▁Pol ack ▁j okes ▁from ▁Germany ▁were ▁originally ▁told ▁before ▁World ▁War ▁II ▁in ▁disput ed ▁border ▁regions ▁such ▁as ▁S iles ia . ▁ ▁There ▁is ▁debate ▁as ▁to ▁whether ▁the ▁early ▁" Pol ish ▁j okes " ▁brought ▁to ▁states ▁such ▁as ▁Wisconsin ▁by ▁German ▁imm igr ants ▁relate ▁directly ▁to ▁the ▁wave ▁of ▁American ▁j okes ▁of ▁the ▁early ▁ 1 9 6 0 s . ▁A ▁" prov oc ative ▁critique ▁of ▁previous ▁scholar ship ▁on ▁the ▁subject " ▁has ▁been ▁made ▁by ▁British ▁writer ▁Christ ie ▁Dav ies ▁in ▁The ▁M irth ▁of ▁Nations , ▁which ▁suggests ▁that ▁" Pol ish ▁j okes " ▁did ▁not ▁origin ate ▁in ▁Naz i ▁Germany ▁but ▁much ▁earlier , ▁as ▁an ▁out g row th ▁of ▁regional ▁j okes ▁root ed ▁in ▁" social ▁class ▁differences ▁reaching ▁back ▁to ▁the ▁nin ete enth ▁century ." ▁According ▁to ▁Dav ies , ▁American ▁versions ▁of ▁Polish ▁j okes ▁are ▁an ▁un related ▁" p ure ly ▁American ▁phenomen on " ▁and ▁do ▁not ▁express ▁the ▁" histor ical ▁Old ▁World ▁hat red s ▁of ▁the ▁Germ ans ▁for ▁the ▁Pol es . ▁However , ▁Hollywood ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 9 6 0 s ▁and ▁ 1 9 7 0 s ▁imported ▁the ▁sub human - int elligence ▁j okes ▁about ▁Pol es ▁from ▁old ▁Naz i ▁propag anda ." ▁ ▁For ▁dec ades , ▁Polish ▁Americans ▁have ▁been ▁the ▁subject ▁of ▁der og atory ▁j okes ▁origin ating ▁in ▁anti - imm igr