'Why should I have to 'Press 1 for English?'', page


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reply posted on 23-9-2005 @ 01:25 PM by MCory1
I completely understand businesses wanting to increase their market by incorporating local languages--I'm not crazy about it, but it's a "necessary evil." What bugs me is that it gets to the point to where even radio and television ads on primarily English stations are fully in Spanish at times, or utility companies send out two copies of your bill, one in English, one in whatever the local language is. Like I said above, when I was in school in southern CA, every time there was an announcement from the school it got sent home in several different languages: English, Spanish, Cambodian, Vietnamese, and Korean that I can think of right now.

If I moved to Germany, why should I expect the Germans to change their culture to suit me? If they send all their mailings out in German, then it's up to me to learn the language, not up to them to send me duplicate copies in English. If I don't want to learn German, then that's my laziness, and I can just as easily move somewhere else.

The places I've lived don't look at it the same way though. Most of the people in those communities feel it's their duty to accomodate illegal immigrants, even to the point where legal or native born citizens are considered second class.

In El Paso, TX, where I spent most of my teenage and adult life, if you're an illegal immigrant then at worst you get a slap on the wrist and sent back across the border so you can do it again. Most of the time the community looks the other way, because you're cheap labor. However, God forbid you should be a native citizen smoking in a bar, gambling in public, or committing any similar crimes against humanity.

I understand the people want to come to the US to get a good job, make a living and get a better life, but that doesn't mean that we have to make it any easier for them than for everybody else.


reply posted on 26-9-2005 @ 01:43 PM by kitanis
If I moved to Germany, why should I expect the Germans to change their culture to suit me? If they send all their mailings out in German, then it's up to me to learn the language, not up to them to send me duplicate copies in English. If I don't want to learn German, then that's my laziness, and I can just as easily move somewhere else.


I lived in Germany for two years while stationed there (USAF). At that time they had a large influx of Kurdish immigrants from Turkey and Iraq moving into the country.

I happened to be in a office doing some buisness with a German girlfriend and we were filling out forms for her apartment. A couple of Kurdish people came next to me and asked for help in filling out their forms for their registration of housing for that city (in their spoken broken English and German). I took one look at the form and it was Identical to my girlfriends. All German.

When I asked my girlfriend if they had a more friendlier form for these people... she went and asked. The desk clerk called out in a very rude tone.. "This is the Federal Repubic of Germany! Not Iraq, we do not make special forms for individuals!".

My girlfriend privately agreed with the clerk.. They did not mind the immigration of the Kurds.. They just did not make exceptions in their policy for them.

That incident made me take a long hard look at the US apeasement of immigrants. I went home to Eastern Oregon, and had to renew my Oregon Drivers License.. Guess what I found in the office. Large signs in Spanish and much smaller signs in English. When I got to the desk I happened to ask how many different languages there were for the drivers license application... the clerks answer was: 43 different languages. That shocked me to the core....

The Spanish to English thing in my hometown is due to the large immigrant farm familes who come from Mexico and live in the area for about a year and then leave.. Many stay of course and become citizens. But Many of those refuse to speak English to even the English speakers..

I am not against Immigration.. just against the appeasement of those immigrants as compared to the citizens in this nation
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