allthumbs Posted June 10, 2003 Share Posted June 10, 2003 Walmart and Sam's Club recently installed customer operated credit card readers that REQUIRE the customer to push either "ENGLISH" or "ESPANOL" before the transaction will proceed. Upon confronted with this PC crap at my local Walmart, I refused to push the button, told the checkout clerk to get me a Manager, and told him ..... "The founding fathers created this country as an English-speaking country, the US Constitution is written in English, US Congress sessions are conducted in English and I'll be DAMNED if I will push a stupid fucking button marked "ENGLISH" to use my credit card at this fucked-up Walmart ... Further ... if Walmart wants to put ESPANOL on the thing, then, BY GAWD, I'm gonna sue their ass to make them put every OTHER language used in this town on too ... Vietnamese, Chinese, Arabic, French , Dutch ... you name it ! If you don't its DISCRIMINATION ... and that's ILLEGAL!!! You want ESPANOL? Then you put ONE button marked ESPANOL somewhere and let the Espanola’s push it if they want Espanol. English speakers shouldn't have to push SHIT!" ... Here's the card ... You want it pushed? ... YOU push the fucking button ! I'm not gonna! ... Otherwise you can shove this stuff and I'll go buy it in Target where they don't have this stupidity!" Btw, the manager pushed the button. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erik Posted June 10, 2003 Share Posted June 10, 2003 i refuse to sign any electronic device ever. i make them do it the old way. i was at target last week and their computers were down, so i asked if they could just ring my up using pen and paper, since i was paying for cash. they told me that was not an option. so i told them i wanted 10% off, and they gave me a coupon for $3 off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ursa_Eagle Posted June 10, 2003 Share Posted June 10, 2003 everytime I go to a WaMu ATM, I have to select English. It pisses me off, too. Freakin' piece of crap! Learn the language or get the hell out of the country! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allthumbs Posted June 10, 2003 Author Share Posted June 10, 2003 I'll tell you choads what REALLY pisses me off...having a "barely understandable foreigner" answer a business call right here in the U.S. If I can't understand the fucker on the other end, I say "fuck this" and hang up. You want my money?...hire someone who speaks English. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erik Posted June 10, 2003 Share Posted June 10, 2003 i dont want to sound too much like an insensitve asshole.... but a couple of years ago i was a member of group death...and i went in for an appt with my group dr. cause my arm was numb......i could not understand their broken english and it was frustrating for me to communicate with them...i left not knowing anything new......i called the hmo and thtey said that so and so was an excellent dr.....and the issue must have been with me.......i was like how the fuck is the issue with me???? i speak english only...i did not sign up so that i could have communication issues with a dr...... needless to say it went on for awhile, but group death finally did admit their wrong......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fence_Sitter Posted June 10, 2003 Share Posted June 10, 2003 thank you... i know a girl from ukraine that has only been here for 9 months... she learne the language to near perfection! its not that hard... if you can get here, you can learn the language... the reason most dont... they are lazy and they dont have to... fuck em... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marylou Posted June 10, 2003 Share Posted June 10, 2003 You guys are joking, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allthumbs Posted June 10, 2003 Author Share Posted June 10, 2003 it's all a fucking commie plot let's all get drunk and screw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erik Posted June 10, 2003 Share Posted June 10, 2003 allsion are you going to enlighten us on the brillancetolerace towards other whom do not speak the english langauge?? if so, please dont... also i can see why retailers do it, cuz they want money and they want to serve ALL their customers....still does not mean it is right or wrong......... everyone has an opinion and this is trasks and mine and whomever else posted.... you have yours...........but why dont you start your own thread on it?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allthumbs Posted June 10, 2003 Author Share Posted June 10, 2003 Erik, I don't mind if Alison disagrees on this subject. Not surprising. Go ahead Alison, what's your take? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Szyjakowski Posted June 10, 2003 Share Posted June 10, 2003 ya know this makes me think america really is trying to be like canada... they have french/english. we are trying to have spanish/english.. fukin stupid. I too hate english/espanol choice for ATM's, etc. WHO is in charge anywayS????? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marylou Posted June 10, 2003 Share Posted June 10, 2003 (edited) Well, for one thing, we don't have a national language here....and for another, we've always welcomed immigrants with fairly open arms. In fact most of us descended from immigrants who may or may not have spoken English as their first language (mine didn't), it's just that we've been here longer than others. Sure, it's frustrating to talk with someone who is not a native English speaker, and sure, most of us here in the USA are native English speakers, but heck, have a little patience and tolerance, and all will be well in the world. PS. Walmart is icky. Edited June 10, 2003 by marylou Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
micajones Posted June 10, 2003 Share Posted June 10, 2003 S.O.D. s Speak English or Die. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erik Posted June 10, 2003 Share Posted June 10, 2003 so allison if you cannot communicate with your doctor because they speak poor english, i am supposed to sit idle and accept that??? fuck that shit...i am paying money for services that in some cases may have a HUGE impact on my life........i DEMAND that communication be clear and undertandable... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eternalX Posted June 10, 2003 Share Posted June 10, 2003 Then shop somewhere else. It's a pretty easy solution. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ursa_Eagle Posted June 10, 2003 Share Posted June 10, 2003 It's not that I don't have patience for people who move here, but damnit! English is the established language here, and if you want to live here, you should learn the established language! Just because you immigrate here doesn't mean you don't need to learn how to communicate with everyone else here. I work with a lot of people who moved here from Asia (China, Vietnam, Laos, etc.) I'll use two of them as examples. Person 1 hasn't been here very long but has a good grasp on the language. She listens to american radio stations and is constantly trying to learn. Person 2 can't communicate well at all (and has been here longer), listens to the Vietnamese radio station, and makes no attempt at learning English. I have a lot of respect for Person 1, I'm glad she came over. Person 2 just annoys me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rbw1966 Posted June 10, 2003 Share Posted June 10, 2003 There is a vietnamese language radio station in Portland? You guys are bigots who must not have traveled outside of the US. Those espanol speakers you whine about are often-times picking your food at sub-standard wages living in sub-standard conditions. If all you have to do is push one little extra button on an ATM or credit card reader you are priviliged indeed. Try going to Poland or Slovakia or somewhere where few people speak english and you might learn a bit of tolerance. Whiners. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan_Petersen Posted June 10, 2003 Share Posted June 10, 2003 My, my, my. Just a couple of weeks ago my friend Trask was saying that he won't shop at Walmart 'cause the merchandise is crappy, and now... Boys, on the topic of selecting Espanol vs. English, it ain't got nothing to do with PC. Walmart et. al. have discovered that people who only speak Espanol have money that spends equally as well as the money coming from the English speakers. Hence, they have found a way to get into everyone's pants' pockets effectively. In Erik's case, the situation is similar. Group Death is controlling physician cost by hiring those who will work for less. Hence a board qualified doctor who understands the technical aspects of health care but really can't get to the point with a real live patient because s/he is struggling with the language. Your chose to move to a more expensive health care option to avoid the problem. See, money again. Now, if you are one of those who recently enjoyed a lavish tax reduction, none of these issues apply, since you can afford to shop and get health care where you please. Yup, that was a troll for Trask. Have a day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ivan Posted June 10, 2003 Share Posted June 10, 2003 if you think all people living in america should have to speak the language that was spoken by the people who were here first, then why don't you learn fucking sioux? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ursa_Eagle Posted June 10, 2003 Share Posted June 10, 2003 It's not that I don't have tolerance for people who move here (as I said, I have a lot of respect for person 1), I just don't have much tolerance for people who don't want (or are too lazy) to learn. If you move here, I feel you are obligated to at least make a solid attempt at learning the language. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiwi Posted June 10, 2003 Share Posted June 10, 2003 Fuckin word, mate! I was at McDonalds and I was fuckin pissed when my food had Spanish all over it! Damn capitalists! (Even though I'm a capitalist myself) rbw1966 said: You guys are bigots who must not have traveled outside of the US. Those espanol speakers you whine about are often-times picking your food at sub-standard wages living in sub-standard conditions. If all you have to do is push one little extra button on an ATM or credit card reader you are priviliged indeed. Try going to Poland or Slovakia or somewhere where few people speak english and you might learn a bit of tolerance. Whiners. Wrong! Tolerance my ass! If I was moving to Poland, I better damn well learn Polish to survive. I'm not gonna expect everything to be in English as well as Polish just to appease me. Gives me no incentive or need to learn the native language if everything's fuckin bilingual. That's the issue. I don't expect them to come to America speaking perfect English, but they should make an effort to learn the established language (like every other immigrant that came before them). It's different now. Back in the old days, you had to learn English or be fucked to live in the US. Now, we have all this bilingual shit. Who here still speaks German and Irish? I was at the INS and I swear to God, everything was in Spanish! You had to search for English. This is a fuckin govt building! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rbw1966 Posted June 10, 2003 Share Posted June 10, 2003 I said "going" to Poland Kiwi, not moving. Are you a non-native english speaker? ATMs in Europe have an English option on them, even in places like the Czech Republic. Under your same argument that should be removed--even for visitors. Personally, I am glad I can access english-language ATMs when abroad. I still don't see the problem with having to select between english and spanish on an ATM or credit-card reader. That is what the thread is about, no? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Szyjakowski Posted June 10, 2003 Share Posted June 10, 2003 the stupid credit cards should know if you speak english in the encrypted code. then there would be no problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiwi Posted June 10, 2003 Share Posted June 10, 2003 rbw1966 said: I said "going" to Poland Kiwi, not moving. Are you a non-native english speaker? The original argument (by the thread starter) is only valid if we're talking about immigrants. Immigrants should learn the native language, tourists can do whatever. They have enough stuff catered towards them to keep them in their own bubble. Yes, I'm a non-native English speaker. I emigrated to the US back in '86 when I was like 5 years old. We all had to learn English cuz translators are hard to find. My mom, OTOH, never bothered to learn English and now she's fucked when it comes to looking for a new job. We (our language) don't have the popularity of Spanish. We need to learn English. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Attitude Posted June 10, 2003 Share Posted June 10, 2003 erik said: allsion are you going to enlighten us on the brillancetolerace towards other whom do not speak the english langauge?? if so, please dont... This must be a troll.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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