Sucky workers and an I Dont Work Here all in one.

[HappyCthulhu]

This is from a buddy of mine that doesn't know about this site.

i gotta learn spanish.
i was at a mall. went to a victoria secrets, to get babes a pajama set.
well, i wasnt sure how to convert her numerical size to the small medium large deal.
So i asked. well, i tired to ask, but no one in the Victoria Secrets spoke english. So i asked a customer to translate, and i get a " i dont work here" and walked off.
agghhhh.

what pisses me off is that the prevailing attitude here at work is that it is my fault. You know, i should learn spanish.
maybe i should, but come the fuck on, i live in florida, not cuba or somewhere,
and b, it is an "american" company.

[Rapscallion]

Does Florida have an official language? I thought the US didn't have such a thing. I'll grant that they should have arranged for speakers of both languages to be available so they can effectively serve their customers, and it's their lost trade if they restrict themselves to speakers of only one tongue. However, the fact that it's an American company means nothing for language.

Rapscallion

[Delacroix]

I thought the official language of the US was english, and you had to actually understand it to become a full citizen.

Too bad you don't have to get a certain score on an IQ test as well to become a citizen.

[Rapscallion]

Nope - there is no official language in the US.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Official_language mentions the UK and the US as two that do not have an official language. Feel free to google, but expect to find many people complaining that it should be. If you want to expound on your views about this, feel free to head over to fratching.com and get stuck in there.

Rapscallion

[Auto]

I thought the official language of the US was english, and you had to actually understand it to become a full citizen.

Too bad you don't have to get a certain score on an IQ test as well to become a citizen.

USA does not have an official language in that you have to speak it or else.

Naturalized citizens have to be able to speak it as part of their becoming citizens. They also have to pass a civics/US history test -- meaning our newest citizens know how this country works far better than the meatheads who were born here.

In California, you can take the written portion of the driver's exam in something like a dozen different languages.

[Ljt09863]

i believe in...colorado or something, they voted to make english the official language of their state in the last elections.

no, english isn't America's official language, but if you can't speak it, then you can't become a legal citizen. if you can't speak it, you aren't supposed to be hired in the country, because you are an illegal immigrant, and immigration will go after the company. i think its a bad thing for victorias secret all around.

[symposes]

The problem i have, is the attitude too many people have.
"We shouldnt force them to learn english, because that just isnt right."
But it is right to tell me to learn spanish, or fark off.
...
My biggest problem is, if i went to germany NOONE would try to say any germans should learn english, just so i dont have to learn german.
...
My case in point, about 2 years ago, this woman who spoke no english, was ordered by a judge to attend english classes, so she would learn enough english to atleast be able to read PRESCRIPTION BOTTLES, so that she could give medicine to her child, and be able to check that its right, herself.
I dont know if the judge was punished for it, but it was appealed, with the arguement that it violated her civil liberties... AND SHE WON!!!
...
Civil liberties is another funny thing. Apparently everyone forgets that Illegal Alien, means someone who has broken the law, and is essentually tresspassing in our country.
IF i robbed a store, i would go to jail, so why do these illegal aliens, not go to jail, or get sent back home more often?
Why do our cops just release them, instead of dealing with them?(it does happen around here, you get a car full of illegal aliens, theyll get pulled over, and even if they are hauled to jail, they are released real quick... Not to mention al lthe ones that wreck and ditch the car before anyone can do anything about it)

[repsac]

Why the cops just release them? I can answer part of that, I myself asked such a question to an officer once, and this was the answer I got.


Illegals typically pay in cash for their fines. I say typically, since they rarely have bank accounts and the farmers (at least in this area) pay in cash. If it's just one, or two, maybe up to as much as five, the US immigrations service won't come pick them up. According to them, anything less than twenty isn't really worth all their trouble to deal with. Somehow it works out as being more costly, since the police stations have to hold the prisoner until they get enough for INS to come; and during that time they have to feed them, help with their medications, and illnesses; and educate them. So, the local authorities log their names, and locations (most fake) and let them loose.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

You know, when my family came to this country, my grandfather wouldn't even let the native language be spoken at home. He said the family was in America now, and everyone was American. Speak English or else. He even changed to English versions of everyone's name.

So while I appreciate a person keeping their native tongue alive, something I really wish my grandfather had done, I don't have a lot of patience for people who come over here, join our society, and refuse to learn to speak English.

I am pretty sure English is the official language of the US. It's been the main language in the country since the country existed. It's the default.

I don't care who comes over here, but if they want my respect, they will at least make an effort.

[AFpheonix]

We have no official language here. There have been moves to make it the official language, although I kind of oppose that because we are a nation of many people with many languages.
But we have chosen English as the primary language through commonality of use.

To be honest, in my part of the country we have a lot of migrants who come through for berry picking and other agricultural jobs. Know what? Most of the ones I come in contact with work HARD to learn the language. There's maybe been a few day workers that refuse, but most of my customers all at least try to speak english to me first. If it gets obvious that my spanish is better than their english, I'll go to a spanish conversation. No worries.

[powerboy]

You know, when my family came to this country, my grandfather wouldn't even let the native language be spoken at home. He said the family was in America now, and everyone was American. Speak English or else. He even changed to English versions of everyone's name.

So while I appreciate a person keeping their native tongue alive, something I really wish my grandfather had done, I don't have a lot of patience for people who come over here, join our society, and refuse to learn to speak English.

I am pretty sure English is the official language of the US. It's been the main language in the country since the country existed. It's the default.

I don't care who comes over here, but if they want my respect, they will at least make an effort.

I think the same way.


Also I like your bottom line. May I use it in my sig?

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Oh, sure! I'm flattered! Feel free!

[wagegoth]

Soapbox Rant Alert!

If I moved to another country, I would make every attempt to learn the language. I would want my children to speak both languages.

Mr Snippy got busy. Take it to Fratching, folks.

[Rapscallion]

Edit? Yes - and I'll just the thread and point everyone to www.fratching.com - you're welcome to debate such issues there, not here.

Rapscallion