« Administrators Are To Blame For Living Standards | GED Programs | BILL GATES MUST LEAD TENS OF MILLIONS TOWARD THE GED »
June 14, 2006
JOSPEPH VENTO: THIS IS AMERICA SO SPEAK ENGISH
By Profesor Martin N. Danenberg “El Quijote del GED”
I have walked into pizzerias in the New York where Italian is spoken by employees and customers. The English only rule is arbitrary and capricious in Joseph Vento’s restaurant. Are Vento’s Hispanic employees (if he has any) only allowed to speak in English? Where is real freedom of speech? Will he turn away a deaf mute who cannot order by speaking English? Or will he turn away only Hispanic deaf mutes because they cannot think in English?
People like Joseph Vento must learn that the world that Hispanics live in is not the same world that his Sicilian grandparents arrived in. America is different. Fortunately many Italians who appreciate the business of Hispanics communicate with them learning Spanish and or communicate with them in Italian and a bit of Spanish and English. That is the way it was done when all of the grandparents arrived here. Why change it now? My grandmother spoke Polish, Yiddish, and English in her small business. If Joseph Vento has not given Italians preferential treatment, that is not right.
THIS IS AMERICA: WHEN ORDERING “SPEAK ENGLISH”
According to the article, Vento only wants immigrants to speak English and he wants them to help themselves by learning English (I actually agree with him that this is important). He states that he is happy to help people order in English and has never turned anyone away who could not speak English. I wonder if he knows Italian and if he has ever helped people who used words like formaggio and uno, due, tre, cuatro, cinque instead of English. What bothers me is that he says he says he has never turned people away but next to the English only sign is the sign that management reserves the right to refuse service.
Hispanics are ready to sue if they see they have grounds and that is good. An Hispanic said she will keep going there to eat, too, according to the article. That is fine because it is not clear if Vento has done anything wrong. I would recommend that Mr. Vento put his money where his mouth is and set up class for English language instruction where his business is or, at the very least, provide written instructions for people. For example Hispanics can be taught the Ph= f the ll=l the ies=is ch=ch ee=i.
He may soon be sued in court and it may be determined that people were refused service by employees in cases he was not aware of and he will be opening himself up to liability. This goes on in restaurant cases around the country, even in cases where the restaurants lost and had to pay millions of dollars. . If it can be proven, though, that he has given Italian speaking customers preferred treatment, that may be the proof that Hispanics need to prove that the service has been biased and unequal and he will liable for legal costs and damages. He has made his bed and he must lie in it.
He may be a nice man, but he has probably not given this matter enough thought. Bilingualism is an intelligent way to conduct business. You will see instructions in two languages or more on packages all over the United States so workers receiving them will be sure what is inside. On a recent trip to Cancun, someone on the flight gave a middle aged man a cup with a word written on it which said c-a-b-a-l-l-e-r-o-s (sometimes a drawing of a caballero or man is drawn over a bathroom door), written with a pen. Apparently he had been waiting a long time for the lavatory and he did not know why he was given the cup. We Americans must wake up fast that other languages are important to business and life.
MARTIN N. DANENBERG
7 BLAZER DRIVE
ISLANDIA, NY 11749
GEDHOTLINE@AOL.COM
631-348-1341
www.geocities.com/gedhotline
www.ahorre.com/ged
www.ahorre.com/noticias
Ahorre June 14, 2006 05:50 PM