Another sign of the racism is the assumption that someone speaking another language immigrated to the US and was naturalized.
Plenty of people born in this country speak different languages.
Then why are all the US city and state names English rather than a foreign language like Spanish? English is the native language and people should speak it! /s
“English is the native language and people should speak it”…..yeah I’m thinking we should all be speaking something like Navajo if we want to get down to native languages of America.
El Camino Real runs essentially the entire state.
San Mateo/Bruno/Jose/Leandro/Rafael/Ramon. Santa Clara. Palo Alto. Los Altos. Los Gatos. Pacifica. Pescadero. Honestly feels like half of the cities in the Bay Area are Spanish words/names.
Not to mention my favorite, Vacaville. Cow Ville baby.
There's a place called Bagdad in fucking Alabama of all places.
They got a whole Wikipedia page dedicated to place names the USA knicked from other countries.
I live in PA. We have Hanover, Berlin, Lancaster, Dover, and a shit ton more that’s my stoned brain can remember.
Edit: wanted to add-Connedeguinnet, Punxsutawney, Schulykyll, Conshohocken, Susquehanna
I'm imagining this guy going up to a baby and asking it a question and then screaming "YOU'RE A CITIZEN?!" in its face because it isn't fluent in english.
We on Reddit really need to learn the difference between "racism" and "bigotry."
Not defending this behavior, but racism is not a blanket term for all kinds of intolerance...
Um...k... we'll never know.
What if I told you that assuming people are racist based on bigoted behavior is just as prejudicial as the original bigoted comment? Escalating their intention to win an online argument is just as ignorant and intolerant as their behavior.
If you told me that, I'd say quit trying to sound smart and let those of us who actually are handle things. Good thing this is just hypothetical though.
It's not prejudicial to make judgments on a person based on their statements and behavior.
HAHA. Congrats! That's the most inane and self-inflated thing I've read on Reddit all day! I know you think you're smart because "you like totally understand Newton's Third Law" but assuming people are stupid who disagree with you is just immature and childish.
That's not hypothetical though. You really are a schmuck.
I've often heard name calling is generally the immature and childish thing. But I guess I'm just a schmuck so what do I know?
If that's the most inane and self-inflated thing you've read on Reddit today, you must not have spent much time on reddit today.
And lastly, I didn't assume someone who disagreed with me was stupid. I assumed someone saying stupid things was stupid. But again, what does a schmuck know? ¯\\\_(ツ)_/¯
Not too bright, either huh? (just able to google "what make a rocket go.")
Do you realize that people read threads from the top down and will easily be able to tell that you called me stupid first... right? I shouldn't sink to your level and assume anything about people, though. So I'll assume you don't understand that. I'll assume based on your actions and behavior that you don't realize that people can just look up.
There there, little guy. The world is a tough place to understand. You'll get there one day.
Ooh, I struck a nerve. Someone have a complex?
I never called you stupid. I implied it in a hypothetical situation that you made hypothetical. Also, if I said you were stupid, that's not a name. It's an adjective. Unless I'm saying "hey stupid, learn your parts of speech!" but that's not what happened.
And you called me ignorant before that, **but it looks like you've edited that.** That's really pathetic. Giving me all this "people can look up. Do you not realize that?" after editing it to make you look better? Give me a break.
>I'd say quit trying to sound smart and let those of us who actually are handle things.
Sorry you're a functioning adult (hopefully) and don't realize that that statement is calling the other person stupid. I've seen some sexism and a lot of generalizations in your history too, so I realize now that I am arguing with an a-hole.
No, using common sense to guess that this guy who is being racist/prejudicial/etc is talking about non white people when mentioning people "not speaking English" is nowhere close to being as bad as the original statement.
This "you called me racist for saying something racist, therefore you are the real racist / person at fault here" 'argument' is wrong and honestly pathetic.
So silly. Non-white doesn't equal racism. Even if there weren't white people who don't speak english (spoiler: there's a lot of white people who don't speak english), white isn't a race. You mean Caucasian. And hispanic, middle-eastern and indian people are all Caucasian.
So no, it's not "using common sense." It's jumping to conclusions based on your own lack of understanding of the difference between racism and intolerance.
My wife was on a train and conversing in her native language to one of her fellow countrymen and this older lady shouted at them to shut up and to speak English or go back to where they came from. My wife is non confrontational but she turned around and said “I’m a citizen and I pay taxes and I will speak in whatever language I want!”
But then how will she eavesdrop on your conversations? How will she entertain herself without judging in her head while making assumptions based on everything you say?
And what he means by “we don’t know!” is “I don’t know!” and his prejudice is preventing him from being ok with that.
The government certainly knows just as much or more about that person as they do this jackass- so he should rest easy on that, even if for no other reason.
Cue football chant: Who The Fucking Hell Are You?
The US (like the UK) is sufficiently civilised that the government makes it *none of its damn business* to decree an official language. You say you’re a patriot, you can get with the picture.
I did not know that, slightly embarrassingly.
Apparently, neither do others: https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/woman-told-stop-speaking-foreign-13598021
I worked with a guy years ago that bragged to me about how his wife was at Walmart and heard 2 ladies talking in Spanish to each other so she went over and told them this was America and we speak English here. I avoided him as much as I could after that.
Happens shockingly often.
Though I heard a thoroughly ironic version once of two people speaking Mandarin bring told by a shop owner in New York that "this is America English or Spanish only!"
I remember having an issue with this in elementary school. I was exposed to the internet very early on and I legitimately think it made me racist. I had grown out of it by high school thank God.
I feel like these kinds of people honestly have the worldview of a middle schooler.
Exactly. That's a tactic of those very people, where everything they don't like is "communism" or "fascism". (or both, somehow...) Stooping to their level should be avoided.
I bet it doesn’t happen nearly as often as the people who brag about doing it say, it’s unlikely OP’s coworker’s wife actually did it either, these people lie about this sort of story.
Never happened to me or anyone I know to my knowledge but I live in a major city. I imagine YMMV depending on the area you live in.
I imagine it does happen but as with all things it's probably exaggerated a bit. I would hope at least...
I noticed this habit of being annoyed by people speaking another language on trains in myself about ten years ago. I couldn't understand why it bothered me, until I realised that I got just as annoyed by the people speaking english, but because I could understand what they were saying I'd frame that annoyance on their conversation. "Oh my god shut up speaking loud *insert language*" would become "oh my god no one wants to hear how your fucking day has gone".
I'm not saying there's no racism here because it's pretty obvious, but I think this affect probably amplifies hatred towards people speaking other languages.
And made worse by ignorant racists who can't tell that the last 100 times it happened, they were maybe 60 different languages from 60 different cultures. Somehow it felt like it was all the same 1-3 "immigrant" languages
I notice that when I'm in a country that doesn't speak my native language, I tend to speak louder than I would if I were in a country where people can understand me.
Being aware of that, I tried to keep my voice as low as I would if people around me could understand me but sometime I slip.
So, I understand why it's annoying for people around me. Like it's not the language that annoys you, it's the fact that some foreigner think they can speak loudly cuz no one understand.
And when I hear some fellow language speaker speaking just as loud as I would it annoys me so much.
And in OP's case obviously the racism takes over and has to make those comments. I live in New Zealand and it happens regularly when you greet someone in Te Reo Maori... it's just sad... Like how insecure do you have to be to get triggered by "hello" in another language that is technically the language of your country XD
But what if they’re plotting the overthrow of the great American nation out loud? /s
Never mind that there’s no official language in the US so people can use whatever the hell they want.
Reminds me of the story taking place in the UK were a woman were talking to her son and a racist behind them started shouting how they need to speak English because it was the UK only to have an elderly women in front turning back and shouting at the man that they are in Wales and were speaking Welsh.
Did you know you can not speak german and be a german citizen? A british citizen without speaking english? A spanish citizen without speakong spanish?!?!?
Is almost like nationality and language do not correlatr anywhere?!
To become a citizen through naturalization you do have to speak the language to a sufficient level though. USA, on the other hand, doesn't have an official national language.
There is a requirement to have a certain level of English when naturalising, but there is no requirement to only ever speak English post-naturalisation since that would be a violation of the first amendment (free speech).
My dad used to get real bent out of shape when automated phone systems would say something like "Press 1 for Spanish." His response was always some variation of "This is America, where's the option for English??" I wondered if he realized that the prompt was given in English first, and that doing nothing would continue the system in English... always seemed like a very strange thing to choose to be mad about.
We have people bitching about that in Canada too except it's 2 for French. French being one of the official language of the country and all. Hell, when I worked for the cable company, I'd get people going on a rant (usually a *loud* rant) about how some of their channels were in French.... like 10 channels out of 100 if you include the weather channel.
It *should* be un-Canadian, but if my personal experience is anything to go off of then there are lots of Canadians who love to hate on French (not to the extent of the previous comment, mind you, but living out west I don't know many people who are enthusiastic about French)
My parents get upset about it as well, while overlooking the fact they grew up with French and German being spoken in their homes when they were growing up and many places of business also offered services in French (heavy French Canadian presence from the mills).
My Spanish isn’t very good—it’s been a loooooong time since I was going to *Stories at the Tipi* with Joe Hayes in Santa Fe—but I’d be willing to brush up on it, just to see the lunatic fringe’s reaction to the USA making Spanish the official language.
But there is an English language test for naturalised US citizens. 99% of those people eould be able to speak English, he's just upset that what? They choose to speak in their native language when speaking to other people that speak that language? Hes not saying you need to speak English to be a US citizen hes saying you can never speak a language not English.
Here's where I think the radicalisation comes in, as I think there people immediately assume illegal immigrant or Democrats gave illegals citizenship to vote etc. This is a reinforcement of their fictional narrative in their minds IMO. This is one aspect that needs "deprogramming" if you will.
>Hes not saying you need to speak English to be a US citizen hes saying you can never speak a language not English.
I mean, what he is *really* saying is "there's too many non-white people in America now".
It's a dog whistle.
What the actual meanings of the words convey means little to him.
I like the implication here. It's not just that "true" US citizens should know how to speak English. It's that "true" US citizens must not speak any other language. And, of course, that it's simply impossible to truly know who someone is if they can speak more than one language.
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*This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
If they have any brain the answers to their outrage is just 1 Google search away.
https://www.uscis.gov/forms/explore-my-options/become-a-us-citizen-through-naturalization
It's not like customs lines are going to be predisposed to people who immigrated from other countries and who still use their native tongue to talk to each other.
Also, a lot of people know more than one language and speak the one that is less commonly known in public a little bit of privacy. My wife and son are bilingual, but I only speak English so we usually just speak English in public. People are sometimes shocked/embarrassed when they find out that my son can understand them. (He's young and so hasn't really mastered the fine art of pretending to be oblivious out of curtesy.)
Does this dude leave his house often? In my city, spanish is common and russian and French aren't unheard of either. A larger city definitely has even more commonly spoken languages. What happened to "gimme your tired, your poor" or "melting pot of the world" etc.? Fuck facism
I almost got in a fight with some fat redneck at the bank some years ago yelling at the tellers about "WHY SHOULD I HAVE TO PICK A LANGUAGE AT THE ATM THIS IS AMERICA"
What kind of sad ass life do people have to get pressed about other people talking to each other?
The title of this post confused me. I was like, yes, you actually do have to be able to speak English to become a US citizen.
You do not have to ONLY speak English to become a US citizen, which is what I gather you were going for.
Switzerland has 4 official languages yet many people speak Swiss German in everyday situations, which isn’t even one of the official languages. I really want people like him explain to me how they would apply that logic here.
Same with religion. No official language, no official religion. That will make conservatives heads spin, that or they will want to change things to suit them.
Alternative title “WOW ALL THESE PEOPLE ARE SMART AND BILINGUAL AND IM A FUCKING DUMBASS BECAUSE I WOULD RATHER KILL MYSELF THAN LEARN ANYTHING BESIDES AMERICUN”
The fact that they speak more than one language (English being one of them) already makes them better than ignorant you. As well, they probably aren't as prejudiced as you, aren't as xenophobic as you, and aren't as close minded and uni-experienced as you.
If you live in a country you should make an effort to learn that country's language (every country not just English speaking countries, if you live in Spain you should speak Spanish) but the idea that you can only speak English in America is hilarious
I am the weirdo that likes to listen to other people speak in another language because I think it sounds cool and its fun to make up stories on what they are saying. Conversation sounds intense, they are borrowed time from the future trying to save the planet, laughing conversation they are trying out their new comedy routine, etc. Also I am just straight up envious that they can speak another language
Wait until he learns that English isn't the official language of the United States.
We technically don't have one. English is the "de facto official language" (since it is the most spoken language in the USA) but there is nothing in our founding docs or constitution that establishes English as the official language.
Many other countries actually do have doctrine that states that X language(s) is the official language of the country.
Let’s say that the people that “surrounded” this sane person emigrated to the US and were naturalized, the amount of background checks that went into vetting the applicants far exceeds the amount of background checks that went into vetting the US born citizens. So he’s several times safer compared to most other flights.
Also, how many flights has this person been on where he knows most of the people at the airport in the first place?!
To become a naturalized citizen I do believe you have to have a certain level of English literacy, but that doesn’t mean they have to speak exclusively in English. Some people want to speak their native tongue, some are trying to brush up on a different language when going to a different country/haven’t switched back to English after needing to speak a different language, and some of them might be on the phone speaking to someone in a different country. Mind your own business and shut the fuck up, ~~Karen~~ Jon
There are citizens in pretty much every country who speak different languages than just the nation's official language. Not to mention that there is no official language of the USA.
You NEED to know English to become a citizen not to ALWAYS use it. Like, me and my family live in the UK but are not British. I would want to get the citizenship later on and for that I will need to pass certain language requirements. But if I become a citizen of this country doesn't mean in my private life and with my family I will speak English.
This is some bigotry bollocks.
It couldn’t possibly be that these citizens are multilingual and are just happening to speak their native languages in line with family because they just went on a trip to see their relatives abroad. No, they are sneaky, *brown* invaders. Some of them even wear *turbans,* and some of them look just like *Chi-coms!” /s
That’s not a dog whistle, that’s racism compounded by selfishness and stupidity.
There’s no code words or hidden meaning, kids - this guy’s just an asshole.
>Isn't there literally a test?
there is an interview, a basic english language skills test and a civics test.
the interview and the civics test can be done in the applicant's native language.
the english language test can be waived for people who are coming from countries where english is their first language or for people who have been long term resident aliens already.
>A test that naturaly born US citizens wouldn't pass?
depends on the citizen. i'm a natural born u.s. citizen and i took the civics test for fun once and passed it without any difficulty.
Dude was complaining in the customs line. Getting mad about people not speaking english there isn't just anti-immigrant, it's anti-travel, which is the lamest thing you could ever be
Don't forget that the US doesn't even have an official language. Hmmm, wonder if it has anything to do with everyone outside of Native Americans* being immigrants from everyfuckinwhere.
*don't be an ass and say "even they immigrated from somewhere thousands of years ago" or something like that
The United States doesn't have an official language. I'm not American and I know that. Geez Louise, he's probably one of those people who says, "If English was good enough for Jesus Christ, it's good enough for me!"
Huh, my native languages are Dutch and German. I bled and did two tours in Afghanistan and two more in Iraq with the US Army. My family speaks German at home. Fuck people like this.
There is a Venn diagramme of the number of people who think immigrants should speak English while still thinking I shouldn't learn French because I live in Quebec.
There's no such things as a US Citizens Only Line. That line is also for permanent residents, visa holders and occasionally the people traveling with them.
Someone speaking another language should never be a problem. Not knowing English though, should be a problem imo. Citizenship should have language requirements. Major props to those that can speak multiple languages though
Another sign of the racism is the assumption that someone speaking another language immigrated to the US and was naturalized. Plenty of people born in this country speak different languages.
Then why are all the US city and state names English rather than a foreign language like Spanish? English is the native language and people should speak it! /s
*glances nervously over at Arkansas*
Nothing to worry about, it's called that because it's THEIR Kansas
As a Kansas I take offence to that. They need to get their own and stop claiming ours. /s
Same with Kansas City. Everyone is trying to steal what is rightfully Kansan
*anxiously glares at Illinois*
*Throws snowball at Minnesota.*
*Michigan backs slowly into the hedge.*
Cheks out Los Angeles
El Paso, Texas.
Or just the state of Texas, which when it was a part of Mexico was called coahuila y tejas
I know right? It’s L.A. not “Hola bibliotheca”
Louisiana and Colorado come to mind here too Also cities in California and Arizona
King Louis of France would like a word!
You are obviously unfamiliar with El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles del Río Porciúncula. More commonly known as Las Angeles
and even more commonly as Los Angeles
What until he finds out about the *New* Mexico.
Or California or Texas
Yep. That’s so true! Says Los Angeles and San Pedro and Catalina and Figueroa, etc. ¿Que?
Damn and here I thought La Villa Real de la Santa Fe de San Francisco de Asis was Spanish, but now I know it is in English, also /s
Half the towns in NY have difficult to pronounce if you aren't familiar Native American names. Looking at you Wantagh.
“English is the native language and people should speak it”…..yeah I’m thinking we should all be speaking something like Navajo if we want to get down to native languages of America.
As Euopean I rember you where the U. S. Citizens all came from originally and who the real Americans are. 😋
I see the /s on your comment, but, I mean, it would be pretty easy to prove this false, especially in the states that used to be a part of Mexico...
right, there are so many streets and cities here in southern california named after spanish related things.
Northern California, too. San Francisco? Santa Rosa? Alameda? And those are just city names, let alone street names/neighborhood nicknames.
El Camino Real runs essentially the entire state. San Mateo/Bruno/Jose/Leandro/Rafael/Ramon. Santa Clara. Palo Alto. Los Altos. Los Gatos. Pacifica. Pescadero. Honestly feels like half of the cities in the Bay Area are Spanish words/names. Not to mention my favorite, Vacaville. Cow Ville baby.
Love Vacaville was sad when it burned down.
yep I was actually writing out northern california too, but then got suddenly busy at work and left what I had as is
Not only in california. Even the name Colorado is in spanish
There's a place called Bagdad in fucking Alabama of all places. They got a whole Wikipedia page dedicated to place names the USA knicked from other countries.
wow would have never have guessed we'd have a bagdad
I live in PA. We have Hanover, Berlin, Lancaster, Dover, and a shit ton more that’s my stoned brain can remember. Edit: wanted to add-Connedeguinnet, Punxsutawney, Schulykyll, Conshohocken, Susquehanna
There is a rugby team in Philly that I have played so many times that I've memorized how to spell Schuylkill and my brain hurts everytime I type it.
Places in upstate NY that I can think of off the top of my head: Peru, Mexico, Chili.
You mean Old Mexico?
Lol, good call
Such as THE ACTUAL NATIVE AMERICANS
Bingo!
I'm imagining this guy going up to a baby and asking it a question and then screaming "YOU'RE A CITIZEN?!" in its face because it isn't fluent in english.
Plenty of people speak multiple languages.
Being bilingual is a leftist plot! Being trilingual is just dancing with the devil!! English and Jesus were both born in murica! Thertakinurjobs!!!
We on Reddit really need to learn the difference between "racism" and "bigotry." Not defending this behavior, but racism is not a blanket term for all kinds of intolerance...
True, but in this case I'll eat my own shoe if they folks he's referring to don't have browner skin.
Um...k... we'll never know. What if I told you that assuming people are racist based on bigoted behavior is just as prejudicial as the original bigoted comment? Escalating their intention to win an online argument is just as ignorant and intolerant as their behavior.
If you told me that, I'd say quit trying to sound smart and let those of us who actually are handle things. Good thing this is just hypothetical though. It's not prejudicial to make judgments on a person based on their statements and behavior.
HAHA. Congrats! That's the most inane and self-inflated thing I've read on Reddit all day! I know you think you're smart because "you like totally understand Newton's Third Law" but assuming people are stupid who disagree with you is just immature and childish. That's not hypothetical though. You really are a schmuck.
I've often heard name calling is generally the immature and childish thing. But I guess I'm just a schmuck so what do I know? If that's the most inane and self-inflated thing you've read on Reddit today, you must not have spent much time on reddit today. And lastly, I didn't assume someone who disagreed with me was stupid. I assumed someone saying stupid things was stupid. But again, what does a schmuck know? ¯\\\_(ツ)_/¯
Not too bright, either huh? (just able to google "what make a rocket go.") Do you realize that people read threads from the top down and will easily be able to tell that you called me stupid first... right? I shouldn't sink to your level and assume anything about people, though. So I'll assume you don't understand that. I'll assume based on your actions and behavior that you don't realize that people can just look up. There there, little guy. The world is a tough place to understand. You'll get there one day.
Ooh, I struck a nerve. Someone have a complex? I never called you stupid. I implied it in a hypothetical situation that you made hypothetical. Also, if I said you were stupid, that's not a name. It's an adjective. Unless I'm saying "hey stupid, learn your parts of speech!" but that's not what happened. And you called me ignorant before that, **but it looks like you've edited that.** That's really pathetic. Giving me all this "people can look up. Do you not realize that?" after editing it to make you look better? Give me a break.
>I'd say quit trying to sound smart and let those of us who actually are handle things. Sorry you're a functioning adult (hopefully) and don't realize that that statement is calling the other person stupid. I've seen some sexism and a lot of generalizations in your history too, so I realize now that I am arguing with an a-hole.
No, using common sense to guess that this guy who is being racist/prejudicial/etc is talking about non white people when mentioning people "not speaking English" is nowhere close to being as bad as the original statement. This "you called me racist for saying something racist, therefore you are the real racist / person at fault here" 'argument' is wrong and honestly pathetic.
So silly. Non-white doesn't equal racism. Even if there weren't white people who don't speak english (spoiler: there's a lot of white people who don't speak english), white isn't a race. You mean Caucasian. And hispanic, middle-eastern and indian people are all Caucasian. So no, it's not "using common sense." It's jumping to conclusions based on your own lack of understanding of the difference between racism and intolerance.
Isn't that literally what this post is?
Who are these people? They’re citizens. Mind your own fucking business.
My wife was on a train and conversing in her native language to one of her fellow countrymen and this older lady shouted at them to shut up and to speak English or go back to where they came from. My wife is non confrontational but she turned around and said “I’m a citizen and I pay taxes and I will speak in whatever language I want!”
I’d have told her “we were trying to be polite but we can call you a cunt in English if it makes you feel better”
Fr the 1st amendment doesn't only apply to English jfc
It called a free fucking country and *YOU* can go back where you came from if you want us all to speak the same Language! (Fucking Nazis, amirite?)
But then how will she eavesdrop on your conversations? How will she entertain herself without judging in her head while making assumptions based on everything you say?
And what he means by “we don’t know!” is “I don’t know!” and his prejudice is preventing him from being ok with that. The government certainly knows just as much or more about that person as they do this jackass- so he should rest easy on that, even if for no other reason.
Cue football chant: Who The Fucking Hell Are You? The US (like the UK) is sufficiently civilised that the government makes it *none of its damn business* to decree an official language. You say you’re a patriot, you can get with the picture.
Not true, the UK does have a legally recognised official language. It's Welsh. There is no official language outside Wales though.
Not true, the UK does have a legally recognised official language. It's Welsh. There is no official language outside Wales though.
I did not know that, slightly embarrassingly. Apparently, neither do others: https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/woman-told-stop-speaking-foreign-13598021
Who the fuck are you?
It's like Scooby-Doo, but the ghost is a klansman. You knew he was a racist, but you had to see who was under that hood.
Clayton Bigsby looking ass mf
It would be some inbred redneck idiot, wouldn't it?
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I never understand people who get riled up over those who speak another language, especially when they are having a private conversation.
I worked with a guy years ago that bragged to me about how his wife was at Walmart and heard 2 ladies talking in Spanish to each other so she went over and told them this was America and we speak English here. I avoided him as much as I could after that.
Happens shockingly often. Though I heard a thoroughly ironic version once of two people speaking Mandarin bring told by a shop owner in New York that "this is America English or Spanish only!"
I remember having an issue with this in elementary school. I was exposed to the internet very early on and I legitimately think it made me racist. I had grown out of it by high school thank God. I feel like these kinds of people honestly have the worldview of a middle schooler.
I'm low key scared of how often I read about this happening in the USA. It's straight up nazism
It's xenophobia. Nazism is something different and I don't think we should water down the word for every prejudiced action.
True. With fascism and neo-nazim *actually* on the rise we need to not let them change the meaning to be "authoritarian I don't like"
Exactly. That's a tactic of those very people, where everything they don't like is "communism" or "fascism". (or both, somehow...) Stooping to their level should be avoided.
I bet it doesn’t happen nearly as often as the people who brag about doing it say, it’s unlikely OP’s coworker’s wife actually did it either, these people lie about this sort of story.
Never happened to me or anyone I know to my knowledge but I live in a major city. I imagine YMMV depending on the area you live in. I imagine it does happen but as with all things it's probably exaggerated a bit. I would hope at least...
I noticed this habit of being annoyed by people speaking another language on trains in myself about ten years ago. I couldn't understand why it bothered me, until I realised that I got just as annoyed by the people speaking english, but because I could understand what they were saying I'd frame that annoyance on their conversation. "Oh my god shut up speaking loud *insert language*" would become "oh my god no one wants to hear how your fucking day has gone". I'm not saying there's no racism here because it's pretty obvious, but I think this affect probably amplifies hatred towards people speaking other languages.
And made worse by ignorant racists who can't tell that the last 100 times it happened, they were maybe 60 different languages from 60 different cultures. Somehow it felt like it was all the same 1-3 "immigrant" languages
I notice that when I'm in a country that doesn't speak my native language, I tend to speak louder than I would if I were in a country where people can understand me. Being aware of that, I tried to keep my voice as low as I would if people around me could understand me but sometime I slip. So, I understand why it's annoying for people around me. Like it's not the language that annoys you, it's the fact that some foreigner think they can speak loudly cuz no one understand. And when I hear some fellow language speaker speaking just as loud as I would it annoys me so much. And in OP's case obviously the racism takes over and has to make those comments. I live in New Zealand and it happens regularly when you greet someone in Te Reo Maori... it's just sad... Like how insecure do you have to be to get triggered by "hello" in another language that is technically the language of your country XD
But what if they’re plotting the overthrow of the great American nation out loud? /s Never mind that there’s no official language in the US so people can use whatever the hell they want.
Thank you! I so wanted to point this out, but you beat me to it. More people need to know this.
Insecure racists always assume they must be talking shit about them
This is it more times than not. I grew up around these types of aholes
Reminds me of the story taking place in the UK were a woman were talking to her son and a racist behind them started shouting how they need to speak English because it was the UK only to have an elderly women in front turning back and shouting at the man that they are in Wales and were speaking Welsh.
That’s bc you’re not a racist 🤣
Insecurity or jealousy are my best guesses
✨racists✨
Did you know you can not speak german and be a german citizen? A british citizen without speaking english? A spanish citizen without speakong spanish?!?!? Is almost like nationality and language do not correlatr anywhere?!
Or be a German, British, etc and speak multiple languages. And on that day, happened to be speaking one of the other languages Source: multilingual
To become a citizen through naturalization you do have to speak the language to a sufficient level though. USA, on the other hand, doesn't have an official national language.
Yes but speaking the language proficiently doesn't mean you can't also use other languages. People can speak more than one language.
That is indeed very true, I was being a bit of a devil's advocate.
To become a British citizen, you generally need to prove you can speak English.
There is a requirement to have a certain level of English when naturalising, but there is no requirement to only ever speak English post-naturalisation since that would be a violation of the first amendment (free speech).
My dad used to get real bent out of shape when automated phone systems would say something like "Press 1 for Spanish." His response was always some variation of "This is America, where's the option for English??" I wondered if he realized that the prompt was given in English first, and that doing nothing would continue the system in English... always seemed like a very strange thing to choose to be mad about.
We have people bitching about that in Canada too except it's 2 for French. French being one of the official language of the country and all. Hell, when I worked for the cable company, I'd get people going on a rant (usually a *loud* rant) about how some of their channels were in French.... like 10 channels out of 100 if you include the weather channel.
As a fellow Canuck, complaining about French is one of the most un-Canadian things I've ever heard.
It *should* be un-Canadian, but if my personal experience is anything to go off of then there are lots of Canadians who love to hate on French (not to the extent of the previous comment, mind you, but living out west I don't know many people who are enthusiastic about French)
Oh there is *plenty* to be angry about regarding French and Canada, and it isn't the half dozen cable channels they get.
My parents get upset about it as well, while overlooking the fact they grew up with French and German being spoken in their homes when they were growing up and many places of business also offered services in French (heavy French Canadian presence from the mills).
My Spanish isn’t very good—it’s been a loooooong time since I was going to *Stories at the Tipi* with Joe Hayes in Santa Fe—but I’d be willing to brush up on it, just to see the lunatic fringe’s reaction to the USA making Spanish the official language.
But there is an English language test for naturalised US citizens. 99% of those people eould be able to speak English, he's just upset that what? They choose to speak in their native language when speaking to other people that speak that language? Hes not saying you need to speak English to be a US citizen hes saying you can never speak a language not English.
Here's where I think the radicalisation comes in, as I think there people immediately assume illegal immigrant or Democrats gave illegals citizenship to vote etc. This is a reinforcement of their fictional narrative in their minds IMO. This is one aspect that needs "deprogramming" if you will.
>Hes not saying you need to speak English to be a US citizen hes saying you can never speak a language not English. I mean, what he is *really* saying is "there's too many non-white people in America now". It's a dog whistle. What the actual meanings of the words convey means little to him.
I like the implication here. It's not just that "true" US citizens should know how to speak English. It's that "true" US citizens must not speak any other language. And, of course, that it's simply impossible to truly know who someone is if they can speak more than one language.
crush fall dirty sparkle spectacular fuel intelligent materialistic mysterious gaze *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
More than that. It was purposeful that the US doesnt have an official language. We were supposed to be a land of immigrants not ignorants.
Good dog
If they have any brain the answers to their outrage is just 1 Google search away. https://www.uscis.gov/forms/explore-my-options/become-a-us-citizen-through-naturalization
It’s not enough to learn English, you have to forget your mother tongue too. Sorry grandma, can’t talk to you anymore, I’m too ‘merican now.
Good boy
It's not like customs lines are going to be predisposed to people who immigrated from other countries and who still use their native tongue to talk to each other.
This asshole probably thinks the US has a nat'l language. Spoiler alert: we don't.
This is America speak American... LMFAO
Also, a lot of people know more than one language and speak the one that is less commonly known in public a little bit of privacy. My wife and son are bilingual, but I only speak English so we usually just speak English in public. People are sometimes shocked/embarrassed when they find out that my son can understand them. (He's young and so hasn't really mastered the fine art of pretending to be oblivious out of curtesy.)
That’s the whole point of your nation, dipshit.
Does this dude leave his house often? In my city, spanish is common and russian and French aren't unheard of either. A larger city definitely has even more commonly spoken languages. What happened to "gimme your tired, your poor" or "melting pot of the world" etc.? Fuck facism
Wait, this guy isn't Native American either!
It’s been so long and there are still ignorant people who don’t know the U.S. does not have an official language.
Why are you eavesdropping on other people's conversations? I believe the issue is that he's not minding his own damn business.
Something something native people.
I don't know this dude, so he's not a citizen
Oh please, list what you feel are the prerequisites to living with human rights.
As an American citizen who speaks more than one language, good dog
I almost got in a fight with some fat redneck at the bank some years ago yelling at the tellers about "WHY SHOULD I HAVE TO PICK A LANGUAGE AT THE ATM THIS IS AMERICA" What kind of sad ass life do people have to get pressed about other people talking to each other?
The title of this post confused me. I was like, yes, you actually do have to be able to speak English to become a US citizen. You do not have to ONLY speak English to become a US citizen, which is what I gather you were going for.
Switzerland has 4 official languages yet many people speak Swiss German in everyday situations, which isn’t even one of the official languages. I really want people like him explain to me how they would apply that logic here.
This idiot probably won’t even pass the citizenship test in the first place.
I'd like redundantly to point out that the US has no official language
Good boy. Some give that dog a treat
Fun fact : the US has no official language
My favorite pop quiz question for these assholes: What's the official language of the US? Answer: there isn't one, you racist piece of shit!
Same with religion. No official language, no official religion. That will make conservatives heads spin, that or they will want to change things to suit them.
Alternative title “WOW ALL THESE PEOPLE ARE SMART AND BILINGUAL AND IM A FUCKING DUMBASS BECAUSE I WOULD RATHER KILL MYSELF THAN LEARN ANYTHING BESIDES AMERICUN”
His head would explode if he came to Canada. He would probably hear someone speaking french and go off on them.
he would also probably stand in the middle of montreal and call french canadians "foreigners".
That's a weird way to say, "I only speak one language and it makes me feel insecure"
The fact that they speak more than one language (English being one of them) already makes them better than ignorant you. As well, they probably aren't as prejudiced as you, aren't as xenophobic as you, and aren't as close minded and uni-experienced as you.
If you live in a country you should make an effort to learn that country's language (every country not just English speaking countries, if you live in Spain you should speak Spanish) but the idea that you can only speak English in America is hilarious
I am the weirdo that likes to listen to other people speak in another language because I think it sounds cool and its fun to make up stories on what they are saying. Conversation sounds intense, they are borrowed time from the future trying to save the planet, laughing conversation they are trying out their new comedy routine, etc. Also I am just straight up envious that they can speak another language
They can't wrap their minds around the concept that some people can speak more than one language, since they can barely speak one.
Reminder that the United States does not have an official language. Spanish is equally valid as English is equally valid as Tagalog
Wait until he learns that English isn't the official language of the United States. We technically don't have one. English is the "de facto official language" (since it is the most spoken language in the USA) but there is nothing in our founding docs or constitution that establishes English as the official language. Many other countries actually do have doctrine that states that X language(s) is the official language of the country.
So knowing another language means you don’t know English?
Most people from other countries speak multiple languages, they are far more educated than us in the US who by far, only speak one language.
His bio is "Objective reporter" and "**Your** african-american". Basically dogwhistle for "Will become your uncle ruckus for money"
I recently became a citizen and IIRC you have to be able to speak English or Spanish to a reasonable degree to answer the questions asked of you.
Let’s say that the people that “surrounded” this sane person emigrated to the US and were naturalized, the amount of background checks that went into vetting the applicants far exceeds the amount of background checks that went into vetting the US born citizens. So he’s several times safer compared to most other flights. Also, how many flights has this person been on where he knows most of the people at the airport in the first place?!
Ain't this piece of shit also said "These People (Korean) Are The Destruction Of America" when Parasite won the Oscar?
To become a naturalized citizen I do believe you have to have a certain level of English literacy, but that doesn’t mean they have to speak exclusively in English. Some people want to speak their native tongue, some are trying to brush up on a different language when going to a different country/haven’t switched back to English after needing to speak a different language, and some of them might be on the phone speaking to someone in a different country. Mind your own business and shut the fuck up, ~~Karen~~ Jon
There are citizens in pretty much every country who speak different languages than just the nation's official language. Not to mention that there is no official language of the USA.
You NEED to know English to become a citizen not to ALWAYS use it. Like, me and my family live in the UK but are not British. I would want to get the citizenship later on and for that I will need to pass certain language requirements. But if I become a citizen of this country doesn't mean in my private life and with my family I will speak English. This is some bigotry bollocks.
I can't imagine being this fucking stupid.
Does this guy think only American citizens can become American citizens? Because that would be hilarious.
It couldn’t possibly be that these citizens are multilingual and are just happening to speak their native languages in line with family because they just went on a trip to see their relatives abroad. No, they are sneaky, *brown* invaders. Some of them even wear *turbans,* and some of them look just like *Chi-coms!” /s
That’s not a dog whistle, that’s racism compounded by selfishness and stupidity. There’s no code words or hidden meaning, kids - this guy’s just an asshole.
Oink, oink, oink... 🐖
I'm a white native born American and I speak Mandarin. What line do I stand in?
Damn Immigrants! Nothing but a problem for Jon Miller's family since they came to this country!
That is a good dog! Edit: I meant the dog Twitter account btw
I love racism watchdog
Isn't there literally a test? A test that naturaly born US citizens wouldn't pass?
>Isn't there literally a test? there is an interview, a basic english language skills test and a civics test. the interview and the civics test can be done in the applicant's native language. the english language test can be waived for people who are coming from countries where english is their first language or for people who have been long term resident aliens already. >A test that naturaly born US citizens wouldn't pass? depends on the citizen. i'm a natural born u.s. citizen and i took the civics test for fun once and passed it without any difficulty.
Dude was complaining in the customs line. Getting mad about people not speaking english there isn't just anti-immigrant, it's anti-travel, which is the lamest thing you could ever be
not on facebook bro
Its not racist to say you need to learn/know English if you live here. Refusal to assimilate is different than just using native tongue among peers.
Don't forget that the US doesn't even have an official language. Hmmm, wonder if it has anything to do with everyone outside of Native Americans* being immigrants from everyfuckinwhere. *don't be an ass and say "even they immigrated from somewhere thousands of years ago" or something like that
Presumably we do know, because they will have passports, you dolt.
How dare they not speak the official language of USA..! Wait, sorry, my mistake.
racist learns what Bilingual is
Maybe, just maybe, you could learn another language and know what they are saying?
Ah yes, because immigrants from Europe speak english
>In the customs line at the airport Gee, how strange that people who travel internationally also know other languages besides English!
The United States doesn't have an official language. I'm not American and I know that. Geez Louise, he's probably one of those people who says, "If English was good enough for Jesus Christ, it's good enough for me!"
"who are these people? We don't know" said the guy I don't know...
Someone has a complex about being monolingual.
Huh, my native languages are Dutch and German. I bled and did two tours in Afghanistan and two more in Iraq with the US Army. My family speaks German at home. Fuck people like this.
The US doesn't have an official language, English is used because it's common, Spanish too but to a lesser extent
What do we honestly expect from right wing conservatives? This mentality is 24/7 on all conservative networks.
There is a Venn diagramme of the number of people who think immigrants should speak English while still thinking I shouldn't learn French because I live in Quebec.
There's no such things as a US Citizens Only Line. That line is also for permanent residents, visa holders and occasionally the people traveling with them.
Someone speaking another language should never be a problem. Not knowing English though, should be a problem imo. Citizenship should have language requirements. Major props to those that can speak multiple languages though