Spring Break
Wordplay does not equal racism
Dwight Wozich
Issue date: 6/4/08 Section: Forum
I am a Polack. "Polack" is a racial epithet used to degrade someone of Polish descent. It was utilized widely by bigots in the early 20th century to discriminate against waves of Polish immigrants that were flocking to the United States. They weren't happy that the Poles were willing to take on the harsh factory jobs that "socially conscious" Americans refused to do. They scorned them for worshipping in the Roman Catholic Church. The term "Polack" symbolizes American ignorance and hatred towards a people that wanted nothing more than food and security for their families.
I will provide you with some personal background so you'll understand why I hate this word so much.
My grandfather, Stanley Wozich, immigrated to the United States after World War II. During the war he experienced hardship that would have killed weaker men. When the German army invaded Poland in 1939, they began rounding up Polish males and sending them to work camps. Many never returned.
My grandfather joined the German army to escape the work camps. His mother was German, so he was able to claim citizenship and enlisted to fight. His unit was sent to the Russian front, where he was wounded in battle and the doctors declared him medically unfit for combat. The army sent him to Germany, where he stayed until the end of the war.
He met my grandmother, Benita, while he was working as an ambulance driver for an orphanage. The American couple who ran the orphanage liked my grandparents, and they sponsored them for a visa to the United States. They settled in Oakland, Calif., in 1950.
America in the 1950s was not a comfortable social climate for an ex-German soldier. Many of the men in my grandfather's community were U.S. Army veterans who lost close friends and relatives to German bullets. My grandfather couldn't sit on the front porch with them and swap war stories.
When my dad was growing up, he never told his playmates about my grandfather fighting for the German army. He was afraid that if their parents found out, they wouldn't let him come over anymore.
I will provide you with some personal background so you'll understand why I hate this word so much.
My grandfather, Stanley Wozich, immigrated to the United States after World War II. During the war he experienced hardship that would have killed weaker men. When the German army invaded Poland in 1939, they began rounding up Polish males and sending them to work camps. Many never returned.
My grandfather joined the German army to escape the work camps. His mother was German, so he was able to claim citizenship and enlisted to fight. His unit was sent to the Russian front, where he was wounded in battle and the doctors declared him medically unfit for combat. The army sent him to Germany, where he stayed until the end of the war.
He met my grandmother, Benita, while he was working as an ambulance driver for an orphanage. The American couple who ran the orphanage liked my grandparents, and they sponsored them for a visa to the United States. They settled in Oakland, Calif., in 1950.
America in the 1950s was not a comfortable social climate for an ex-German soldier. Many of the men in my grandfather's community were U.S. Army veterans who lost close friends and relatives to German bullets. My grandfather couldn't sit on the front porch with them and swap war stories.
When my dad was growing up, he never told his playmates about my grandfather fighting for the German army. He was afraid that if their parents found out, they wouldn't let him come over anymore.
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Viewing Comments 1 - 4 of 4
Harry
posted 6/04/08 @ 6:48 AM PST
Well, you know, "socially conscious" liberals and "progressives" arent happy unless their pretending to preach to the rest of us from a moral perspective they havent earned or properly possess. (Continued…)
The Race Card
posted 6/04/08 @ 7:18 AM PST
Dwight opined: "It is contrary to progress to spend our time being paranoid about using abbreviated versions of racial slurs in our language."
Kudoes to David for unmasking the intellectual fraud of this latest attempt at racial arson. (Continued…)
Craig Hawley
Craig Hawley
posted 6/04/08 @ 9:58 PM PST
Got to tell you this reminded me of a guy we called SKI in the army. He was polish to. We were having race relations classes and Ski kept demanding to be recognized as a minority. (Continued…)
Mark
posted 6/05/08 @ 10:02 AM PST
You know what bugs me? People who use the word 'their' when they really mean to use the word 'they're'.
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