Learn the freaking language + props to sword guy
September 19th, 2009I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. If I got a job in a foreign country, damn straight I will speak that language fluently in no time. Some folks say it’s hard. No it’s not. It’s not if you actually INTERACT with people. That’s the secret. Yes, it is that simple.
I’ve already said before I speak “restaurant Spanish.” I’ve lost a lot of it because I’ve been in Software for over a decade now, but back when I worked in restaurants, I was playing poker with Mexicans at their houses and speaking only Spanish. See, that’s what happens when you interact with people. And no, it didn’t take that long.
I’m tired of hearing Americans apologizing for people who can’t learn the language. There is no excuse. None. America has so many resources for ESL that anyone should be able to pick it up. I had Chinese friends in Junior High who didn’t speak a word of English coming here on boats (where people died and they threw the dead bodies overboard) and were fluent within a year. Fluent. Completely.
Learn the freaking language. Just like if I got a job in France, I will be fluent in French within six months. Guaranteed.
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Cleaning up the gene pool, I say. If you haven’t heard already, some student at John Hopkins University in Maryland killed an intruder with a samurai sword. The intruder had a several page resume of criminal activity and from what it looks like, he was a sociopath. Good riddance.
Meanwhile, there are people complaining that he shouldn’t have used lethal force. That’s when you tell them to STFU. The sword guy had his XBox and two laptops stolen from him earlier. He should be pissed.
Very simply - you do not know the intentions of a burglar. You do not know if they will stop at stealing your shit, or if they will kill you, then rape the rest of your family. You do not know that. They do not sign a paper that says they’ll stop at stealing. So, use lethal force if necessary. It may save your life, or more importantly, the lives of your family members.
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Oh, and don’t forget to talk like a pirate today. Drive your friends nuts.
Thanks Xmichra.
That’s the way to kill someone! Do you what’s gonna happen to the samurai student?
Yeah, nothing.
He should really get a medal.
I heard about teh john hopkins guy, and felt really bad for him. Dude used a decorative sword (it was a collecters edition) to defend his property from a douche bag burglar who had 28 other convictions on his plate AND robbed that guy the day before!
There are the parents and sister of the robber saying the pleas of “robbing shouldn’t be the death penalty”, well I disagree. You invaded a persons home and sanctuary with ill intent and hidden motives. Sorry man, but I would have done no less. The JH guy did slice the hand of the intruder, no doubt not realising that the sword would slice right through, and the wound itself wasn’t malicious (as opposed to say, stabbing the guy in the chest or head) so you can clearly tell it was meant as a defence, not anger or vengance. If he gets tossed into jail, or even so much as a fine, I for one will be appaulled.
I might also want to add, that I have went down my flight of stair weilding a sword as well… so maybe I am a bad one to ask.
Xmichra - I agree with you. It should be the death penalty because humans don’t read minds. Sword guy had no idea if this guy will run away with his shit or he’ll attack.
And glad you have a sword. I prefer a shotgun myself, but whatever works. Weapons are tools and you use the tool you’re most comfortable with.
a comment or two on language learning but allow me to state first that for the most part i agree with you. learn the language of wherever you chose to live. that said…
children will naturally pick up a second language far quicker than an adult. the younger a person is the easier it is because synapses and neural pathways are still being formed. the older you are the harder it is because the brain’s wiring it more set, less malleable. the exception would be those individuals who already know more than one language. folks who are bilingual or polyglots will, throughout their lifespan, find it easier to learn additional languages than someone who has never spoken anything but his original language, for the same reason…the brain has been trained to be recpetive to it at a younger age when it was easier to make those connections neurologically.
again, i don’t share this as a defense of those who refuse to try to learn the language of the place they move to only to explain part of why it is easier or more difficult for some.
as for sword guy. i am glad he successfully defended his home. it would be criminal to prosecute him.
Lime - Oh, I completely agree with you that the older you are, the harder it is to learn languages. No argument there. But still, it can be done. I think too often older people use it as an excuse.
fair enough.
AMEN!
My great-great-grandparents quickly learned English from their kids, who learned it from their friends and at school. Back then you couldn’t function in society without knowing English. They knew that they would never succeed here if they didn’t know the language.
I won’t even TRAVEL to a country where I’m not semi-fluent in the language. That, and lack of funds, is why I only travel in the U.S. and Canada.
You know there are too many Mexicans here in GB Zombie.. They think they can get away with not learning the language. Esp the older Generation that have kids my age dont think they need to learn because there children will talk for them..That is what gets me about them. Or any one that doesnt speak english for that matter. Most of the people you see you in the grocery store of another nationalilty have grandkids or there children with them because they dont speak our language.. Its stupid.. Come on here. They came here to better themselves for what is over where they came from. The least they can do is learn English.. Or like you said we could learn there language if we go there…
“Learn the freaking language. ”
Amen!