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Poland
Culture & Identity
Poland's Personality
Poland is the daughter of a giant in historical Poland
and the niece of a mean uncle in Russia, yet seems almost
aloof to all this since she's so focused on today and the future. Her past has
made what should be close allies (due to ethnicity) in Russia and
Ukraine mortal enemies due to both sides causing past harm to the other.
Although every Pole is aware of this past, the country remains so homogenous there
seems to be a naivety of the outside world, yet they remain knowledgeable on world
fashions, progress, technology, and their role in this greater sphere. She's
like a ditz who has the intelligence of a genius, but the common sense of a brick
wall.
Today Poland is the result of Pope John Paul II (a Pole),
years of fighting communism, and the emergence of a free market economy and westward
leanings. The transition from communism to democracy was simple since most Poles
looked to the Vatican, not their communist government for direction. Unfortunately,
this attitude didn't help the economic transition and, while growing, the country
maintains high unemployment and brain drain as the youth flock to other European
Union (EU) countries to seek higher paying jobs.
Identity
Poles identify as Polish and that has a very specific
meaning. To be Polish one must be a native Polish speaker and must be Catholic.
There is a minority in the country's northeast that is Orthodox, but most people
see this group as odd and "not quite Polish," whereas any Catholic
American or Canadian who was born in Poland and
speaks the language fluently will often be accepted as a Pole.
This page was last updated: February, 2012