Wednesday, May 05, 2010

Well, Grumble!

I don't like Marshall's. I had not been there before, but last night I ventured, on a costume hunt. It was about 8:00 PM, when one could expect the store to be winding down. There was not a smile on the face of any of the sales staff, and I overheard one supervisor, from behind her desk at the fitting room door, grilling a young salesperson about the state of her "area." There was a long line to check out, with only two registers out of five or six actually open. A mechanical voice prompted customers where to go: "Register 1 is now available. Please proceed to register 1." There was a supervisor lurking behind all the cashiers like a slave driver with a whip...he didn't open a register and get to work. Not his job, I guess. I probably won't go back.

I'm not particularly happy with Denny's, either. I went there, hoping for a salad. I sat there for at least 10 minutes with my stale coffee before a waitress got there...only two other customers in the place, and it still took that long? I liked the Fiesta Corn (fresh pico on it), but the dipping veggies included celery that was brown on the ends, and one of the cucumber slices in my salad looked as if it had seen better days. I asked for oil and vinegar for my salad, and the oil was borderline rancid. Not to self: when eating at Denny's, stick to breakfast!

And, what the hell is up with Arizona? Since their passage of draconian immigration legislation, which usurps Federal prerogatives, they have been working on a new law outlawing ethnic studies and teachers with accents. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/30/arizona-ethnic-studies-cl_n_558731.html. One of the talking heads last night said that 60% of the country is in favour of Arizona's first step into ethnic cleansing; I guess we'll have to see where Americans are willing to draw the line. How long till they have checkpoints at state borders, asking for papers before we even enter there? Will they ask me, or is it just for Latinos?

And the "Drill, Baby, Drill" crowd is still screaming its mantra, in spite of millions of gallons of oil spurting into the gulf from a mile under the surface that nobody seems to know how to stop.

We are going to hell in a hand basket. Pass the popcorn.

10 comments:

  1. Preach it sister! Those that speak English with an accent (other than English obv.), know at least one more language than I.

    Here in the NYC area, have completely overplayed this Muslim crap. He was stopped for God's sake, and his bomb was a joke!

    As for the Drill baby Drill crowd... As Bill Maher said, they should be helping the Gulf right now until this spill is contained, and when the prices of shrimp, crawfish (and a lot of other fish), as well as gas goes down until they chant again.

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  2. Hey Ronni! Sorry I haven't been around..lots going on here..and yes I posted again!

    OK, I am so going to agree with Melissa that its great to know other languages..my kudos to those who do!

    BUT..and here it is..sorry Ronni..I DO NOT AGREE with those with heavy forein accents should be in teaching positions other then teach that language..I don't care for that in a doctor either! I am sorry I sound predjudiced..but maybe I am a little,BUT I wouldn't want my kids to not be able to understand their teacher anymore then I want to not understand my doctor! I am not saying they should get out, but I am really tired of having to ASK for translation in my own country!
    I have had to deal with too many doctors this past two years just like that NOT to mention that they tend to be VERY judgemental towards women in general!
    And as for more immigrants coming here? I am sorry to say I kinda understand where they are coming from..too many of these people are taking the jobs away from those who were born and raised here..this is how I see it, sorry to disagree with you. This opinion of mine is based on stuff that has personally happened to me.
    And yes there are a lot of people I know that agree with this..I know, I KNOW, most of our families immigrated here at some point. BUT unlike those in question WE ALL LEARNED ENGLISH! we were founded on the english language,if they want to live here then they should learn it properly!
    OMG! I am so sorry to rant on about this Ronni..I guess you would have to be in my shoes to understand why I feel the way I do.

    I am sorry about Denny's nothing is worse then paying for a bad meal!

    as to Marshall's lol..I see that stuff All THE TIME AND THINK THE SAME THINGS!

    AND NO Ronni, they aren't going to ask you! you speak english clearly!
    it's not really the accent they are against..it's the improper use of english and the fact that you can't understand them when they do speak it.

    Ronni they took religion out of the schools..why shouldn't they take ethnic studies? I am not a religious person, but I was against them taking it away.
    Ethnic studies, shouldn't be in high schools, it should only be in colleges and be elective only, not required. It should be by choice. I also don't agree with kids being forced to take a language class, I don't mind it if they WANT it, just don't think it should be required.

    WOW, again sorry to go on and on..you just kinda hit a sore spot with me.

    I still luv ya!

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  3. It is kind of a sore spot with me, too, on the other side. could be influenced by two things: first, I live in a part of this country that used to belong to Mexico, and I am a first-generation immigrant.

    Many European immigrants took a couple of generations to learn English. Jim's mom's family spoke German in their homes from 1845, when they got here, until WW I. They lived in a predominately German community, and their birth and baptismal certificates, and marriage licenses are all in German. The Mexican families I know have all gone from no English at all to functional once the kids (born here) have been in school for a few years.

    As far as taking our jobs...I spent one summer doing yard work, and, as far as I'm concerned, anyone else who wants that job can have it. They work dangerous construction jobs and have a much higher rate of accident, due to the fact that they will work under conditions that Americans won't. Not can't, but WON'T.

    Everyone needs to be proud of where they came from, and ethnic studies help with that. Anglo kids need to learn a bit about Mexican history and African history...it helps them understand minorities in a way they might otherwise not.

    These guys in AZ want teachers of English as a Second Language to do it accent-free. Never mind that kids learn better from someone who has an accent like their own.

    I agree with you that people need to be understood, and anyone who immigrates here should be required to learn English, but they should be granted a couple of years to do so. Have you any idea how difficult English is to learn as a second language? It's so frustrating!

    They have not taken classes in Comparative Religion out of schools. It's stashed in Social Studies. They too prayer out of schools, which is a different thing. I support that, as it must have been demeaning for Jewish kids (for instance) to be forced to say The Lord's Prayer. I agree that removing (or attempting to) all traces of Christianity from government is a bad thing, as it is such an integral part of our culture. We cannot understand ourselves without knowing about it, even if we don't believe.

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  4. Ronni..who is really the minority?
    The white race is now as I see it..it is such a melting pot out there that I don't really believe that we need to call them minorities anymore..I am kinda tired of all the "help" that is given to those so called minorities,when the reality is everyone should be given the help, not just one race.
    as to the teacher thing..I understand what your saying,and I see what you mean about them being able to learn from someone who also speaks their language,BUT at some point when they grasp it better I think the need for a non-accented english teacher then arises..maybe I am wrong, but it's my opinion. I do agree about the prayer thing, but not about the pledge of allegiance..that NEVER should have been taken out no matter what!
    My ex husband's family were first generation immigrants, and so were my boyfriends..and they all learned to speak english very well,though the ex's mother still has an accent, you can very clearly understand her, and she never went to school here, her children taught her by bringing it home, as to the BF's family,both parents were canadian and french their first language..I didn't realize they even spoke french till I heard them..no accent at all. So I guess in the end it's really how well they are taught, and how bad they really want to learn. And I am not saying it doesn't take time to lean it..it is one of the hardest ones to learn. I just feel that some people in important positions shouldn't be there if they don't grasp the language...I had a indian doctor last year give me instructions that I actually had to ask the nurse if he really meant what he said! and she laughed and said NO he meant this, and told me what I really needed to know and then added he always messes up like that!..I'm sorry, but a mistake like that could end up hurting someone!( he had given me wrong medication directions!)
    I changed doctors after that..not to mention he yelled at me..and he wasn't the only one the second indian dr. was the same way! fortunately I have found a very well english speaking doctor now. It was very frustrating.
    Ok I can say your right about "SOME" etinic studies..I just don't think it should be a huge part. We are supposed to be AMERICANS..we came here to BE Americans..it was a choice, and with that choice it became a resposibility to LEARN english, no one made our families or anyone else come here.

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  5. We are all really one race (IMO), known euphemistically as "humans." Differences in skin are merely decoration. I agree that everyone needs a leg up once in a while, regardless of any other factors.

    We did not come here to subsume our origins. I tell people where I came from, and have never run into any problems because of it. Because I'm fair-skinned.

    Of course one should be able to understand one's doctor, and of course benefits such as welfare and food stamps should not be available to non-citizens. Last I heard, they weren't. When I was a single mother, and very broke, I got food stamps for my kids, but not for myself. The same went for Medicaid. I never applied for welfare, preferring to set an example of working, but I assume that would have been the same situation.

    And, for the record, I never saw anyone driving a Cadillac to get their food stamps.

    "Under God" was added to the Pledge of Allegiance during the anti-communist McCarthy era...sometime in the early 50s. The original authors of the Pledge did not include it.

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  6. Ronni, you are far more patient than I.

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  7. I have quite a few conservative friends, including Terri. Sometimes we just have to agree to disagree...

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  8. I guess you can say I'm a little conservative..not as much as I probably sound..there are just some things I have problems with.
    Sorry Melissa If I bothered you with my opinion.
    See, I know Ronni good enough now to know she will respect my opinion as much as I respect hers. Or I would not say what I have said.
    Ronni is a very wise woman IMO and I usually agree with what she says.
    BUT, if you lived where I live..you might see things the way I do on this subject. Sometimes our opinions are formed because of where we live or how we were brought up.
    as to the "cadillac" thing...You should see the cars some of them drive here who are on welfare...you would be shocked. The system is definately flawed thats's for sure. too many people get away with stuff here.
    I wish I had their cars..lol
    thanks for letting me voice my opinion..and thanks for being my friend. HUGS!

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  9. If you have pictures of the cars you envy being driven to the Welfare office, I'd love to see them. My broke, single-mom friend Priscilla drove a Caddy, back in the day. Her brother talked her into it. It was very old (cost $500), and pieces kept falling off it when we were driving around. People would come up to us in parking lots, carrying bits and saying, " Excuse me, but this just fell off your car." I guess you might find Caddies like that...

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  10. Don't know what happened there...that comment was mine.

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