• Shapillon@lemmy.world
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    2 days ago

    It reminds me of an old Polish joke:

    A Pole finds a magic lamp, strokes it, and a genie comes out.

    “I will grant you three wishes. They can be anything your heart desire.”

    "I wish for the Mongols to invade Poland!’

    “Ok? It is done”

    The Mongol hordes sweep through Poland, ransack the country, then go back the way they came.

    “I am ready for my second wish. I want the Mongols to invade Poland again!”

    “Are you sure? I can give you anything your heart wishes.”

    “Yes. I am sure”

    The Mongols come again, do some more pillaging, and return home.

    “And now for my third wish. I want the Mongol hordes to invade Poland a third time.”

    “Are you really sure?”

    “Yes.”

    “Okay. Before I grant you your wish, would you mind explaining me why you would want that not once but thrice?”

    “It’s very simple: Whenever the Mongols come to Poland they have to cross Russia twice!”

    • Fedizen@lemmy.world
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      2 days ago

      The US really is just this hateful polish guy. A solid 35% of americans would happily raze our own country than let one poor person have a subsidized lunch.

    • Canuck@lemmy.ca
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      2 days ago

      This is so funny. I just told my wife, who’s Ukrainian, this joke and she burst out laughing.
      Also, as Canadians. We wish there were mongol hordes we could get to invade us, through the US.

      • Honytawk@lemmy.zip
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        2 days ago

        As long as russia keeps invading countries it has no business being in, it is extremely funny.

        • AES_Enjoyer@reddthat.com
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          2 days ago

          You could apply that to most EU countries though? Colonialism in Africa, invasion of Iraq, support of the US in Afghanistan, bombing of Libya and Yugoslavia, funding the genocide in Gaza… What makes the EU better? I just happen to live in Europe and I want to push MY government towards peace negotiations because it’s the one I can affect

          • kungen@feddit.nu
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            2 days ago

            How many of these are active missions? The Special Military Operation was only supposed to take 3 days, but it’s still going on.

            Or do you simply have a case of «А у вас негров линчуют»? No one’s excusing their own country’s atrocities simply by attacking Russia’s ongoing atrocity.

        • AppleTea@lemmy.zip
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          2 days ago

          yankees get very mad when you make a similar point about drone striking east asia

      • Shapillon@lemmy.world
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        2 days ago

        It’s more of a Polish grudge funny though.

        Poland has a bit of a history with Russia too.

        • AES_Enjoyer@reddthat.com
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          2 days ago

          Surely Poland has been in an unlucky position between the empires of western Europe and the former Russian Empire, then again it has the same historical problems with Germany and I don’t see Polish people making racist jokes against the country that committed genocide in their territory.

          • Shapillon@lemmy.world
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            2 days ago

            I really don’t see what’s racist about Russia in that joke. If someone’s the butt of that joke it’s the Polish who’s willing to hurt themselve just to get back at Russia.

            And there are loads of Polish jokes about Germans.

            “An unlucky position” that’s putting it mildly.

            • CherryBullets@lemmy.ca
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              2 days ago

              It’s not racist. People forget “Russian” is a nationality, not a race. Russia isn’t just populated by Slavs (much to the chagrin of Putin, I assume).

              • Shapillon@lemmy.world
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                2 days ago

                Imho discriminating against a nationality is still racism. e.g. WW2 anti-japanese racism in the US.

                Russia has a very colonial attitude toward its non slavic citizens.

                • CherryBullets@lemmy.ca
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                  2 days ago

                  Learn the difference between xenophobia and racism, please. The difference matters for proper discussions of different topics that pertain to discrimination in general and you are clearly confusing both of them in your weak attempt at accusing someone of behaviour they never displayed while they explained a joke that is rooted in historical context.

                  More to the point, being against Russian dictatorship policies and historical atrocities is neither xenophobia nor is it racism.

                  Everyone with a functioning frontal lobe knowns the Russian people are mostly helpless under a dictatorship that practices putting opposition (civil or political) in gulags, but one cannot just “lay down and take it” if the Russians come for them, just because you pity their situation. Criticizing dictatorships is of utmost importance, feelings be damned.

                  • Shapillon@lemmy.world
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                    1 day ago

                    I agree that xenophobia and racism are different albeit related concepts. And I appreciate you reminding me of it. I’m not sure it makes a real difference for the conversation at hand.

                    After your first paragraph you’re just ranting about stuff I didn’t say or intend to imply.

                    You might have gotten your replies mixed because I’m the OP that shared the joke xD

          • FrostyTheDoo@lemmy.world
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            2 days ago

            Maybe it’s the difference in Germany’s behavior and allyship towards Poland since the transgressions. Maybe Russia has not acted in a reconciliatory way towards Poland, maybe perhaps they’ve still behaved as an adversary, while Germany has taken accountability and joined a strategic alliance against the same Russian aggression that unapologetically continues to threaten Poland’s sovereignty

          • SocialJusticeWhat@lemmy.world
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            2 days ago

            I wasn’t aware Russian was a race.

            And if you knew anything about history you’d understand why Poland feels particularly strongly towards Russia.

            Germany made amends and stopped the warmongering. Russia has demonstrated that they will not.

            It isn’t that complicated.

      • uis@lemm.ee
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        2 days ago

        There is russian similar joke abour genie that grants wishes, but your neighbour gets twice of that. One of dude’s wishes was to poke his eye.