Off-licences Only

[Albert Tatlock]

Not speaking a second language makes one arrogant, lazy and racist, eh how does that work?

 

You'd never get a "pisssed up" Frenchman or Spaniard would you? Oh no siree

You're putting words in my mouth that I didn't say.

 

The vast majority of Brits have stereotypical views of 'foreigners' that live only a few hundred miles away from them (in the same EU), know little about their culture and cannot converse with them unless it is in English - expecting them to always speak English. How many bread shop, grocery shops and pharmacies in the UK have staff that can speak two languages? What percentage of the UK population can read a French or German newspaper - compared to the percentage of Germans or French who can read an English one? That's where the arrogance and laziness comes in, the racism comes in the form of sterotyping.

 

Of course you get pissed up Frenchies and Spaniards - just nowhere near the same proportion of the population as you do here.

[The Voice of Reason]

Not speaking a second language makes one arrogant, lazy and racist, eh how does that work?

 

You'd never get a "pisssed up" Frenchman or Spaniard would you? Oh no siree

You're putting words in my mouth that I didn't say.

 

The vast majority of Brits have stereotypical views of 'foreigners' that live only a few hundred miles away from them (in the same EU), know little about their culture and cannot converse with them unless it is in English - expecting them to always speak English. How many bread shop, grocery shops and pharmacies in the UK have staff that can speak two languages? What percentage of the UK population can read a French or German newspaper - compared to the percentage of Germans or French who can read an English one? That's where the arrogance and laziness comes in, the racism comes in the form of sterotyping.

 

Of course you get pissed up Frenchies and Spaniards - just nowhere near the same proportion of the population as you do here.

 

I very much doubt that the vast majority of Brits expect 'foreigners' to always speak English (only in relation to the fact that it has been their experience that many do).

 

This is just a stereotype of Brits, together with the pissed up "Brits on Tour" (or is this just racism)

[mollag]

Apparently, this has been welcomed by the Drug and Alchohol Advisory service. Well yes, they would say that wouldn't they? (Quote of the 20th century with so many applications, thank you Christine)

 

 

Please forgive my anality Gladys but the day my cahones dropped was the day with all the fotees of christine and mandy appeared in the People, embeddded for life

 

anyhoo, apols again but i think the quote was from Mandy

Anality fogiven, and many thanks for the correction!

 

(P.S. Hope you didn't break your cahones; must have been a notable accident if you can remember the day!)

Oh yeah ! it was the one with her sitting naked on that chair, wasnt only me voice that dropped it will be no surprise that my wife of some 35 years was and is the spit of Christine luverly

[ramsea]

Not speaking a second language makes one arrogant, lazy and racist, eh how does that work?

 

You'd never get a "pisssed up" Frenchman or Spaniard would you? Oh no siree

What percentage of the UK population can read a French or German newspaper - compared to the percentage of Germans or French who can read an English one? That's where the arrogance and laziness comes in, the racism comes in the form of sterotyping.

 

Unless you live/work in France/Germany/or any other country, why would you need to learn their language?

 

English is spoken throughout the world, especially the business world, so why would people who speak English need to learn all the other languages just so that they don't appear to be arrogant?

 

I'm guessing most Manx people cant speak Manx...is it because we're all lazy, arrogant swines, or is it because there isn't really much point in learning a language that will not assist us in life or our careers?

[La_Dolce_Vita]

Not speaking a second language makes one arrogant, lazy and racist, eh how does that work?

 

You'd never get a "pisssed up" Frenchman or Spaniard would you? Oh no siree

You're putting words in my mouth that I didn't say.

 

The vast majority of Brits have stereotypical views of 'foreigners' that live only a few hundred miles away from them (in the same EU), know little about their culture and cannot converse with them unless it is in English - expecting them to always speak English. How many bread shop, grocery shops and pharmacies in the UK have staff that can speak two languages? What percentage of the UK population can read a French or German newspaper - compared to the percentage of Germans or French who can read an English one? That's where the arrogance and laziness comes in, the racism comes in the form of sterotyping.

 

Of course you get pissed up Frenchies and Spaniards - just nowhere near the same proportion of the population as you do here.

 

I very much doubt that the vast majority of Brits expect 'foreigners' to always speak English (only in relation to the fact that it has been their experience that many do).

 

This is just a stereotype of Brits, together with the pissed up "Brits on Tour" (or is this just racism)

 

I think Albert is right about Brits having stereotypical attitudes towards other Europeans, but of course they hold stereotypes about us. But I also think that Ramsea makes a good point about why the British see it as less important to learn other languages.

 

We had a vote on smoking in the workplace. Over 90% voted for a smoking room even though the numbers of smokers was less than 7%. People are generally tolerant which is why the smoking in pubs ban created such a furore. However had the vote been to legalise skunk for example you can guarantee that the results would have shown it to be as popular as a fart in a spacesuit. Which is why smoking and drinking are acceptable and crack isn't. It's called a democracy where the majority quite rightly make the rules. If it wasn't for the power block of the un-elected upper house you would live in one.

 

I think when you have a drug that have been illegal for so long people form misinformed and misguided attitudes as to what is permissable in society, so this probably explains why people will have such starkly contrasting attitudes to tobacco and skunk. I think peoples attitudes to drugs is very much informed on what their legal status is and that status has little to do with democracy but rather the decisions made by a few people supposedly for our benefit, it is the few who make the rules certainly not a majority.

 

The vote at work you had demonstrates what people want, if people can have an area which is out of the way where they can smoke, what is the problem? Why ban it everywhere. Same as in pubs, why not have smoking and non-smoking areas.

 

Is drinking a worse problem today than it has ever been? By that, I mean do more people drink more today, and not what people do when they are pissed. From what I can gather from watching the news you hear about the stuff that goes on when people are drunk but people were drinking like they did decades ago, or am I wrong to think this? Is it not the behaviour of drunks that has changed?

[nipper]

As long as they dont do something daft like give kids the vote at 16 cos some awkward sod could point out that they are banned for reasons of immaturity from drinking in pubs, smoking, buying cigs and even the dreaded firework.

 

To give Mrs Craine some credit, she was quite openly against giving our wee bairns the vote.

 

On the subject of alcohol, for a start I would ban drinking in public right across the Island, not just a few 'hotspots' where all those annoying notices appear eg. Douglas Promenade, Falcon Glen, Port Erin Promenade.

[rallybug]

The vast majority of Brits have stereotypical views of 'foreigners' that live only a few hundred miles away from them (in the same EU), know little about their culture and cannot converse with them unless it is in English - expecting them to always speak English. How many bread shop, grocery shops and pharmacies in the UK have staff that can speak two languages? What percentage of the UK population can read a French or German newspaper - compared to the percentage of Germans or French who can read an English one? That's where the arrogance and laziness comes in, the racism comes in the form of sterotyping.

 

If we take the list of EU official languages, which of the 23 should the British learn then? That has always been the main problem for Brits, and why some schools teach French, some German, some Spanish, some Italian etc. For non-native English speakers, I would imagine that their first choice second language would be either the local one (Euskara, for example) or the neighbouring countries language if you live on a border (German for French residents of Alsace, for example). After that (or if neither of the first two criterion exist) would probably come English as it is the most-widely spoken language (to varying degrees, naturally) outside native Mandarin speakers.

 

As for the English and drunkeness - this has been a mainstay of the English for centuries. Look at gin in the 18th and 19th centuries, for example.

[P.K.]

On the subject of alcohol, for a start I would ban drinking in public right across the Island, not just a few 'hotspots' where all those annoying notices appear eg. Douglas Promenade, Falcon Glen, Port Erin Promenade.

So all the "annoying" notices on PE prom threatening all sorts of dire punishments for public drinking (when I was there last I think it was a £130 fine) don't seem to be working then? Quelle surprise!

 

The US multinational I worked for had a rigid rule for new-hires to wit they had to speak english. Pretty amusing for a US company but there you go. Living on an island it seems less important for Brits to speak a foreign lingo and US companies don't exactly encourage it. However working in Spain I was surprised how many spoke French but the prize has to go to the Dutch and Belgians. Many speak perfect French, German and English. In Holland I remarked to mein host how was it that all the advertising hoardings and so forth were in English? His reply was "No-one wants to speak Dutch any more"!!!!!!!!!!!

[La_Dolce_Vita]

As long as they dont do something daft like give kids the vote at 16 cos some awkward sod could point out that they are banned for reasons of immaturity from drinking in pubs, smoking, buying cigs and even the dreaded firework.

 

To give Mrs Craine some credit, she was quite openly against giving our wee bairns the vote.

 

On the subject of alcohol, for a start I would ban drinking in public right across the Island, not just a few 'hotspots' where all those annoying notices appear eg. Douglas Promenade, Falcon Glen, Port Erin Promenade.

 

It don't that much of a contradiction between having the voting age at 16 and the alcohol/smoking age limit at 18. But if there is, maybe the age limits should be lowered rather than increasing the voting age. The age limits for these drugs don't make any sense to me.

 

As to a public drinking ban, I don't see what could it would do and it seems a little unfair. Why ban it everywhere?

[Lonan3]

I'm guessing most Manx people cant speak Manx...is it because we're all lazy, arrogant swines,

 

We-ell...now that you mention it......