Americans who fake not to understand the english of spanish immigrants living in USA

[AmilcarCabral]

You guys wanna know another type of ultra-right wing white-racist type of discrimination against hispanic population in USA (The home of democracy and love)? That many people, specially white anglo-saxon european americans who feel pretty bad about the fact that about 35 million immigrants are spanish, is that when they are speaking to a spanish speaking person and that person is talking with them in english (Their second language), they fake that they can't understand them. I've seen this in this country a lot

[RedWaves]

Very true, I see this all the time.

"Well they can't speak English right, we should deport them!"


I don't know if it is America in general or Americans, but this country is one of the most racist in the world when it comes to non-white people. Living in the south my whole life I've witnessed quite a lot of this on a daily basis.

There is a superiority complex among whites (particularly in the redneck cesspits of the south) where they think they are better than everyone else just because their white and of course their a "real American". Funny these are the morons that down right adore Raygun and the Bush's even though they are poor as hell and those presidents did nothing to help them.


I believe since Obama was elected, racism has truly increased and became a hundred times worse. All these idiots thought him getting elected would end racism, it's really the opposite.

[ÑóẊîöʼn]

People actually do that? Wow.

I admit that I find some some accents difficult to understand (living in one of the most diverse towns in the UK), and frankly it's fucking embarrassing, because I worry about coming across as rude or prejudiced by asking certain people to repeat themselves.

I have to ask: in such situations, is it better to pretend to be a little hard of hearing, or to somehow explain that someone's accent can be challenging without somehow inadvertantly insulting them?

[DDR]

You guys wanna know another type of ultra-right wing white-racist type of discrimination against hispanic population in USA (The home of democracy and love)? That many people, specially white anglo-saxon european americans who feel pretty bad about the fact that about 35 million immigrants are spanish, is that when they are speaking to a spanish speaking person and that person is talking with them in english (Their second language), they fake that they can't understand them. I've seen this in this country a lot

I suffered that a couple of times when I lived in the US. My tactic against that was to change my accent to the poshiest British accent I can master (English lessons tape kind of accent) and beging to corrrect them their grammar, punctuation and pronuntiation, that made them furious :laugh:

[La Comédie Noire]

I have quite the opposite problem whenever I try to speak Spanish the person looks ill and then responds in English. :(

But I've never seen that happen, it might be because I'm so far North that most people are pushed out of their language comfort zone (not being in the southwest) and have to learn sufficient English. Most of the bilingual people I speak to have really good English.

Props to anybody who can master two languages. I took 9 years of Spanish and apparently I'm terrible at it as detailed above.

[Flying Purple People Eater]

I get this same thing from Americans when I've met them for the first time. Say I have a 'strong British accent' or something.

Truth is, when I first heard an American dialect being spoken on the television, I thought there was something wrong with them.

Also, these chauvinistic idiots probably aren't aware of the fact that, if someone they know has an accent, it's usually because that person knows more languages than they do - being monolingual is nothing to be that proud of really; everyone on the planet is brought up with it.

I mean holy shit at least they've made the goddamn effort. And it's not like America is 99% English speaking anyway - last I read, over 30 million Americans speak Spanish as a first language.

[Bala Perdida]

I live in California (supposedly the most liberal state) and in my school its seems to have been a tradition that anglo white "Americans" carry around American flags and other crap with it printed on, lawn chairs, wife beaters, swim trunks ect.... This is all on 5 de Mayo. I hate it because being Hispanic I already hate the irrational behavior presented by "Mexican" people when celebrating 5 de Mayo. I hate how our culture is exploited on 5 de Mayo. Still, worst of all is the irrational nationalism from both sides that comes out of aggressive American nationalism. Also because of the Democrat government right now, many in my school think it's cool to criticize their government and flop over to Republicans and then start bashing immigrants claiming their "illegal" and should therefore live off the scraps of "America" until their ready to be shipped back to the crappy conditions they were escaping from. They forget to see the humanity in these people, I've known many undocumented people and they are some of the most hard working and oppressed people in this country. "The working men have no country. Since the proletariat must first of all acquire political supremacy, must rise to be the leading class of the nation, must constitute itself the nation, it is, so far, itself national, though not in the bourgeois sense of the word." -Karl Marx, Communist Manifesto. These words from the famous Marx were crucial in turning me from aggressive Mexican nationalist to libertarian socialist.

[Skyhilist]

My father has responded to Asian and Jamaican people speaking English with "si" before. It's really embarrassing.

[Sea]

That's fucking embarrassing. It's like they think their own idiocy is patriotic! There are some people who can't understand jack diddly for the life of them. I've had to help out as an English-English translator before. :laugh:

[LOLseph Stalin]

That's actually a thing? Woooooow... I suppose they want any excuse to justify their backwards xenophobic views though. Republicans are repulsive(so are Democrats, but less so).

[Tenka]

I have quite the opposite problem whenever I try to speak Spanish the person looks ill and then responds in English. :(


I have this problem as well, on the internet. I am even worse in person so I daren't even try (my tongue is slightly deformed in a way that makes the rolled R very hit and miss, even with proper technique). I learned most of what little atrocious Spanish I know from an old Spanish-English dictionary here plus my crazy grandmother and her telenovelas though.

The only English accents I've had trouble understanding were a few British accents, which is amusing because it is years since I have made the stylistic choice to use stereotypically British spellings for all English words. Also Australian gives me trouble.

Oh yes, the topic.... Something tells me these obnoxious white people tend to want not to understand.

[Yuppie Grinder]

Kids ought to start learning Spanish around the time they start learning to read, only reasonable, and totally possible. A lot of middle class white Americans are turned off by this idea for reactionary nationalistic reasons.

[Art Vandelay]

Kids ought to start learning Spanish around the time they start learning to read, only reasonable, and totally possible. A lot of middle class white Americans are turned off by this idea for reactionary nationalistic reasons.

This. I took french immersion all growing up. I kinda hated it alot of the time, seemed so pointless, etc..but as an adult you definitely appreciate being bilingual and it really wasn't all that hard when you're immersed in it all throughout your childhood.

[Flying Purple People Eater]

Kids ought to start learning Spanish around the time they start learning to read, only reasonable, and totally possible. A lot of middle class white Americans are turned off by this idea for reactionary nationalistic reasons.

Absolutely. Not to mention that bilingualism has been shown to have cognitive benefits, such as better problem-solving skills and defense against dementia. (http://www.npr.org/blogs/13.7/2013/11/14/244813470/new-study-shows-brain-benefits-of-bilingualism) The fact that the overwhelming majority of anglo people in the English speaking world are monolingual in English, whereas in places like Kenya people are oft bilingual in three languages or more, is an complete atrocity.

[Devrim]

... whereas in places like Kenya people are oft bilingual in three languages or more, is an complete atrocity.

"Bilingual in three languages are more"?

:laugh:

Devrim

[Devrim]

I admit that I find some some accents difficult to understand (living in one of the most diverse towns in the UK), and frankly it's fucking embarrassing, because I worry about coming across as rude or prejudiced by asking certain people to repeat themselves.

This happened to me once, and I like to think I am good with accents. I was deeply embarrassed. It was an elderly Pakistani doctor, and he told me to 'go over there and lie on the couch', and I had no idea what he had said at all.

Devrim

[Danielle Ni Dhighe]

I admit that I find some some accents difficult to understand (living in one of the most diverse towns in the UK), and frankly it's fucking embarrassing, because I worry about coming across as rude or prejudiced by asking certain people to repeat themselves.
As a former call center worker, I know what you mean. It was something I had to deal with very often. Honestly, I tended to have more problems understanding callers who were native speakers of American English (or at least certain dialects) than with those for whom it was a second language.

[Hrafn]

Lol. In Sweden, bilingualism is mandatory, by order of the state.

[Flying Purple People Eater]

"Bilingual in three languages are more"?

:laugh:

Devrim

Everybody makes mistakes - I was tired. :crying:

But with the proper word in use (multilingual), it is true. Most people in Eastern Africa at least have a proficient grasp of Swahili and English, along with local languages or other trade languages. The best the average person here can do (I can't comment on the US but I imagine it is similar) is count to ten in Indonesian or Japanese, and this is mostly due to the ridiculous esteem crushing myth in most English countries that learning a language is one of the 'impossibly hard things to do', alongside climbing Mt. Everest, becoming a Gold Medal athlete or trekking all across the Eurasian Steppe (this idea couldn't be anywhere further from the truth).