this post was submitted on 30 Jul 2026
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[–] Ostrakon@lemmy.world 241 points 1 day ago (7 children)

The people defending this as 'not racism'... way to miss the point. If this was some BBQ joint in Texas with a sign that says closed in Spanish but open in English you wouldn't be posting these comments

[–] SapphironZA@sh.itjust.works 5 points 1 day ago

Its called Xenophobia.

Xenophobia and racism are distinct forms of prejudice: xenophobia is the fear or hatred of foreigners, while racism is the belief in racial superiority and systemic oppression based on race. Though they overlap, they target people for different reasons.

[–] baronvonj@piefed.social 51 points 1 day ago (2 children)

The odds of a Texas BBQ joint not having any Spanish speaking employees is exceedingly small.

[–] treesapx@lemmy.world 32 points 1 day ago (1 children)

And yet they are cheering for ICE to arrest them all. No matter the status or paperwork. If they're arrested then they are guilty. That's how it works down here.

I mean, it's also racism. Those people are just stupid.

[–] rdri@lemmy.world -3 points 1 day ago

It doesn't say "if you are of that race we are open". It says you must understand the language. So learn it - you'll need it anyway to live there - or go elsewhere, where staff can serve you on your language, provide a menu on your language etc.

A hate system where you can upgrade your status by learning is not racism. Also not necessarily a hate system in the first place.

[–] Taldan@lemmy.world -2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

It literally isn't racism though. You can disagree with it and think it should be banned, but there is no interpretation that it can realistically be called racism

I lived in Japan for a while. I've seen a couple places with a sign like this. In my experience every place like this is perfectly willing to have foreigners that speak Japanese. They simply don't want to deal with the hassle of a language barrier

I should also note these places were always in touristy areas. If they don't have a sign like that, they'll end up with majority English speaking customers, because Japanese customers prefer places without rowdy tourists that can't speak the local language. I did too. Going out for an after work beer, you want an entirely different atmosphere from tourists getting hammered

[–] asdfasdfasdf@lemmy.world 5 points 21 hours ago

Why not just post the truth then? They could say "We're sorry, we're unable to accomodate non-Japanese speakers due to..."?

[–] wonderingwanderer@sopuli.xyz -3 points 1 day ago (2 children)

If an American moves to Europe and doesn't attempt to learn the local language, then by a few months to a year in with zero effort people will say they're in the wrong for not making an effort to integrate and expecting everyone to speak English for them.

Clearly "Americans expecting foreigners to speak English" is different from "Other countries expecting Americans to speak the local language" from a moral point of view. So why is Japan then lumped in with America as the "Local people must accept and accommodate foreigners who can't communicate in the local language" bucket, when anywhere else it's "If you're traveling there and you didn't even try learning the language, then you're ignorant and entitled."?

[–] mkwt@lemmy.world 1 points 10 hours ago

If an American moves to Europe and doesn't attempt to learn the local language, then by a few months to a year in with zero effort people will say they're in the wrong for not making an effort to integrate and expecting everyone to speak English for them.

My American cousin lived and worked in France as an engineer for several years. This is absolutely not true. He did make an effort to learn some French, but it wasn't because of any pressure. He just wanted to.

[–] kuiskaaja@lemmy.ml 3 points 22 hours ago (1 children)

that's absolutely not the case in places like the netherlands and the nordic countries, people dont really give a fuck cus everyone speaks english anyway (unfortunately)

i think the dutch and the scandinavians have hit their head or something cus their languages are so easy to learn but in iceland and finland it's possible to never get fluent even with a lot of effort, cus the languages are damn hard, so people are understandably more forgiving

[–] wonderingwanderer@sopuli.xyz 1 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

You yourself are saying it's unfortunate that people mostly speak English in the nordic countries, and yet you argue that it would be xenophobic and wrong to try to incentivize society to use the local languages more?

[–] kuiskaaja@lemmy.ml 2 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

people don't "mostly speak english" here, they mostly speak their native language but are also proficient in english.

i'm all for encouraging people to speak local languages but i don't think basically banning non-fluent speakers from restaurants is the way to go

one of the first steps of learning a language (properly) is using it in simple situations like ordering in a restaurant. how is preventing learners from using the language in any way productive?

[–] wonderingwanderer@sopuli.xyz 1 points 10 hours ago* (last edited 10 hours ago) (1 children)

Then what did you mean why you said "unfortunately"? I guess that part through me off.

And look, I've done a bit of traveling so I'm definitely grateful for places that welcome foreigners who don't speak the language. I'm not saying those should go away.

But I've also spent enough time in some places to gain a little proficiency, and at that point it would be nice to have a few places to go where I'm expected to use the language. Otherwise people see me struggling and then they default to English. It makes it harder to get the level of immersion necessary to go from intermediate to advanced.

Plus, when I'm really immersed in a culture I like to avoid the touristy spots. I try to go to the places where the local language is used more. If I rely on every local's English proficiency to get by, I'll never learn.

And it feels nice to be able to differentiate myself from the average tourist, like "no I've actually been living here for months and have gained some basic proficiency in the language." There's a difference between going somewhere for a week to hit all the tripadvisor spots, versus going somewhere to immerse in the local culture and try to build a life there. Most places view tourists as a nuisance, and I don't see why that's a problem because the level of respect for the local culture tends to be lower among tourists anyway.

[–] kuiskaaja@lemmy.ml 1 points 10 hours ago

i meant that it's unfortunate that natives often don't care about people not learning the local language

[–] atopi@piefed.blahaj.zone -2 points 1 day ago (2 children)

It would still not be racism

Xenophobia at worst, only hatred of tourists at best

[–] bold_omi@lemmy.today 11 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Xenophobia is inherently racist.

[–] atopi@piefed.blahaj.zone 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Arent they different things? Racism is about race, xenophobia is about country of origin

[–] mohammed_alibi@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago

Probably a venn diagram but with a large overlap.

[–] wonderingwanderer@sopuli.xyz 2 points 1 day ago

Yeah let's start calling it racism when Barcelona locals spray tourists with water guns and see how quickly these same people scream "THAT'S DIFFERENT!"