Where is the condescension? Where is it putting another person down by words or deeds? Where is it making one person feel like another has superiority? Reread exactly what was on the sign and then reread the definition. This is one simple statement: "This is America, when ordering speak english."
Now on to the other portion: Where was the Hispanic/Latino/<insert favorite PC label here> community humiliated? This is about the english language. Seems to me you and many others are jumping to conclusions this is/was directed solely at the spanish speaking populace. That smacks of racism and/or racial profiling. But of course none of you probably think you are racist in any extreme because you think this guy should take his sign down. Just food for thought.
If a person wants to get offended by something just come on down to where I work. I assure you that you will be offended all day long and I won't have to say a single word to you or about you. I am about as smooth as 60 grit sandpaper.
If you wish to be humiliated then go stand in the middle of the "City of Brotherly Love" or "Birthplace of America" aka Philadelphia, PA and beg for change or a handout so you can get some food. That would be humiliation. The sad thing is the guy at that store would likely feed you regardless if you spoke english or not. Yet people are trying to stomp on his right to say what he wants even when it offends others. I believe we covered this topic in another thread. If I am not mistaken some of those saying the signs need to be removed/reworded are/were the biggest proponents for letting a person speak their mind with few or no limitations.
Where was the Constitution written? Oh yeah, Philadelphia, PA. Remarkable how the birthplace of the US Constitution forgets simple things like the 1st Amendment.
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MarinerRhodes
First of all, a correction. I never said the sign was racist, nor that he should take his sign down, nor did I vote that way in the poll. For the purposes of the running of the business I can understand why its there (although I think the owner is an IDIOT and that he has HURT his business rather than help).
My only point is that he could have rephrased in a way that was less insulting, and as you can see, People did take offense to it. Its particular stupid thing to do when your a small business whose trying to convince people to spend
THEIR money at
YOUR establishment while the competition is literally across the street -without the bad attitude. Not exactly a smart business move IMHO. With his sign the Owner is saying
"I'm a xenophobic jerk, so all you Latinos please buy your sandwich at the competition, which is just across the street!!!"
But lets look at the sign itself: "This is America, speak English".
My mother has lived 35 years in the USA and speaks with a heavy French accent. If anyone ever spoke to my mother like that I would have done my utmost to force my fist into the back of that persons skull.
Why would I do that? Well first of all, notice the absence of the most basic forms of courtesy namely "please" and "thank you". Look at other signs in public resterants "Please Wash your hands" , "Please wait to be Seated" etc. I mean its the most basic of human etiquette. And its absence was deliberate to send a signal to certain minorities.
Mission Accomplished, not only will they no longer visit the owners shop, they also sued him. And it doesnt matter if he wins the case. He has already lost in the long run. Because now potential customers will go elsewhere and you have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on legal fees and all of this for a stupid sign. Had I had been the owner and this shop a franchise I would hired a Spainish speaking worker (or 2) and I would have fired the manager for his poor management skills. When I worked computer retail, my boss fired the assistant manager for treating customers like dirt. We lost a lot of business because of him.
Secondly the fact that the sign has to say "this is America...", I mean of course this is America, what country did the reader think he was in? Uzbekistan? That too is Patronizing and its deliberately targeted who are not Natives. You don't feel that way because your not a foreigner, but if you ever tried to live permanently in another country you can be made to standout if you don't adhere to strict cultural standards.
It happened to me.
I once got chewed out in a store in Paris because I said "TU" instead of "VOUS" to the salesperson. They both mean the samething, but its an insult if you use "TU" in the wrong context and they guy didn't care that I was an American whose French grammer wasn't so great. So I can sympathize with why Latinos might get upset with this sort of thing.
Its rude, its insensetive, and from a business standpoint its stupid. The 1st Amendment allows you act like an a**hole, but it doesn't suggest that you should. Therin lies the difference.
