It's really in everyone's best interest to try to communicate. I'll never understand why people insist on remaining loyal to American English when there so many other languages in the world...you might learn something now and then. Sent via iPhone ✌ï¸
There sure is a lot of languages in the world. It's customary to learn the primary language of a country you live in. If I moved to Japan and only spoke Farsi, learning Swedish wouldn't get me far.
Why would anyone choose to learn Swedish in Japanese speaking country? If you're going to condone willful ignorance you could choose better examples. Sent via iPhone ✌ï¸
how do we even know they are not trying to learn? just because a person can't fully express herself in every situation, doesn't mean they are not trying to learn.
You don't speak English? Well... I probably have nothing in common to talk about anyway. Sorry Charlie.
I'll try harder next time. I can't be brilliant all the time, it comes in spurts. I think I made a good point a couple of weeks ago so maybe soon it'll happen again.
Yep - the Soviet bloc found that out the hard way what bureaucratic power over resource allocation can get you. Bread lines, for starters. It's also why bureaucrats shouldn't be given the power to direct scarce resources or steer entire national economies. Prices automatically and quite efficiently perform the former. And Fed chairmen try and sometimes fail to perform the later, and sometimes with disastrous result. Ask Alan Greenspan if he should've left interest rates at rock bottom after successfully countering serious damage after the dotcom bust. In so doing he was popular with Wall Street and the public but that course also did more than its fair share at fueling the housing boom and subsequent 2008 meltdown. Of course, there were zillions of other factors, but that one wasn't insignificant. Given the power that the Fed chair position has, we all better hope that whoever fills it doesn't fuck up.
Of the 15 or so Americans I have met here in Norway (and they have all been friendly an amiable), only one has bothered to even attempt to learn Norwegian. I don't think it's an ethnic thing. I think it's a people thing. Reflect on this
I agree, and I never said that Americans were less likely to not learn the language of a country they move to. I do think that they are less likely to move to other countries, than many other nationalities are.
What makes you think that? I grew up moving around a lot, my parents were in the oil industry and were shuttled from hub to hub. I think you'd be surprised.
You mean that you lived in many different countries? I could understand the lack of language skills, if you're not there very long, but I'm talking about people who have been here for decades.
Oh, no, I was wondering why you have the assumption that Americans are less likely to move to other countries than the other way around. And yes, I was talking about permanent residents. Lovely people through and through, the Amis who have settled where I live now and Copenhagen where I lived before, but less interested in integrating themselves in the culture and the language of where they live. I suppose I wanted to offer some healthy counterweights to your opinion, so you are more informed, that's all. There have been plenty of permanent expat Americans in each of the international communities I've lived in while being bussed around from one international school to the next in my youth Edit: I think I also should clarify that I agree that not learning a language when you live in the country is rude as fuck and very straining on hospitality.
Less good, now that OPEC is applying all that pressure. Big controversy here is that even tho oil prices are dropping (from $100 to $60 per barrell), the oil cunts still want us to pay the same price at the gas stations... Edit: Going a bit off topic tho If you're really interested don't be shy to send me a PM, <del><del>if it was a dig at Norway's oil wealth and my presumed arrogance about it, go eat a sandwich </del></del> ^ leaving that there for my own shame