Today we will tackle something that is a bit controversial. Or maybe not, I guess it all depends on your point of view. But we\u2019ll see.<\/p>\n
I really don\u2019t like sweeping generalizations, though that doesn\u2019t stop me in making them myself from time to time, to be perfectly honest. So most of the time when I hear such a general comment, I just take it with a grain of salt. But when those sweeping generalizations begin to include me, well, that\u2019s a whole another story. It\u2019s personal then, and for me that\u2019s when the gloves come off.<\/p>\n
But yeah, what kind of generalizations are we talking about here? You know, those broad comments that encompass perhaps an entire nation or an ethic group, like that the French are generally rude (not true) and the Americans fat (again, not true). So why am I getting all worked up about it today? Somebody has told me recently, and to my face no less, that Poles are a conniving, dishonest bunch that can\u2019t be trusted. As a proof of those national characteristics, the person used the famous Polish art (or is it a skill?) of kombinowanie<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Now, I know those comments have been around for centuries, and I know that Poles made kombinowanie<\/strong> into a whole new art form in its own right (that much is true), but when someone says it to my face, that makes it personal.<\/p>\n And personally, some of the most dishonest and untrustworthy people I\u2019ve met in my life were single males between the ages of 22 and 32, university educated, no less. Does that mean that I\u2019m going to pass sweeping generalizations that all single males between the ages of 22 and 32 are dishonest pricks? Of course not. So it really bothers me when narrow-minded people apply such generalizations to whole nationalities and ethnic groups.<\/p>\n I explained as much to the person I was talking with, and his response was \u201cbut you guys (meaning Poles) have a bad reputation everywhere you go.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Oh really? Is that true? Am I that out of touch with how the Polish people are perceived by foreigners?<\/p>\n And is \u201ckombinowanie<\/strong>\u201d really all that bad? I\u2019m as good at it as the next Pole, and yet I\u2019ve never used it for nefarious purposes. Quite the opposite in fact.<\/p>\n But what is that \u201ckombinowanie<\/strong>\u201d anyway? The verb \u201ckombinowa\u0107<\/strong>\u201d can mean many things. It can be used as in \u201cto scheme\u201d, \u201cto fix\u201d, \u201cto sort out\u201d, \u201cto arrange\u201d and so on. You get the idea. Nothing wrong with a little \u201ckombinowanie<\/strong>\u201d itself, it\u2019s why you want to kombinowa\u0107<\/strong> that might be perceived as less than honest by some people.<\/p>\n So yeah, we are the masters of kombinowanie<\/strong>, but does that immediately mean we are dishonest and untrustworthy as a nation? PS. I apologize for the recent lack of comments from me, but we’re moving again and have internet issues. Today we will tackle something that is a bit controversial. Or maybe not, I guess it all depends on your point of view. But we\u2019ll see. I really don\u2019t like sweeping generalizations, though that doesn\u2019t stop me in making them myself from time to time, to be perfectly honest. So most of the time when…<\/p>\n
\nSome of my fellow countrymen will tell you that it\u2019s one Polish word that can\u2019t be translated into English. I disagree. It can be translated, but how you do it depends on the context.<\/p>\n
\nYour opinions please. Honest opinions, of course.<\/p>\n
\n<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"