'Speak English' signs found not DISCRIMINATORY!!!! About time.

[shellpry]

'Speak English' signs allowed at Philly shop.
The owner of a famous Philadelphia cheesesteak shop did not discriminate when he posted signs asking customers to speak English, a city panel ruled Wednesday.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23715954/from/ET/

Comments

[shellpry]

I have never implied to thinking or believing that someone who doesn't know English is ANYTHING other than someone who doesn't know English. Please don't put words in my mouth.

As for what happened to your great grandparents, I'm truly sorry. That is terrible. However, it was their decision to come here and not to speak English. I would not expect to move to another country that doesn't speak English, not learn that language myself, and get the same treatment in a hospital that I would if I knew the language. It just can't work that way. There has to be some kind of common way to communicate. We are not technically advanced enough as a people to implant translators into everyone.

I have no problem with speaking other languages. I do think it inadequate the way that most Americans are reluctant to learn other languages. I do believe that being multilingual will become necessary and should be encouraged. But with the cultural spread that America has, what language do we choose? Would choosing Spanish have stopped what happened to your grand parents? No, it may have helped. I don't how similar Portuguese is to Spanish. If we did choose Spanish, what about the citizens living Hawaii where there is a larger group of Asian speaking people? If we don't have a common language that everyone is encouraged and able to speak to some degree, we can't communicate effectively on a day-to-day basis and in emergency situations.

We need to have a common language. I really don't care what language it is. As long as everyone is expected to learn it no matter what they speak at home. If as a country we chose to speak Creole, I would defend learning Creole just as strongly. We just happen to be speaking English. To me there are no degrees to being American. When we start comparing people that way, I see it as a very dangerous slope to tread.

I believe that a common language actually encourages us to communicate and learn about other cultures. It encourages different cultures to be able to live in closer proximity. I believe that it could help to reduce racism. People in general are skeptcal of what they don't understand. How do we overcome that barrier without being able to communicate? And very few people have the ability to learn every language out there. Again, that expectation is not realistic to me. The only workable alternative I see is to choose a common language and have everyone living there learn it. And English is the closet thing we have to a national language until we put it in the books as one.