go y ism ▁as ▁something ▁altogether ▁natural ' ." ▁Mich nik ▁respond ed ▁to ▁the ▁controvers y , ▁pra ising ▁the ▁hero ism ▁of ▁the ▁A K ▁by ▁asking : ▁" Is ▁it ▁an ▁attack ▁on ▁Polish ▁people ▁when ▁the ▁past ▁is ▁being ▁expl ored ▁to ▁seek ▁the ▁truth ? ". ▁C ich y ▁later ▁apolog ized ▁for ▁the ▁tone ▁of ▁his ▁article , ▁but ▁not ▁for ▁the ▁err one ous ▁facts . ▁ ▁" Pol ish ▁j okes " ▁ ▁" Pol ish ▁j okes " ▁belong ▁to ▁a ▁category ▁of ▁conditional ▁j okes , ▁meaning ▁that ▁their ▁understanding ▁requires ▁knowledge ▁of ▁what ▁a ▁Polish ▁jo ke ▁is . ▁Cond itional ▁j okes ▁depend ▁on ▁the ▁audience ' s ▁affect ive ▁preference — on ▁their ▁lik es ▁and ▁dis lik es . ▁Though ▁these ▁j okes ▁might ▁be ▁understood ▁by ▁many , ▁their ▁success ▁depends ▁entirely ▁on ▁the ▁negative ▁disposition ▁of ▁the ▁listener . ▁ ▁Pres umably ▁the ▁first ▁Polish ▁j okes ▁by ▁German ▁disp la ced ▁persons ▁fle eing ▁war - t orn ▁Europe ▁were ▁brought ▁to ▁the ▁United ▁States ▁in ▁the ▁late ▁ 1 9 4 0 s . ▁These ▁j okes ▁were ▁fue led ▁by ▁eth nic ▁sl urs ▁dis sem in ated ▁by ▁German ▁National ▁Social ist ▁propag anda , ▁which ▁attempted ▁to ▁justify ▁the ▁Naz is ' ▁murder ing ▁of ▁Pol es ▁by ▁present ing ▁them ▁as ▁" d reck " — dir ty , ▁stupid ▁and ▁inferior . ▁It ▁is ▁also ▁possible ▁that ▁some ▁early ▁American