How would you respond to this

[countrygirl12]

If you worked on a job where you deal with the public and you had a customer who was middle eastern and you were talking to them and they pretty much ignored you (and he can speak English because he was talking to others who were with him, in English) and a guy who was with him (coincidentally a white guy) finally tells the cashier "He does not like Americans, He is not going to talk to you".

Just curious what people think about this.  My take is "if you don't like Americans or America then WHY are you here?"  I have heard a lot of stories where people move here from other countries and they make it quite plain they hate Americans.  A lot of middle eastern or India who own businesses have made very outspoken statements that they hate America.

I don't care where any one is from.  I just don't understand why if you hate a country - why would you move to that country.  For example - I would not move to Canada and then be angry every where I went and make in plain I hated Canadians.  That would be stupid.   

[hitch0403]

Sounds like its almost holding a door for someone and they walk by you without acknowledging the nice gesture you made.

Typical for this world.

I guess i would try to avoid them and only help them if i discerned they needed help.Of course you have to do your job.But also NOT be made a fool out of.

Let your yes mean yes and your no mean no i would tell them and be kind.Then peacablly walk away and get managment help if it gets out of hand.

[autumnsparklemom]

Ugh! I have to agree with you but I would not be sure how I would react if that happened to me.

[ghunter]

I also agree but don't know how I would react, if that happened to me also. 

[6265AT99]

Well first of all you can thank the government for keeping our borders wide open and promising the moon, the stars, and the sun to all who enter our America!  Why you ask do they come her???  I ask who let them In?  In either case the answer is the same, The GOVERNMENT!!  So just blame them.

[BMaston12]

If you worked on a job where you deal with the public and you had a customer who was middle eastern and you were talking to them and they pretty much ignored you (and he can speak English because he was talking to others who were with him, in English) and a guy who was with him (coincidentally a white guy) finally tells the cashier "He does not like Americans, He is not going to talk to you".

Just curious what people think about this.  My take is "if you don't like Americans or America then WHY are you here?"  I have heard a lot of stories where people move here from other countries and they make it quite plain they hate Americans.  A lot of middle eastern or India who own businesses have made very outspoken statements that they hate America.

I don't care where any one is from.  I just don't understand why if you hate a country - why would you move to that country.  For example - I would not move to Canada and then be angry every where I went and make in plain I hated Canadians.  That would be stupid.   

I feel the same way.If they don't like it here, Go Back to where you came from. Are the benefits so good that you won't leave? If so, then don't begrudge being here. Our country is a great one and that is why foreigners come here> They want the American Dream. BMaston12

[alice44]

I tend to agree with you but you don't know why he hated Americans.  I would be polite and not give him any more reason to hate.

[kapeh12]

Well, there could be several reason why such a person is in America:
- they could be sent to America to work at their country's embassy, a few years of required service before they can go back home
- they work for a company who is contracted to do an implementation in America and are required to reside here during the implementation phase
- they are visiting relatives who do live here (not permanent residents)
- they are going to school (university) due to some work/personal need, and plan to return to their country once they graduate
- they work for a global company and are assigned to work in the America's region

There are probably numerous other reasons why someone who "hates America" may be here.

In a situation like the above, one thing to understand is middle eastern culture is highly patriarchal.  I know the OP is female (as am I), so part of the reason this gentleman didn't speak could have been due to you being American, but I would wager a larger one was that you were an American woman.  If he's traditional, American women are highly offensive to them - due to us working (which is man's domain) and not being covered as traditional middle eastern women are.  If I assumed this was the case, I would address the American man with the gentleman and ask if I should either get a co-worker who was male or the manager to assist the gentleman, or see if the American man will act as a go-between to assist the middle eastern gentleman.

[debidoo]

Personally I think its a rudeness that should not be tolerated.  I don't have a very "statute of liberty" kind of perspective on people coming into this country anyway - I don't think people should be allowed to come in that can't speak english for one thing and for sure if you hate americans go back to your own country.  Burns me up !   

[bigedshult]

I think you hit the nail on the head.If they don't like it hear them go home or some place that they like. But they will not because there is no place like this country!

[BlackSheepNY]

I'm with ya.  If they don't like it here, don't let the door hit ya in the !#$!$#%$ on the way out!  If I had to deal with him, I'd look PAST him and to the NEXT customer.  If he can't use common courtesy, he won't get any back.

[countrygirl12]

I tend to agree with you but you don't know why he hated Americans.  I would be polite and not give him any more reason to hate.

If you are a foreigner in this country and you hate Americans to the point that you will not speak to one who is interacting with you in a public place that you are in then there is a problem.  I don't care WHY he hates Americans.  If he hates ALL Americans then he needs to go back to where ever he came from.

[countrygirl12]

Well, there could be several reason why such a person is in America:
- they could be sent to America to work at their country's embassy, a few years of required service before they can go back home
- they work for a company who is contracted to do an implementation in America and are required to reside here during the implementation phase
- they are visiting relatives who do live here (not permanent residents)
- they are going to school (university) due to some work/personal need, and plan to return to their country once they graduate
- they work for a global company and are assigned to work in the America's region

There are probably numerous other reasons why someone who "hates America" may be here.

In a situation like the above, one thing to understand is middle eastern culture is highly patriarchal.  I know the OP is female (as am I), so part of the reason this gentleman didn't speak could have been due to you being American, but I would wager a larger one was that you were an American woman.  If he's traditional, American women are highly offensive to them - due to us working (which is man's domain) and not being covered as traditional middle eastern women are.  If I assumed this was the case, I would address the American man with the gentleman and ask if I should either get a co-worker who was male or the manager to assist the gentleman, or see if the American man will act as a go-between to assist the middle eastern gentleman.

LOL.  Uh no!  I am not going to cater to someone from another country because they don't believe like we do.  I would NEVER ask if I could get a male co worker to wait on him because he is offended by my being a female and working.  Screw that.  If he wants to live in a country where women are covered from head to toe with a towel and are not permitted to speak and can be beaten if their shoe squeaks in public then he needs to take his sad *bleep* back to the middle east.  Pretty sure he is a doctor and THAT is why he is in America.  He can make a bazillion more dollars here than he can in the middle east.  Fact is he is a jerk and he is rude to the males who work there as well.  He wasn't really rude to me just basically ignored me.  If he EVER talks to me like he has a couple of my co-workers he will get an ear full of American words he ain't gonna like!

[countrygirl12]

debidoo - It amazes me at how many people come thru that cannot speak a word of English or it is so broken you can't understand them or what they want and then they want to get mad at us because we cannot communicate with them.  It's like "hey stupid, this is America we speak English here"!  Not any of the 14 different languages I have heard over the past couple of weeks.  And I have no problem with people who enter the country legally.  But the ones who come here illegally and pop out a kid and then get citizenship and still refuse to learn the language and then get welfare, food stamps, free medical and everything else under the sun while I fight to keep my home - yeah that makes me a little angry.

Blacksheep - I hear ya and I agree but I am usually nicer to people than they are to me. I just vent about it later.  I have to have a job because "I" can't get a ride on the freebie train.

[CharmedPhoenix]

Well first of all you can thank the government for keeping our borders wide open and promising the moon, the stars, and the sun to all who enter our America!  Why you ask do they come her???  I ask who let them In?  In either case the answer is the same, The GOVERNMENT!!  So just blame them.

Are you of the First Nations?  They are the only ones who get to complain about immigrants.  All my ancestors immigrated here from other countries and I'm betting yours did too.  We wouldn't be here if "the land of the free" didn't welcome other people. 

Back to the point...  The point of this conversation is discrimination.  The customer discriminated against the clerk.  If I had an open minded boss I'd want to tell the man's friend that all of the store's employees are American.  If I had a touchy boss I'd excuse myself to get "someone who can help you" and go get the manager.