Illegal immigration has been a topic in heavy rotation in the news lately, some are asking for amnesty for illegal immigrants and some of us are yelling ?throw the bums out?. Now, there is a new volley in the anti-immigration buzz. In Philadelphia, my home town, Geno?s Steaks, a very popular cheesesteak restaurant located in south Philly has erected a sign that simply says ?This is AMERICA, WHEN ORDERING SPEAK ENGLISH!? So this begs the question has Geno?s gone too far?
I personally don?t have a problem with immigrants simply because America was built on the backs of immigrants. I do, however, have a problem with illegal immigration, the key word here is ?illegal?, no one should be allowed to sneak into a another country without proper documentation. For example, I can?t sneak into a bank one night and stay there until morning, then when the bank employees arrive they see me counting the money in the vault and when they call the police, I argue that since I?ve been in the bank all night, I am entitled to most of the money and even some employee benefits. You and I both know that I would get hauled off to jail, so fast that it would make your head spin.
Is a sign like the one at Geno?s fair to our non-English speaking residents, let?s look to France for the answer. In Paris, to be honest, you don?t need to speak French to get around. All the museums and other tourist attractions will have either guided tours or written guides in English. Where you might have more of a language problem is in the countryside. But even there, you still will be able to get around and have a great time. Most B & B owners at least have a limited English vocabulary, enough for them to understand that you want a room. So the urban legend that you have to speak French to get around in France is just that an urban legend.
I think restaurants should do what they can, within reason, to offer services to every person, even if they have a language barrier. Not catering to an individual because they are different is a step backwards in race relations. I will be visiting Mexico in July which will take me to Puerto Nuevo, Tijuana and Rosarita Beach, the truth be told, even if I don?t have a little knowledge of Spanish language, I can?t expect the residents to learn English, just so I can order food and they don?t expect me to learn Spanish. The truth is if you own a business, you never want to alienate any of your customers, every dollar counts. I know, I know, you?re probably wondering why we8there.com is only written in English, why don?t I have this site in every language? It?s very simple, I can?t afford to yet, but when I can afford to, you can bet we8there.com will be in every language available.