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This is America, please order in English
Since 2005, a Philadelphia based cheese-steak bistro owner has been defending a signpost in his shop that said: "This is America, please order in English." Not surprisingly, he was taken to court on grounds of discrimination, equating it to derogatory signs like "Whites Only". No ruling has been given yet.I wrote a post earlier about how surprising I found it that people barely speak English in a big, cosmopolitan capital city like Madrid. It triggered a debate over whether it's necessary for big cities (where English isn't the first language) to have basic knowledge of English, or not.
I think it is relative. In non-English speaking metropolises, as long as the tourists put in some effort, lack of basic English may not be an important day-to-day communication hindrance, but it is definitely a disadvantage in the larger scope of things. For example: Madrid is bidding to host the 2016 Olympics -- surely the knowledge of English would play an important role there. How is China tackling that issue for next year's games? Anyway, I digress.
What do you do in an English-speaking country when your customers don't speak English? Do you put up a sign like our friend did? Hmmm, I don't think so -- it's quite an insult. The sign reminded me of when the English ruled India and the "No Indians or Dogs" sign was not uncommon. Couldn't they just be offered picture menus where they could point out what they wanted? Or what about bilingual menus?
There is an online poll on the article asking whether people approve this sign post. At this moment, of the 115,732 people who voted, 92% of them approve. Call me overly sensitive but I'm kinda shocked to see the response.
What do you think? Are signs like that acceptable?
| Yes! | |
|---|---|
| No | |
| ˇSí! |
Filed under: Activism, Food and Drink, North America, United States, News
Reader Comments (Page 30 of 30)
Michael M Dec 24th 2007 1:35AM
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!!!!
Donna Dec 24th 2007 11:30AM
Barbara #83
Exactly how many illegal Irish, English, and Canadians do you know? And why would that number be so few- like perhaps zero? Because we respect the laws, and the vast majority of the groups you mentioned come here LEGALLY, simply to work. We didn't sneak in to the U.S., we paid our way here, and we pay U.S. taxes, and we don't hold mass demonstrations demanding rights we really have no reason to ask for because we assimilate and speak the language. I paid to be here and it really ticks me off that people who didn't concern themselves with the time, money and expense that the rest of endured to get here can demand anything.
Your comment "I live in Phoenix, AZ. Trust me, Mayor Phil Gordon and that pain-in-the-ass Sheriff Joe Arapaho have not instructed their officers to profile the Canadians, British, French, Asians, Romanians, etc., many of whom are also here illegally and also do not speak English." is not founded on fact, and you claim racism against hispanics while you label 5 groups of people as 'many of whom are also here illegally' with no actual knowledge of their immigration status?
Let's discuss your idea of profiling. If the 911 highjackers were all of middle Eastern origins, wouldn't that be the logical group of people to look out for? In Arizona where the illegal alien population predominantly comes from Mexico, wouldn't you be looking for that group? How is that racist? It's common sense.
And what exactly does any of this have to do with a guy who put a sign in his restaurant asking that customers order in English? He didn't single out any group, he simply asked to be spoken to in English.
an american Dec 24th 2007 3:24AM
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.
Kent Dec 24th 2007 4:01AM
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!
onebilliontwoone Dec 24th 2007 10:47AM
As absolutely rediculous as this story is, maybe once it's ruled on by the courts, and the business owner's rights are finally protected the rest of America will follow his lead. Once American's learn that it's not mean or evil to stand up for our rights and we feel free to protect our Nation and lifestyle, WE WILL! I hope in 15 years from now America looks back at this time in history as a time we ALMOST lost our identity and we learned about the power of the people! Now all those offended by this post please take your overly judgemental a## back to where ever you came from, and don't come back OK? Spend your days making your own country a better place to live and respect my country!
Yolly Dec 25th 2007 11:20AM
Since the American people are apathetic to keep English the language of their country, I am now tired of the entire situation.
I now say let everyone speak his own language and think only about their own native country. Then no one would understand anyone else and maybe there would be peace on earth after all.
Michael M Dec 25th 2007 11:41AM
For Fausto and the other individuals who have trouble understanding this . . . I myself spend time in Italy and TRY to communicate with the residents of that beautiful country to the best of my ability. The issue at question is not whether a person visiting Philadelphia should be well versed enough to order a cheesesteak. The problem is the immigrants, illegal or legal, that come to this country that offers them so much that their hell-hole 3rd world countries do not. Why should I learn Spanish for some Mexican, Guatemalan or Cuban who's too lazy to learn English at a FREE class at the high school or community center? Maybe if I wasn't having their language crammed down my throat at every juncture in the road, maybe then I'd actually be interested in learning some Spanish. Maybe if I didn't have to deal with rude cashiers that speak another language while I'm checking out, billboards in another language, pushing 1 for English or any one of a number of irritating events I have to deal with on a daily basis here in sunny South Florida. It is not my responsibility to accept, house, feed, clothe, provide medical or educate some piece of shit who is unwilling to accept America! You want to live, work here and reap the benefits this great country has to offer? ATTEMPT to learn the language, get a job, stop commiting crimes, stop having 6 children when YOU ARE NOT PAYING FOR THEM and while we give your children a free education . . . listen to them when they get home from school and maybe, just maybe you might learn and benefit from the education we are giving them!!!!!We are still the greatest country in the world but if we allow these people to come into our country and change it to their liking as we cede what mine and so many other's ancestors worked for . . . . then we'll be nothing more than another Haiti or some other festering, unwanted destination on the map. If that's what you want then keep siding with the minority, I myself am getting my dual-citizenship so I can move to Italy when the Hispanics take over the country!!! Buon Natale!!!
Brenda Dec 26th 2007 6:40PM
History teaches us that people from all over the world migrated to America after her discovery. Jamestown was the first settlement named in this unknown country, May 14, 1607. People had first found this unknown land in 1492.
For over 400 years now America has welcomed immigrants from all over the world. These immigrants spoke only the language of their Mother land. However, after coming to America, those chose to learn her language. The older immigrants had a family member who learned the language and interpeted.
Remember, these people were fleeing from other countries to get to America. At one point in history all the Americans were immigrants. Our fore-fathers chose the English language for the new nation for a reason. America, being the unique nation she is, is still an English speaking nation.
Much of the debate about English only in America is if other countries speak different languages, then why shouldn't America.
Remember, immigrants where fleeing FROM these other countries to America. So WHY should America now adopt the ways of these other countries?
Leave America and her national language alone. If America changes to become like other countries then it would defeat the whole purpose of being the unique nation she is.
Dave Aurand Jan 7th 2008 5:46PM
Those of you who thinks he was wrong, you need to travel around this world. I've traveled many countries, and have NEVER been able to speak other languages, and had some hard times. Do I blame the other countries, of course not. If I want to visit other areas, which do not speak English, well, to bad for me. Too many people from around the world, expect you to conform to their culture. Not here. If you want to live, or work in the US, then learn English. I as a business owner demanded for my employees to speak English "only" while working or on my jobs. The main reason being security. I wouldn't know if something was about to erupt. (Which happened, thats why the rule) So all you people who thinks the guy was wrong, place yourself in his shoes, and go thru what he has, then you can judge him! Other then that MYOB!