tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2650609952674727820.post6197511869698998372..comments2024-03-27T15:55:32.875+01:00Comments on W-wa Jeziorki: Who am I? (kim ja jestem?)Michael Dembinskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05657728002439035765noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2650609952674727820.post-79640110321100008652010-10-17T02:25:54.556+02:002010-10-17T02:25:54.556+02:00@ basia
Britain is made up of England, Wales and ...@ basia<br /><br />Britain is made up of England, Wales and Scotland. A Scot can be British, but not English. To be English, you need to have English roots. So I'm British yes, English no.Michael Dembinskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05657728002439035765noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2650609952674727820.post-88526928704409486022010-10-17T01:02:30.283+02:002010-10-17T01:02:30.283+02:00"Growing up in England, I never considered my..."Growing up in England, I never considered myself English. Yes, British certainly, but no more English than the child of Scottish or Welsh parents living in London.<br /><br />As a non-Brit, I don't know what you mean. Can you elaborate please.basianoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2650609952674727820.post-29106071960496462782010-10-16T11:09:25.482+02:002010-10-16T11:09:25.482+02:00Sorry for coming back, but I just saw where you co...Sorry for coming back, but I just saw where you come from - I had originally thought it was Wales for some reason.<br /><br />I decided to cut short my previous comment, but thought of saying that many Polish people find the British concept of nationality very difficult to understand as well. I have been asked by four or five people whether I feel more British or English, which is a very logical Polish question. I answered that I actually felt more South London, where I come from, but even when I explained that the extreme diversity of people in England/Britain/UK limited my feeling of affinity with other parts of England, etc (or London) it was clear that I was being incomprehensible. The best I could get was to liken the Polish/Czech relationship with the London/Newcastle relationship, but I don't think anyone really believed that was possible.<br /><br />I said you seemed very English to me. Funnily enough, however, I actually thought you were very like people I got to know in Richmond. Within my narrow horizons, therefore, I actually thought that you seemed very West London rather than a generalised English person. I now know that's what you are.Pan Steevahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13253724876708541368noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2650609952674727820.post-77716161236222124542010-10-16T10:33:37.524+02:002010-10-16T10:33:37.524+02:00English has both fatherland and motherland as tran...English has both fatherland and motherland as translations of words used in other countries. England/Britian is neither motherland nor fatherland.<br /><br />An early difficulty in coming to Poland was to understand the concept of Poland as a nation distinct to Poland as a country ie nationality (narodowość) rather than state or country of citizenship. Your 100% both Polish and British attitude may have sense in Britain, since nationality is a broad and ambiguous concept. It is not possible in Poland, where it has a much more intense meaning of being a part of the Polish people, with the need both to be accepted by the group and to act as if you are part of it. You seem very English to me.Pan Steevahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13253724876708541368noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2650609952674727820.post-63955334249813853992010-10-16T08:56:08.520+02:002010-10-16T08:56:08.520+02:00I'll echo Basia: resonating post. I'm in h...I'll echo <b>Basia</b>: resonating post. I'm in her Canadian context, but some of the points stand. As a Canadian, I, of course, don't know what assimilation is (we're so cosmopolitan, our constitution guarantees rights to everyone on Earth), but I've come across plenty of -hyphens of various dimensions. In our case, though, because Canadians have little Canadian identity, the hyphen is easily interpreted: Polish-Canadian I take to mean Polish-culture Canadian-resident. Americans have a greater identity than we do, so the -hyphen becomes more complex when dealing with Polish-Americans. But give me a Polish-Italian and, as you point out, we get into the juicy interpretive problems.<br /><br />You know, I'm so used to it that it's almost invisible, but when people in Canada ask each other <i>what are you</i>, they're really asking <i>what are you other than Canadian</i>. What I can't figure out is whether the assumption is that you're obviously Canadian or that there is no such thing as being Canadian.<br /><br /><b>PS</b>: English, indeed, has father and motherland, <i>ale polski nie jest aż taki cienki: macie ojczyzna i macierz.</i><br /><br />;)Pacze Mojhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04455647830303860446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2650609952674727820.post-5922620094645856862010-10-15T08:35:40.051+02:002010-10-15T08:35:40.051+02:00@ Basia - assimilation - Poles are not particularl...@ Basia - assimilation - Poles are not particularly good at assimilating their own, let alone non-Poles; it's something the newcomer has to adapt to. None of this namby-pamby multiculturalism. And in a way, I'm glad.<br /><br />@ WilkBury - many thanks! Worth checking out some of the other blogs on my bloglist - ones in English about Poland.Michael Dembinskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05657728002439035765noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2650609952674727820.post-35258962730066598692010-10-15T08:23:49.891+02:002010-10-15T08:23:49.891+02:00Michael,
I would like to say hello and that your b...Michael,<br />I would like to say hello and that your blog is a pleasure to read. In fact it is the only blog I read. Generally I am not fond of blogs.<br />From April this year I check fot the new entries on your blog almost everyday. Keep blogging!WilkBurynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2650609952674727820.post-6354250488490637712010-10-14T23:43:01.892+02:002010-10-14T23:43:01.892+02:00Nice post. It resonates nicely for me.
At least y...Nice post. It resonates nicely for me.<br /><br />At least you have the British empire to fall back on!! <br />Canadians are rarely distinguished as being distinct from Americans by Europeans (that's why we stick that maple leaf everywhere). Many Europeans perceive North Americans as mongrels, lacking in culture and tradition. The hyphened identity statement (Italian-American, Polish-American etc) is often regarded (by Europeans) as a desperate attempt to align oneself with some "real" culture. They just don't get it.<br /><br />I can't imagine that I would ever be fully accepted as a Pole, even if I mastered the language and chose to settle there. I haven't shared in their collective pain, therefore I am not eligible for entry despite the bloodlines.<br /><br />Our culture is dominated by immigration and assimilation, and is much inclusive.basiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12178395517249753468noreply@blogger.com