Shop owner: "this is america: when ordering, speak english"

Hi,

I agree with Oron. This sign is clearly a political statement and I find it offensive and embarrassing. It is a direct hit (insult) to any immigrant living in the country who does not speak perfect English. I think that he is wrong in thinking that a sign like that will not affect his business. I know what it is like to travel in the states and be treated differently just for having a slightly different accent and I personally would not buy from a store with a sign like that on the front door.

Both the question and the responses take an all or nothing approach. The answer is not simple so let me explain. When my grandparents came to America from Tzarist Russia they knew no English so they both went to night school to learn. Until they were fluent they stayed close to their neighborhood where almost everyone spoke English, Russian and Yiddish. If they had to deal with the authorities they took a reletive or good friend with them to translate. In a short time they and their contemporaries felt comfortable in English. Today I find that there is little need for new immigrants to speak English because signs, forms, etc. are in Spanish and therefore there is no pressing need to learn English. The syorekeeper should have been more tolerant and helpful and not so threatening to help newcomers adjust in their new home. There should be greater effort by the authorities to get newcomers to learn English.