# Why are Polish people stupid? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 29, 2001, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-polish-people-stupid/84547 "2001-09-29T23:57:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MetropoChris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cab0a1/32.png) [@MetropoChris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MetropoChris)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2001, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-polish-people-stupid/84547/1 "2001-09-29T23:57:59Z")
OK, I know there not. But why all the jokes??? ---
**Author:** ![d12](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/71c47a/32.png) [@d12](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/d12)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2001, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-polish-people-stupid/84547/2 "2001-09-29T23:59:08Z")
Same with Newfies… ---
**Author:** ![MetropoChris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cab0a1/32.png) [@MetropoChris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MetropoChris)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2001, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-polish-people-stupid/84547/3 "2001-09-30T00:47:09Z")
I know I was blunt but I thought Id get a response by now after 52 views. Did Poland make some huge military fuck-up in war time? I cant think of any other reason why “Poloks” get such a bad rap in “dumb jokes”… ---
**Author:** ![DVous\_Means](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc29f/32.png) [@DVous\_Means](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DVous_Means)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2001, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-polish-people-stupid/84547/4 "2001-09-30T00:55:50Z")
We have the same phenomenom in Australia with Irish people. Many of the Polish jokes that abound in America have an identical counterpsrt in Oz as an Irish joke. Incidentally, a well-known Australian media person, Philip Adams, compiled several compendiums of Australian jokes a few years ago. When recounting some of these jokes to former prime minister Paul Keating and his wife, he made mention that many of the anti-Keating jokes that were running riot at the time, actually started life in the 1930’s as anti-Hitler jokes. Mrs Keating was horrified… ---
**Author:** ![peepthis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9d8465/32.png) [@peepthis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peepthis)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2001, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-polish-people-stupid/84547/5 "2001-09-30T00:59:16Z")
Using the Search function for the SDMB, I find this previous thread on the origins of [Polish Jokes](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=36844). ---
**Author:** ![Mersavets](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/aca169/32.png) [@Mersavets](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mersavets)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2001, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-polish-people-stupid/84547/6 "2001-09-30T02:05:08Z")
I found Poles were the butt of the jokes in Germany as well. They are stereotyped as being stupid _and_ thieves though. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2001, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-polish-people-stupid/84547/7 "2001-09-30T03:21:07Z")
Having read over the link provided by **peepthis** , I’m going to disagree with most of the “origin” stories from that thread. I cannot remember encountering any _nationally_ circulated Polish jokes from the 50s or 40s. (If someone has a reference, I’d be interested to see it.) Polish jokes _were_ big in the Detroit area in the 60s and earlier, due to the prevalence of a large ethnic Polish population. I suspect that Chicago, Buffalo, and Pittsburgh had the same jokes for the same reasons. However, when _Laugh-In_ hit TV, it brought a huge wave of recognition to a lot of out-of-the-way humor. One of their pet themes was, indeed, Polish jokes. I suspect that a writer from one of the four cities mentioned supplied the first jokes, they got laughs, and the staff was encouraged to continue adding more. Following _Laugh-In_, Carson told a couple. Then (Detroiter) George Peppard starred in _Banacek_, in which he played the brilliant Polish-American detective–but kept up a running subtext of defending himself against “dumb Polish” stereotypes. Shortly after _Banacek_ went into syndication, _Barney Miller_ debuted with (Detroiter) Max Gail playing the less than brilliant Stan ‘Wojo’ Wojciehowicz. (The Detroit connection might be pure coincidence, but I found it mildly interesting.) So from 1968 through 1982, (not counting syndication) we had a constant presence on TV of either jokes, stereotypes, or attempted counter-stereotypes reinforcing the “dumb Pole” notion. At the same time, it was increasingly unacceptable to tell the same jokes using an Amos ‘n’ Andy background, which might have diluted some of the effect prior to the 1960s. As noted in the other thread, “dumb Poles” tend to be a U.S. phenomenon (with some German parallels), while most countries have _some_ group that they kick around. In fact, Polish jokes tapered off in most parts of the country quite a while ago. Given that **MetropoChris** is from Syracuse, I’m wondering if s/he is simply seeing the spill-over from being somewhat close to Buffalo. I still run into occasional Polish jokes when I return to Michigan for visits, but I think I’ve only encountered one in the 20 years I’ve been in Cleveland (where the Polish population is overwhelmed by Slovenians, Croats, Serbs, and assorted others). ---
**Author:** ![Erasticity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3e96dc/32.png) [@Erasticity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Erasticity)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2001, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-polish-people-stupid/84547/8 "2001-09-30T03:26:50Z")
The Military Screwup occurred during the Nazi invasion of Poland in which the Polish Military resisted by the only means at their disposal: Cavalry; Men on horses. Mind you, the Wehrmacht was rolling in in Panzers - If memory serves me, Panthers- so the Polish defensivewas utterly crushed. ---
**Author:** ![Infidel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/839c29/32.png) [@Infidel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infidel)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2001, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-polish-people-stupid/84547/9 "2001-09-30T03:26:57Z")
As an aside, whats the only word in the English language whick changes pronunciation when the first letter of the word is capitalized? ---
**Author:** ![Beruang](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/77aa72/32.png) [@Beruang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beruang)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2001, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-polish-people-stupid/84547/10 "2001-09-30T03:28:10Z")
Back in college, our Sociology class split into groups and researched the origins of various ethnic stereotypes. The story on the Polish (which, being of Polish descent, I was very interested in) went something like this: The bulk of Northern and Western European immigrants (Irish, German, Scandanavian)came in the early-to-mid 19th C., and were looked down upon by the earlier, largely British immigrants. Eastern and Southern European immigrants (Poles, Slavs of all nationalities, Italians, Jews of many nationalities) tended to come in the late 19th / early 20th C. (Yes, I know, there are numerous exceptions; these are just the bulges in the bell-shaped curves…) These new immigrants now found themselves on the bottom of the social pecking-order. Like all immigrants, Slavs had trouble with the language and the customs of their new land; took physical labor jobs that didn’t require higher education; were poor and couldn’t afford higher education. So how did the Poles get stuck with the label “the dumb ones”? Well, the other ethnicities already had their own unflattering stereotypes (the Jews were “untrustoworthy,” the Mediterraneans were “greasy”), so “dumb,” which could have fallen on any group, went by default to the Slavs. And Poles being probably the largest contingent of Slavs, they specifically got the label. A couple other theories of my own: Slavic languages often sound thick and slow to American ears. And the Mediterranean stereotype claims those folks are quick-tempered. The Slavic stereotype, by contrast, is slow-tempered. So, a slow-talking, slow-tempered, uneducated fellow who doesn’t get our language or our customs = dumb Polack. Oh, there’s this great magazine ad going around, can’t find it right now, says something like “In the Middle Ags, while the rest of Europe was looking for ways to turn lead into gold, the Poles discovered a way of turning rye into vodka.” Who’s dumb now? – Beruang ---
**Author:** ![Beruang](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/77aa72/32.png) [@Beruang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beruang)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2001, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-polish-people-stupid/84547/11 "2001-09-30T03:30:22Z")
Oh, another thing, I know no offense was meant, but I find it amusing that the OP questioning Polish intelligence contained a typo. (And I find it amusing that a Polsih-American was the first to note it.) No one is allowed to find my typos amusing. 😉 – Beruang ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2001, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-polish-people-stupid/84547/12 "2001-09-30T05:21:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by tomndebb \* > **So from 1968 through 1982, (not counting syndication) we had a constant presence on TV of either jokes, stereotypes, or attempted counter-stereotypes reinforcing the “dumb Pole” notion. At the same time, it was increasingly unacceptable to tell the same jokes using an Amos ‘n’ Andy background, which might have diluted some of the effect prior to the 1960s.** One you didn’t mention, but I am sure would agree wqas part of the same phenomenon, was Archie Bunker’s constant use of Polack jokes at the expense of Mike “Meathead” Stivic. Of course, on “All in the Family” the point was to make fun of ARCHIE, not Poles. ---
**Author:** ![honkytonkwillie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@honkytonkwillie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/honkytonkwillie)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2001, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-polish-people-stupid/84547/13 "2001-09-30T05:52:37Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Infidel \* > \*\*As an aside, whats the only word in the English language whick changes pronunciation when the first letter of the word is capitalized? \*\* Polish or polish. ---
**Author:** ![curiousgeorgeordeadcat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4af34b/32.png) [@curiousgeorgeordeadcat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/curiousgeorgeordeadcat)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2001, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-polish-people-stupid/84547/14 "2001-09-30T06:17:35Z")
I wonder if it originated due to the term “Polish Notation” [http://www.hpmuseum.org/rpn.htm](http://www.hpmuseum.org/rpn.htm) Perhaps someone seeing this and not understanding would ask “What is the meaning of this?”, thinking the equation they are reading is nonsense, and then getting the response “It’s Polish Notation”. Then, thinking that the reply they got was a joke, they would use it, and soon things snowball into the polish jokes we have today. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2001, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-polish-people-stupid/84547/15 "2001-09-30T06:39:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by honkytonkwillie \* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by Infidel \* > > As an aside, whats the only word in the English language whick changes pronunciation when the first letter of the word is capitalized? > > Polish or polish. There’s several others. August and junker for example. Even more if you count personal and place names. I won’t mention any because it’s way too off-topic. Start a new thread if you really want to discuss it. ---
**Author:** ![Crusoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/49beb7/32.png) [@Crusoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crusoe)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2001, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-polish-people-stupid/84547/16 "2001-09-30T11:35:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Erasticity \* > \*\*The Military Screwup occurred during the Nazi invasion of Poland in which the Polish Military resisted by the only means at their disposal: Cavalry; Men on horses. Mind you, the Wehrmacht was rolling in in Panzers - If memory serves me, Panthers- so the Polish defensivewas utterly crushed. \*\* The Polish army did have tanks, but they weren’t exactly top-quality. The Germans had better tanks, more of them, a larger military generally, and air support. The _blitzkreig_ doctrine of combining a massive armoured force with mass tactical bombing from Stukas pretty much overwhelmed any opponent in the early stages of the war. I think the main German tanks were Pz-I and Pz-IIs, with machine-guns and light cannons. Panthers came a lot later in the war (1942? 1943?). They may have had some Czech Pz-38(t) tanks with heavier guns, but I can’t remember when they started getting used by the Wehrmacht. ---
**Author:** ![PosterChild](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e274bd/32.png) [@PosterChild](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PosterChild)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2001, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-polish-people-stupid/84547/17 "2001-09-30T16:30:38Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by MetropoChris \* > OK, I know **there** not. But why all the jokes??? Apparently, **they** ’re not the only ones! ---
**Author:** ![PosterChild](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e274bd/32.png) [@PosterChild](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PosterChild)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2001, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-polish-people-stupid/84547/18 "2001-09-30T16:34:37Z")
😉 ---
**Author:** ![peepthis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9d8465/32.png) [@peepthis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peepthis)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2001, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-polish-people-stupid/84547/19 "2001-09-30T17:19:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Beruang \* > \*\*Oh, another thing, I know no offense was meant, but I find it amusing that the OP questioning Polish intelligence contained a typo. > > (And I find it amusing that a **Polsih-American** was the first to note it.) > > No one is allowed to find my typos amusing. ;)\*\* No comment.:wally ---
**Author:** ![damianjoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/96bed5/32.png) [@damianjoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/damianjoe)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2001, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-polish-people-stupid/84547/20 "2001-09-30T17:51:48Z")
The questions about why polish people are continually scapegoated reminds me of the Avante Gaurde movement in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, specifically in France. Poland was then seen as a place of ‘nothingness’ and in Ubu Rex, arguably the spark of avante gaurde theatre, poland is refered to by the author (Jarry was his last name) as ‘no-where’ which is why the play took place there (acording to Jarry… who later went crazy and dressed up like his character in his play, so much that people weren’t sure if he thought he was himself or Ubu, but I digress.) His views of why poland was ‘nowhere’ are hinted in texts quoting him, and may have to do with the french opinion of Polland and their somewhat secluded, happy-amoung-themselves ways (like the French have room to point fingers for that). [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-polish-people-stupid/84547.md?page=2)