Hey all. I was in a grocery store today to get a quick bite to eat for lunch and sat down to eat my sandwich next to 3 guys that were speaking a language other than English. I am fluent in their langauage as well, but they didn’t know that and I didn’t tell them. I just sat and listened.
I was apalled at what I had heard them talking about….sex, drugs and girls, not to mention one of their mother’s was in jail for DUI. They were swearing and carrying on about all that is negative in there lives and than as they finally left, they made a comment about my shoes….it was positive….but come on man. It is encounters like this that really form pre-conceptions about certain people and leads to racial profiling.
My point is this: If you speak a language other than English in America, you better be damned sure that the people around you won’t be offended by what is being said and that they don’t get offended or feel ostracized by listening to a non-English speaking conversation.
And avoid making any comments about people around you that you don’t think understand your language.
Because they just might.
Happy Friday.
4 responses so far ↓
dogonablog // January 5, 2007 at 5:55 pm |
True so true… unfortunately for me there aren’t many people who speak french on a regular basis out where I live in AZ. However, there are lot’s of people who speak Spanish…and a rescue dog named Murphy, that come to find out, speaks Spanish as well. What languauge were the guys speaking?
bulldawg // January 5, 2007 at 10:49 pm |
Doggy,
Thank you for reading my blog. It doesn’t really matter does it? I suppose not…..but it was Spanish for the sake of not being PC.
Woof,
Bulldawg
StitchtheDog // January 8, 2007 at 12:19 pm |
Just curious, it doesn’t really matter… do you think when US people go abroad (or ex-pat-themselves) they speak English and think people can’t understand them?
bulldawg // January 8, 2007 at 7:51 pm |
Stitch:
Interesting question. A loaded one at that as well. My point exactly. It wasn’t that these guys were speaking a foreign language:
It was that they were exhibiting behavior that you just don’t have anywhere. I mean really, talking about their mother having a DUI and in Jail? Talking about when they were going to smoke their bong load and have sex with their girlfriends? Give me a break.
My point is this: If you speak a language other than English in America, you better be damned sure that the people around you won’t be offended by what is being said and that they don’t get offended or feel ostracized by listening to a non-English speaking conversation.
Same goes for other countries. If you are speaking English in a country other than the US, you better be damned sure that the people around you won’t be offended by what is being said and that they don’t get offended or feel ostracized by listening to an English speaking conversation.
peace,
Dawg