Mr. Manners...English in businesses, Government offices & hospitals! Please!





In this first installment of Mr. Manners - in this regular weekly feature at the Tattler - it's important to state drive home first things first!

We're mad as heck - the polite word to use in mixed company, folks - in Los Angeles (and elsewhere around the country, I expect) and we're not going to take it anymore!

If no one has lamented this in the past, then let me be the one to enlighten the teaming masses.

There's no scenario worse (or ruder, for that matter) than one in which a couple of immigrants are inclined to speak in a second language - Spanish, Russian, Chinese, you name it - resulting in an English-speaking citizen being excluded from the conversation.

This is particularly so, when the location happens to be a business entity, hospital facililty, or Government Office.

Indeed, boorish conduct such as this - not only amounts to bad manners - but reaches the level of a tasteless lack of etiquette in a polite society.

Unless, of course, there are no other English-speaking residents within ear shot!

And, common-place International greetings, aside.

That said?

Ciao, baby!

http://www.thetattler.biz

McDonald's...shocking observation! Workers don't speak English...

In the Las Vegas area, a handful of the McDonald’s fast-food outlets sell the Review-Journal right alongside the sausage biscuits, java, and french fries.

This morning, when I asked the young Latino lady on the counter if they sold the newspaper, a blank look came across her face.

She stood there frozen not saying a word.

“Newspaper?” I quizzed further.

The lights were on but no one appeared to be at home.

“Some McDonald’s sell the morning paper,” I continued.

“Do you sell the newspaper?"

She stood there with a blank look on her face and didn’t say a word.

“Do you understand English,” I politely asked her.

Again, no response.

Gosh!

McDonald’s is actually placing employees on the counter who can’t speak English and who are incapable of communicating with the customers.

That’s bad!

Well, at least we know she won’t be protesting about the Arizona Immigration Law.

If she doesn’t know what a newspaper is, and can’t read or speak English, she probably doesn’t even know what’s going on in the world around her.

Looks like McDonald’s is clueless, too, about the fact their company is being run into the ground (and losing customers) because of their failure to stay on top of their business operations (and monitor how they’re run around the Nation).

Obviously, the employment office that hires workers, has no requirement that a McDonald’s applicant be able to speak English or communicate with a customer.

Should I hazard a guess that a Latino is in charge of hiring locally?

News at 11!

http://www.thetattler.biz

English...please! Rude employees speak foreign language...

Lately, there appears to be a growing anti-English trend among shopkeepers and fast-food outlets in the Los Angeles area, that I personally find rude and insulting.

How about you?

As customers patiently wait for their orders to be served up, employees at a handful of local establishments often converse amongst themselves in a second language such as Spanish, Chinese, or Russian.

Consequently, English-speaking patrons are not privy to what is being said (possibly about them?) - and ultimately - are shut-out of the conversation.

To me that is not only bad manners, but unacceptable business practice in America where the recognized first language is English.

It irks me (and I expect a posse of Americans) that these individuals immigrate to the U.S., avail themselves of the benefits this great Nation has to offer, but refuse to learn the language (or facilitate it when necessary in polite society on these shores).

I say, the heck with them.

As of today, I have decided to no longer patronize any business that permits employees to speak in a second language during business hours which results in the exclusion of English-speaking U.S. citizens.

For starters, the following businesses (guilty!) are on my sh** list:

*McDonald's
(@ Crescent Heights & Sunset/ West Hollywood)

*Russian Bakeries (2)
(@ Fairfax & Santa Monica Boulevard 'West Hollywood)

*Doughnut shop
(@Crescent Heights & Santa Monica Boulevard /West Hollywood)

In these tough economic times when independent businesses are struggling to survive, I would rather support a company that treats its customers with some dignity and respect, than one that openly permits employees to demean American English-speaking consumers at large.

Yup!

As Howard Beale would say (Network):

"I'm mad as hell and I'm not taking it anymore"

But, author Mignon McLaughlin said it best:

"Every American child should grow up learning a second language, preferably English."

http://www.julianayrs.com