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Although my father's side of the family is predominantly Polish, I was never raised with any specific ethnicity. Through research I have learned more about my ethnicity than I have throughout my life. In an article written by John Folwarski and Phyllis Marganoff it's said that shame is a central demension of most Polish families. Polish people are known for a few not-so-admirable traits including heavy drinking, discontent, and stubbornness. I read that although marriage is a central life-style, it is more important to them to marry for close ethnicity than it is to marry for love. Public displays of affection are looked down upon, as well as complaining. Children are taught that weakness is bad, and that they are to take care of themselves. Also, according to the article, I learned that Polish people are dominantly Catholic.
Many of the traits of Polish people do not apply to my family, or my life-style. As a family, I do not think of us as class conscious, stubborn, or full of shame and discontent. As a child I was raised to ask for help, and to be fair to other people, whereas this article tells me that Poles never ask for help, and are generally biased towards other minorities. Perhaps this gives me reason to be "ashamed" of my Polish background which might be the only Polish characteristic I share.
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