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Why are burgerlanders so offended/afraid of people not speaking the only language they know?

[-] ajmaxwell@lemmy.world 81 points 4 days ago

Because they usually talk shit toward people who don't speak English, so they assume everyone around them speaking a different language is doing the same.

For the country that invented the "american exceptionalism" that's some big insecurity issue right there, huh?

[-] proudblond@lemmy.world 33 points 4 days ago

We invented it to cover up our massive inferiority complex, clearly. American exceptionalism is the balls hanging from the hitch of our pickup truck of a country.

[-] ShinkanTrain@lemmy.ml 5 points 4 days ago

That and excusing genocide

[-] notwhoyouthink@lemmy.zip 8 points 4 days ago

I used to work in a spa, doing nails, and the amount of times I heard white women tell me in ‘hushed’ tones that they liked coming to a place where the workers spoke English because they ‘couldn’t tell if the girls working at those other places were talking about them when they spoke another language’ was disgusting.

American ‘exceptionalism’ is anything but.

[-] Honytawk@discuss.tchncs.de 4 points 3 days ago

Loudly talk about them in English then.

[-] fibojoly@sh.itjust.works 4 points 4 days ago

Aka projection.

[-] hperrin@lemmy.ca 45 points 4 days ago

It’s racism.

[-] jjjalljs@ttrpg.network 28 points 4 days ago

Poor emotional regulation.

Someone speaking another language makes them afraid (maybe they're talking about me) or feel bad (I only know one language am I stupid?). Getting angry at the other person is easier on the ego than healthier options.

[-] mokokunai@lemmy.dbzer0.com 27 points 4 days ago

I'm in an LGBTQIA+ oriented community in Discord and have been there for the better part of 3+ months. EVEN IN THERE where we're all pretty tolerant and cool with each others identities, there's a couple of people like this. Sometimes in voice chat it gets a bit heated with the whole "Illegal immigrants thing". One of the member's main arguments or points of sentiment is the "they can't even speak OUR language" and I'm always like "buddy, please... there are so many reasons why x person can't speak y language; that doesn't mean anything".

If you call them out like that person in the post OP sometimes it kinda clicks that there is another person just like them in the other side of the 'evil language' and it disarms them a bit (like a slap in the face). Idk I'm new to all of this I used to be the mate to always turn the blindside to any and every political/social discourse I'm trying lmao

[-] Aceticon@lemmy.dbzer0.com 14 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

Never assume that just because somebody is a member of a minority they're not prejudiced assholes.

It's exactly because we're all humans that assholes are equally distributed across all groups defined by things other than behavior and political beliefs - no such group is inherently composed of better or worse individuals than other groups.

People in groups being oppressed are less likely to behave as assholes simply because the assholes in those groups fear reprisals far more than the assholes in the dominant groups and in my experience plenty of people who behave meekly because of being part of an oppressed group will start behaving as assholes if given power and immunity to reprisals.

This is how you end up with phenomenons like, for example, anti-Transsexual Feminists.

[-] mokokunai@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 4 days ago

That's awesome. Thank you. I've seen a bit of that throughout all my life, feeling like I don't belong in any subculture cause of something of this sort. It's always something, I don't want to get to the conclusion that life sucks and everyone sucks that's kind of edgy but a % of that is so true no matter the subculture haha. I just have to do my own thing i guess

I appreciate that btw<3

[-] Aceticon@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

For avoidance of doubt my point is in no way a criticism of mankind:

  • A % are always assholes.
  • Also a % are always genuinely good people.
  • The bulk of people are in the middle and kinda go with the cultural zeitgeist.

As far as I can tell, there are no more of the first kind than the second, though it's my impression that the third kind, in the middle, are at times in average more pro-social or more anti-social depending on the predominant culture of a place and time.

In the current Greed Is Good environment dominant in the West I would say that the bulk of people who aren't internally driven towards being a good person or being a selfish asshole tend toward "What's in it for me" anti-social behavior if only because that attracts more rewards and less social pushback, though as I said and in my experience of living in a couple of countries, local culture also has a big say in that.

[-] mokokunai@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 3 days ago

Hey thanks for the clearing that up. I think I understood your point very well. I agree. I was just being cheeky about the whole humanity sucks thing. Although there's a truth to this, my life philosophy is buddhist and there's a lot of tolerance and understanding and compassion and all these things that I take into consideration.

Plus, there is nothing WE can do to directly change the way others behave. Ethically, at least, 'cause pointing a weapon at someone doesnt count for my point. We can do so little realistically, big powerful forces can participate in this without waving a physical weapon but this is another topic altogether.

Local culture is definitely a very powerful pulling force as well. I've lived in different countries and I can feel the difference even existing in the same space.

Anyway point in case is that some % ppl are always going to be racist or something else, its just kind of alarming the righteousness of how i've personally seen some people be racist and have radical "me vs. you" beliefs today in 2026 vs I can't pinpoint a specific year but maybe when i was starting in the workforce a little over 10yrs ago. Idk that's my experience at least with that. Maybe the media is making me think it's worse than it is but some friends ive seen convert, coworkers saying the wildest shit that ive never thought of them, the whole thing in the US, trump, kirk, all the buzzwords haha.

Like I said i'm just starting to care about this stuff a bit late in life i've always thought it wasn't my problem until some loved ones + myself have been targeted by the racism/sexism/homophobia and transphobia recently and that flipped a switch.

[-] Jankatarch@lemmy.world 2 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

there is another person just like them in the other side of the 'evil language'

Just got recommended a clip about it lmao https://youtu.be/RTB8dMqGm3U?t=2m2s

[-] technocrit@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 3 days ago

USA has always been a racist empire. Literally genociding children.

Zero surprise when YTs act like this.

[-] Mannimarco@lemmy.dbzer0.com 7 points 3 days ago

They assume you're talking about them

[-] fizzle@quokk.au 11 points 4 days ago

For an unremarkable and mediocre person, english might be the only skill they have which allows them to feel superior to others. They're pretty desperate to make everyone else aware of that at every opportunity.

[-] afromustache@lemmy.world 2 points 3 days ago

The funny thing about this statement is that the people who feel this way are probably not the most adept at speaking their own language.

[-] explodicle@sh.itjust.works 3 points 4 days ago

Imagine being uppity about something you don't even remember doing.

[-] cabillaud@lemmy.world 2 points 3 days ago

Because for them non-English speaking White people are already a bit lower on the scale. Real Whites should speak Withish ie English.

[-] MehBlah@lemmy.world 5 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

The fear that its them that being spoken about that can only exist in some sad little monkey who thinks the world revolves around them.

[-] DeathByBigSad@sh.itjust.works 2 points 3 days ago

Jealousy of polyglots 😎

They are sad and lonely and wanna listen in and so they feel so left out when they don't feel included... in a conversation that they're not even a part of...

this post was submitted on 03 Mar 2026
566 points (100.0% liked)

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