Am I wrong?

[InfinityXXX]

I was talking to my friend Roldan, whos mexican and i asked him a question because i had always wondered this about people whos signature language is not english but can speak english perfectly well.

"When you think, like when your solving a math problem or reading a story, Roldan, do you do it in Spanish?"

He said yeah and then said i was a racist.
Racist? I don't think i sounded like one. I asked another latino and he said that I was racist too.

Was I being racist?

I mean everyone that knows me knows that i'm always into civil rights and justice for minorities, especially blacks and that i plan to be a civil rights activist becuase theres not really that many black activist now.

But was i racist? I don't think so? I didn't even come at him harsh or rudely, it was jsut a simple question and i asked it nicely, but maybe it was rude to ask him that.



<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: InfinityXXX on 2005-06-15 14:10 ]</font>

[navci]

No. It is just curiosity.
Some people like to overreact on this race issue.

OMG I WENT IN AN INTERVIEW AND I WASN'T HIRED! THEY MUST BE RACIST!

[tai_EX]

....racists.... MEEH... u sir ARE not a racist.. this topic fires Tai up more than any other.. i am a coiseur of language in fact i know at least 4 and i do (in my head) try to understand them in english!

i do believe your friend is being overly sensitive.. you are not being racist by asking that question!!



bbbbbbbbpppprth... okay ther goes my brain again! tehee! http://pso-world.com/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif

[Luis]

the comment its not racists at all, i did the same question to english ppl that can speak spanish but in the english way.

And nobody said that i was a racists.

Did you said any other thing or something about it?

[InfinityXXX]

Nope i just asked him the question and he went off. My friend always was the drama queen type.



<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: InfinityXXX on 2005-06-15 15:08 ]</font>

[digigram]

Thats rediculous infinity. of course you're not being racist. They just wanted a reason for you to be.

[Anubis_]

Thats rediculous infinity. of course you're not being racist. They just wanted a reason for you to be.

Your right but, I would still be cautious of asking questions like that. Sometimes the one looking for reasons is the one looking for fights too. Not necessarily him, but other people as well.

I have a latino firend who I ask questions like that all the time too, but He never gets mad. Unless he knows I'm making a joke, then he'll say something about fried chicken and malt liqur, then we'll laugh and go get something to eat.

One of my other firneds wanted to get his mother too cook some mexican food for us to eat and he thought it was a good idea.

The thing is, knowing your limits with a person is how you know what to do around them. It might not of mattered to him if you were sincere or not. But the good thing is, now you know your limits.

[Ness]

I have to side with navi on this one. You were just curious about what language he used in his head. Saying that's racist is just like saying it's racist to ask someone what language they dream in.

[navci]

Oh ya. So in case you wonder,

My self-dialogue can be in either language. I can count in English, but I count things a lot faster in my native tongue.

I have dreamt in all the languages that I know of. Usually what I have been speaking the most in the day. Sometimes it is all mixed up but everyone in my dream understands it. I mean, I can dream about Abdur and he can speak Japanese. It is all mixed. :>

[Jett_Kakashi]

Just like Anubis said, know your limits.
However, I think your Mexican buddy was being over-reactive. Not to sound racists or anything myself, but teachers here deal with that. Some of the black or mexican students love to sit there and draw attention to themselves. When the teachers yell at them, they call them racists.

The only reason why it would sound racists, is if you were saying it in a joking mean tone. But you didnt. So you have nothing to worry about. Now, try to see if you can make him see that, if you cant, then just leave him behind.

[RoninJoku]

I suppose I could understand why they would think that that question was rascist... but still... that's just being a little silly...

[Jive18]

This reminds me of my Spanish class last year. Our teacher was pregnant and gone for about a month, so during that time we had a sub who was Mexican. One day in class somebody next to me asked her if her family used Mexican toilet paper, referring to toilet paper that is actually made in Mexico. She completely freaked, gave him a referral, and wrote him a detention slip on the side.

I don't know if the guy ended up with any punishment, but her reaction was a little absurd, especially for something as minor as toilet paper.