June 04, 2010

Quiz

Where is the billboard below?

  1. San Juan, Puerto Rico
  2. Domican Republic
  3. Harrington Corner Worcester, MA 

13 comments:

Gabe said...

Yeah I was a little put off by this.

Anonymous said...

When in Rome.....

Eric K.
Worc., MA

Sprout said...

Harrington corner!

Brendan Melican said...

At least Kathy can follow directions.

Can someone explain why the choice of language used for a marketing campaign matters?

Anonymous said...

The problem I see is that Worcester is turning into a little "Havana". We are in America and English should be the first spoken language. Everywhere you go in Worcester, it is all in Spanish. The city is overrun with poor, non speaking immigrants who are deteriorating this once beautiful city.

signman said...

One on top of Guertin Graphics as well..

Nick said...

I don't see why this is controversial either, it's not classroom instruction or anything, just a billboard (or two). Then again, I tend to be put off more by white Americans overly proud of the accident of their birth than by those who prefer to follow Spanish language twitter feeds.

Gabe said...

I am put off by the fact that it seems that demographically speaking it makes more sense to put up a Spanish bill board in downtown Worcester than it does to open a business whose demographic is middle class white.

This isn't racism by the way, I love the Latino festival and am a big fan of all the little eateries in the city.

However, and I am not scared to say this, there is much about the culture that I do not like and it's my right to not want to live somewhere where I have to be immersed in it, no?

I am not about to stand in anyones way if they want to live somewhere but I feel I have every right to be put off by a realization.

I mean what is wrong with saying that?

Juan said...

Isnt a sign like this quite appropriate and fitting when you consider the Baloney resolution our council most recently debated?

I have to call the building commish tomorrow morning and see if signs that are not in english are a violation of the zoning ordinance.

They shoulda put that thing up in Great Brook Valley as part of the recent multi dollar face lift that place just rec'd or better yet high atop the the Worc Housing Authority Tower on Belmont at I-290...for all the interstate traffic to see.

davemcmahon said...

The US is the fourth largest country with Spanish speakers in the world, a testament to the fact that people continue to flood here for economic opportunity. A business marketing to the 20% of our country, and NOT using Spanish would be a demonstration of poor business skills. There is a new book out, I'll have to find the title, that comprehensively evaluates the flow of immigration as a measurement of the economic prosperity of a country through the ages going back to the Roman era. We also can talk all we want to about deporting the 12 million illegals, but a project of this scale is improbable. Better to do what was done in our history to assimilate rather than reject.

Brendan Melican said...

The US dosen't have an official language. Our de-facto official language is English only by virtue of 80% of the population speaking it.

Not liking a culture is fine, I guess, but what culture are you seeing in that sign? It's in Spanish, so are you just not a fan of the tilde and upside down question mark? Or are you saying all 20+ countries that have spanish as an official language are culturally identical? If your issue is the former, thats cool. If it's the latter, I'd suggest a geography/history lesson. Comparing PR to the DR to Havana to Espana is akin to saying all black people look alike or white people can't dance.

Brendan Melican said...

Mind you, I actually can't dance.

Sean Dacey said...

Only in the U.S. (and Worcester) would we be offended by knowing another language.