Every day at Dal, groups of 4 or more young men always hang out at the library and on campus. They talk loudly in Arabic. These young Canadians refuse to speak English, even tho they were born here. Why do these large groups of young men never speak English unless they are forced to? What the hell is going on?
—English speaker
This article appears in Feb 4-10, 2010.
why do you care so much? people generally speak in their primary language especially if their entire group of friends is the same way.
oh man, this bitch is going to generate some comments, here they come!
It sounds like it doesn’t matter that they were speaking loudly, it is the fact that they are speaking Arabic. Which makes you an asshole. People can speak whatever lanugage they want. Sounds like you feel inferior to them? And feel the need to lash out.
Get some help OP!
It sounds to be like you’re a racist. That’s what’s going on.
OP is jealous because Arabs in general have more money than him.
Maybe they all speak English perfectly well, but choose to speak Arabic when with Arab friends or their families. I know if I had to speak my non-native language most of the day to strangers, it would be a comfort to speak my native language with my friends.
It is the same as being Bi.
I talk one way to my straight friends “Fucking Hockey, Tits, Beer!”
I talk another way to my gay friends “Fucking Hockey, Penis, Beer!”
And for my kinkster frinds, I usually only have to, sometimes, use one word…..
oh ML, you are such a tease…. 😉
Even if they were born here, OP, (although I fail to see how you could be so sure of that) it’s quite possible that they grew up speaking both Arabic and English at home and with friends. Like anyone that speaks more than one language, they take the opportunity to speak it because it’s enjoyable and necessary to maintain fluency.
To get right down to business though, OP, you need to take your assimilation garbage and shove it. We’re Canadians, not the fucking Borg. There is absolutely nothing wrong with maintaining and exercising part of one’s cultural identity, nor are there laws against speaking whatever language you want in this country. It’s obvious you’re one of those patriot-bigot types, why not just be honest and say you don’t consider anyone ‘truly Canadian’ if they don’t look, act and dress like you?
@ Matthew
That was the funniest thing i heard all day.
@ Matthew – is the safety word “banana”?
OP, they are speaking Arabic because they are conspiring against you. Get out while you can.
I love this. It’s not just people of Arabic decent that do this: Asians do this as well. It’s all about a sense of community to them. I know when I’m talking to my grandmother out west, I try to speak as much Ukrainian as possible, as difficult as it is for me, because it gives me a greater connection to my roots.
We’re a multi-cultural country, this is just a part of living in this country. You want to see people speaking English everywhere? Move to the States. Down there, they’ll tell you to speak American, Dag nab it!
Mercan….yeah.
I know they want to have some sense of community but they mostly seem to stick to their own cliques… it’s a shame they wouldn’t open up and chat with others more.
On the same note, it’s a shame we don’t initiate either….
It’s not the speaking for me… it’s the scent. cologne and perfume bathers are the worst.
and this goes for any race or religion really…. cut that shit out.
Knock off the immigrant bashing. Immigrants built this country. My grandpappy came here at the turn of the century ,he did. Got hisself a job shootin’ china men for the railroad.
Unfortunately this was 2001 and the national rail carrier had to pay a hell of a lot of money to make that story go away. And as for Grandad, he was quietly deported, or renditioned if you prefer, I believe to Algeria where tabouleh and sodomeh are on the menu, every night.
I’m tempted to see how many more people I can offend.
And tonite on Al-Jazeera’s Funniest Home Videos, first prize goes to “Fat Middle-Aged Nova Scotian Singing “Springtime for Hitler” While Having His Head Sawn Off
thanks meow “were not fucking borg” resistance is not futile
What’s with the generalization? “They mostly seem to stick to their own cliques”? Maybe you don’t notice the tons that don’t stick to their own “type”, because they’re so assimilated. And that “assimilating” (i.e. trying their very hardest to look white) was the only way people opened up to them.
I’m pretty white-washed myself. Unfortunately, this gives me the pleasant experience of having way too many people make racist/generally ignorant/offensive comments around me, not realizing that I am part of the same group they are lambasting. As far as assimilation goes, I know that despite that I’ve always had perfect English, and am quite westernized, when I used to wear the hijab – the Muslim veil – most people put up a wall around me, and generally never wanted to socialize with me beyond a supremely acquaintance-level. Funny how that changed when I didn’t where the veil any more…
Point is: frig off, bunch o’ y’all. Not the nice ones, though.
What’s going on is your racism and prejudice is showing and you’re feeling threatened because you’re a racist.
Ruffruff
Perhaps your hijab was the wall you refer to.
You are the one “hiding”
My safe word is Mulroney….
Dar:
How is a scarf around my hair “hiding”? Not seeing my hair is threatening? And anti-social?
Anyone who knows me know I am quite sociable and outgoing, and a piece of cloth didn’t change that.
why the need to hide your hair? was it cold out?
and cliques just seem to happen. and I did say MOSTLY, not EVERY SINGLE ONE…. and it’s no more judgmental than talking about the various ones in high school…jocks/nerds/goths/etc.
oh and Mulroney is never a ‘safe’ word around me….
Fuck I fucking hate that Ben Mulroney.
I wish I spoke Arabic. Those chicks are hot. I’ve got whatever you would call ‘yellow fever’ but for persians.
Cranky, I think it is called “Fan of tan”
The Hijab isn’t any different than a yarmulke is it? They’re both just religious headdresses.
I do have some concerns about the burka though…mostly because I’m not sure how much choice the women have in the matter. There’s also something about this that I can’t get my head around:
http://politisktinkorrekt.files.wordpress.…
“fan of tan”, thanks!
Obviously they are talking about which suicide vests are the most comfortable, and don’t want you butting in with your 2 cents’…
No man, vests are so last season. It’s all about the full body unitard.
zZz: I knew you weren’t being malicious, but it had to be called out, as it is a common generalization. Why I had to cover my hair? I don’t think why a person wears a hijab is the issue here. It’s why people feel the need to be tactless about it. Not that you are or anything.
and I still need to draw the point back the what I said earlier: people are usually allowed to assimilate only on “your” terms. Sometimes it’s really not that easy to downplay your entire heritage just to appease the kids that are uncomfortable with something that is not culturally neutral.
Assimilate? Are you fucking serious?
Maybe the OP thinks we should bring back the Aboriginal Residential School system also. Personally I always thought that cultures were beautiful things that should be embraced. There’s nothing wrong with speaking a mother tongue. If you go to Europe, the citizens speak upwards of 4-6 languages each but will primarily use their mother tongue.
I seriously doubt that these folks “refuse” to speak English but even if they do refuse, it’s their right to speak Arabic – or Hebrew, Aramaic, French, Greek or whatever.
You know, OP, there’s hundreds of Aboriginal languages and dialects found in Canada and they’re the original Canadians. I suppose its wrong that an Inuit prefers to speak Inuktitut instead of English.
OP: As any lanuage instructor could tell you, culture and language are deeply linked to one another, and you can’t speak a language without taking a bit of its associated culture into yourself. However, this doesn’t mean that Canadian-born immigrant children are any less Canadian than you (think you) are.
Guys like OP make this ESL teacher want to bash her head against the wall.
sssssh, it’s a secret, and if i told you, i would have to kill you,yayayayayyay. or whatever the fuck the yell is.
“Refusing to assimilate”, wow.. I have a lot of young Arabic friends who attend SMU and Dal, most of who weren’t born here, but do enjoy speaking in their own language as much as possible. I myself, don’t speak a word of Arabic except some curses that they taught me. They speak it around me, knowing I don’t understand, because it’s either, easier/faster for them to communicate a point to one another, but usually, they do it because they want to make jokes that I can’t understand and laugh at my expense! I wish I had a second language I could speak around people who couldn’t understand, but fuck it! I’m too lazy, so I just laugh along with them. If it bothers you so much, how about you learn their language?
When I was at TUNS years ago, I wondered the same thing about folks from PEI…always lurking around together, speaking in odd tongues…creepy
“”Personally I always thought that cultures were beautiful things that should be embraced.”‘
Maybe not ALL of them…ever met any Patagonians?
And Walloons…not sure about them…it’s the name I don’t trust
I’m a bit torn on this one, since I am all for diversity (I love learning about different cultures and especially love eating their food!), but also remember being a student trying to study at the Killam and being annoyed to no fucking end by, yes, predominantly Arab men talking loudly in Arabic. Let’s face it, the Arabic language isn’t exactly the most attractive sounding language. It’s very guttural.
On the other hand, I also hated the snobby T-Dotter dialect or whatever you may call it, as well.
“Like, yeah, like, ohh my God! I, like, just, like, got these new Ugg boots, like, at Lululemon, like! Like, they’re, like, soooo cool! My daddy’s, like paying for them. Like… yeah!”
Yumm, I’ve heard of both…I like me a tall cheese maker.
Burqas and Niqabs have no place in ANY society.
A headscarf is a fashion statement. A facemask is a mission statement. And I’m not one bit afraid of being called a racist for questioning what that mission is. Ruffruff, my paternal grandparents came here from Russia about 50 years after Czar Alexander II abolished serfdom and 20 years before Lenin reinvented the concept. Canada was still very much a part of the Dominion and “the men in sheepskin coats” were very much looked down upon. It wasn’t always easy and it wasn’t always fair but I hope this country has been as good to your family as it was to mine
I seriously hope this Bitch is intended to be a joke or ironic in some way. Otherwise it should be removed.
OP: If you were in, say, France, and you bumped into another Anglophone Canadian, are you saying you would seriously have a conversation with them in French?
No. Didn’t think so. Fuck off.
Damn, I wish Canada had a Homeland Security. I’d be reporting these wannabee terrorists daily.
Sebastian, you’re an obnoxious troll. Shut it.
Why does it matter what language they are speaking? Are you pissed because the fact that they are speaking a language you don’t understand precludes you from eavesdropping?
One of these things just doesn’t belong. One of these things just isn’t the same. Now it’s time to play our game. It’s time to play our game.
Greek culture.
White culture.
Arabic culture.
Black culture.
Which one just isn’t right kids? That’s right! White culture. Because it doesn’t exist!!
Just because our white-bred puritan ancestors let go of their heritage and chose to give up all cultural ties to their countries of origin, it doesn’t mean that others should as well. I think it’s awesome that many young immigrant men and women hold true to their cultures while becoming accustomed to a North American lifestyle.
never wrong, lol…are you saying that there IS such a thing as a monolithic “black culture” for instance? What on earth would somone from say south side chicago have in common with a masai warrior besides skin tone?
A ‘culture’ is not somehow more “legitimate” becuase it’s “old”.
If the Southern Baptist white seperatists want to identify their ‘culture’ as living in trailer parks and the suberbs, and watching cable TV etc, they can and you can’t stop them.
There are indeed “white” cultures, such as the Vikings,, the visigoths, Huns and so on. The only reason these “cultures” are not celebrated by the mainstream is that for the last few hundred years, they have held the balance of power in a world of brown folks…and no-one likes when the big kid on the block is TOO proud…
Furthermore, when (not if) I am in a foreign nation, I DO make every effort not to speak english with others loudly and intrusively in public like some big-mouth American tourist, in order not to disturb those around me. It’s common courtesy by MY standards….standards that are not shared by every “culture”, evidently, and sadly…
That’s right, the world rides on the back of a turtle and its clitoridectomy time for all the girls. I’m not totally sure what the curriculum was in residential schools but I’d be willing to bet that at least a passing reference was made to the concept of don’t kill your Gran for dope money. Eurocentric and Judeo-Christian it may be, but still relevant even in this day and age. I’m also pretty sure that when my ancestors had finished building their sod hut and putting in their crop of winter wheat (Just like Masha and Janek in that silly Heritage moment) they didn’t go out looking for a shtetl to ransack once the vodka started flowing and the balalaikas started playing. They may not have checked their prejudices at the door but they were probably too busy eking out a living to give them too much thought.
I don’t hold to the “Affirmative Action” view of multiculturalism; that all cultures are equal but some are more equal than others. I’ve heard it from too many jackasses on every side of the political spectrum.
BMF: Is it even possible for you to disagree with another persons point of view without being derisive about it? How about you show me a modern example of white culture then Bad Mr Anthopology. Not a reference to ancient white cultures like you’ve already pointed out. An actual modern day white cultural reference. Please, I’m interested.
I gave a clear example of the “Southern White Baptists”.
Nordic culture is another. Even the white supremacists of the bible belt is a type of “culture”
There are numerous examples of white ‘cultures’…It seems that you have confused “culture” with “race”, perhaps?
I would agree that there is no true “white race”.
And I jus call ’em like I sees ’em, NW…when someone comes out with nonsense like “white-bred (sic) puritan ancestors”…it’s pretty hard not to.
And what, exactly is derisive about my comment? You stated that you believe there is an identifiable “culture” with every colour of God’s little rainbow except white…and I disagreed.
I should remind you, never wrong, that it was YOU that tried to disguise it with (poor) sarcasm, not me…
😉
Furthermore, I do think that it IS rude to gather in public places and chatter loudly and forcibly in ANY language, but a foreign one, is just that bit more rude…
We all deride big fat Americans for travelling the world and speaking in loud obnoxious English wherever they go…but then we turn around and protect the poor little Arabs when THEY do it?
Seriously, why do you think that is, now more than ever?
Hmm?
Maybe they didn’t want the OP overhearing their conversation? heh.
Seriously though, why should people be forced to talk to each other in second or third languages when they’re in a non-professional environment? I could see if they were at work or in a classroom, but when you’re with your friends who’s first language is the same as yours why should you talk in your second or third languages just because the people around you don’t speak your language?
The ONLY time I could see that being rude is if you were with someone who doesn’t speak that language and you choose not to converse with the other person who speaks your language in the commonly understood language. For example, when I stayed with my uncle a few summers back, whenever he was with french speakers (he speaks french as his first language) and I was around they always conversed in english because I don’t speak french. That, I think, is the polite thing to do. Other than that, I can’t see why anyone would have a problem with people speaking their first languages to each other. I can see if OP was pissed off purely because they were talking loudly (which is actually a cultural thing too — english speakers tend to be mid toned or lower toned and arab languages for example tend to be louder speakers) given the fact taht they were in a library, but why should anyone accomodate you and your preference of language? They weren’t carrying on a conversation with YOU were they? Why don’t you concentrate on your own business instead of worrying about what others are doing? If the volume was really bothering you, I’m sure you could’ve asked them to be a little quieter, given the fact that it’s a library — or gotten staff to do it. And if you weren’t in a quiet area, then perhaps you should think about moving to one because that’s just the shit you encounter when you choose to study in a non-quiet zone.
Ivan, the burqa and the Niqab are both full head coverings with the niqabs having the area around the eyes open. Both are worn under Islamic ideology in the absolute oppression of women.
The hiyah and shayla are headscarves with the latter being worn quite loosely to the shoulder. Both these versions are very common in many cultures and as fashion statements.
Thank You Puss. My point is that a headscarf provokes less of a visceral reaction in me as a supposedly average Canadian than a full mask, whether it is worn willingly or unwillingly.
The drawback with an unquestioning acceptance of multiculturalism is at what point do you draw the line. Validating another culture’s deepest superstitions ,bigotries and hatreds does a disservice to all. Doing so out of fear of the accusation of racism is both contemptible and potentially disastrous
It is a convoluted snakepit with no easy answers. My sole reality check is that 100 years ago, Eastern European immigrants in the Canadian west were treated with suspicion and disdain by the predominantly Anglo-Saxon population. Strange language, strange customs, strange clothes, strange food, strange religion, strange political ideas. Beyond that, I’m in uncharted territory.
You……are…… an……ass!
Assimilate?
Is Canada not a “mosaic” a “multicultural society”?
America is a melting pot
You must be American….I can smell cookie cutter thought processes all over you…you reek of normalization tactics.
What are you studying? How to be a prejudice dick 101?
LMFAO. Beautiful object lesson on the stupidity of prejudice and the perils of cultural stereotyping. Sacha Baron Cohen couldn’t have done better
TO THE OP: EEEEEEEWWWWWWWW SHUT UP YOU ARE A FUCKING LOSER.
My only bother is when people come up to my counter talking to each other in a different language, look at me, mutter something in low broken english, expect me to understand what they just said, go back to their conversation, and become enraged when I ask them to repete the order.