Press 1 Or Die
This week's column is about the petty issue some folks have with having to press 1 for English.
You wouldn't think one more key stroke on a telephone pad would create such a uproar.
But it's not about having to press 1. It's about ignorance -- and fear.
The sad part is that we have allowed a spirit of meanness to monopolize a civil and honest discussion about immigration reform.
What do you think?
posted by Annette John-Hall at 1:40 PM
8 Comments:
Concerning your article about the language of intolerance, I say:
Bravo!
Ooops! I just used a word from another language. Considering this is the Good Ol' USA, that's a lot of chutzpah (Ooops! I did it again.)
Anyway, I congratulate you on your article. I'm a grandson of immigrants. My grandparents and parents often spoke Yiddish as well as English. I'm a retired Air Force officer who has lived in several countries whose languages were not English. I enjoyed hearing those languages and even gained some very modest competency in them. My daughter and grandsons live in a section of Flushing, NY, where Chinese, Hindi, Urdu, and Russian are common on the streets. She has become proficient in Japanese (she worked for the Japanese government for fourteen years) and is learning Hindi.
Why is it okay for someone to speak Italian, French, or German in public, but not some language associated with people whose skin is darker than "real" Americans?
I get so tired on hearing flag-waving, narrow-minded, fearful people bash non-English speaking people. What really bnothers me is how many of those bashers can't speak English properly.
On that note, I say, Ciao! (There I go again!)
I love this conversation. All of you raise salient points.
This is America and English is the language that binds, but isn't it wonderful that everybody can speak their native tongue here without penalty. It's what makes this nation great.
But a lot of people emailed me to say they don't like it when manicurists spoke their own language in the nail shop; they said it had nothing to do with tolerance, that it was just plain rude.
Your thoughts?
I actually don't like not speaking with a person immediately. I think my time is valuable. As a matter of fact I called T Mobile the other day about my bill, and to say when I finally reached a "real person" I was totally upset, I had to regroup not to take my frustrations out on the operator. They ask you your last four, what the problem is and then you have several categories for that problem and then you may get transferred.... Yikes.... So I don't mind because of the English or alternate language, I just don't like the time involved in speaking with someone and then having to hold for thirty minutes... Sorry you didn't ask me all that, but great article....
I think it's fine to provide the ATM and other services in Spanish as well as other non-English speaking languages. I think English should be listed first, however, because English is the primary language in America. (Actually, we speak "American English" not the King's English, but whatever).
I think people use the English language issue as a veiled attempt at voicing their discomfort and/or resentment at immigrants---and anyone else who isn't just like them.
I don't care that I have to press "1" for English. When you think about it, this is such a dumb discussion - not dumb that the issue was raised, but dumb because people are actually mad at this.
I can think of 10 issues that would benefit from the energy it takes to get angry about what language someone speaks from education to poverty to health.
Whoever took the time to print that shirt should get a life...
As an American who has lived in Europe for more than 30 years, I get a good laugh at all the Americans who claim they'd learn the host language if THEY lived in another country. Although it's certainly an over-generalization (I speak fluent Germany and passable Dutch), there is more than a kernal of truth in the old joke that goes: "What do you call somene who speaks 3 language? Trilingual. And someone who speak 2 languages? Bilingual. And someone who only speaks 1 language? AMERICAN!!
I think many people are using this superficial issue to vent their fear of and frustration at all the non-white faces they encounter. Sometimes people like that makes it very hard for me to believe we're actually living in the 21st - instead of the 12th - century!
I wish we all spoke more languages. Lots of languages! More ways to connect. More ways to express our thanks, our love, our ideas.
I'm sorry if you disagree with me, but if they want to live and work here, they should learn to speak English. Why should I have to learn several different languages to communicate when they only have to learn ONE!!!!! English is the official language here. I am not prejudiced. If they can speak English, then I have no problem with them. But why the hell should I have to learn SEVERAL languages? Let's see, there's German, Spanish, Italian, Chinese, Japanese, Dutch, Hindi, Arabic, Russian, Portuguese, Korean, French, Vietnamese, Turkish, Polish, and several others, not counting the different dialects in some of those languages. For example, Spanish spoken in Spain is different to some extent from the Spanish spoken in Mexico. Same thing for French spoken in france as opposed to the French spoken in Canada. So yeah, I feel they should have to learn to speak English as I do not have the time or the resources to learn 99 other languages. See Wikipedia article at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_languages_by_number_of_native_speakers if you wonder where I came up with that number.
Post a Comment
<< Home