Janusz is a pejorative term used in Poland by Poles to describe individuals embodying stereotypical negative traits attributed to their own society. Typically depicted as a middle-aged man with a mustache, he is often portrayed wearing a white tank top, white socks paired with sandals, and having a large belly, frequently carrying a

discount store Discount stores offer a retail format in which products are sold at prices that are in principle lower than an actual or supposed "full retail price". Discounters rely on bulk purchasing and efficient distribution to keep down costs. Types (Uni ...

shopping bag. Janusz's favorite pastimes include drinking beer and watching television. The archetypal Janusz is sometimes illustrated with the head of a

proboscis monkey The proboscis monkey or long-nosed monkey (''Nasalis larvatus'') is an arboreal Old World monkey with an unusually large nose (or proboscis), a reddish-brown skin color and a long tail. It is endemic to the southeast Asian island of Borneo an ...

Description

The stereotypical partner of Janusz is Grażyna, characterized as unintelligent, with backcombed or permed hair, a penchant for shopping, and an interest in gossip. Both Janusz and Grażyna are often portrayed as discussing topics beyond their understanding, behaving cunningly, and disregarding social etiquette. Their children, exemplifying stereotypes associated with younger Poles, such as aversion to work, reliance on social benefits, and a sense of entitlement, are referred to as Karyna and

Seba Seba or SEBA may refer to: Places * Seba, Indonesia, on the Savu Islands *Seven Brothers Islands, also known as the Seba Islands, part of the Republic of Djibouti Institutions * Secondary Education Board of Assam, India * Systematic and Evolutiona ...

. Disdain for Janusz represents broader contempt for what is perceived as provincial Poland and is predominantly expressed by the

middle class The middle class refers to a class of people in the middle of a social hierarchy, often defined by occupation, income, education, or social status. The term has historically been associated with modernity, capitalism and political debate. C ...

and hipster subcultures. The term can also refer to an ignoramus in a broader sense. This meaning is evident in the phrase "Janusz biznesu" ("Janusz of business"), which denotes a person fixated on maximizing short-term gains while embodying negative stereotypes of Polish entrepreneurs. In internet memes portraying the "Janusz biznesu" archetype, the image of

Stanisław Derehajło Stanisław Derehajło (born March 23, 1972 in Bielsk Podlaski) is a Polish local government official, teacher and farmer, in 1998–2017 Wójt (mayor) of the Boćki Commune, in 2018–2021 vice-marshal of the Podlaskie Voivodeship, then until 202 ...

, Deputy Marshal of

Podlaskie Voivodeship Podlaskie Voivodeship ( ) is a Voivodeships of Poland, voivodeship in northeastern Poland. The name of the voivodeship refers to the historical region of Podlachia (in Polish, ''Podlasie''), and significant part of its territory corresponds to th ...

from 2018 to 2021, was frequently utilized.

References

{{Reflist Internet memes introduced from Poland Sociology of culture Stereotypes of Polish people

Description

See also

References