What would you do?

[Cephus]

Let's be honest, if you're here legally, at least as a citizen, you're supposed to be able to speak functional English. The fact that this individual couldn't, and I've run into many people like that myself, likely means they're here illegally. At that, I can certainly understand the frustration by the American. You couldn't live in another country and expect them to cater to you in English, they'd expect you to learn their language.

It's not an easy situation, but if the illegal, assuming that's what he is, wasn't here in the first place, it wouldn't be a problem at all.

 

[americanwoman]

And AW, I saw the episode last night, what did you think of the annoying American tourists they "set up"? I personally think they overdid it a bit, as those people would probably get their ass kicked over here, much less abroad.

I agree it was a bit overdone. They were just acting like jerks and I hardly think that's an american stereotype.

 

[Travelsonic]

The fact that this individual couldn't... likely means they're here illegally.

Wow, you REALLY are assuming a lot here. Just because some illegals don't know English doesn't mean that all of them don't know English, and on that token, not everybody who is here legally knows good English.

You can't just assume one trait is common through one type of person.

 

[emdash]

Wow, you REALLY are assuming a lot here. Just because some illegals don't know English doesn't mean that all of them don't know English, and on that token, not everybody who is here legally knows good English.

You can't just assume one trait is common through one type of person.

he said likely

 

[DarkWizard12]

I would buy the food for them so that they could eat.

No, really, I believe our national language should be english and that non-english speakers should well...LEARN english as fast as possible, but that has nothing to do with ordering food in my mind. How many americans go to Germany or France or China and order at McDonalds in english? Hell, the scenario says they were trying to order in english, how do I know that they aren't taking english classes? They could be students and just wanted something to eat. What does race have to do with that? Everyone has a right to eat food. People need food to live. No one should deny ANYONE the courtesy of American food based on language or race. Its stupid.

 

[emdash]

ok once on my campus a chinese exchange student ahead of me in line was trying to order chicken tenders or something and struggling to understand the cashier, and I was late for class so finally I added his lunch to my own order and paid for it. I felt bad because they were both really relieved but I wasn't being altruistic, I just really had to get to class.

anyway I wouldn't have bought him lunch if it happened now, because nowadays I'm broke, but if it had been hispanics I'd have been able to translate. but with the chinese guy who didn't speak good english, I think I could have helped him understand the cashier anyway because when you study a foreign language you know how it feels talking to a native speaker who goes way too fast or mumbles, when every single syllable really really counts to you.

if the deli guy was really harassing an hispanic about it I wouldn't bother translating, even if I was in a huge hurry to get somewhere, I'd just advise the customer in spanish not to give the a-hole his business, and then I'd go eat somewhere else. I don't know how to say a-hole literally but I know a few synonyms that would work.

 

[Arch Enemy]

First I'd buy my sandwich and check the quality of every single ingredient, and if I saw any fault I'd tell them that I am going to call health inspection and that they need to clean up their act.

Secondly, I'd go into the restroom and plug up the sink and keep the hot water flowing.

Thirdly, I'd take the cashier's mom out for a nice steak dinner, and not call her.

 

[DiAnna]

I'm ferociously against illegal immigration, because I have seen first-hand the damage that it has caused to citizens, legal residents and communities. I'm also ferociously against racism. I would have challenged the clerk stridently, assisted the Hispanics to purchase what they wanted to the best of my ability, and then would make it known quite vocally that I would never spend another dime in their establishment if that's how they treat people.

Being against the massive wave of illegals does not mean being against the people themselves; it means being against a government that does not protect its borders nor its people from all the personal misery that millions of illegals incur; it means being furious with corporations and employers that provide the incentive for these people to sneak across the border only to be exploited by less-than-standard wages out of fear of discovery.

Hispanics are a diverse and colorful people. I'm personally most familiar with Mexican culture, since I was raised around L.A. I love the Mexican people, so damned warm and friendly. I love the Mexican culture, it's history... it's food!! I wish they'd triple the immigration quota from Mexico... as soon as they enforce our immigration laws to protect citizens from all the miseries that illegal immigration has wrought.

 

[jamesrage]

Last night on Primetime: What would you do was a segment on racism in America. Here is a little about the story.

ABC News: Confronting Racism in America



So what would you do if you went into a deli and they wouldn't serve a couple of hispanics because they couldn't speak English. This is not about the owner's right to serve, this is what you would do if you were witness to that situation. Would you defend the guys and help them to buy what they wanted or would you support the cashier and help kick the guys out?

Defend the guys by scolding the cashier and calling the manager to file a complaint and then take my business elsewhere. In that situation would you really want to help the guys place a order? After all if the clerk has no problem being a ass out in public in front of every one then who is to say that clerk won't spit in their food?

Does your views on immigration support your decision?

You can't tell if someone is here illegally because of the fact they might speak engrish instead of english or no english at all. A store clerk has no business being a ass to a customer period.

 

[bilbus]

Well, thats just stupid ... Indians are not arabs.

 

[Phatton13]

Last night on Primetime: What would you do was a segment on racism in America. Here is a little about the story.

ABC News: Confronting Racism in America



So what would you do if you went into a deli and they wouldn't serve a couple of hispanics because they couldn't speak English. This is not about the owner's right to serve, this is what you would do if you were witness to that situation. Would you defend the guys and help them to buy what they wanted or would you support the cashier and help kick the guys out? Does your views on immigration support your decision?

I'd casually walk up there and ask if i could speak to the manager. Once i had finally been able to speak to him, I'd ask why they hire people of this much morale character. I might advise the people being insulted to call the authorities to come to the deli and solve the matter further.After all that,I finance their new mexican restruant.......we need more of them.:mrgreen:

 

[jamesrage]

I might advise the people being insulted to call the authorities to come to the deli and solve the matter further.

What would the authorities do? We value free speech in the US so we do not have unconstitutional hate-speech laws and as far as I know being an ass is not a crime.

 

[Phatton13]

What would the authorities do? We value free speech in the US so we do not have unconstitutional hate-speech laws and as far as I know being an ass is not a crime.

Your right being offensive isn't a crime but, ethnic or racial harassment is. Anybody remember the Civil Right's Movement?

 

[jamesrage]

Your right being offensive isn't a crime but, ethnic or racial harassment is. Anybody remember the Civil Right's Movement?

Can you cite a case of this type of scenario?

 

[Phatton13]

Can you cite a case of this type of scenario?

They have laws about racial and ethnic discrimination in the workplace. The deli is a workplace. So, more than likely you possibly could.

 

[Kal'Stang]

Last night on Primetime: What would you do was a segment on racism in America. Here is a little about the story.

ABC News: Confronting Racism in America



So what would you do if you went into a deli and they wouldn't serve a couple of hispanics because they couldn't speak English. This is not about the owner's right to serve, this is what you would do if you were witness to that situation. Would you defend the guys and help them to buy what they wanted or would you support the cashier and help kick the guys out? Does your views on immigration support your decision?

I'd go up, ask for an order of what the couple wanted, pay for it and hand it to them. Without any proof theres no reason to treat these people like second class citizens. However after giving them the food I would have called Immigration and had them come in and check them out based on reasonable suspition since they don't speak english. If they had green cards then all would have been fine. If not then they would have been deported. I figure that anyone raised in America should know English well enough that it wouldn't be broken English.

 

[sazerac]

That would just never happen here. Never. We've all been through too way too much to ever be racist to anybody like that. All the corner grocery store are owned by Iranians and nobody had the slightest trouble after 9/11.

 

[American]

Given the situation as plainly stated, I would attempt to help the people make their order.

 

[kbdid]

I would probably help the guys order.

To the post above about informing on them...why would you? How would these guys be harming you in any way that you'd want to throw immigration after them...broken English might indicate someone new to the country, but not necessarily illegal.

A study done at a university here (York U.) found that, unfortunately, most people would do nothing in a similar situation (i.e. witnessing racism). I don't know to blame racism or simply the desire to avoid conflict.

 

[mikeey]

Tucker and Independant,hahaI'd go to a pet store and buy a dozen mice. I'd bring back the mice and let them loose in the deli.

The mice were made in America.thanks lads well said,bless you guys you are not racist not like what i said about the Japs who murdered the American
Troups.

all the best Tucker also Independant a great

team.

kind regards

mikeey

 

[bilbus]

That would be my new sandwich shop.

 

[pro-bipartisan]

I would tell people to shut up and then tell the spanish people to learn english.

 

[rivrrat]

Last night on Primetime: What would you do was a segment on racism in America. Here is a little about the story.

ABC News: Confronting Racism in America



So what would you do if you went into a deli and they wouldn't serve a couple of hispanics because they couldn't speak English. This is not about the owner's right to serve, this is what you would do if you were witness to that situation. Would you defend the guys and help them to buy what they wanted or would you support the cashier and help kick the guys out? Does your views on immigration support your decision?

I would have helped translate for them. Then talked to the manager of the deli and make sure he knew I'd never return there again. And I'd apologize to the men on behalf of all the actually decent people in this country.

I am fully, 100% against illegal immigration to this country, but there is no reason whatsoever to stand by and allow people to be mistreated by some ASS in a deli SOLEY because they weren't fluent in English.

Let's be honest, if you're here legally, at least as a citizen, you're supposed to be able to speak functional English. The fact that this individual couldn't, and I've run into many people like that myself, likely means they're here illegally. At that, I can certainly understand the frustration by the American. You couldn't live in another country and expect them to cater to you in English, they'd expect you to learn their language.

It's not an easy situation, but if the illegal, assuming that's what he is, wasn't here in the first place, it wouldn't be a problem at all.

Incorrect. One doesn't have to speak English to have a US Visa. Or be here on vacation, visiting relatives, whatever. People don't get citizenship at the border. It's a process that takes time. During that time, they are expected to learn and/or obtain that which is necessary for citizenship - including learning a useful vocabulary of English. But, in NO WAY does having broken English mean that someone is here illegally.

 

[WI Crippler]

I would have helped translate for them. Then talked to the manager of the deli and make sure he knew I'd never return there again. And I'd apologize to the men on behalf of all the actually decent people in this country.

I am fully, 100% against illegal immigration to this country, but there is no reason whatsoever to stand by and allow people to be mistreated by some ASS in a deli SOLEY because they weren't fluent in English.



Incorrect. One doesn't have to speak English to have a US Visa. Or be here on vacation, visiting relatives, whatever. People don't get citizenship at the border. It's a process that takes time. During that time, they are expected to learn and/or obtain that which is necessary for citizenship - including learning a useful vocabulary of English. But, in NO WAY does having broken English mean that someone is here illegally.

Usually first generation immigrants don't speak english very well. I am sure all the European immigrants that came over, like the Germans, Swedes, Norweigans, Polish etc.... didn't have fluent english speaking skills upon arrival.

 

[bilbus]

If the person is trying to speak english, but doing it poorly it is a diffrent story.
If the person is a tourist, i would help.

These people were not even trying to speak english, they were speaking spanish.

If the person is just refusing to learn english .. why should i help you? If i was working in Mexico damn right i would atleast try to learn spanish.