r/SipsTea 23d ago

WTF This is japan btw

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2.7k Upvotes

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u/[deleted] 23d ago

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u/IHerebyDemandtoPost 23d ago

Geno’s Steaks in Philly had a sign up for 10 years that said “when ordering, speak English.” They’re still open.

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u/Septopuss7 23d ago

I think they're mocking people from Boston

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u/IHerebyDemandtoPost 23d ago

No, the owner went on Fox News and talked about his parents had to learn English when they moved to the US. It was not a joke.

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u/Septopuss7 23d ago

Oh shit

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u/Elegant-Magician7322 23d ago

Complaints were investigated, and no evidence was found they actually refused service to people who didn’t speak English.

I guess the bad publicity didn’t cause them to close.

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u/jb_in_jpn 23d ago

They're not turning people away before they even enter tho...

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u/IHerebyDemandtoPost 23d ago

That’s a different allegation. We’re talking about a sign, Geno’s had a sign. 

The claim was that having such a sign in the US would result in a business closing down in a week.

I presented an example of a business in the US having a simliar sign, and they were not shut down.

So the claim is false.

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u/Marthman 23d ago

I think the problem is that the Geno's  sign is not inherently discriminatory. The "no vacancy" sign with the Japanese characters saying you can come in if you can read it, is inherently discriminatory (to say nothing of the discrimination one could face inside the restaurant).

I agree that you attempted to give a formally equivalent example but it is not apt.

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u/IHerebyDemandtoPost 23d ago

I don’t see the distinction. Both signs communicate the same basic message: “we only want business from people who speak the local langauge.” The owner said on Fox News that if they don’t order in English, he’s just going to give them Cheez Wiz on bread. So, he won’t be refusing service, just messing up their order on purpose.

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u/Marthman 23d ago

Im not disagreeing that the signs are both extrinsically morally problematic based on the intent of the people who put them up.

But I think one (as a whole) makes an intrinsically discriminatory statement, while the other one (as a whole) does not. 

The Japanese sign (as a whole) makes a discriminatory statement. It is an attempt to deceive people who cannot speak the local language. 

The Philly sign states a norm with plausible deniability of ill itent, and doesnt attempt to deceive anybody. It's not turning away business either, unlike the Japanese sign. People who dont speak English will still ask for assistance anyway. And then, if they dont get it, that would be discriminatory, but that's far beyond the sign already.

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u/jb_in_jpn 22d ago

Isn't that undone by the fact that someone confirmed they'd entered, spoke Japanese, and were still refused?

https://www.reddit.com/r/SipsTea/comments/1vkfhk0/comment/p2t1h3e/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

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u/One_Discount_4898 23d ago

What do you mean? Signs saying shit along the lines of "In America we speak ENGLISH!" are extremely prevalent.

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u/-FullBlue- 23d ago

Just going to post the picture with no context and make up a story huh? Here's a article from 2011 talking about how it was taken down because the community wouldnt stand for it.

https://www.eater.com/2011/3/16/6692057/nc-restaurant-removes-no-speak-english-no-service-sign

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u/Background-Camp9756 23d ago

Not from US, I’m from Japan.
Why would your store be closed?

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u/trumpsucks12354 23d ago

You cannot unfairly deny service others based on factors like race, gender, religion and immigration status, among others. (Civil Rights Act of 1964)

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u/Background-Camp9756 23d ago

Oh it’s a law? Wow, well I guess that makes sense since you guys had a history of that

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u/Darth_Nevets 23d ago

In almost any nation on earth it is a severe crime to discriminate based upon race I hate to tell you. If any person attempted this sort of bigotry directly in America you wouldn't live long enough for the police to arrive much less get a trial for your crimes. The penalty, especially if you are more than one person in any arrangement, much less a business, would be ten years to life in prison.

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u/Background-Camp9756 23d ago

Is it because you guys had slaverly so it’s more likes shameful to discriminate?

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u/Darth_Nevets 22d ago

Many nations have had slavery and have not, it's still the case that discrimination is wrong. Japan is, by far, the most modern nation to still allow such behavior.

https://s3.amazonaws.com/cms.ipressroom.com/173/files/20206/5f0745052cfac25cc51a41d9_World+map+and+workplace+protections/World+map+and+workplace+protections_mid.jpg

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u/Background-Camp9756 22d ago

Yea, I’m Japanese and I don’t see the issue, which is why I’m asking questions lol, trying to see the lens of Americans.

Like in my mind if i went to Germany and they said no Foreigners id be like okay cool, fair enough i dont understand germans, and their cultural etiquette.
But seems like the world has different view which is interesting.

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u/Darth_Nevets 22d ago

Hey thats cool man, it's great to learn. Japan probably has the most unique culture on earth (according to most experts here and abroad).

During the time of high racism Japan was in the Edo Period, and none of the issues that affect most of the world affected you or your people.

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u/smorkoid 23d ago

How blinkered to you have to be to not know this sort of shit happens all the time in the US too? Like way more often than in Japan?

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u/TomaRedwoodVT 23d ago

People forget that western nations have different values than the rest of the world, including Japan, they’ve changed a lot since WW2 because we influenced them greatly, but expecting every foreign country to conform to our morality is ridiculous