Please read this article
http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/news/14697552.htm
Mr. Vento has joined a long list of 2nd generation immigrant, "native", xenophobics who reject the very principles that have allowed them the priviledge of being born here. It makes me sad to see the child of a hard working immigrant family refuse to serve memebers of families very much like his own, with the only difference that they are not Italian. Perhaps Mr. Vento should have asked his grandparents how hard it is to learn a new language. Most of these "immigrants" have just arrived, nearly all are trying to learn English but it takes time, especially since a great many of "these people" work 6-7 days a week! I guess Mr. Vento wouldn't have served his grandparents for their first 5-20 years here. I wonder how he would feeel on hearing that his grandparents were refused service for being Italians who don't speak English. After all, how does he know these people aren't trying hard to learn the language? What if they've just arrived within a year or two? Surely there are some who are not trying to learn to speak English, but that is not unique to the Latino culture. Growing up in Jersey half of my Italian friend's grandparents did not speak English, eventhough they'd been here for 50 plus years!
Just one more thing, does Mr. Vento not serve tourist who don't speak English either? Or is it that he does not want to serve Latinos who don't speak English? A german, a Venezuelan, Italian legally visiting for 3 weeks needs to have studied English just so he could have a cheesesteak at Mr. Vento's store? Or, is he somehow able to discern who is a tourist and who is one of those "immigrants"?
1 comment:
To this I say, those cheesesteaks are highly overrated and you aren't missing a thing!
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