I'm Not A Racist, But..............Understanding Accents.

I've been struggling with a pretty serious issue lately, and issue I'm sure you yourself have had to deal with from time to time, and I think it's worth discussing. So, boom..threaded.


This thread is about people with heavy accents giving me the business...this is likely as far as most of you will get.

I find it hard sometimes to understand foreign people with thick accents, and said people always think I'm just an asshole, or a racist.

The other day I was in Subway, ordering a delicious five dollar footlong. I couldn't understand a damn word the bro was saying, so I ended up with a pretty basic sub, which pissed me off. I'm not one of those "you're in MY country, speak MY language type guys..since they went through the trouble of learning. It's just extremely fucking irritating a lot of the time. Whenever you're like "pardon?" they give you such a dirty fucking look.

I don't think that shit is fair, do you? I don't like being labeled a racist just because you have an accent.

Do you have any similar experiences?

Are you some guy with a thick accent nobody can understand, so you secretly assume their a racist, you dick?

Are you a noob, like Demo?

Let me know...bros.

I have an uncle who changes his own accent to go with wherever he is. All my cousins think it's the most embarassing thing ever.

Like, they went to Ireland a while back, so he starts speaking to all the people there with his dumb fake irish accent.

And when the go to the southern US he gets all drawly and Kentucky accented and stuff.

And if they go to like Boston or somewhere he starts to sound like Mark Whalberg in The Departed.

Shit's pretty funny, actually.

So, your uncle is Madonna?

Well, you lost me at delicious $5 foot long.

But, yeah, I understand where you're coming from. I guess I blame the whole industry (or industries), though. The employ these guys in jobs where they're going to have to speak English, and can't, just because they're cheap. It makes for bad business, all to save a few pennies. It frustrates you and the guy trying to give you what you've asked for.

So, yeah, I get it. The guy wants a job. He gets one and is happy for the money, but can't speak English (or, whatever). The manager keeps him on because he works for peanuts. You get shitty service because, well, the guy doesn't speak English. Not that he doesn't want to be helpful, just that there's a language barrier.

Then you mention the conundrum to your friends and they call you a racist.

It's what happens. Modern society can suck.

Quote:

Originally posted by Bank

Modern society can suck.

I got into a whole thing a few weeks back actually. I was with a lot of people, and these two bros were kissing outside. I was like "eww fags"..

Everyone lost their fucking minds.

"THAT WORD IS HATEFUL!!!"

Fine, I understand that. I have no problem in the world with gay people, but I don't like seeing bros kiss, it's gross to me. It's just a reaction. Sure, if those bros of a homosexual nature rolled on over and started beating the shit out of me, that's their option. But for everyone I was with to go crazy because I said that, kinda pissed me off a lot.

Then I got defensive and entered the "I'll say whatever the fuck I want, about whatever the fuck I want." phase of the confrontation and everything went more downhill. But yeah man, it's irritating how easily people get offended and upset about shit that doesn't concern them.

Quote:

Originally posted by Honda_X

But yeah man, it's irritating how easily people get offended and upset about shit that doesn't concern them.

That's exactly what people do.

I find that infuriating. There's nothing worse than someone dictating to you what you should be doing... even if they're right and you're wrong. It's condescending bullshit.

Then again, I'm one of those assholes that, when told by someone "not to use THAT word" (whatever it is), I'll use it all the time when they're around (even if I agree that it's offensive) because, you know, fuck them.

So, probably not the best person to get advice from on this one.

I don't particularly like to see straight people kiss and make out in public either, though.


I should be like, "Eww, heteros!"

Just, nobody wants to see you happy and making out while they're stuck in the middle of their mundane fucking day. Stop it you maker-outers!

I draw the line at a guy fucking his dog. Because how can that dog have consented?

[youtube]UiH4n8Yz380[/youtube]

Quote:

Originally posted by EricLindros

I don't particularly like to see straight people kiss and make out in public either, though.

I also don't much care for that...I think it all looks tacky.

Quote:

Originally posted by EricLindros

I should be like, "Eww, heteros!"

If you wanted too..

i just hate calling customer service anywhere and not being able to hear a fuckin word they fucking say, it pisses me off so much.

So, while on youtube I found a dude with an accent and talking about gays!

[youtube]7bKo6T76QXE[/youtube]

I like Ricky Gervais.

Also, I can understand about..1 in every 5 words my grandparents say.

We always try to talk, but they're old and shit so they can't hear...and they're basically straight out of a fucking Monty Python movie with their thick ass British accents.

So it quickly turns into a "what?"...."wait, what?" situation we all just avoid.

Also, my grandpa frequently tells me about when my cousins come and visit him, not knowing he's actually got them confused with me...so he tells me about how me and my lady friend visit him occasionally.

Like he tries to make me jelly of myself. "Well Michael has a nice girlfriend, and he always comes up and sees me." Sometimes I think he's just fucking trolling my ass.

Quote:

Originally posted by Honda_X

Also, my grandpa frequently tells me about when my cousins come and visit him, not knowing he's actually got them confused with me...so he tells me about how me and my lady friend visit him occasionally.

Like he tries to make me jelly of myself. "Well Michael has a nice girlfriend, and he always comes up and sees me." Sometimes I think he's just fucking trolling my ass.

that's awesome.

Yeah...it's a whole thing.

Quote:

Originally posted by Bank

Well, you lost me at delicious $5 foot long.

But, yeah, I understand where you're coming from. I guess I blame the whole industry (or industries), though. The employ these guys in jobs where they're going to have to speak English, and can't, just because they're cheap. It makes for bad business, all to save a few pennies. It frustrates you and the guy trying to give you what you've asked for.

So, yeah, I get it. The guy wants a job. He gets one and is happy for the money, but can't speak English (or, whatever). The manager keeps him on because he works for peanuts. You get shitty service because, well, the guy doesn't speak English. Not that he doesn't want to be helpful, just that there's a language barrier.

Then you mention the conundrum to your friends and they call you a racist.

It's what happens. Modern society can suck.

My two cents' worth:
These incidents occur in America, where English is the original and still the dominant language. A person from another land comes here for some of the same reasons millions have always come to America, gets a job in retail or food service where they will have a high level of vocal contact with mostly English-speaking people...they struggle with the nuances of English and speak it in a broken fashion, as well as having a decidedly foreign accent. Their customers can't understand them and frustration ensues, probably on both sides of the simple conversation... This situation occurs millions of times every day across America. I don't have a solution to suggest that wouldn't sound racist to some, but it seems to me that if you are going to work with English-speaking people, you have to get up to speed on how to communicate effectively in English. The employers are clearly culpable in this problem, because they hire and pay cheap, and don't really seem to care if customers are turned off by the whole language thing.
When I go to the local Wal-Mart, often I don't hear a word of English...and when I can find a clerk, they look at me like I have two heads, while fumbling with words I don't comprehend...and it's abundantly clear that they do not understand the words I'm speaking...
As cruel an' un-globalist as I'm sure it sounds, I can't help but have a bit of Teddy Roosevelt attitude about this, and simply say that if one is going to come to America, where English is the dominant language, then learn the language.
English is probably one of the easiest languages to learn of all the major languages around the world. If one absolutely cannot or will not learn to communicate effectively in the English language, they should realize they are in the wrong place and do something about it.

Lastly, I'd be lying if I said that it didn't bother me that too many people come to America thinking it's the promised land, and expect America and Americans to change and tolerate and accommodate to them as if they are back wherever they came from. I feel damned fortunate to have been born in America...I had nothing to do with it, but I feel very lucky indeed. What galls me is when people from other countries come here to live, but rather than assimilate into American culture, they fully expect and often demand that America and Americans will bend over backwards to accommodate them, be sensitive to them, respect and tolerate their often strange and different ways...but our ancestors built this country, not theirs. Our ancestors died for this country, not for theirs. Some of their ancestors and fellow countrymen have plotted and schemed to kill Americans...so don't condemn me if I rightly feel that they should - as TR said a century ago - 'Become an American and all that that entails...or go back to where you came from if you can't or won't - the door swings both ways.'

My worst experience was with Microsoft, more specifically my hotmail account I use to get on XBox live. For whatever reason I couldn't access my account so I call customer service to try and get my account password changed, or get them to reset my account, or whatever those wizards of the microprocessor can do, I'm not gonna drag this out like Honda would, so here is what happened, I call customer service and get someone from India that I can't understand, call goes bad real fast so I hang up and call again figuring what are the odds of getting someone else with to much of an accent for me to understand. I call 4 different times, all of which end the same way with me hanging up frustrated and wishing I could choke the people on the other end of the line. Needless to say, my account issues to this day are still not resolved...

I'm the same way, very hard time understanding people with thick accents. Other than having to ask them to repeat themselves I guess the worst part is having to retard the way I speak for them to understand me.

I work in the middle east and have had no success in learning Arabic, (been here for a while and know nothing, just useless at languages) I got so frustrated with the customer service people not understanding me that I now carry a card with the correct spelling of my name, mobile number and even email. Out here if you want to buy anything electrical or any type of service you need to give this info. When they speak to me I just take my time and try to understand them, most are really good but they have difficulty understand my London accent. What does piss me off is when i get back to the UK and they don't understand me. that really gets my blood boiling.

I agree with almost what you said about learning the language of the country you're planning to live and work in except this part :

Quote:

Originally posted by snoopy7666

Our ancestors died for this country, not for theirs. Some of their ancestors and fellow countrymen have plotted and schemed to kill Americans...

Your ancestors were from all over the world so you can't really say that generally speaking. Unless you're thinking about a specific ethnic group witch didn't take part in the "new world" invasion.
If I came to the US I could legitimately say that my ancestors could be the same as yours But you'd have trouble understanding that because my accent clearly sucks

On topic, I'm working on the phone so I get both cases where :

- my client have a thick accent and I have no problem asking him to repeat or saying I can't always understand because of its accent because that's just a fact. He has an accent, I have no problem with that but he shouldn't be pissed either if I can't understand everything as long as I'm not saying "hey you shouldn't be french because of your accent".

- some client call back and make me understand that he's glad I don't have an accent because he previously spoke to someone who had one. Thing is, I often know the collegue he's speaking of and 90% of the time he just have a minor accent, making me think this client is kind of racist (because everyone have an accent).

i rarely have issues with peoples accents, i live in a multicultural country where you get people from all the place....so you kinda get used to it.
Recently Costco openned up a few stores here in Australia, and for some hilarious reason, they brought alot of the overseas cheap labor over here, apparently we aussies demand high wages?? ..

anyways, i hate it when i go over there to get my bulk purchase of Coke Zero (yeah, thats right) i have to deal with some guy from north america somewhere trying to fit in and say 'G'day' every fucking time....thats just hilarious, the accents are so thick you dont know if theyre talking or drooling, but thats ok, theyre trying to fit in or whatever.....still funny though