Bieganski: The Brute Polak Stereotype in Polish-Jewish Relations and American Popular Culture

by Danusha V. Goska

In this study, Goska exposes one stereotype of Poles and other Eastern Europeans. In the “Bieganski” stereotype, Poles exhibit the qualities of animals. They are strong, stupid, violent, fertile, anarchic, dirty, and especially hateful in a way that more evolved humans are not. Their special hatefulness is epitomized by Polish anti- Semitism. Bieganski discovers this stereotype in the mainstream press, in scholarship and film, in Jews’ self-definition, and in responses to the Holocaust. Bieganski’s twin is Shylock, the stereotype of the crafty, physically inadequate, moneyed Jew. The final chapters of the book are devoted to interviews with American Jews, which reveal that Bieganski―and Shylock―are both alive and well among those who have little knowledge of Poles or Poland.

344 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 2010

About the author

I'm the author of "Save Send Delete" and that book tells you more about me than you might ever want to know.

Reviews

[Stuart Balcomb · Rating 5 out of 5]

As with most kids that I knew in Grade School in 1950's New Mexico, the first awareness of anything Polish was the Polak joke. To me, a Polak was some distant, undefinable, stupid ethnic group that, initially, I didn't even associate with Poland. I didn't even know where Poland was. We also recited the very un-PC version of "Eenie, meenie, mynee, mo," but after awhile, as my consciousness expanded and I learned who Poles really were, I disliked the jokes and the stereotyping. My Finnish grandfather used to call me a "stupid Svede" whenever I accidently spilled or broke something, and he used to tell Swedish jokes that I recognized as the old Polak jokes I used to tell. Same tired old jokes, different ethnic group.

I realized that every culture probably has its "Polak," someone lower than them, someone to be the butt of their jokes. I wrote about this to the author and then asked her, "Who are Poland's 'Polaks'?" And she responded, "There is no one lower than a Pole."

Chilling words for me to hear, but it wasn't until I read this fine book that I fully realized their full import. Goska cites poet John Guzlowski and his parents living in a D.P. camp (for Displaced Persons) after WWII, coming to America as a D.P., and growing up with that stigma... how it affected his entire life. She cites example after example of Poles whose entire existence has been under the boot of ostracism.

Throughout my life I've had many Jewish and Polish friends, but not a single one of them gave me any hint of animosity toward any ethnic group. Perhaps it's because I'm a musician, as are most of my friends, and we just don't harbor those sort of attitudes. Maybe the bandstand is the true melting pot, the gathering of equals, where one's musicianship is the only thing being judged. Color and ethnicity don't exist. So, it was a revelation for me to learn of Polish anti-Semitism and the degree to which some Jews hate Poles. It was heartbreaking to hear of how, in the eyes of many, the identity of an entire country can be reduced to having hosted Nazi death camps.

For me, however, the best part of the book is Goska's analysis of the bohunk role in the films "A Street Car Named Desire," "The Deerhunter," "The Fugitive," and "The Apartment"--the first of which is nothing short of brilliant. For anyone who has seen the film, this essay reveals incredible insights into Tennessee Williams' wonderful screenplay.

"Bieganski" is a book I highly recommend.

[Roman Totale · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is, simply, an excellent book. It interweaves the personal/autobiographical, historical, and literary (to the extent these categories are supposedly separate) in a very compelling way, tackling a difficult and persistently ignored topic. I am an American whose ancestry is half-Jewish -- Polish-Jewish -- and this book both made explicit and confronted many of the background attitudes about the relationship between Jews and Poles that were transmitted to me growing up. The book is a pleasure to read, and it has stuck with me more than a year after I originally picked it up. At the time, reading this book drove me to bring up the problem of the "brute polack" stereotype in social conversations where it wasn't totally expected or maybe even appropriate -- especially with my other friends of Jewish descent, trying to interrogate some of the tropes we grew up with. The fact that this book compelled me to pursue the subject matter in "real life" is, I think, the highest praise I could give it.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Trochę przyciężki akademicki język, ale wyjaśnia wiele spraw.

[Ben Vos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Convincing. Wish it were longer on the 'bohunk' in film and literature. Obviously that might be repetitious, but the constant dismissiveness of Eastern European culture in America is something I didn't know about being from the UK. Similar but of course different tropes appear regarding Jews which I have looked at myself.

Sadly, ignorance and even hate towards Poles is something I have come across in the Jewish community. I'm not sure collapsing Jewish identity is necessarily the cause here so much as sometimes just awful, sometimes demonstrably muddled third-hand memories of the old country. It would be interesting to know more about Soviet views on Poland and whether, how and how far they affected Jews in the west.

[Michalina · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars

[Zew_Pustki · Rating 3 out of 5]

2,75 ⭐️