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Furious? Wow. Recent immigrants get offered low wage jobs - like retail. Their English will improve and their kids will be fluently bilingual. I live in a very Hispanic town and it's common for sales staff to make initial assumptions based on your appearance. South Florida will be mainly Cuban refugees.
Uh; it might because the OP's friend does NOT like to be mistaken as "Hispanic". Kinda like it's Ok to call a Mexican "Spanish" but calling Spanish people "Mexican" can be an insult. It ain't right the prejudice on both sides but it is what it is.
It works both ways. A local teen, Hispanic looks and Hispanic name, was fired first day of her ice cream store summer job because she didn't speak Spanish. They just assumed she did when she was hired.
It works both ways. A local teen, Hispanic looks and Hispanic name, was fired first day of her ice cream store summer job because she didn't speak Spanish. They just assumed she did when she was hired.
That does happen and it's stinks of "racism" right there. That kid or at least her parents if she's under 18 should've been able to nail that employer for discrimination IMHO.
I don't find it unusual that an assumption could be made based on one's looks even though in reality many times it's inaccurate.
I doubt that most of these Cubans just got off the boat and therefore don't speak English. They are adamant about speaking their native tongue of Spanish even when they know English. It is true of many Hispanics regardless of their national origin. That's the reason for so many employment ads requiring one to be bi-lingual. Add to that the millions here illegally and the reasons for bi-lingual or Spanish speakers being hired over native English speakers is clear.
I don't consider it to be trivial when businesses in America (especially entire cities) require one to know Spanish to get a job there. Our national de facto language is English. Yes, there is a very large Cuban and other Hispanic population is SFL but so what? Most Cubans have been there for decades so are you saying they don't know how to speak English yet?
Regardless of your skin color, it must be quite thin to be offended at this.
Where did I say I was offended?
I get annoyed at hawkers at malls who get in my face selling their products regardless of their language. I don't respond, I just keep walking. She had at no less than 40 people popping up in her face speaking Spanish, assuming she was Hispanic, and it annoyed the hell out of her. If it happened a few times, OK, but it was every five feet. This mall caters to many nationalities and all signage is in English.
Last edited by softblueyz; 04-26-2014 at 06:00 PM..
You're amazed at the number of hispanics in South Florida? That's like being amazed that the ocean is salty...
I said nothing about being "amazed" at the number of Hispanics in South Florida and I'm fully aware of the demographics of South Florida. I've been in North Florida for 9 months. People from different areas of Florida travel to this mall.
Furious? Wow. Recent immigrants get offered low wage jobs - like retail. Their English will improve and their kids will be fluently bilingual. I live in a very Hispanic town and it's common for sales staff to make initial assumptions based on your appearance. South Florida will be mainly Cuban refugees.
The majority were kids 18-23 and were very capable of switching from Spanish to English. I highly doubt they came over during the Mariel boatlift. They are more likely first or second generation. FYI there are many people from South America in Florida, although the majority are Cuban. Very hard working people, usually taking jobs that are labor intense and doesn't require much communication. What major companies that cater to various nationalities hire recent immigrants, especially in sales, who can't speak English for jobs where English is still required?
This is a massive mall NOT located in a "Hispanic town" and caters to different nationalities.
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You're not from around here, are you? 
