I fucking hate the "you assumed I don't speak your language because I'm white" content so fucking much.
First of all, the double standard. Anyone who's been an ESOL learner in an English speaking country knows what I'm talking about. Even if your grammar and usage is perfectly understandable, a bunch of crackers will laugh at you behind your back for having the slightest accent. Even if you don't, you have to deal with the delightful "compliment" of "wow, you don't even sound like <your ethnic group>!" But Mark Zuckerberg muddles his way through a mandarin interview with a hideous accent and everyone starts being amazed at how "fluent" he is.
Second, the only reason this shit even exists is because so many fucking white people live in these places and don't even bother trying to learn the language. If that wasn't the case, people wouldn't go around assuming that white people don't speak the language. You know what happens when you don't speak perfect English in an Anglo country? People call you racial slurs and tell you to "go back to your country". Whitey gets monetization, PoC get racism.
Lastly, there's always an element of belittling the PoC involved. At best its a sort of "haha, you're stupid for assuming". You've also got the "I've cracked your secret code, deceitful yellow person," angle. The absolute worst are the smug assholes who try to correct PoC on their own fucking language as if all English speakers adhere perfectly to textbook usage.
During COVID these assholes became somehow even more insufferable because they couldn't sexpat to their favored destinations so they started harassing immigrant communities in their home towns. I saw one asshole absolutely butcher trying to order food in Japanese at a Japanese restaurant in the US. When the waitress asked him to order in English he actually had the nerve to ask her "so you're not actually Japanese, are you?" Like he just cracked a massive illuminati conspiracy.
i saw an interview with some guy who worked for I think Olympus (the camera company) in some documentary about the corruption in the mid-2000s. Anyway he was a white guy who at least couldn't speak english, his interview was done in japanese. This guy should start a youtube channel where he goes to anglo countries and does "oh you thought i could speak the language but i actually can't!" content
I speak Spanish at a reasonably decent level and when my fellow mayos (especially family) find out they’re always like “that’s cool, now you’ll know if they’re talking shit in front of you” and I’m just like how are you behaving or treating people that you’re main concern is they’re talking about you 24/7
I mean at this point calling white people 鬼子 is so ingrained in my speech that I probably would want to make sure they don't know what I'm saying lol. It's not like I mean anything by it but its obviously got negative connotations.
so many fucking white people live in these places and don’t even bother trying to learn the language.
tbh, most (all?) of them aren't immigrants. they're just there to teach for a year or Barclays transferred them there, and then they go back home. hardly worth the investment of time to learn, particularly the murderously difficult Asian tonal languages. In cities like Shanghai or Beijing (or NYC) one can live quite a good life without ever learning the local language, or indeed interacting with the locals at all.
I feel you, but it helps to remember it's just a matter of exposure.
If you're a native English speaker, you can understand other Englishes pretty rapidly if you just hang around folks speaking that English or watch media with it
I love the Indianisms "please do the needful" and "prepone" its just so efficient. Like yeah please do what I asked/what is necessary. And prepone is just common sense, we have a postpone, why not prepone?
If there are places where there are more white tourists then residents, people would still assume a white person does not speak the language even if every resident did. Since they're more likely to be a tourist
I fucking hate the "you assumed I don't speak your language because I'm white" content so fucking much.
First of all, the double standard. Anyone who's been an ESOL learner in an English speaking country knows what I'm talking about. Even if your grammar and usage is perfectly understandable, a bunch of crackers will laugh at you behind your back for having the slightest accent. Even if you don't, you have to deal with the delightful "compliment" of "wow, you don't even sound like <your ethnic group>!" But Mark Zuckerberg muddles his way through a mandarin interview with a hideous accent and everyone starts being amazed at how "fluent" he is.
Second, the only reason this shit even exists is because so many fucking white people live in these places and don't even bother trying to learn the language. If that wasn't the case, people wouldn't go around assuming that white people don't speak the language. You know what happens when you don't speak perfect English in an Anglo country? People call you racial slurs and tell you to "go back to your country". Whitey gets monetization, PoC get racism.
Lastly, there's always an element of belittling the PoC involved. At best its a sort of "haha, you're stupid for assuming". You've also got the "I've cracked your secret code, deceitful yellow person," angle. The absolute worst are the smug assholes who try to correct PoC on their own fucking language as if all English speakers adhere perfectly to textbook usage.
During COVID these assholes became somehow even more insufferable because they couldn't sexpat to their favored destinations so they started harassing immigrant communities in their home towns. I saw one asshole absolutely butcher trying to order food in Japanese at a Japanese restaurant in the US. When the waitress asked him to order in English he actually had the nerve to ask her "so you're not actually Japanese, are you?" Like he just cracked a massive illuminati conspiracy.
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i saw an interview with some guy who worked for I think Olympus (the camera company) in some documentary about the corruption in the mid-2000s. Anyway he was a white guy who at least couldn't speak english, his interview was done in japanese. This guy should start a youtube channel where he goes to anglo countries and does "oh you thought i could speak the language but i actually can't!" content
Yeah you hit the nail on the head. Shit is so arrogant.
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I speak Spanish at a reasonably decent level and when my fellow mayos (especially family) find out they’re always like “that’s cool, now you’ll know if they’re talking shit in front of you” and I’m just like how are you behaving or treating people that you’re main concern is they’re talking about you 24/7
I mean at this point calling white people 鬼子 is so ingrained in my speech that I probably would want to make sure they don't know what I'm saying lol. It's not like I mean anything by it but its obviously got negative connotations.
tbh, most (all?) of them aren't immigrants. they're just there to teach for a year or Barclays transferred them there, and then they go back home. hardly worth the investment of time to learn, particularly the murderously difficult Asian tonal languages. In cities like Shanghai or Beijing (or NYC) one can live quite a good life without ever learning the local language, or indeed interacting with the locals at all.
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There are people who don't plan to live there long but pick up a few of the courtesy phrases just to get by.
On the other hand, there are people who have been living there decades who struggle to order a beer.
I can respect the former since they at least make an effort but there's sooooo fucking many of the latter that it's sad.
Been guilty of the same. It’s been years and I still struggle to understand English with an Indian accent.
I feel you, but it helps to remember it's just a matter of exposure.
If you're a native English speaker, you can understand other Englishes pretty rapidly if you just hang around folks speaking that English or watch media with it
You’re right, I should talk to them more often.
I love the Indianisms "please do the needful" and "prepone" its just so efficient. Like yeah please do what I asked/what is necessary. And prepone is just common sense, we have a postpone, why not prepone?
If there are places where there are more white tourists then residents, people would still assume a white person does not speak the language even if every resident did. Since they're more likely to be a tourist
white guy: i hope she likes that im ordering in japanese
cashier: oh god HE STINKS!