A Losing Battle: Why “CALIENTE!” Needs To Be Stamped On Our Coffee Cup Lids

Originally posted by Helious
reply to post by jupiter869

 

I AGREE 100% Also, why in the F$%& do I have to press 1 for English???????????????

Damn those pesky Arabian numerals.

Originally posted by aorAki

Originally posted by Helious
reply to post by jupiter869

 

I AGREE 100% Also, why in the F$%& do I have to press 1 for English???????????????

Damn those pesky Arabian numerals.

And damn too that latin alphabet.

Btw, is funny, but spanish speaking people are usually called latins because the spanish language evolved from latin, really, if spanish is so ugly and stinking, why english speaking people doesn't stop using the latin alphabet and start using some runic alphabet? or make a new one?

reply to post by Night Star


Again, it all comes down to what YOU consider to be a priority.

Despite my responses, I don't see this as an issue and I'm just having a bit of fun emulating Glenn Beck. All I need is a chalkboard so I can draw that last post.

Also, I find it very, very hypocritical for some Americans to demand that people learn English when they cannot differentiate between the words their, they're and there.

Originally posted by Blue Shift

Originally posted by jupiter869
I mean really. Why AM I looking at Spanish embossed on a plastic coffee cup lid when I am living in the Midwest of the United States?

Because things change. Because all political, social, economic and ethnic boundaries are temporary. People move from here to there. I guess the questions you really need to ask yourself are, "Why am I so fearful of change?" and "Was the past so wonderful that it should never ever go away, or am I just being blinded by sentimentality?"

Because there's nothing all that great about the past or the present. And we all get older. I'm sorry you feel that you've lost power somehow with the shift in demographics, but honestly, you never really had much power to begin with. Sorry you feel that way.

Well, that's not actually true. demographics do change, yes, but usually it is a shift and not an influx. That is, usually it takes two areas to change demographically. One taking on more, one losing. As far as borders are concerned, those that cross them should respect them.

This is estupido to the point of no return.

"Oh this is ATS, let me make a topic about getting a beverage at Mc'donalds." - stupid #1

"Oh this is ATS, let me make a topic about how mad I am about my COFFEE LID saying something in Spanish, which I'm either too lazy to learn or too ignorant to cope with." - stupid #2

"A coffee lid saying something in Spanish in the USA, this is an outrage and a POLITICAL ISSUE, let me make a thread on ATS about it." - stupid #3.

What's that? Three strikes and you're out? I'm very thankful to the OP for showing us the dumbass American way of thinking and living. "You're not with us, you're against us!" "I hate immigrants, even my own great grand parents for being immigrants!" "War on drugs", "war on terrorism", "war on obesity" and "BATTLE AGAINST SPANISH COFFEE LIDS."

You undercover racists need to get over yourselves or simply shoot yourselves. You self hating hispanics should take a look in the mirror before trying to do as the racist above does. And all you who think they have a solution to the problem, get real or get bent.

This whole discussion is a "I'm a bigger racist than you!"/"I'm less of a racist than you" competition. Really...what the hell?

Thanks for the laugh though.

reply to post by Zamini


It's possible that this post isn't REALLY about coffee cup lids and that is just an incidental, anecdotal segue to the another, possible more compelling subject to a lot of Americans.

What I'm REALLY surprised at though is that someone actually proved one point that said:
And we, like mindless hypnotized drones, nod our head dumbly and go along with it while blathering words that corporations subliminally put in our heads: “I don’t mind it at all. In fact, I LIKE it.” And we truly believe it when we say it!

reply to post by jupiter869

It's possible that this post isn't REALLY about coffee cup lids and that is just an incidental, anecdotal segue to the another, possible more compelling subject to a lot of Americans.

Alright, back to reality. This post is REALLY about coffee cup lids, but as shown by posters, dragged on to become an immigration issue.

What I'm REALLY surprised at though is that someone actually proved one point that said:

Erm...would that be proving a racist point of view? Oh yes it would! Say no to foreigners and immigrants! If you don't, you're being a zombie for accepting people different from yourself!

And we, like mindless hypnotized drones, nod our head dumbly and go along with it while blathering words that corporations subliminally put in our heads: “I don’t mind it at all. In fact, I LIKE it.” And we truly believe it when we say it!

Says the zombie buying Mc'D, referring to co-workers as work horses. Says the zombie falling in line with a xenophobic mindset brought forward by some of the MOST ignorant minds ever to defile the planet. Sure, why don't you argue with yourselves on the same issue over and over...it might seem brainless but that is exactly what is expected of zombies...no?

Originally posted by jupiter869
Do I REALLY Need to Have “CALIENTE!” Stamped On My Coffee Cup Lid? Yes, says America and here's why.

Friday was one of those mornings—I forgot to set the alarm… overslept… couldn’t find my keys… you know how it goes. So instead of making coffee, I decided to go to McDonald’s drive-thru. I zoomed through and got a medium coffee with cream and one sugar. Got to the office, and rushed to my desk. Ryan and Claudia, my two assistants (I call them work horses), looked up and nodded. I caught Claudia checking her watch and smiling up at me giving me some kind of look. Oh, I know that look. It’s the same one I give her when she’s late. Whatever.

So, OK. I sit down at my desk, ready to open a plethora of emails and get my two kids with attitude out there workin’ and I glance down at my coffee cup lid. Looking back up at me, I see CALIENTE! In caps no less! And with one of those cute little upside-down exclamation points! WTF?

“Ryan! What the hell country are we in?”
“Last time I checked, it was the U. S. of A,” he calls to me over his shoulder, never wavering from the Freecell game on his computer.
Well then, I think to myself, why the *snip* am I seeing Caliente! on my McDonald’s coffee cup?

I mean really. Why AM I looking at Spanish embossed on a plastic coffee cup lid when I am living in the Midwest of the United States? OK, if I was a mile from the Mexican border, maybe. MAY-be. The United State’s mother language is English, right? (Well, American English, if you want to get technical. The Brits don’t like it when we both claim the same language. And really, who can blame them?) Sure, sure, I know there are waves of Mexicans streaming into the US all the time, increasing our population every day. And hundreds of them streaming in are pregnant, soon to have their ‘American’ babies born here. Of course I know it—it’s a big political and economic issue, and everyone knows about the immigration controversies (especially around reelection time). But is that really a reason to start printing things on coffee cups in Spanish?

Now, unless you crawled out from under a rock, a few years ago here in the US, some woman burned herself on a cup of McDonald’s coffee and ended up suing McDonalds for millions. And I mean MILLIONS of dollars! (I’m still kicking myself for not thinking of THAT get-rich-quick scheme.) I think she’s living in some villa in the south of France now and the price of every single Quarter-Pounder-with-cheese that you are buying instantly went up 10 cents to make up for those lost millions. So McDonalds, and everyone else for that matter, started covering their ass and plastering HOT! all over their coffee cups… and now evidently, as I look down at my cup, CALIENTE! as well.

I had to shake it off and get to work. At lunchtime I would get my mind off the Spanish language infiltration and check out the lawnmowers at Sears over at the mall. Yeah, good plan. So, come lunchtime, I shoot off to Sears for some diversion. I mean, shopping for a lawnmower at the great American department store… how American can you get? Trouble is, you have to traipse through every department in order to get to the back where the tools and lawnmowers are. So, I start my stroll through the store. There’s the ‘Ninos’ department, and there’s a sign for ‘Caja Registradora’ and there’s the ‘Caballeros’ department, and... HEY! WTF? OMG, that’s the second time I’m saying WTF today! But it’s true! Sears, the great American department store has gone---well, they’ve gone Spanish! Just like McDonalds! They’re catering and kowtowing to a whole Spanish speaking population that either can’t or has absolutely zero desire to learn the language of the country that is feeding and clothing them!

Isn’t that called enabling? Aren’t we enabling them? Not giving them the incentive to even TRY to speak English? What kind of respect do they have for this country? Thumbing their Spanish-speaking noses in our faces: We don’t need your stinkin’ language. (God, when we went to Paris last summer, we got those CDs and I played them for 2 months just so I could try to speak a little French. And that was for a 10 day vacation!) Now I know there are millions of native Spanish speaking folks who do learn English. More power to them and I praise them for it. English is actually one of the most difficult languages in the world to learn. (And if you want proof, just look at all the misspelling and misuse of apostrophes here on ATS!) But as I walked through the store, I realized there are so many Spanish speaking people who make no effort. None!

And why should they when Corporate America says it’s OK not to? I pushed my hands into my pockets as I walked through the store, feeling a couple dollar bills sitting down in there. And then, quite suddenly, as I gripped those few American dollars I had in my pocket, it dawned on me. This isn’t about language at all! McDonald’s and Sears don’t care if you speak English or Spanish or if you can only point and grunt. They especially don’t care for those thousands of homeless Mexicans coming to this country without a peso in their pocket. But there IS a whole population of Mexicans who’ve come here in droves so they take part in brand-new American legislation where they finally have the chance to clean someone’s house in Texas without anyone being arrested, just so they can feed and clothe their family. And then when they get paid their sub-standard wages by those perfumed Texas housewives straight from the beauty parlor, that’s where their good friends, McDonalds and Sears step in.

“No need to learn English in our stores, amigos! We speak YOUR language. And we know you’ve got some cash in your pockets—and now, you’re speakin’ OUR language. What’s that you say?? Oh don’t be silly--*snip*English lessons. Wouldn’t you rather have a new pair of Nikes or a super-sized Big Mac value meal?”

So, don’t get mad at the Spanish speakers when your menus and signage are infiltrated with Spanish in a country that prides itself on its English speaking roots. Don’t get pissed at the Mexicans when your bank’s automated call system tells you to press 3 for English. That’s wasted and misdirected anger. You’ve got to get mad at Corporate America for being enablers. (Not to mention our legislators who tell us that what Corporate America is doing is good. Good for us and good for our country. And they say it because of the dollars that McDonalds, and other companies like it, presses into the palms of their hands under the table.) And we, like mindless hypnotized drones, nod our head dumbly and go along with it while blathering words that corporations subliminally put in our heads: “I don’t mind it at all. In fact, I LIKE it.” And we truly believe it when we say it! Corporate America says it’s OK not to make an effort to speak English because in the end, they don’t really care about language at all. They don’t care about the U.S., Mexico or any other country. They don’t care about you, or me, our safety, our welfare, who we are or where we come from. There’s only one thing they do care about.
And it’s green…
but it’s not a green-card.

 

Mod Edit: Profanity/Circumvention Of Censors – Please Review This Link.

edit on 3-4-2011 by GAOTU789 because: (no reason given)

I feel your pain. Its just the same here in Spain. None of them can speak English so they go around talking to each other in Spanish. No wonder none of them have a clue what's going on.

I would like to know how someone gets a driver's license in this country without speaking English?

You don't know how many times I've seen a hispanic turn on red when the sign says not to, or go straight in the turning lane even though the sign says not to, etc.

Do we need spanish traffic signs now also?

Sheesh, that's nothin'. You know what really roasts my oysters? Those slackjawed glassy eyed robomatons at Starbuck's virtually forcing everyone to order in some arcane foreign dialect.

What the hell is a venti? Look punk, just gimmie the damn coffee. When I say, I'll take a cup of coffee, the response isn't, "Venti?" Unless that's foreign for, "Sir, yes sir!" And I don't think it is.

Our forefathers didn't die face down in the surf at Normandy for us to be overrun by foreign hoardes of coffee peddlers and their obscure nomenclature.

Starbuck's can stuff it. I'll get a cup of Joe from McDonald's where I can order in American and really don't care what's stamped on the lid. I have at least enough intelligence to know that coffee is hot, so whatever is stamped on the lid in that regard is superfluous, if not redundant.

Maybe at every international entry point, we should have a sign saying "Welcome to America. The coffee is hot." in all 6,900 known currently used languages on Earth. If they sneak in, let them find it out the hard way.

Originally posted by Nutter
I would like to know how someone gets a driver's license in this country without speaking English?

You don't know how many times I've seen a hyspanic turn on red when the sign says not to, or go straight in the turning lane even though the sign says not to, etc.

Do we need spanish traffic signs now also?

I see bloated pink skinned Rednecks that ignore traffic signs all of the time... What language do they speak??? You need to accept the truth about Mexicans.... They work hard and have a better attitude about work than those that have grown up on this side of the border for the last 50 years or more... I think a lot of those that resent anything to do with Spanish speaking people that live here are simply afraid they will lose out financially in the long run... It is evident that most cannot hold there own against these people in the job market so they bitch about irrelevant issues like they really have a grievance and get all kinds of emotional because they have to push one for English..

Originally posted by hypervigilant
They work hard and have a better attitude about work than those that have grown up on this side of the border for the last 50 years or more... I think a lot of those that resent anything to do with Spanish speaking people that live here are simply afraid they will lose out financially in the long run... It is evident that most cannot hold there own against these people in the job market so they bitch about irrelevant issues like they really have a grievance and get all kinds of emotional because they have to push one for English..

Well, until I start seeing Hispanic Civil Engineers en mass, I think my job is secure.

BTW, yo hablo espanol pocito.

"For English Press 1"

At least it's not Japanese,then Chinese,then Spanish in each language and THEN press 4 for English.

THAT would tick me off. Hey...We have different people here..they speak different languages...

I think English should be the first Language and if you can't read or write it..you HAVE to take an English class.

To what end I don't know... For U.S. citizenship? Don't know.

But if I go to Italy and France or anywhere there is a different National language... I should still be able to drive.

Originally posted by niceguybob
But if I go to Italy and France or anywhere there is a different National language... I should still be able to drive.

Unless you know Italian or French, how can you say that you should be able to drive in their country?

Quick.....what does "AVERTIR......Carpette Ferma" mean? You only have about 15 seconds to figure it out before you drive off the bridge.

Still want to drive somewhere where you can't speak or read the language?

reply to post by Nutter


Do you think that descendants of the Mayans and Aztecs can not work in your field.... There are structures from the older Mesoamerica era that are still standing and have survived numerous earthquakes over the centuries.....The guys in Dallas wearing coats and ties drive in a manner that scares me far worse than most of the wet back laborers that do most of what is getting done there nowadays.

Originally posted by hypervigilant
reply to post by Nutter

 

Do you think that descendants of the Mayans and Aztecs can not work in your field

Not that I don't think they can or can not, just that there seems a lacking of them in my field. And as such is a direct response to this:

It is evident that most cannot hold there own against these people in the job market so they bitch about irrelevant issues like they really have a grievance and get all kinds of emotional because they have to push one for English..

You are the one saying that the only reason we are "bitching" is because they work harder and hold our jobs. My response: Not my expertise. So, find another excuse as to why I'm bitching about it, but just don't look at the actual reason why we are bitching, just call us rascists and wave your hands away.

.... There are structures from the older Mesoamerica era that are still standing and have survived numerous earthquakes over the centuries.....

But, were the plans and specifications written in a language that they didn't understand?

Reply to post by cheftim59

I have the utmost respect for people that TRY.

I managed a restaurant in Dallas. The cooks were from Mexico (legally), and they tried their best. At least once a day, we would trade information on how to say a certain word in English and Spanish.

I would sometimes talk Spanish to them, and they would get what I was saying, and correct where I was wrong. They would speak to me I'm English too, and I would get what they were saying, and correct where they were wrong.

That is the true melting pot.


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If I use the extra language and thereby reach 2 customers more while losing 1 customer who doesnt like it, thats one customer extra. Makes sense from an economic standpoint.

Originally posted by mr10k
reply to post by mblahnikluver

 

Aww Come on! Florida is the bosom of Hispanics in America. Expect to see some Spanish once in awhile eh?

Uh NO! They are mostly rude and think you owe them something much like another group here. Sorry but if you don't live here you have no idea what it is like.

They need to speak damn English if they want to come here and work. I am NOT Spanish I am American and we speak English. I shouldn't have to have a translator basically when I shop in a mall because their staff doesnt speak English and then they sit and trash talk me behind my back in Spanish..so yeah no I will not learn Spanish til they learn English and respect the country they moved to. They can always go back if they don't like it.

lol @ all the people crying racism.



Guess my Hispanic wife and I are racists.


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