Hispanics in Mentor/Lake County (Cleveland, Lorain: fit in, rental, how much)

[O-H-I-O]

Im curious to hear how someone not speaking english effects your every day life. If anything it is a hassle for the person who cannot understand the english language not you. Does you bank teller only speak spanish, or your Dr. How about your boss. Ill bet the only time you hear someone speaking another language is when you pass them on the street. Its there problem if they cant speak english not yours.

[billmesh]

English
Official language in 83 countries/regions (ISO), spoken in 105 other countries (E).


So that's 105 countries where English is spoken, but not the official language. Same scenario we deal with here with the Spanish language.

[WeSoHood]

Originally Posted by LewLew

LOL. This is a great comment. I also realized reading this thread that while we were considering moving back home, with our adopted HISPANIC child, that we may want to think twice. I didn't realize how homogenized it still was. Oh well. I didn't take that from the OP's post, but some subsequent posts were pretty off the subject and narrow minded.

It's not everywhere in Cleveland Just chose the right areas! The westside of Cleveland leading into Lorain / Elyria would be your best bet!

[LewLew]

Originally Posted by WeSoHood

It's not everywhere in Cleveland Just chose the right areas! The westside of Cleveland leading into Lorain / Elyria would be your best bet!

I grew up in Shaker, and enjoyed the surrounding areas. I certainly didn't grow up around or hang out with all Caucasians...so some of the posts were surprising to me. I currently reside in FL, so every other neighbor is of a different culture (European, Hispanic, Asian, African American, Jamaican, etc) I just don't want my son to feel as though he's an outsider. However, neither myself or my husband are Hispanic.

I know ignorance is everwhere. It's just sad to see that people are so upset by ethnicities gathering together in communities. Heck, Mayfield Heights has a lot of Italians, but that never angered anyone. Just weird!

[firefightermom]

Originally Posted by O-H-I-O

Im curious to hear how someone not speaking english effects your every day life. If anything it is a hassle for the person who cannot understand the english language not you. Does you bank teller only speak spanish, or your Dr. How about your boss. Ill bet the only time you hear someone speaking another language is when you pass them on the street. Its there problem if they cant speak english not yours.

I lived in the Washington DC Metro area for nine years, and this is how the lack of English speakers affected my daily life. If someone hasn't lived in an extremely diverse area, they really wouldn't completely understand what it's like.

No fast food restaurant had anyone who spoke English except for perhaps the manager, who was not the one taking the orders. Trying to understand what someone is saying, or asking them a non-standard question made it hard to just place an order.
I quit going to Walmart b/c none of the staff could ever help me. If a coupon didn't work, they would just throw it out right in front of me. You could never get help on the floor either. If you spoke English, they just turned around and walked away.
I worked in a doctor's office, and if a patient requests ahead of time for an interpreter, we were required by law to get one. This wasn't a problem. The number of non-English speakers who came into the office demanding forms in their language and a doctor who spoke their language was ridiculous. One of our doctors was Chinese--born in USA and didn't speak a word of Chinese--and he had at least one patient a day show up expecting him to speak Chinese--based on his last name alone. We did our best, but some had to leave without being seen because we were unable to help. But, of course, it was our fault, not theirs, for not checking in advance.


I think most immigrants are hard working people who get a bad rap. There are a lot of migrant workers that do the apple harvest where I live now, and when I see them out and about they are always pleasant. But I still believe that if they intend to live here, they need to learn the language--and I agree that the government needs to stand up and make it a law instead of catering to everyone.

So that's how my daily life was affected. Before you bash me and call me a racist, or whatever, I grew up accepting other people all my life. My best friend in grade school was Korean, and I loved being at her house. My best friend in jr high was from Guam, another was an Alaskan Indian. Just because I think people should speak English doesn't mean I hate them or want them deported!

[Alaskapat528]

[quote=dawnie417;909064]Should hispanics take this as an insult?[/QU

Absolutely not!

[Alaskapat528]

Originally Posted by LewLew

I am not Hispanic, but I have a Hispanic child. I'm hoping if we move back to Ohio, where I was raised, that I don't encounter any areas, or people, that assume my son shouldn't be there.

Also, the OPs question related to the lack of immigrants (he named Hispanics) who tend to group (as does any immigrant culture) themselves in areas that are of an affordable nature to their families who come here with very little. He was wondering why that had not happened to a certain area.

I'm floored by your comment. I'm not a fan of illegal immigration (as the moderator said...a totally separate post altogether), but it's ignorant to assume that all Hispanics should be deported, and arrested for being here illegally. WE AS A NATION do not require them to learn English. We cater to the Spanish language. Thus, if you are mad that they don't speak English, write to your Congressman, and ask them to change the way this country operates; don't blame the Hispanics for speaking their native language.

I think a very good point here is when you go to another country adopt their laws; don't hang their flag "above" the American Flag; don't make demands that they are owed things they have never even earned and learn to speak English!

[WeSoHood]

Originally Posted by LewLew

I grew up in Shaker, and enjoyed the surrounding areas. I certainly didn't grow up around or hang out with all Caucasians...so some of the posts were surprising to me. I currently reside in FL, so every other neighbor is of a different culture (European, Hispanic, Asian, African American, Jamaican, etc) I just don't want my son to feel as though he's an outsider. However, neither myself or my husband are Hispanic.

I know ignorance is everwhere. It's just sad to see that people are so upset by ethnicities gathering together in communities. Heck, Mayfield Heights has a lot of Italians, but that never angered anyone. Just weird!

I think most of the ignorant posts are White old timers, whom your son won't interact with anyways! There is a large Puerto Rican community in Cleveland, and increasing Eastern Europeans/Arabics EVERYWHERE you go in the city. I really doubt your son will be looked at differently. I can almost guarantee he won't!

[O-H-I-O]

Originally Posted by firefightermom

I lived in the Washington DC Metro area for nine years, and this is how the lack of English speakers affected my daily life. If someone hasn't lived in an extremely diverse area, they really wouldn't completely understand what it's like.

No fast food restaurant had anyone who spoke English except for perhaps the manager, who was not the one taking the orders. Trying to understand what someone is saying, or asking them a non-standard question made it hard to just place an order.
I quit going to Walmart b/c none of the staff could ever help me. If a coupon didn't work, they would just throw it out right in front of me. You could never get help on the floor either. If you spoke English, they just turned around and walked away.
I worked in a doctor's office, and if a patient requests ahead of time for an interpreter, we were required by law to get one. This wasn't a problem. The number of non-English speakers who came into the office demanding forms in their language and a doctor who spoke their language was ridiculous. One of our doctors was Chinese--born in USA and didn't speak a word of Chinese--and he had at least one patient a day show up expecting him to speak Chinese--based on his last name alone. We did our best, but some had to leave without being seen because we were unable to help. But, of course, it was our fault, not theirs, for not checking in advance.


I think most immigrants are hard working people who get a bad rap. There are a lot of migrant workers that do the apple harvest where I live now, and when I see them out and about they are always pleasant. But I still believe that if they intend to live here, they need to learn the language--and I agree that the government needs to stand up and make it a law instead of catering to everyone.

So that's how my daily life was affected. Before you bash me and call me a racist, or whatever, I grew up accepting other people all my life. My best friend in grade school was Korean, and I loved being at her house. My best friend in jr high was from Guam, another was an Alaskan Indian. Just because I think people should speak English doesn't mean I hate them or want them deported!

Ive lived in Cleveland all my life and according to this web site there is almost the exact same percentage of hispanics in CLE as there are in DC. I never called you a racist either.

You gotta love the " Im not a racist B\C me best friend in grade school is asian." Line.

Im not a racist B\C my cleaning lady and land scapper are both hispanic, my wife goes to an asian nail salon and I frequent the Irish pub.

[firefightermom]

Good for you. Since you've never lived anywhere else, you have no idea what it's like elsewhere. Visiting somewhere doesn't give you a true perspective either. You have to live somewhere to know how it really is.

I did not say just Washington, DC, I said the Metro DC area, which consists of DC, Northern VA and numerous counties in MD. The area is much larger than Cleveland so it doesn't really compare.

You wanted examples so I gave you some. Sorry you don't like who my friends are , but oh well!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!