Polish joke

For humor used by persons of Polish nationality and/or ancestry, see Category:Polish humour.
Polish joke
Alternative namePolack joke
Type of jokeEthnic joke
Target of jokePolish people
LanguageEnglish

A Polish joke is an English-language ethnic joke deriding Polish people, based on derogatory stereotypes. The Polish joke belongs in the category of conditional jokes, whose full understanding requires the audience to have prior knowledge of what a Polish joke is. As with all discriminatory jokes, Polish jokes depend on the listener's preconceived notions and antipathies.[1]

The relation between the internalized derogatory stereotypes about Polish people, and the persistence of ethnic jokes about them, is not easy to trace, though the jokes seem to be understood by many who hear them.[2] Sometimes an offensive term for a Pole, such as Polack, is used in the joke.

Example:

Q: How many Polacks does it take to change a light bulb?
A: Three – one to hold the bulb, and two to turn the ladder.
  1. ^ Ted Cohen (1999). Jokes: Philosophical Thoughts on Joking Matters. University of Chicago Press. p. 21. ISBN 0-226-11230-6. Retrieved 2009-09-10.
  2. ^ Ted Cohen (1999). Jokes: Philosophical Thoughts on Joking Matters, p. 78. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 9780226112329. Retrieved 2011-07-22.