People living between the Odra and the Bug are often thought to be emotional (even hot-tempered), and very
patriotic:
freedom-loving, with a touch of
the anarchist's spirit. This image has been reinforced during the last 200 years of permanent revolution and uprising, WWII, and
Solidarność, which brought
the big mustache of
Lech Wałęsa into the set of Polish stereotypes.
Poles like that image. Do not be surprised if you become involved in discussions about history -
Polish people like that too.
Poles may often emphasize that the first written constitution in
Europe was established in
Poland, that they were betrayed by Western allies, that their country has been attacked, destroyed and divided so many times. Some people like to say that
the Poles have a ‘
victim mentality', but you should decide that for yourself.
Poles are also very religious, mostly
Roman Catholic, to be precise. Have you seen reports on TV about
two million Poles going to Rome to the funeral of
the Pope in
April 2005? This was no exaggeration.
Religion is very important in
Poland, even for young people (they are sometimes called
JP II Generation), which is not that obvious in many other countries in Europe. Membership in the EU has not caused a decline in
religious observance or
identification, as some expected. There is even a bigger tendency to church attendance than was the case in the 1990s. On the other hand, you will find that
Poles are also very
pragmatic in their attitude towards faith, one could say... nonchalant.
In the opinion of many foreigners,
Poles are quite open-hearted. Is it true? Walking along the street you will not certainly see many people smiling like the Brazilians do, and when asking others for something you may often face a cool reaction. The hero of the movie "Sideways" (2004) even says: "
And now I will be gloomy like a Pole". Another suggestion is that
Poles are a mistrustful lot: one poll found that only 11% declare they trust others easily (in Norway the figure was 80%). However, some sociological surveys can be misleading, and you should always get a sense of people from real life experience. After a few months here you may be even able to have the impression that
Poles are reluctant to hide their emotions behind a mask of political correctness and that social relations are not so structured and formalized as in other cultures. You can move quite quickly from acquaintance to a friendship here. But remember: if you ask
Poles friendly "
how are you" be ready, that they will tell you the truth.
What about tolerance towards minorities, or national and sexual differences? In the past,
Poland was
a multi-ethnic society, but after
World War II that diversity was lost. There were few opportunities to put our tolerance in practice. Since the beginning of the 90's, when
Poland reopened to the world, more and more foreigners have come to live and work here. However, the unavoidable growth of immigration in the coming years will be a real test of the attitude of
Poles to ethnic, national and religious diversity. A short poll among students from other continents suggests that, at present,
Polish attitudes are reasonably moderate. One student observed that while people do stare at him from time to time, this seems more a sign of interest and astonishment than aversion.
Another controversial issue is
the Polish attitude to
sexual minorities. Recent international media coverage has highlighted the intolerant voices towards homosexuality that are prominent (and ascendant) in
Polish politics.
Poland remains a very traditional country. Gay and lesbian life, while undoubtedly present (and in some cities such as
Warszawa,
Kraków and
Sopot quite vibrant), is still largely ‘
underground', even in
the big cities. Certainly, you will not find the degree of easy acceptance of homosexuality that is commonplace in Western Europe.
Polish gays and
lesbians tend for the most part to avoid making any public suggestion of
their sexual orientation, and will expect the same from foreigners.
Many, perhaps most, are not out of the closet, even to friends and family.
And please heed a friendly word of caution: public displays of affection between same-sex couples will almost certainly elicit strong disapproval. In all, Poland faces now a severe social conflict over this issue, very present in the recent public debate.
A very popular image of
Poles is that they drink... a lot. The French say, "
drunk like a Pole". A funny historical anecdote comes to mind: in 1978
Pope John Paul II, already elected to the rank, asked a Polish priest visiting the Vatican the reaction of his compatriots to his election. "
They raved, they were delighted" and so on, said the priest. "
And did they drink?" asked the Pope smiling. "
Oh yes, they did", was the embarrassed answer.
How much truth is there in the stereotype of the heavy-drinking Pole? On the one hand, you will certainly see
drunk people in the street ... and not only on New Year's Eve! (in recent times this is probably due as much to British tourists on stag tours). On the other hand, since the beginning of the 90's drinking habits have changed, and ‘
hard drinking' is less common. First of all,
vodka has lost its appeal.
Among young people bee is absolutely number one, but many people are developing a taste for
wine.
Vodka itself is preferred
mixed, rather than
straight, like the very popular "
mad dog" shots:
vodka,
Tabasco and
raspberry syrup.
What about
the Polish attitude towards women? This is a country of traditional gallantry: opening the door for women and kissing the hand is still wide-spread especially among older people. It used to be an important part of the old nobleman's ethos, but not only.
During the last 150 years women have gained respect, having taken responsibility for cultivating and maintaining Polish identity and traditions, while men were at war or in exile.
How does the historical image of ‘
mother Poland' translate into the real life of
modern Poland? More common than the traditional family with a woman at home is the model of the family in which the woman, who is working, is also taking care of the children and housekeeping at the same time. Women face a "
glass ceiling" in their careers and are generally underrepresented in public life. On the other hand, there are many indications of change.
In the last 15 years, women have held the post of prime minister and president of the central bank. Many have held ministerial positions. If you visit the universities you might get the impression that there are more female students than male. Well, it's true, and statistics confirm this.
Another sign of progress is female participation in Poland's growing small-business sector, which has one of the highest rates of female participation in the world.
Krakovians and Varsovians must be more exiting. Just kidding. I am fond of Poznań, I really like Poznań, I love Poznań. I have fond memories of Poznań and I liked the images of Modern Poznań, Post-communist Poznań, you posted over here. I have ofcourse my own limited experience with Poznań of the seventies and eighties as a child. I know that Poznań must have changed since the end of the Peoples Republic. It must be exiting to see the progress, changes and modernisation of Poznań of after 1989. 
