Richmond bus shelter ads fuel language debate

[Yodamaster]

Originally Posted by bobbinka

I dont know about you, but when I hold the door open for someone it's because I don't want the door to hit them in the face, not because I want him/her to say "thank you" nor do I expect one... cause really, it doesn't matter.

Yes, it's a cultural issue, but people dont just step off a plane and BAM become "more canadian" and start doing things the way we do them. If we keep doing nice things (because that's Canadian) for these people, eventually they'll pick up on it and start doing it too. This is how we help them adapt and adjust to us.

Please and thank you is taught in preschool, it's a verbal gesture that most often accompanies a positive physical one. I open the door for people regardless, what they do about it is extra and/or part of the puzzle that I sometimes put together.

Canadian hospitality is equal to lines on a road when it comes to adoption of knowledge and practice of that knowledge, I specifically quoted this when I mentioned that second generation Canadians are often much more in tune than first generation immigrants.

[Noir]

Originally Posted by bobbinka

You guys do realize that this country was founded based on two foreign populations (british and french) arriving, plotting their english and french stuff everywhere, taking over land, and calling it their own place, right?

People feel so entitled to everything, that everyone and everything needs to cater to them. -"I live in Canada, I shouldn't have to put up with this or that". -"That sign that is completely irrelevant to me is in a different language, I don't want to see that shit".

Do you get mad when the couple standing next to you on the bus, or sitting at the table next to you, are speaking another language? If you don't, then why should this be any different? Just as you have a choice not to pay attention to the conversation that you don't understand, you have a choice not to keep staring at a sign you don't understand. If it does bother you, please share with us why its so "disrespectful". What exactly are they disrespecting? I guess it's possible they're making fun of your insecurity, but then so could anyone else in any language or form.

Do you know what I do when I see a sign I can't read? I move the hell on with my life. The world continues to revolve. Things don't stay the same forever. Those of you saying "i would never go to Richmond b/c of this and that", you might as well just move out of Vancouver cause we all know more and more immigrants will continue to come here. It'll be a win-win for everyone.

Are you kidding me? You're going to use the "entitlement" argument? I mean c'mon. Is it that audacious for Canadians to feel entitled within their own country?

And seriously, if we're talking about the Chinese commmunity, I think they should be the last to be able to throw up an "entitlement" argument.

- Canada decides to discontinue a certain Visa program, sue the gov't of Canada

- What? McDonalds does not have a mandatory Chinese speaking employee? Accuse them of human rights violation.

Good to see you have to go all the way back to the colonial era to justify your argument in today's context.

Originally Posted by Ulic Qel-Droma

richmond is only foreign to people that are uncultured and grew up sheltered in their own little bubbles.

No.

Originally Posted by Manic!

Maybe that's because you live in a place full of foreigner's. Same stuff happens in towns full of white people. Right down the street form were a I live there is a no u turn sign and guess what people still make u turns.

I am sorry you were but hurt because someone did not say thank you. so here:

Thank You Thank You Thank You Thank You Thank You Thank You Thank You Thank You Thank You Thank You Thank You Thank You Thank You Thank You Thank You Thank You Thank You Thank You Thank You Thank You Thank You Thank You Thank You Thank You Thank You Thank You Thank You Thank You Thank You Thank You Thank You Thank You Thank You Thank You Thank You Thank You Thank You Thank You Thank You Thank You Thank You Thank You Thank You Thank You Thank You Thank You Thank You Thank YouThank You Thank You Thank You Thank You Thank You Thank You Thank You Thank YouThank You Thank You Thank You Thank YouThank You Thank You Thank You Thank YouThank You Thank You Thank You Thank YouThank You Thank You Thank You Thank You Thank You Thank You Thank You Thank You Thank You Thank You Thank You Thank You

That should cover you for a year. Let me know if you need more.

Man, you're just being a dick.





Honestly, this thread just re-affirms a lot of the negative stereotype hovering around the Chinese community. You can write essays why you think this is just, you can go back to our ancestral history to justify your stance, but this has nothing to do with "bowing down to the west" or "who was here first, vs who is majority now" argument.

This is about ability to exist cohesively when sharing the same living space; and it's not going to happen if one party is going to continue neglecting consideration for the other. This goes both ways, from Canadians to the Chinese or as being discussed right now, the reverse.

[Manic!]

Is this what you want Canada to be? Quebec language cops say there is too much Italian on Italian restaurant?s menu | Toronto Star

[Yodamaster]

Originally Posted by Manic!

Is this what you want Canada to be? Quebec language cops say there is too much Italian on Italian restaurant?s menu | Toronto Star

"For example, the agency says “bottiglia,” which is Italian for bottle, should be “bouteille” on the wine list. Using “calamari” instead of the French word for squid is also a little fishy."

I wouldn't recognize what "bottiglia" was unless there was a picture or list of commonly recognizable wines under it, the calamari is just the french being picky, they know exactly what it means, as does the rest of the world.

Anton's does a good job of describing what they are serving under the Italian name for the dish. I've been to asian restaurants locally where I could not discern what was what, since there was no english description under the name of the dish.

[RFlush]

Originally Posted by MarkyMark

Is 18 the cut off where people think they are too old to learn something new?

To answer your question no I haven't, but let me ask you one as well. Would you have no desire to learn the language of the country you plan to spend your life in, regardless of age?

If I moved somewhere new and all I did was live in a part of the city where they speak English, I'd feel like I'm cheating myself and missing out on what this new place has to offer. I honestly do believe anyone who moves somewhere and just coasts along trying to get by on their old habits is just lazy and ignorant.

I'd be embarrassed at myself, which is how I feel for immigrants who have been here for years and still don't speak a lick of English.
Posted via RS Mobile

I stated 18 because at that age, you are probably finished high school and entering university or joining the work force. In High school, there are programs for foreigners to learn English. In university abroad, most likely you will take all your classes in English as there is no way you can take any classes in the local language with 0 knowledge of the language. If you are working, most likely you will be working at an English speaking job.

A lot of people here talk big, as in saying "people should learn the local language within a minimum of 3 years" etc. But I guess not many people could answer my original question of 'how many of you have moved abroad?'. You think it's as simple as just moving and bam, you are immersed in the local culture? You guys are dreaming! There is a reason why there are expat communities around and foreigners sticking together. I have known people in many asian countries who cannot speak the local language at all. Even myself I can't read/write in Chinese while I am in HK and my cantonese is at a basic conversation level. So I am basically the same as a mainlander in Vancouver (Although, yes I know, HK still has English as an official language but let's be real here).

You guys who were born and lived in Vancouver your whole life really have no clue how it is like outside of Canada. Traveling for 2 weeks somewhere does not count either.


Now, I am not saying this is right. I do agree to some extent that people should know the local language. All I am saying, its not as easy as many of you think it is.

[bobbinka]

Originally Posted by Noir

Are you kidding me? You're going to use the "entitlement" argument? I mean c'mon. Is it that audacious for Canadians to feel entitled within their own country?

And seriously, if we're talking about the Chinese commmunity, I think they should be the last to be able to throw up an "entitlement" argument.

The Chinese lady suing Mcdonalds, the white lady that wants the signs taken down.... They're all Canadian citizens. And it's all just as stupid. I'm not saying it's okay for one to feel entitled and the other not to.

Good to see you have to go all the way back to the colonial era to justify your argument in today's context.

The point is that our country was formed with a population of vast differences (british, french, and the native indians). We then became the place where people of ALL different cultures came. We are proud of our multiculturalism.

This is about ability to exist cohesively when sharing the same living space; and it's not going to happen if one party is going to continue neglecting consideration for the other. This goes both ways, from Canadians to the Chinese or as being discussed right now, the reverse.

I absolutely agree with that. Except all of this over a sign is just stupid, hence the entitlement argument.

[ae101]

Originally Posted by Yodamaster

"For example, the agency says “bottiglia,” which is Italian for bottle, should be “bouteille” on the wine list. Using “calamari” instead of the French word for squid is also a little fishy."

I wouldn't recognize what "bottiglia" was unless there was a picture or list of commonly recognizable wines under it, the calamari is just the french being picky, they know exactly what it means, as does the rest of the world.

Anton's does a good job of describing what they are serving under the Italian name for the dish. I've been to asian restaurants locally where I could not discern what was what, since there was no english description under the name of the dish.

if there is no english then im pretty should they know that a non-chinese person would not want to eat this dish, like cows penis or pigs intestines or other animal organs

or they just cant come out up with a name & ingredients list is just way too long lol

if a chinese books store just sells chineses books, would they really need english signs ? what are the chances of u (non chinese reading person) going to the books store to get a chinese book? .........unless if was chinese porno mag lol but im sure u non chinese reading folks wont be going there either to get chinese porno lol

i know in restaurants yes, but some chinese food courts.........i dont really care as some chinese food courts are always empty & u rarely see chinese ppl there let alone non-chinese person

yes this is coming from a chinese guy thats 25yrs old & has been in richmond since 94 that sometimes cant even do english properly, let alone read chinese lol

[ae101]

Originally Posted by RFlush

I stated 18 because at that age, you are probably finished high school and entering university or joining the work force. In High school, there are programs for foreigners to learn English. In university abroad, most likely you will take all your classes in English as there is no way you can take any classes in the local language with 0 knowledge of the language. If you are working, most likely you will be working at an English speaking job.

A lot of people here talk big, as in saying "people should learn the local language within a minimum of 3 years" etc. But I guess not many people could answer my original question of 'how many of you have moved abroad?'. You think it's as simple as just moving and bam, you are immersed in the local culture? You guys are dreaming! There is a reason why there are expat communities around and foreigners sticking together. I have known people in many asian countries who cannot speak the local language at all. Even myself I can't read/write in Chinese while I am in HK and my cantonese is at a basic conversation level. So I am basically the same as a mainlander in Vancouver (Although, yes I know, HK still has English as an official language but let's be real here).

You guys who were born and lived in Vancouver your whole life really have no clue how it is like outside of Canada. Traveling for 2 weeks somewhere does not count either.


Now, I am not saying this is right. I do agree to some extent that people should know the local language. All I am saying, its not as easy as many of you think it is.

thats true, when i was a kid i saw my mom struggle with english, she cried almost every night after me & my sister went to sleep which some how cause her to get depression for a bit & my dad was never around most of the time

[Ulic Qel-Droma]

well obviously there is a divide on this subject.

there's them, and then there's everyone else including every level of the government of canada.

I don't think we really need to argue. the world agrees with us.



like Rflush and I have said many times, you guys should go travel, see the world and more importantly live somewhere completely foreign, and hopefully come to a realisation on how things actually work.

[stewie]

Originally Posted by Ulic Qel-Droma

well obviously there is a divide on this subject.

there's them, and then there's everyone else including every level of the government of canada.

I don't think we really need to argue. the world agrees with us.



like Rflush and I have said many times, you guys should go travel, see the world and more importantly live somewhere completely foreign, and hopefully come to a realisation on how things actually work.

this isn't about us travelling. I do not wish to live elsewhere, I wish to live here, in Canada, where English and French are the official languages. I do not give a crap if they have "Western town" in china or anywhere else in the world. this is Canada...national language = English and French...
how is that such a hard concept to grasp?

heres an article from 2 years ago.

why Chinese only signs aren't good for canada

the world doesn't agree with you. some people do, just as some people agree with us. set up a Canadian poll asking "should signs in Canada have languages other than English or French", im not saying have no foreign languages, but to at least have English/French on the sign somewhere. just a simple yes or no poll. what do you think the outcome would be?

alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba are have a bunch of rednecks and farmers so we already know how that will turn out...we know what quebec will say...the only 2 that might actually have a decent amount of positive votes to allow it would be BC, and probably Ontario. ive been to NS, all I met there were racist fishermen. PEI and NFL im guessing would vote in favor of English/French.

for those who are saying its perfectly fine, would you mind saying what your ethnic background is? I just want to see if this is a white people hate foreign signs, whereas foreigners say they're fine, kinda thing goin on here.

me, im against having signs with no English/French (as you can clearly tell), im half Scottish half Italian. I speak English at home, took French from grade 4 - grade 10...haven't had to use it much other than when my girlfriend wants to be a prick and only try to converse with me in it, and Im currently learning Italian. upon finishing my Italian courses im planning on taking either Russian or Portuguese. ive no intentions of ever living abroad, but I guess in 20 years living here will basically be living abroad.

[ProBoostin]

When I visited Italy in the summer, everyone that lived there spoke Italian. And using Chinese people as an example as is the topic of this thread is, there are 300,000 of them there, and of the one's that I saw, spoke Italian. It's very odd hearing Italian spoke with a Chinese accent tho, signalling they are immigrants. Nevertheless, I never once saw a sign for a Chinese store with just Chinese characters. Most didnt even have Chinese on them at all.

I didn't have a good enough vocabulary to have a conversation when I went, but after a month of trying and translating words and phrases and trying to talk to relatives, I'm sure I would have been able to have a conversation within a few months. Learning a new language in not as difficult as it seems. You actaully have to try for starters and if you are constantly around people that only speak it and have one or two people that can translate for you, picking up a language isn't so bad. Out of the 100 or so family members I met, I think only 10 of them could speak English so I had to try to learn Italian to talk to the rest.

New immigrants think everything will be handed to them. Go back 50 years ago and immigrants came here with not much or nothing at all. They busted their asses off to make a little money and tried to assimilate so it would make it easier for them to provide for their family. My grandfather was a real FOB as he actaully came here on a boat. He worked on the railway and in an asbestos mine. Those conditions teach you how to survive, stick up for yourself, not take shit from others, and be street smart where none of today's immigrants would last. Now immigrants (mainly Asian) just wire money from overseas, declare low-income, live in million dollar plus houses and drive upper tier cars.

Europeans, especially Italian's, don't give a fuck if you think they are racist. There was a story that when a black female politician walked into parliament, people started making monkey noises at her. Another news story was 2 black men raped a white women and the response to the same black female politician was, "how would you like it if we raped you?" Of course they are polite and welcoming to travellers, but if you try to infringe on their culture, good luck to you.

There's no leniency there and they're not afraid to voice their opinions. If you don't like it, then leave. If not, you better learn the language and culture or more shit is coming. Everyone has it pretty good in Canada and society is pretty lenient on immigrants. It's not hard to at least make an effort to assimilate.

[snails]

Originally Posted by stewie

this isn't about us travelling. I do not wish to live elsewhere, I wish to live here, in Canada, where English and French are the official languages. I do not give a crap if they have "Western town" in china or anywhere else in the world. this is Canada...national language = English and French...
how is that such a hard concept to grasp?

i quotes this for people to read again. its simple. these are the languages. they need to be present in PUBLIC ads or any form or signage. thats not to say other languages cant be there for the obvious majority. but to exclude English is a problem in CANADA where ENGLISH IS THE MAIN LANGUAGE.

if i decided to move to another country that is clearly my choice. i would be a guest in someone elses country and would adapt to them. i guess thats just the way my parents raised me, to be respectful and not entitled just for the sake of being entitled.

people work very hard to get into this country. so too have the mentality "i do what i want" is pretty shitty considering many others would take their place and do it in a more respectful fashion

[Ulic Qel-Droma]

you guys still think all of canada adhere's to your values.

when they landed here, they discovered richmond, which was very chinese already.

to them, that is a part of canada. and to them, they found this awesome place in a foreign land, where they could settle down and feel at home.

they didn't change jack shit. it was already like that to begin with. they only further advanced what it was... richmond DID NOT CHANGE. it only became fully more what it was destined to be.

the national language is english and french, therefore all national documents are in english and french. that's it.

this is a municipality. a smaller sub section of canada. and it's dominated by other cultures and ethnicities. the official documents here are still english.

the people are not. therefore the environment wont be.

it's as simple as that man.

you can't FORCE people to be you. the moment you start doing that, you're asking for war.

the best you can do is, just get along.

what you're clinging to is... pathetic.


you guys are like... kids in a playground.... kids playing everyday... and then suddenly some new kids come, and the dynamics of the playground change forever... and now they're crying and bitching and trying to make the new kids play THEIR way.

guess what buddy. just like you guys experienced in elementary school, you're experiencing it again. except the adult version.

and just like in elementary school, shit ain't gonna go back to what it was. there are new players. and the people make the rules of the playground. and there's more of them than you. the end.

I'm sure if the law demanded them to add english, they would. but guess what... the law doesn't. and the mayor of richmond is super cozy with the asians. and the asians have an exponentially strong influence on the city through numbers and money.

what you gonna do... pull the plug on the cash flow? tell the mayor he's an idiot?

i duno, but i dont think you guys have an argument that enough people will listen to.

playgrounds change, you can't make people change or leave... but you can leave and find a new one if you're unable to adapt. that's the way it's always been, and always will be.


I don't like downtown east side, cuz it feels skiddish and people loiter around acting all sketchy. everything looks run down and ghetto. it feels very not canadian. in fact it feels very not anything. it just feels like a fucking ghetto. I don't like it. when i'm there it feels like i'm totally not welcome. it feels like everyone is out to get me. it feels like i'm losing my culture when im around those people. I think they should make a law so those people should dress better and stop doing what they do. their culture is degrading our pure canadian image. why don't we just get rid of them? whey don't we make a law where they have to all learn proper etiquette?

ya see where i'm going with this.
you can't. cuz they won't change. and you can't force them to. the only way you deal with it, is you deal with it.

[Lomac]

Originally Posted by Ulic Qel-Droma

you guys still think all of canada adhere's to your values.

when they landed here, they discovered richmond, which was very chinese already.

to them, that is a part of canada. and to them, they found this awesome place in a foreign land, where they could settle down and feel at home.

they didn't change jack shit. it was already like that to begin with. they only further advanced what it was... richmond DID NOT CHANGE. it only became fully more what it was destined to be.

Richmond has only changed from being a predominantly white town to one with a majority of Asian descent in only the last 20 or so years. Considering Richmond has been around since the 1860's and that until recently it was a fishing and farming town, I wouldn't exactly say that Richmond was always like how it is now...

[Ulic Qel-Droma]

yeah and canada in the 1600's was full of animals and natives.

and a millions of years ago it was dinosaurs.

what's your point man... things change. and within our lifetimes, you could already see the direction of richmond since the early 90's.

and your avatar is totally too wide dude. lol. by did not change, i don't mean some crazy radical change that was totally unexpected. just like people don't change. things only become fully more what they really are. they mature into their real selves. and richmond, the past 20 years was in it's "teens"... and you could FULLY see the direction it was going. just like in surrey you could FULLY see the direction it was going. it wasn't gonna become japan town or something. it's full of east indians, and anyone coulda predicted that. it's not a surprise man. that's all im saying.

[RFlush]

Originally Posted by stewie

for those who are saying its perfectly fine, would you mind saying what your ethnic background is? I just want to see if this is a white people hate foreign signs, whereas foreigners say they're fine, kinda thing goin on here.

Right there shows how you still think an in old style way. What does ethnic background have to do with anything? 'white people hate foreign signs'? When does 'white' refer to local and to that aspect, 'non white' mean foreign?

People can come from all parts of the world and be 100% Canadian, not just 'white people'.

[Noir]

Originally Posted by Ulic Qel-Droma

well obviously there is a divide on this subject.

there's them, and then there's everyone else including every level of the government of canada.

I don't think we really need to argue. the world agrees with us.



like Rflush and I have said many times, you guys should go travel, see the world and more importantly live somewhere completely foreign, and hopefully come to a realisation on how things actually work.

Dude, I've travelled, lived and worked abroad. That's not how things work.

Maybe the reason why you think this is how things work around the world is because... I don't know, maybe you're Chinese? and I guess this is pretty much a normal Chinese thing to do in any country they immigrate to?



FYI, in response to RFlush's query, I lived and worked for a short period of my life in Japan; and in that time, I had various foreign friends from places like Canada, USA, Australia, etc with various living situations from Working Holiday to Permanent Residence. Speaking of those other people, that is not how the world works.






It's starting to look arrogant that just because this is how you guys do it, therefore this is how the world works?

[stewie]

So we're to bend over and be your bitch cause you're the new player in the playground?
Not a chance in hell. Not sure what kind of playground you grew up on, but it sure the heck ain't the kind I did.

New players, correct. lots of those new players are the ones who are now standing up saying enough is enough, only to have the other side bitch and say it's been this way since we moved here so it should be allowed to stay, after all, it's only "advancing what was already there". Hate to break it to you, but that advancing was quite a significant change in the city.

But you actually can make the kid in the playground leave. Obviously you never got into a fight as a kid over who owns the playground, or when strange kids randomly showed up at your fort/tree houses in the woods. Luckily for me I know first hand, I grew up right beside a giant wooded area. Me and my friends had a fort that we were given to from a friends big brother since him and his friends grew to old to be playing games. Throw a few punches and the strangers would leave. If they decided to return with friends, tables turn, we take a beating and gather more of our friends to head right back there and take back what was ours.

Put the mayor infront of me, gimme 20 minutes, let me call a few friends and I'll have 100 people standing infront of the mayor wanting to voice their opinions.
Maybe it's time a new mayor stepped up to the plate. One with some balls.

The only reason everyone I know doesn't say things in public is cause the second it's brought up, "oh he's white, he can't say that! It's racist"

If were living together, we need to communicate as a whole so we can all get along, not branch off and push ourselves away from each other.

I love to voice myself though...maybe it's the Italian in me...if all the main posters in this thread would like to go for a beer and have a friendly talk I'd gladly go and you'd see that I'm not speaking out of anger with what I say(despite me calling people assholes/douche bags).
We'd have a perfect chance to take turns saying what we want to say. Basically everything in this thread would be covered before drinking half a pint..
But if not, I'm just going to stop posting here, because to me, those in favor of the signs are stubborn self entitled assholes who jump on the phrase "freedom of speech" to get their way and change an entire country into a replica of a different country. I'm using my freedom of speech just as you do, you don't agree with me and I don't agree with you. It's not going to change, you have your views and we have ours. Throwing analogys out there to compare dtes is a waste of time cause there'll always be one to say right back at the other person. So it's been fun, but ya know, with me being racist and all for taking pride in my country while living in my country is wrong, then I better stop now before I write something that will offend you guys and have you cry.
Posted via RS Mobile

[RFlush]

Originally Posted by Noir

FYI, in response to RFlush's query, I lived and worked for a short period of my life in Japan; and in that time, I had various foreign friends from places like Canada, USA, Australia, etc with various living situations from Working Holiday to Permanent Residence. Speaking of those other people, that is not how the world works.

Ok fair enough. So just curious, after living in Japan, are you now able to read write Japanese? Speak near fluency? Assuming you had no prior education in Japanese. Also why did you move there then back to Vancouver? Genuinely curious.
Posted via RS Mobile

[Manic!]

Every time a new wave of immigrants come in we here the same B.S.

Stewie This is for you:

This sign appeared in post offices and in government buildings during World War II


Harsh anti-Italian immigrant editorial cartoon, 1888

[Noir]

Originally Posted by RFlush

Ok fair enough. So just curious, after living in Japan, are you now able to read write Japanese? Speak near fluency? Assuming you had no prior education in Japanese. Also why did you move there then back to Vancouver? Genuinely curious.
Posted via RS Mobile

It's all good.

I read and write hiragana + katakana to this day and along with limited Kanji. No not fluent. Came back here because i make more money here, but it looks like the wife wants to relocate back to Japan so that may possibly change again soon.
Posted via RS Mobile

[RFlush]

Did you have any Japanese language knowledge prior or did you go to Japan with no communication skills? Also how long were you there for and did you hang out with mostly locals or other foreigners?
Posted via RS Mobile

[Mr.HappySilp]

Originally Posted by Manic!

Great way to hurt the economy and alienate voters by forcing English and French only tests for a learners. FYI you don't have to be able to read English to be able to drive.

Ever see those teach English abroad ads in the paper? Guess what they don't care if you can speak their language and they will even give you a drivers licence too without speaking their language. All this talk about they should learn English before they come to Canada is B.S. Lots of Canadians including at least one RS member are teaching abroad without being fluent in that countries main language.


If cable goes all Chinese it's because that's what the market wants and we live in a free market society. Do you think I like shows like Honey Boo Boo and the desperate housewives? No but it's there right to produce all these crappy reality shows.

Just stop. All the roads signs in Vancouver is in English. So tell me Mr.Genius
how this help a person if we allow them to take the test in Chinese and that person have no English reading skills? Do you know how dangerous that can be? What will happen if they get into a car accident? How will they communicate? You do know that not everyone who got into an accident with them will be Chinese right? You do know that not all officers who arrive on will speak Chinese right?

Guess what? My parents haven't even finish elementary school in China/Hong Kong yet they can communicate in simple English no problem. That's because they actively try to learn and be part of the community. Sure sometimes it may take them a while to get their point across but I can tell you that most people who spoke to them actually are very nice and respect them. Is actually a lot more respectful then to speak simple English then just keep saying "Me no English me Want Chinese".

[Ulic Qel-Droma]

lol all im saying is, despite all your guys's crazy examples of... car accidents.. cant speak english... something else... cant speak english... dangers... what are we gonna do when ... cant speak english... all of you guys are either bringing up issues of them "destroying your culture" (not legit, cuz it's all our culture... your way of life is just yours... not all canadians).
or being hella paranoid like CiC and mentioning dangers of not being able to speak english... YEAH HELLA PARANOID LIKE CiC ok. not speaking english, so when something goes wrong... omg the worlds gonna end. wtf.


it's been happening here for over 20 years. people have just got along fine.

being able to communicate in one language hasn't been an issue for the majority of people... ever.

there really is no issue with the language.

the only issue is a few people's "feelings" toward their environment changing because of the people that are here now. that's it.

and for noir... no i'm not "chinese". i'm "taiwanese".... lol... if that makes any difference. and i was born here. mom moved here like 30 years ago, and my dad like 47 years ago....

I make fun of my mom everyday for her broken english. she has a fob accent and still cant pronounce some words properly, and her grammar stinks. i mock her every time she speaks to me (in english).

like i said it's not just chinese. I WISH there was place where there were only japanese signs and a buncha japanese people doing really japanese things. same goes for brown, and any other race.

what the fuck is wrong with you guys? do you not enjoy diversity? If there were parts of town where it was like another country, i'd be there all the time checking shit out. finding stores with unique items, and trying to barter with the people there with hand signs and my goggle phone and pointing at shit.

I WISH there were more richmonds. all over the place. but not just chinese. a hardcore italian town. a hardcore persian town, hardcore hispanic part of town.

How would that make u guys feel? if you guys went to rmd, then crossed towns and it was STILL another place with no english? but it wasn't chinese?

how would THOSE people feel? don't just take it from your perspective. you think the hardcore brown people in surrey that cant read a lick of english feel offended by richmond? you think the chinese that can't read english feel offended by vanouver? or the brown people in surrey?

what about blind people? you think they get offended about richmond or surrey? you think they fucking care?

c'mon guys... really. we've already been living like this for years and years. language is never a barrier. especially now.

the only barrier are the values you impose on yourself and everyone else.

[snails]

thats the thing though! there are those cities you are talking about, i live in Surrey, near Newton (very brown populated) heres the thing, i walk down the street and im often greeted very nicely in English even if its broken, i can go down the street and see the obvious cultured stores and still feel very welcomed, i can read the stuff im looking at cuz its still in English somewhere. and im the obvious minority in the store i go into or where ever it is. but never once felt unwelcomed or like i didnt belong. alot of my neighbors adjusted to canada and didnt expect canada to adjust to them.

but this is the thing, if all the local signs started to become more unwelcoming to me i would have an issue. and it all starts somewhere. maybe a bus ad.. and then a store window.. so on and so on until it gets the the point where it really just is another "country"

Canada is about diversity.. not about closing yourself off in a little shell for your comfort.