carlo87
Ye Olde King of OT
Posts: 629
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Post by carlo87 on Nov 26, 2018 5:29:08 GMT -5
Funny situation at work for me. For those that don't know, here in the US it is generally illegal to prohibit your employees from speaking Spanish when it isn't a necessary job act or safety issue. So, you can demand they speak English for customer service, or when doing "official" work. You can't make employees speak English while on their break or when casually talking.
Well, a number employees at work have complained about a particular employee that chooses to speak Spanish on occasion. Mostly because he's Caucasian and learned to speak Spanish in the streets, so when speaking Spanish he uses a bit of slang and an awkward accent that apparently sounds "ghetto". Some of the workers (both Hispanic and White) have asked to have him reprimanded for this. I had to point out that he CAN'T be reprimanded, and the EEOC prevents the business from doing so.
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CommieCanUCK
Ye Olde King of OT
The poster formerly known as feeder
Posts: 979
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Post by CommieCanUCK on Nov 26, 2018 11:41:37 GMT -5
Imagine being so fragile that someone speaking another language triggers you and you have to run to authority for help.
Is the guy trying to use Spanish as a cover for swearing at co workers?
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Post by hatoflords on Nov 26, 2018 12:26:22 GMT -5
I once saw a three hour flame war in Elder Scrolls Online because someone said a word in German and someone else responded in German.
Que: "Speak engrish!"
"This is engrish server go back to eu."
"He can say whatever he wants."
"stfu"
etc etc etc
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Nov 26, 2018 14:31:04 GMT -5
"He uses a bit of slang", "sounds ghetto".
I wonder if there is more to this anecdotal story...
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carlo87
Ye Olde King of OT
Posts: 629
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Post by carlo87 on Nov 26, 2018 14:54:54 GMT -5
Does this guy swear in Spanish? Yes, yes he does. So do the Hispanic employees. English speakers swear in English, including the ones complaining. As long as it's neither in front of a customer, or as an attack against another employee, or excessive it's not even thought of as out of place.
The "big" complaint is that they think having a white boy speaking with a ghetto accent is insulting to Hispanics. Basically, he speaks Spanish, but doesn't do it nearly as fast or fluently as a total native speaker. Therefore he has more drawn out vowel sounds. Combine this with use of words like "eay" (Pronounced as a hard "A"), "Chico", "Vato, and "Que sho" make him almost sound like a Cheech and Chong skit. This is literally just the way he talks in Spanish though.
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Post by Hordini on Nov 28, 2018 23:31:03 GMT -5
The idea that some people seem to have that language has anything to do with race or ethnicity completely baffles me. Anyone can learn a language as a non-native speaker and your race or ethnicity doesn't determine your native language. There are loads of white native and non-native speakers of Spanish, just like there are plenty of non-white native and non-native speakers of languages like English and German.
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CommieCanUCK
Ye Olde King of OT
The poster formerly known as feeder
Posts: 979
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Post by CommieCanUCK on Nov 29, 2018 16:14:10 GMT -5
Somewhat tangentially: there's a few concepts that "my team" have latched onto that makes me shake my head, but "cultural appropriation" has to be the plain stupidest. Yes, of course American Apparel or whoever blatantly stealing Navajo artwork and using it to sell their fast fashion garbage is abhorrent, but when we've reached the point where we are shaming middle-schoolers for braiding corn rows I think we've lost the fucking plot.
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Post by hatoflords on Nov 29, 2018 16:22:35 GMT -5
Somewhat tangentially: there's a few concepts that "my team" have latched onto that makes me shake my head, but "cultural appropriation" has to be the plain stupidest. Yes, of course American Apparel or whoever blatantly stealing Navajo artwork and using it to sell their fast fashion garbage is abhorrent, but when we've reached the point where we are shaming middle-schoolers for braiding corn rows I think we've lost the fucking plot. I remember something like this from a year ago when some 11 year old in Utah or something learned how to perform a Japanese Tea Ceremony (and reportedly performed it very well for one so young), and a whole horde of stereotypical SJW's ran in and screamed "cultural appropriation" at the little girl who spent hours learning a very formal and procedurally intense ritual that earned her praise from several Japanese commenters who didn't seem that offended.
I have since added cultural appropriation to my list of highly nuanced concepts that the vast majority of people seem to lazy to bother understanding, and as such the phrase is best avoided if you want to actually get anywhere.
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semipotentwalrus
Ye Olde King of OT
A somewhat powerful marine mammal.
Posts: 980
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Post by semipotentwalrus on Dec 2, 2018 7:40:36 GMT -5
I have since added cultural appropriation to my list of highly nuanced concepts that the vast majority of people seem to lazy to bother understanding, and as such the phrase is best avoided if you want to actually get anywhere.
As a political scientist, there's a lot of those...
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Post by theauldgrump on Dec 27, 2018 10:55:44 GMT -5
Does this guy swear in Spanish? Yes, yes he does. So do the Hispanic employees. English speakers swear in English, including the ones complaining. As long as it's neither in front of a customer, or as an attack against another employee, or excessive it's not even thought of as out of place. The "big" complaint is that they think having a white boy speaking with a ghetto accent is insulting to Hispanics. Basically, he speaks Spanish, but doesn't do it nearly as fast or fluently as a total native speaker. Therefore he has more drawn out vowel sounds. Combine this with use of words like "eay" (Pronounced as a hard "A"), "Chico", "Vato, and "Que sho" make him almost sound like a Cheech and Chong skit. This is literally just the way he talks in Spanish though. Well, the old man swears, and the mate swears too, Leave her, Johnny, leave her! Oh, the sailors all swear, and so would you, And it's time for us to leave her
Leave her, Johnny, leave her! Oh, leave her, Johnny, leave her! For the voyage is done, And the winds don't blow, And it's time for us to leave her....
The Auld Grump
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Jan 20, 2019 20:51:32 GMT -5
Well, the old man swears, and the mate swears too, Leave her, Johnny, leave her! Oh, the sailors all swear, and so would you, And it's time for us to leave her
Leave her, Johnny, leave her! Oh, leave her, Johnny, leave her! For the voyage is done, And the winds don't blow, And it's time for us to leave her....
The Auld Grump
Is it bad that I know that song?
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Post by theauldgrump on Jan 22, 2019 20:04:22 GMT -5
Well, the old man swears, and the mate swears too, Leave her, Johnny, leave her! Oh, the sailors all swear, and so would you, And it's time for us to leave her
Leave her, Johnny, leave her! Oh, leave her, Johnny, leave her! For the voyage is done, And the winds don't blow, And it's time for us to leave her....
The Auld Grump
Is it bad that I know that song?
Not at all - I taught a dozen kids playing pirates in Pathfinder how to sing that song! 
*EDIT* Only tangentially connected - my wife has been learning how to swear in German. 
The Auld Grump
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dusa
Ye Olde King of OT
Posts: 555
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Post by dusa on Jan 22, 2019 20:35:55 GMT -5
Das löst mich aus!
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Post by laughingman on Jan 23, 2019 13:57:39 GMT -5
Is it bad that I know that song?
Not at all - I taught a dozen kids playing pirates in Pathfinder how to sing that song!
*EDIT* Only tangentially connected - my wife has been learning how to swear in German.
The Auld Grump
Lucky. I get stuck with the stupid goblin song. |
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