would you get pissed ?

[rh71]

We were at a store and looking at a product. Some older lady comes up to us and tries to tell us about a better deal... but she stops halfway and says to us "do you speak English?" (we're Asian). It's not like we gave her a befuddled look or anything... my fiancee asked "why would you ask us that ?"... "it's insulting" ...

Would this be insulting to you if you don't look "native-English-speaking" and someone asked if you spoke English out of the blue ?

Just curious.

 

[TitanDiddly]

I wouldn't get pissed much, but only because I know some people are just ignorant like that.

 

[Deeko]

were you by chance speaking another language before she started to talk to you?

If yes, no. If no, yes.

 

[xSauronx]

i wouldnt get pissed, for all she knew you were visiting someone; at least she asked before she continued

lets say she meets some asian people tomorrow, doesnt bother to ask, they dont speak english, and miss out on a deal!

 

[rh71]

Originally posted by: Deeko
were you by chance speaking another language before she started to talk to you?

If yes, no. If no, yes.

Nope we even speak English to each other 99% of the time... the other 1% being when I want to be a smart@$$ to her.

 

[HappyPuppy]

It doesn't sound like she was being rude, in fact it sounds as though she was genuinely concerned. That doesn't make her ignorant either.

I don't know why you would be anything other than possibly amused. You got a thin skin or something?

 

[LongCoolMother]

i dont think id be pissed. slightly irritated? perhaps. but i dont think it'd be much of a problem for me. although i've never been asked that before (asians are like 30% population of the bay area :Q). but in the midwestern states (missouri) i wouldn't be as surprised, and i wouldn't be offended. hell, just bust out the pro english.

 

[Ryan]

I'd punch the bitch in the face, or at least have the girl who was with me do it

 

[wicktron]

Wouldn't get mad, I'd just laugh it up with whoever I was with and wonder why somebody would ask such a thing.
It'd make for a good conversation piece while bored sometime in the near future.

 

[PunDogg]

yeah i would be pissed

 

[FoBoT]

how would i know? i am a middle aged fat balding white guy

 

[LongCoolMother]

Originally posted by: HappyPuppy
It doesn't sound like she was being rude, in fact it sounds as though she was genuinely concerned. That doesn't make her ignorant either.

I don't know why you would be anything other than possibly amused. You got a thin skin or something?

i think he's just concerned of perhaps a...stereotype? that because he's asian, they assume he doesn't speak the language. although that does seem slightly oversensitive, i can see his reasoning. rh71, it's not much of an insult or anything imo. she most likely hadn't intended it be one either, sounds like she was just concerned.

 

[TheAudit]

She probably didn't mean it as an insult.
Still, if it were me, I'd pissed.

 

[bootymac]

I wouldn't be pissed. I little annoyed but I'd find it funny that people still think that way.

Heh, you should've replied in [your language], and then stop and ask if she speaks [your language]

 

[JoeMomma]

Yeah, I always get pissed at people who are trying to help me. Who the fock do they think they are???

The only language I know is English and sometimes people don't understand me. But that's because they are stupid.

 

[StageLeft]

She is a dumb dumb.

 

[TechnoKid]

I don't like it when TV stations subtitle or caption the words spoken by a person with an accent (take in example, the last joe millionaire program; the European ladies had an obvious accent, but it was not completely incoherent). I mean c'mon, they may be European accents, but they are more understandable then Nelly's accent! Our spoken english language is more butchered than a European person trying to speak english. To me, captioning a person just because they have an accent is like an insult of some sort, even though I'm just a viewer.

 

[Lager]

Stop being sensitive.

 

[BurnItDwn]

I would be like Jacky Chan in Rush Hour. It would be fun. And no, I would not be pissed.

 

[dighn]

har har

no

around here there are a lot of ppl who don't speak english so that would be a genuine question

 

[Compton]

I would've said something to her in a foreign language just to see how she would respond.

 

[sygyzy]

I would definitely be pissed. Ignorance abounds.

 

[TallBill]

I ask the mexicans at work if they speak english all the time, and dont really give a crap if they get insulted. Half of our guys dont speak a lick, and its ridiculous to try to get them to do something.

p.s. - i'm not really mad at them, but at our employer instead for hiring someone that i cant communicate too

p.p.s - this has nothing to do with asians or much else in this thread...

 

[MercenaryForHire]

I'd tell her to go fornicate vigorously with various woodland creatures.

In a foreign language, of course.

- M4H