Gadling

By the looks of his face, he must be an immigrant who has relatives who can hardly speak english. Can they be cast aside because they do not know the language? I would certainly not do business with this individual.

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if you want to live in my country then speak my country's language..my grandfather came here from lithuania in 1911 and he did not demand everything be in english AND lithuanian..he learned english and was PROUD to read and speak the language of his adopted homeland..he came here legally..with a sponsor..to escape the pograms that took his family....there is no excuse to not learn the language of the country that is giving you food and shelter and medical care and the opportunity to work..the opportunity to have freedoms you didn't have in your home country...at the taxpayers expense in some cases

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i for one see this everyday when i go to work at sears. people come in to buy things and they speak to me and i cannot understand them and though we try to hire people who can translate you cant find someone to do every language and it gets frustrating in a fast paced enviornment to know what they want. this man owns a restaurant they dont have all the time or all the money in the world to make bilingual menus or to take all that time. if i went to germany i bet nobody there would have bilingual menus you would be walking around with a dictionary to translate. and for them walking into a restaurant they know what they want so if they can read english why cant they speak it? just my opinion

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I think the owner had every right to post that sign. I am so SICK of having to listen to Spanish and Arabic when our official language is English. If they want to come to American and reap OUR benefits, they need to learn English. That's the problem, we accomodate them by sponsoring television stations in Spanish only, which doesn't force them to do anything. If I lived in Mexico, I would learn Spanish. And another thing, I'm tired of place of employment wanting Americans to learn Spanish. What the hell for?

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#16, Tiki, no I don't think he would post the same sign for the deaf. Most deaf people make an effort to get the "hearing" population to understand them. That is the whole point. When foreigners come to OUR country and expect us to make the effort to understand them. No matter what anyone says, English IS the American language! Learn it, foreigners!, or go back to your own country and speak your native language. If they love their culture so much that they must speak their own language, then why don't they just stay in their own country??? Problem solved!

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Je regrette, mais, je ne parle pas anglais!
jk ....i think when in america, speak english. its respectful. thats it

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Uhmmm, i think the sign said "whites only"

it didn't say "order in English"
thats why the writer of this said they're so surprised

i'm surprised too !
thats a very derogatory sign
i thought racism PARTIALLY ended years ago...

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hello, america , if you don't like the sign , go HOME!!!!!!

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obviously the problem is the Attitude. With that sign, he won't gain one single customer; in any case, he'll lose. So in business terms, it's stupid.

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I've never taken the time to chime in with my opinion in these online discusions, but this one has been bugging me. I live in South Philly and have been going to Geno's since I was a kid. It's a great place and the food is good and the people are decent. I totally agree with his right to post this sign for several reasons. 1) He's not saying that you cannot eat at his establishment and he is not refusing service to anyone. But why is he expected to understand a foreign language just to sell you a sandwich? If you've ever been to Geno's the pace is quick. When you order, you'd better be fast and know what you want. Having to get an interpreter would be totally ridiculous. In addition, there's always been a separate language for ordering sandwiches - When they ask you "wit or witout" meaning cheese - you'd better speak up fast. So, it should be no big deal to order so that they can understand you. Which is all he's saying - Please speak english so that they can understand. 2) This is America. When Americans travel abroad we go through great lengths to learn the language in order to communicate with the residents in their native tongue. It is considered offensive to expect them to understand us. To be able to speak French, Spanish or whatever while visiting a foreign country is thought of as courteous. 3) This is America. South Philly has always been a diverse neighborhood. It was great as a child to learn Italian from the neighborhood merchant or neighbors. I also remember sitting on the steps and helping the elder neighbors practice English. But in the end it was a source of pride for immigrants to learn English. It made them feel part of the whole melting pot. Why wouldn't you want to learn the language of your adopted home? It should be mandatory.

Personally, being born and raised in this country, I don't understand why I should have to "press one" to speak my native tongue. I understand that this country has a large immigrant population, so let them press one. Sometimes I believe that we Americans are too accommodating to others and in doing so, the feeling of being a community is becoming lost. There are so many foreigners in this country that it would be ridiculous to expect every store or restaurant you patronize to understand every customer's language. This is America and I totally support Joe Vento and his right to ask that he not be made to learn a second language in order to remain in business. And finally, let's not go to the extreme this of course, does not include the deaf or handicapped. I've seen a gentleman in a wheelchair receive excellent service with no hesitation - so let's not go there. If someone wants to live here why should they object to learning English? This is America and if there are so many who are offended by his sign, why are they not offended by his eing denied his right to Freedom of Speech?

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I've travelled to many countries in the world. Before going I do try to learn a few key phrases. It is always appreciated by the local people.

When they ask me what I am, I simply say I'm an American.

Not Greek/American;African/American;Indian/American;Polish/American - simply American!

Only in the U.S. in order to try and be politically correct do people identify themselves in a more detailed manner.

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WOW! I am so proud to see that there are so many other AMERICANS who feel the same as the guy who put that sign up in his business. By the way, for those of you who don't know, that guy's name is Joey Vento and he owns Geno's Steaks in Philly. That's right, Pennsylvania, the same state that has Hazleton and Lou Barletta fighting all of the illegal immigrants that have moved there and turned it into a crime-ridden pile of coal. No offense to those that live there but when I was there visiting family last year, I thought I took a wrong turn into Mexico. Abha wants to talk about insults, try these on for size! My great-great grandfather emigrated to Hazleton from Italy in the late 1800's and helped make that area into a great community. My grandparents and parents were born there and my parents met and got married there over 40 years ago (and they're still happily married). I was born there and have many wonderful memories of going to visit my grandparents and playing on the Mile Rocks or going to the coal banks and looking for fossils. Maybe going to Senape's for some pitza or Jimmy's for chili dogs. The area was never "beautiful," with months of dirty snow and vistas of black coal, but the people who lived there had lived there all their lives and this was there home and they were proud of it. They took care of their houses, gardens and tended to their flowerboxes. They walked to the Laurel Mall, Church Street or ACME or took a bus down to Angela Park. Angela Park is gone and the old buildings on Church Street are boarded up or demolished. You can't walk around anymore. These illegal hispanics have made this a city to be afraid of living in . . . drugs are rampant, crime . . . rape, murder, theft are all abundant! THAT'S AN INSULT!! My sister works as a teacher in Port St. Lucie, Florida and has to have an interpreter for a student!!!!!! At the expense of taxpayers!!! THAT'S AN INSULT!!! I live in South Palm Beach County and there is huge number of illegal Mexicans and Guatamalans in Lake Worth that clutter the streets waiting for work as day-laborers and when they don't get work . . . they resort to drinking and crime, or impregnating their underage baby factories!! Filling up the jails, hospitals and schools at my expense!!! THAT'S AN INSULT!!! Maybe the fact that when I go to Disney in Orlando the announcements are made in English and Spanish!! What about Japanese, Chinese, French, Italian, German or Russian? All of those people should be insulted!! Why should the Hispanics get special treatment??? Why do I have to go into a Washington Mutual Bank in West Palm Beach, Florida and be greeted in Spanish and listen to Spanish music while I wait in line and listen to these Mexicans, Cubans, Puerto Ricans or whatever they are speak at the top of their lungs in a language other than English in America!!!! Why do I have to push 1 for English??? Why do I have to have Spanish stations on my cable??? Why do I have to go to a Publix supermarket and have the Haitian cashier and bag person holding a conversation in Creole while I, the customer who helps pay their salary, stand there wondering why they keep looking at me as they talk and laugh? THAT'S AN INSULT!!! What are they thinking? What are they saying? Are they saying, "Look at the stupid American who helps pay my bills while I slowly erode the America that gives me the opportunity to make a living, have a home, get a free education and do anything I can imagine." They must be. America the melting pot is just going to become a pot of s**t as the dirtbags float or sneak over here and turn our country into what their countries have become!!! They don't know any different!!! This is how they were raised and this is how they raise their children! The children learn English in school and forget it when they go home because their parents are too lazy to take the FREE English courses at the local high school or community center. Maybe that's why my 8 year old daughter has 10 year old kids in her class. What it boils down to is PRIDE. The Hispanics are too proud of their culture and heritage to care about being an American but they want all the benefits. I saw a news report on TV the other night and they were interviewing a Mexican guy, his wife (pregnant of course) and a young daughter that had been living illegally in the US for years. They moved to Canada when they found that Canada would take them. The reporter asked, "who pay's for your housing, food and education?" The guy's answer was, "the guberment!" WOW! There's the answer!!!! Send them to Canada!!!!! Trust me America!!! If you don't start standing up for what you believe in and make a stink about topics like this, UR SCREWED!!!!

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People keep overlooking one fact. These people are not just visiting. They live here!!! The melting pot concept is far better than the multiculturalism that was shoved down our throats in Canada. When people move to another country, they need to be willing to adapt and assimilate, and if not, then why leave your native country? It's one thing to be proud of your heritage, but it's quite another to move to a new country and demand that everyone accomodate you.

I moved to Texas from Canada in 1996 to a little town right on the border where I'd guess that 85% of the population were speaking Spanish- EVERYWHERE. I heard it on my job, while shopping, virtually everywhere. I did pick up some Spanish, but frankly I'm appalled by people that live and work in the US and make no attempt to learn the working language. Many workplaces demand it. We all have choices. I would not have chosen to move here with no working knowledge of the language and expected/demanded to be accomodated. I would have studied the language to ensure I knew enough to get by. In time, I feel confident that I'd have learned enough to carry on meaningful conversations, but that would require that a person actually tried wouldn't it?!

That guy had every right to post that sign in HIS store. He's not discriminating against anyone, he's simply asking to be spoken to in English. He isn't expecting to engage in a long conversation, just to understand what his customers, who by the way were NOT dragged into his store against their will, want from HIM. He's providing a sandwich, not brain surgery or anything requiring people to sign a contract. If people don't want his services then don't go there! It's pretty simple!

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I'm of Puerto Rican descent. My mom hates speaking english but knows where she lives and speaks it anyway. I am FOR people from other countries learning english if they should want to make themselves at home here in the US. But I say it not only because we live here, but also because people seem to think that we're stupid and that we're only good for jobs like dishwashers, leaf blowers, maids, and caretakers. There are so many Latinos that are so intelligent, but get stuck doing minimum wage jobs because we're limited by one language. I think that yes, we do need to learn english because we are living in the US. But it should more to the benefit of our families, and yours. So, Latinos start learning english, please. And no, we are not going to devalue our culture by learning to speak english, so that' s not an excuse.

But unfortunately, on another note, there are a lot of Hispanics that do speak english, but because they might have an accent when speaking english, are still put down by ignorant Americans (including Latin-Americans who have lived here all their lives).

About 7 years ago, my mom asked a gentleman for help when she needed it the most (in english) and he still refused to give her help and mocked her like he didn't understand what my mom was saying. It wasn't until I opened my mouth and spoke 'mainstream' english and defended her, that he stopped mocking her and gave her help.

So, as much as we (Latinos) can learn english to speak to everyone here, there are still "American citizens" that are not being encouraging of our efforts and mock us when we try.

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The point is this: In the United States the national language is ENGLISH!! It is appaling to me that we enable foreigners to reside in our country---both short and long-term, without requiring that they learn the language that we speak here. I am disguisted when I use the ATM or call into a place of business and am asked if I want the information in English or Spanish!! Are we in the US or Mexico??!!

Until we collectively decide that it is more important to preserve the forward progress of this country, rather than worry about what is 'politically correct', this scenario is only going to flourish. At this rate, it is only a matter of time before legislation is passed to REQUIRE Spanish to be taught at all grade levels in public schools. Kuddos to those in the public eye who are courageous enough to speak the TRUTH and stand up for this GREAT country!!

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As a natural born American who speaks english as a first and only language, I think it's rediculous that we are expected to conform to other nations expectations. My ex-girlfriend has two young boys, ages 13 and 15. A few years ago, we moved to a district where the boys had only one choice for their school, which was a bi-lingual school. Their curriculum was spanish language classes for 3/4 of the day, including Mexican history, language, spelling, etc. They didn't learn anything about American history...nothing about the American Revolution, the Spanish-American war, or even the Civil War. We eventually, after complaining to the school board repeatedly, took the children out of that school and moved to a new district which taught American history rather than another countries.

Now, I'm not saying it's not good to learn a foreign language and history, but our countries legacies should come first. We are an english speaking country. We have been for over 200 years. People who come here either to visit or to live should take the time to learn our language, not the other way around.

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wow people really dont understand I am an american in all senses of the word I was born there 32 yrs ago and it was a english speaking country when I was there but my job (NAVY) has taken me arounbd the world I am currently living in a foriegn country and have seen many others the people here expect that if your going to shop in their stores or eat in their resturant that you are going to speak their language when you order something so is his sign ok absof@#$inglutely it is ok my wife and daughter were in a vegitable stand where everything was layed out for them and they were pointing and the merchant got mad at them and was cussing them in Italian well my daughter spoke some italian and knew what he was saying is that right for him to act that way because they were americans? so before you are offended by a sign look at every other culture and understand how they treat us in their country if i didnot know how to speak italian (i took a class so i could learn the language) because i am in their country and i think if your in some other country you should try to learn the language. and in many major american cities their are lots of non english speaking people and they dont even want to try to learn the new language. any way to all the fine Americans and non Americans who read this boun natale and Merry christmas and keep serving the steak sandwiches and keep the sign.

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Abha,

I must admit that I disagree wholly with your analysis, and using the racism argument is as pathetic as it is flawed. This is a businessman that wants to conduct business in a certain manner, and if that manner includes not wanting to slow his lunch line down to try and understand somebody who has not taken the time to learn to effectively communicate their wishes in English, then so be it.

If he chooses to tell the people that may come to eat at his establishment what the expectations are then God bless him. He is not saying that non-English speakers are not welcome, nor is he covertly trying to be discriminatory. I would actually concur with your assessment if he was letting some order in Spanish (or whatever language), and telling others to go away because he couldn't understand them. Instead he is telling them that they better have their order ready to go in English, or an interpreter at least. The same as he may have another sign that says "Cash Only". If he chooses to close for Christmas, should the city force him to instead be open, because some of his patrons choose to be offended by another's celebration of holiday and tradition?

It is the same language that our laws that protect that same customer from actual discrimination are written in and therefore he should be completely entitled to make this request.

As to the matter that it should be required of some countries to be multilingual for whatever reason, that is just senseless. Which ones should they be "required" (remember that there is only one way that governments require anything and that is with a gun)? English because they bring so much money into the tourist region? Chinese, because there are so many that speak it? What about the Tongan who comes to the Olympics in Beijing, Madrid or anywhere else, should they have grounds to be offended when someone can't understand their order?

If Joey is found guilty, or is in any other way to have been negatively treated, then I want hope that the citizens of Philly stand up and defend this man. Otherwise the precedent is set and further impingements of an individuals rights are not far behind. Should all pizza shops be required to have jalapeno peppers, because I like it on my pizza? Heck NO! Instead I will frequent the pizza shops that DO.

The city of "Brotherly Love" averages more that one murder a day (406 in 2006), and they are beating up on this poor guy?!? What an example of political correctness gone array!

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This is America he has rights also, It`s his store and if he want you to speak ENGLISH when ordering, Do it!!! When we go to other countries we order in their language. So, get with it learn to speak ENGLISH. WE have to learn their language in our schools to be able to graduate. So when they come to this country let them learn our ENGLISH!!!

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Joey Vento is far more shrewd than you think. Do you know how much new business this "controversy" has generated for Geno's Steaks? It's been a goldmine. For every offended pinhead who boycotts the place, there are a hundred new customers who would never have gone there were it not for all of this publicity.

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