So I'm at work today (Best Buy) and two Russian guys come up and one of them asks: "What do you need to fill out a credit application?" I said: "A Drivers License, Credit Card and valid Social Security Number." He turns to his friend and tells him what he needs and then he asks for a credit application, so I asked him: "If you don't mind me asking, how long has your friend been here?" (Because typically if a person just arrived here from another country he or she has no established credit, so they have zero chance of being approved. Got to love HSBC.) He responds: "...15 years."

Now before we go any further, please note my father came here from Mexico and I am a huge advocate for immigration because everybody deserves a better life. With that said, I can not stand when someone has been here that long and doesn't know English, at least enough to get by. If I was moving another country I would learn enough to get by until I picked it up better. My Spanish is not great but, I know enough to stay in a conversation and get by. I remember one time I was at work before my Spanish got better, this guy came up to my desk and started asking me questions in Spanish and I said: I'm sorry I don't speak Spanish very well..." and he responded back IN ENGLISH..."Well you're a terrible Latino, I am ashamed of you." Then he found a manager that spoke Spanish and told him I should be fired. And my favorite instance ever working at my job...I was once was trying to help an older lady (who didn't speak any English) with a remote for a television, there was nobody to translate, I didn't understand her, she didn't understand me and then she proceeded to double cross me with her hands (she was also crying) while reciting what seemed to be a prayer.

About an hour later, her son comes in and gets the issue fixed but, not before he tells me what a disgrace I am and told me that his mother put a curse on me. Then he goes on to say his mother has been here for twenty years and she has never been treated so badly, especially by a fake Latino. At this point, I was furious, the hood came out of me...I was like, "Who the fuck are you? How dare you call me a fake Latino..." and he responds back, "Well you're not shit to me, you don't know shit about the heritage of my people because you don't speak Spanish." I started laughing because that is the complete opposite, I know the history of my people and the blood line of my family. I finished with, "If your mother has been here for twenty years, why doesn't she speak English?" He had no response...he told me to go fuck myself.

Latinos especially get offended if I have to ask them to slow down during a conversation, sometimes I'll get people who start in Spanish but, when they realize my Spanish is choppy at best, they start to speak in fluent English and then proceed to criticize me. I understand for some its a level of comfort to speak to someone in their native tongue but, it doesn't make me any less Latino. I freaked this guy out one time because he was giving me shit and he asked me, "How come you don't speak Spanish? It makes you less Mexican...I responded calmly with: "If you really want to know, my father wasn't around, he was an alcoholic and when he was around he beat me and my mother...thats why I don't know Spanish." I'm sure by the expression on his face he felt like an asshole.

I have had family coming here for years and they all have learned English if they already didn't know it, so I don't understand why some people don't make an effort to learn the language. Like I'm supposed to have someone ready at all times to translate, which at times, what their body language implies. And then, get upset when there isn't anyone to translate for them. The kicker for this Russian guy was I had to call the bank to get him approved and the bank wouldn't allow his friend to translate and (for fraud purposes) they didn't have anybody available that spoke Russian. Get this, he says broken English, "Why you don't speak Russian?" I'm not exactly sure what the HSBC rep said but, he angrily hung up the phone and said..."Fuck You, learn my language." Highlight of my day. I'm interested to hear what your opinions are...let the debates begin.