been around a while and is reflected sometimes in the media, there is absolutely no evidence of any anti-Polish agenda in the media, let alone NBC specifically. ---
**Author:** ![US\_News\_Review](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@US\_News\_Review](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/US_News_Review)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2009, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polish-insult/500802/62 "2009-07-15T22:48:55Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > Anyone who took that message away from _All in the Family_ would have to be pretty stupid to miss the point of the show so entirely. > > Must have had some Polish blood in them. No trust me they were 100% Non-Polish and probaby liked seeing other ethnic groups being put down because it made themselves feel superior about themselves. It was a Schaudenfreude type thing. > [@Miller](#): > > Must have had some Polish blood in them. You probably have Nazi blood in you to say that. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2009, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polish-insult/500802/63 "2009-07-15T22:52:25Z")
> [@US\_News\_Review](#): > > You probably have Nazi blood in you to say that. How dare you say that! My great uncle was killed in the Holocaust! He fell out of a guard tower. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2009, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polish-insult/500802/64 "2009-07-15T22:53:11Z")
When did we travel back in time to the 60s? Polish jokes haven’t been in vogue in decades except when joking about Polish jokes. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2009, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polish-insult/500802/65 "2009-07-15T22:53:47Z")
> [@US\_News\_Review](#): > > But I will say in fairness to Hollywood and NBC-TV, these racist jokes against Poles have been on the decline since Poles have been speaking out against them. But that’s the only reason why they may have been on the decline. They still try to get them in when they can. Actually, I have proof that global warming has more to do with the decline in Polish jokes on tv and in movies, rather than the complaints by the Poles. You can almost graph the inverse relationship. It’s been pretty noticeable the last 10-15 years. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2009, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polish-insult/500802/66 "2009-07-15T23:07:17Z")
L.A. Law’s Benny Stulwicz was Polish? Funny, I never even thought about it - he seemed American to me. Anyway, of all the things worth getting worked up about, a Will Ferrel movie has got to be one of the most pointless. ---
**Author:** ![US\_News\_Review](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@US\_News\_Review](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/US_News_Review)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2009, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polish-insult/500802/67 "2009-07-15T23:07:46Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > Can you post some transcripts or links to YouTube videos that you think support your case? Based on what you’ve posted so far I don’t think we can take your word on the context and intent of these examples. Your use of “All in the Family” was so completely misguided that I’m having a hard time believing your examples about “The Tonight Show”, “L. A. Law”, and “The John Laroquette Show”, all of which I watched and my recollections don’t match yours. To be frank, I don’t believe you. > Again, certainly nothing that you’ve shown. Especially since every ethnic group has been lampooned and made fun of you’d have to show how Polish jokes were above and beyond. And while the Polish Joke meme has been around a while and is reflected sometimes in the media, there is absolutely no evidence of any anti-Polish agenda in the media, let alone NBC specifically. Well I’m afraid no matter what I say you’re just going to say “no no no no no it doesn’t prove anything”. You don’t think mocking hundreds of Poles who DIED is in an airline is above the lampooning of other groups? Tell me what other group has had a sick joke like that about them? What other group of people had their mothers called prostitutes on national TV? Blacks, Hispanics, Jews? NEVER What other group was referred to as “crap” on national TV or in the movie theaters like the movie “The End” portrayed Poles? You don’t think Hollywood/TV pushing a stereotype that an ethnic groups has subhuman intelligence is beyond what it does to other groups? What other group is being portrayed as having subhuman intelligence?? I’m afraid anything I say to you, you’re just going to say “no no no no no no it doesn’t prove anything” If you’re serious about finding out about the hundreds of ethnic slurs about Poles from Hollywood and the TV media, why don’t you contact a Polish newspaper like the Post Eagle? Ask them if this is true or not. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2009, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polish-insult/500802/68 "2009-07-15T23:11:40Z")
What if we cited some positive portayals of Polish-descent characters? Would that mollify you? ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2009, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polish-insult/500802/69 "2009-07-15T23:34:03Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > Goddamn. Some people are just dense. The joke is not that Polish people are stupid. The joke is that Will Ferrell’s character is stupid. I haven’t even seen the movie and that’s obvious to me. I fourth (or so) this sentiment. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2009, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polish-insult/500802/70 "2009-07-15T23:42:24Z")
> [@US\_News\_Review](#): > > Polish people are still very much discrimated against. Wow. As a Polish-American, parents both born in Poland, me born here with Polish as my first language, I honestly don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about. I can honestly say that never once in my life has my Polish heritage been of negative impact upon me. I have an obvious Polish last name ending in “-ski,” so it’s not like I slip under the radar or anything. ---
**Author:** ![Neverending\_Elbow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e274bd/32.png) [@Neverending\_Elbow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neverending_Elbow)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2009, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polish-insult/500802/71 "2009-07-15T23:48:06Z")
Hmm, someone getting this worked up about a very lame joke on behalf of the Polish is actually more embarrasing than the joke itself is insulting. (That phrasing came out more convoluted than I intended…) And concerning Polish jokes told in Poland, usually, though not always, they have the Polish coming out on top (the Russians and Germans though aren’t that fortunate). They also rarely concern intelligence. And jokes told about communism and socialism were a defferent animal altogether, and were about the Polish only in the sense that jokes told in the US about the current situation/local politicians/cultural phenomenon are jokes about Americans. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2009, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polish-insult/500802/72 "2009-07-16T00:04:24Z")
> [@US\_News\_Review](#): > > Well I’m afraid no matter what I say you’re just going to say “no no no no no it doesn’t prove anything”. > > You don’t think mocking hundreds of Poles who DIED is in an airline is above the lampooning of other groups? Tell me what other group has had a sick joke like that about them? > > What other group of people had their mothers called prostitutes on national TV? Blacks, Hispanics, Jews? NEVER > > What other group was referred to as “crap” on national TV or in the movie theaters like the movie “The End” portrayed Poles? > > You don’t think Hollywood/TV pushing a stereotype that an ethnic groups has subhuman intelligence is beyond what it does to other groups? What other group is being portrayed as having subhuman intelligence?? > > I’m afraid anything I say to you, you’re just going to say “no no no no no no it doesn’t prove anything” > > If you’re serious about finding out about the hundreds of ethnic slurs about Poles from Hollywood and the TV media, why don’t you contact a Polish newspaper like the Post Eagle? Ask them if this is true or not. The point is that you are the one making these assertions, so you should be the one backing them up. I–and probably many other participants in this thread–will share your outrage the moment you can show an actual video clip of Johnny Carson “mocking hundreds of Poles” or Joan Rivers “calling Polish mothers prostitutes.” In the meantime, you haven’t established any credibility yet and I, for one, am dubious of your claims. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2009, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polish-insult/500802/73 "2009-07-16T00:08:14Z")
Heck, anyone remember Mad Magazine’s “American Jokes They’re Telling in Poland” ? ---
**Author:** ![US\_News\_Review](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@US\_News\_Review](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/US_News_Review)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2009, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polish-insult/500802/74 "2009-07-16T01:28:10Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Wow. As a Polish-American, parents both born in Poland, me born here with Polish as my first language, I honestly don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about. I can honestly say that never once in my life has my Polish heritage been of negative impact upon me. I have an obvious Polish last name ending in “-ski,” so it’s not like I slip under the radar or anything. Well you’re lucky. So you mean to tell me you NEVER heard anyone in the US make a comment about Polish people having inferior/subhuman intelligence ever? How long have you been in the US? What part of the US? Well if you’re among people who have class and are fair minded you probably won’t hear them say anything negative about your Polish ethnicity since the Anti-Polish put downs are not in the mainstream anymore in the US (since this isn’t the 1970’s and 80’s anymore). I don’t hear people telling me any anti-Polish jokes because I try to be among people who are fair minded and I think they know better then to make a racist anti-Polish slur. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2009, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polish-insult/500802/75 "2009-07-16T01:43:34Z")
> [@US\_News\_Review](#): > > So you mean to tell me you NEVER heard anyone in the US make a comment about Polish people having inferior/subhuman intelligence ever? How long have you been in the US? What part of the US? Can you name a single ethnic or national group that hasn’t been jokingly called dumb in the US in the past 50 years? I’m of Polish extraction too, and while I’ve heard Polish jokes, I’ve never been discriminated against for my ethnic background in any meaningful manner. I’ve had more problems for being a Red Sox fan than for my great-grandparents coming over from Poland. And not to belabor the point, but telling Norwegian, or Irish, or Yankee jokes doesn’t equal calling someone inferior or subhuman. Groups always pick on other groups. Your claims are much beyond that and require a bit more substantiation. And I’m still waiting for a transcript of Johnny Carson’s jokes about an airplane crash and clips from LA Law showing anyone insulting Benny because he was Polish. I don’t think they exist or if they exist they don’t match your description of them. ---
**Author:** ![US\_News\_Review](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@US\_News\_Review](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/US_News_Review)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2009, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polish-insult/500802/76 "2009-07-16T01:45:14Z")
> [@InvisibleWombat](#): > > The point is that you are the one making these assertions, so you should be the one backing them up. > > I–and probably many other participants in this thread–will share your outrage the moment you can show an actual video clip of Johnny Carson “mocking hundreds of Poles” or Joan Rivers “calling Polish mothers prostitutes.” > > In the meantime, you haven’t established any credibility yet and I, for one, am dubious of your claims. I have been backing up everything I’m saying giving examples. The internet/youtube are great tools but they don’t cover every bit of information as far as every TV show sound bite there has ever been. The things such as Joan Rivers on NBC-TV calling Polish mothers prostitutes, Johnny Carson mocking Polish people who died on an air plane and MANY OTHER deragatory things that have been said have been documented in Polish American newspapers as they happened. But perhaps this is something Polish American groups/newspapers should put on the internet. They should definitely put up all the examples of Anti-Polish hate from NBC-TV and Hollywood. The Polish American Guardian Society had a lot of this documented. ---
**Author:** ![US\_News\_Review](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@US\_News\_Review](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/US_News_Review)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2009, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polish-insult/500802/77 "2009-07-16T01:54:52Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > Heck, anyone remember Mad Magazine’s “American Jokes They’re Telling in Poland” ? That was a great example of blaming the victim. What a ridiculous notion. Poland has been one of the few real allies of America but Mad magazine had no problem trying to stir up hatred between Poland and the US. The only “Americans” Poles in Poland told jokes about were the Polish-haters in Hollywood and NBC-TV who were feeding the American public racist jokes about Poles. ---
**Author:** ![US\_News\_Review](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@US\_News\_Review](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/US_News_Review)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2009, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polish-insult/500802/78 "2009-07-16T02:14:21Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > Can you name a single ethnic or national group that hasn’t been jokingly called dumb in the US in the past 50 years? > > I’m of Polish extraction too, and while I’ve heard Polish jokes, I’ve never been discriminated against for my ethnic background in any meaningful manner. I’ve had more problems for being a Red Sox fan than for my great-grandparents coming over from Poland. > > And not to belabor the point, but telling Norwegian, or Irish, or Yankee jokes doesn’t equal calling someone inferior or subhuman. Groups always pick on other groups. Your claims are much beyond that and require a bit more substantiation. > > And I’m still waiting for a transcript of Johnny Carson’s jokes about an airplane crash and clips from LA Law showing anyone insulting Benny because he was Polish. I don’t think they exist or if they exist they don’t match your description of them. Telemark, I’m sorry I can’t whip up at the top of my finger tips examples of these vicious Anti-Polish slurs using the internet (I will look around in the meantime however). But I sware to you I am NOT lying. Everything I said is TRUE and if anything I only revealed the TIP OF THE ICEBERG of vicious anti-Polish slurs/propaganda coming from Hollywood and NBC-TV over the years. Polish American groups I AGREE should post transcripts etc. on the tremendous volume of anti-Polish slurs from Hollywood and the TV networks slamming Poles over the years. I would imagine maybe they haven’t because they would feel embarassed for people to see evidence that Poles have been attacked so viciously by the TV/Hollywood media. But I for one in the future am going to push them to put what they have on the internet. In the meantime why don’t you contact some Polish American news organizations like the -Post Eagle -AmPole Eagle -Polish American Journal -PoloniaToday etc and ask them if they have written about stories about Poles being maligned as having inferior/subhuman intelligence by the TV/Hollywood media over the decades? As for racist jokes such as Johnny Carson mocking a plane full of Polish people who died in an airplane crash or the horrible things NBC Anti-Polish bigots like Joan Rivers or Steve Allen, Don Rickles, Carrol Burnet, Jerry Lewis, etc etc etc have said more then once on NBC please call The Post Eagle at 973-473-5414 or email them at [posteagle@aol.com](mailto:posteagle@aol.com) and ask them if what I am saying is true or not. If anything I have barely scratched the surface of all the Anti-Polish hate-through-humor that has been pushed against Poles through the massive influencing power of TV and Motion Pictures. Ask them if they can find a newspaper edition in their archives talking about some of these examples of Anti-Polish prejudice and if they can send it to you. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2009, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polish-insult/500802/79 "2009-07-16T02:23:43Z")
> [@US\_News\_Review](#): > > As for racist jokes such as Johnny Carson mocking a plane full of Polish people who died in an airplane crash or the horrible things NBC Anti-Polish bigots like Joan Rivers or Steve Allen, Don Rickles, Carrol Burnet, Jerry Lewis, etc etc etc have said more then once on NBC please call That’s not my job, you’re the one making the claim. Do your own legwork. I watched those shows, and saw those comedians on TV and live. They weren’t anti-Polish bigots, I have my own observations to back that up. If you want to convince me you’ll have do do more work. Up til now you’ve made claims that contradict my direct experience, so your veracity is suspect. And please, Don Rickles viciously mocked everyone and everything. To call him a bigot is silly. His whole act is that he mocks and attacks all groups equally and without mercy. Using him as an example points out how empty your argument is. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2009, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polish-insult/500802/80 "2009-07-16T02:51:41Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > Anyone who took that message away from _All in the Family_ would have to be pretty stupid to miss the point of the show so entirely. There was a recent study done about the fictional character played by Stephen Colbert on _The Colbert Report_ which made a reference to the fact that similar to the ficitional Stephen Colbert, those who had views similar to Archie Bunker didn’t realize the character was meant to be satirical. Some people did miss the point of the show, but I’m sure none of them believed that the show was part of some anti-Polish crusade. > [@US\_News\_Review](#): > > NBC-TV has had literally HUNDREDS of Nazi Polish jokes on its Tonight Show, Late Night Show, SNL, etc. over the past 4 decades. Interestingly enough, the only two major complaints that made the news I can recall in recent years regarding Polish portrayals or jokes (which I made reference to in a previous post) were on networks other than NBC: an episode of _The Drew Carey Show_ where the character of Mimi is shown as being Polish and an episode of _Back To You_ where Fred Willard makes a joke about Polish people being good at bowling, eating sausage, and collaborating with Nazis. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polish-insult/500802.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polish-insult/500802.md?page=5)