Come Dite, Fuckwad?
The 14th Windiest State and Dan beat me to it, but I'll just go and say it again, what a fuckwad owner of Geno's Joseph "The Real American" Vento is. via the Inky:
"If you can't tell me what you want, I can't serve you," he said. "It's up to you. If you can't read, if you can't say the word cheese, how can I communicate with you – and why should I have to bend?a
"I got a business to run."
Now if this anachronistic fuckwad were to, say, take advantage of the burgeoning market of Asian and Hispanic people living in the area who, for some reason, want to buy a 'steak from him, wouldn't it be prudent to capitalize on that by, say, learing maybe a few words? He's actively turning away money. Whatever.
And the final comment about "pressing 1 for Spanish" was just classic. It reminded me of that Colbert Report skit Formidable Opponent about immigration where one Stephen agonizes over how long it takes to "Press 1 for English" – oh the hilarity. And then to see it actually practiced, oh the horror. I'm sure there's a YouTube of it, but that site is blockicky blocked here at work.
I wonder if his broken-english speaking grandparents were to try to order a 'steak on a loaf of pane with some fucking formaggio if he'd throw their America-hating asses out of line. I haven't been down to the Geno's – Pat's X in awhiles. But I've been there a few times. I don't recall anyone ever being thrown out of line, but maybe the new rule was enacted after I last went down there.
***UPDATE
And here's the YouTube.
May 30th, 2006 @ 4:26 pm
Well said! This is especially ridiculous in an area where people so often stick together around their own culture against "outsiders."
Don't ask for a wiz-wit anymore, just say "GIT R DONE!"
May 30th, 2006 @ 9:51 pm
The latest symptom of the "new jingoism" makes me more than a little sick. I got a chain email from a friend where 2 of the bullets were basically [1] learn English, you're in America, or get back on the boat and [2] We have in God in trust on our money, so that gives me the right to shove my God down your throat, and if you don't like it, leave. And for an encore saw this.
Is there no room for a learning curve anymore? Is there no understanding that educational opportunities for poor adults are scarce as is time, what with having to work many poor-as-shit paying jobs just to stay afloat? And that adults traditionally have a harder time learning a language than kids anyway? Or that American English sucks ass to learn (versus textbook french, say, with all that structured noun/verb/adjective/adverb placement)? And, perish forbid, a new alphabet on top of it (for immigrants not starting with a Romance language)
But alot of time the attitude is that the parents will strain themselves to stay afloat, and save the pressure to learn English and assimilate educationally on the kids, who ideally in turn help their parents navigate the world being in a foreign tongue. So, I can see being a little lazy on the part of the country or a company in willingness to produce multi-lingual materials, but see the market or governmental wisdom in allowing that some newbies need a little bit of a learning curve, that maybe providing a little fairness need not be an ordeal. Or at least, try to stifle the attitude if you are not willing to do so.
And all those signs that say basically – learn English or leave, but then have the signs in English – do these assholes really think the people who don't know the word for cheese can REALLY read the sign?
And I'll be relatively brief on the God stuff, but my agnostic ass is less offended for me personally than for the religious non-Christians. This may be because I have Jewish people in my family, but the unspoken assumption is "God = my Christian God" and even frequently more specific to subsects of Christianity sometimes (remembering some of the antiCatholic stuff [was pretty religious then] I got in college years in Western PA, where I learned from "real" christians that Catholics aren't christian). But I feel like if all these people were in a theocracy where the worship/focus was on some other God besides theirs, the tune would change a little there as well.
Back on the boat indeed. Assholes!
May 31st, 2006 @ 8:07 am
Geno's is off my list forever…what kind of thing is it that a newspaper would be happy to promote racism and jingoism? Craziness.
May 31st, 2006 @ 10:08 am
This is rare, but I'm not sure I agree with you here albert. I'm not anti-immigration in any way and I'm far from racist, but I do think that catering to second and third languages is not a great way to promote unity here in America.
One of my beliefs is that language differences (and this is across the world, not just here in the USA) cause us humans to consider others different more than skin tone and other psysical differences. My belief is that if we all (worldwide) speak the same language, we would all feel more similar to each other and work for peace and prosperity and unity more than we would otherwise.
In America, in a smaller sense I think this is the same argument. When I lived in New York, the neighborhood I was in was predominantly Latino and English was truely the second language there. Not one of those reisdents, nor their children were making any effort to learn english or, more importantly, trying to prosper outside of that neighborhood. I don't think for them, that's a very good thing.
It said in the article :
"He and other experts say that current immigrants are taking no longer to assimilate than Vento's grandfather did. Now, as then, English takes hold among the children of immigrants, and native languages disappear by the third generation."
… and I say, it doesn't have to be that way now. In todays world, we have so many more ways to teach people english (through tv, movies, media, schools, etc.) than we did in the early 1900's.
When I visit countires in europe I try my best not to speak english. I struggle and try to speak their language. It's not only courteous and repectful, but (until we enact a worldwide language) it's the best way to actually get customer service. That effort would be only amplified had I moved to another country.
Sure Joe Vento is being abrasive with his signs, etc. But I can't help but think that he feels the same as I do on this issue. I will say, however, that he is expressing it in a way that I never would. But we live in America and he's totally entitled to. Like Frank said above, you can totally boycot Geno's.
May 31st, 2006 @ 10:29 am
I'd like to add that the US is in the minority for being dominantly monolingual. Most countries of the world are (successfully) multilingual!
May 31st, 2006 @ 9:14 pm
Not that I ever learned a word of it, but I always liked the idea of esperanto – a common second language. Everyone would know their native tongue, but also have open communication with others. Utopian, I know. But that would help with alot of these issues.
But again, I feel like it never took off because [1] finding the time and energy of becoming bilingual on one's own time while balancing job & family seems like it'd be hard enough for middle class people, much less people struggling with mulitple jobs.
I also think something like that might be maximally effective if we could accept that we'd need 1 generation to get the kinks out and to concurrently start the training at grade school (age when easiest to learn language concepts)
June 1st, 2006 @ 10:58 am
Vento is one of the many Philadelphians who give this city a bad name. 99% of Philadelphians are very nice, friendly people but the 1% like Vento get all the press.
Whether it's a couple obnoxious fans booing Michael Irvin or Santa Claus, or Vento making tourists feel like crap by insulting them as they struggle to figure out whether they want their steak "wid" or "wid out" or the owner of Mama Palma's in Fitler Square acting openly hostile to non-whites who are trying to get a table, these – as you put it – fuckwads bring this great city down.
Instead of all the sisyphean protests grassroots progressives seem to be inclined to engage in, why don't some people arrange a rally outside of Geno's to protest his racists policies? Then the following weekend, you can head over to Mama Palma's and do the same.
June 10th, 2006 @ 5:12 pm
Dude, you are 100% right! Why should Spanish speakers have to use the word "cheesesteak"? I don't have to know any Spanish words to order at a Mexican restaurant.
Quesadilla, taco, burrito, enchilada, queso, nacho, jalapeno…those are all English words – aren't they?
June 12th, 2006 @ 9:24 pm
I'm going to have to side against you here. The whole concept behind these cheesesteak places is that you walk up, order your food, and get a bit of dockside attitude with it.
The assimilation of cultures today isn't happening like it did back in the 50's and on. It is quite easy to live in a country for years and survive while making no attempt at joining the existing culture. The ghettos that are created are less like the cultural centers of yesteryear, and more akin to a gated community that spurns all outsiders.
The 'speak english or no cheesesteak' schtick is just a base reaction to this sad trend. And when I visit Europe this winter, I'll do my best to order in the language of my host country.
June 13th, 2006 @ 4:38 pm
Natuurlijk moet u van mijn het posten in talen buiten het Engels eveneens houden; wordt verkeerd begrepen niet een zorg of een probleem als de cultuur en de diepte het doel zijn.
February 9th, 2007 @ 11:28 am
Go Joe. One of the last Americans to rage against illegal immigrantion. Psuedo-liberals with their liberal lexicon of tired, worn-out phrases such as "racisism," "jingoism," "imperialism" should try entering a country like Pananma or Mexico illegally. I've been to these countries many times. Try entering illegally and those governments will throw you into prison faster than Michael Moore can inhale a bag of Cheetos; and the south of the border inmates will pound your liberal gringo ass for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Hurray for Joe!
February 12th, 2007 @ 1:57 am
Come on next thing you know we will have to accept peso's as some places in Texas now do… Call me a racist but my family came here from Italy we assimilated and learned the languager. You just don't want to look like the bad guys.. stop playing nice, be realistic…
February 13th, 2007 @ 1:04 am
well, idiots will be idiots i guess…
nicki – do you really think that "racism" is a "worn-out" phrase? are you really that stupid? and why do you think it is so easy to cross the border here? are you for immediately sending out all 12M mexican immigrants? how about another 100M or so whose historic route into the US was likely an illegal one? [edited]
ipp – do you think it's just that poorer nations (canada included) accept the USD? maybe there should be a more universal currency. but fuck, i'm for local scripts [edited].