1168: The Key of Awesome

[Keith]

"I'm willing to fight you for charity."


www.TheKeyOfAwesome.com

MS David Hyde: 702-321-5535

[lalalemon]

i haven't listened to the ep yet, but i love drunk history- especially this one with michael cera

[Subsonix]

Who told the joke at the end of the show?

[The King of Awesome]

Originally Posted by lalalemon

i haven't listened to the ep yet, but i love drunk history- especially this one with michael cera

I haven't heard it either, but the title is titillating, perhaps even title-ating!

[bikertom]

There is no reason to limit drivers license tests to English, if cost is an issue charge more for non-English test. The US is an extremely diverse country with shitty public transportation. A drivers license does not equate to citizenship, but can equate to putting food on the table.

I feel strongly about this, as I am an American living in Japan. Japanese is regarded as one of the most complex Languages in existence, and a large part of that complexity is the reading/writing part. It would take years for a vast majority of non-Japanese speaking adults to learn enough Japanese to take a driving test. I've been in Japan for 6 years and am able to speak at an intermediate level (I can carry on conversations for more than an hour with only minor mistakes, no honorific/humble or specialized vocabulary), but I can only read/write at a 2nd grade level (almost nothing). I'm lucky because Japan offers drivers license exams in English otherwise it would probably take another 6 years for me to be able to understand the driver's handbook and understand the test.

I know that your topic was for the US, but people can understand road signs without knowing English. The purpose of the test is to ensure that a driver understands the proper way to use an automobile, the meanings of road signs, and what to do in an emergency. The US is basically a car based society, it is extremely difficult to live in the US without a car (i.e. shopping, working, going to the Dr.).

Now for the post explanation rant.
Anti-non-English speaking shit is geared towards whom....? ...Immigrants? The US is one of the greatest nations in the history, it is the first nation built by immigrants they are the backbone, heart and soul of America. I am continually amazed at the anti-immigrant propaganda machine running in the US, it seems to have become patriotic to be anti-immigrant... what could be less patriotic? On the surface this shit is created to be easily digestible,
"It's America, we speak English" instant response is "it IS America, we Do speak English".... let me translate the statement into it's true intent.
"Immigrants legally residing in the US should not be allowed the privilege to drive until they can understand a 200 page tech. manual in English" ... adding my own inference to this ... "...you can't live in the majority of America without a car, and we won't let you drive legally, so stay the fuck out of our country."

[SeanGraves]

Originally Posted by bikertom

There is no reason to limit drivers license tests to English, if cost is an issue charge more for non-English test. The US is an extremely diverse country with shitty public transportation. A drivers license does not equate to citizenship, but can equate to putting food on the table.

I feel strongly about this, as I am an American living in Japan. Japanese is regarded as one of the most complex Languages in existence, and a large part of that complexity is the reading/writing part. It would take years for a vast majority of non-Japanese speaking adults to learn enough Japanese to take a driving test. I've been in Japan for 6 years and am able to speak at an intermediate level (I can carry on conversations for more than an hour with only minor mistakes, no honorific/humble or specialized vocabulary), but I can only read/write at a 2nd grade level (almost nothing). I'm lucky because Japan offers drivers license exams in English otherwise it would probably take another 6 years for me to be able to understand the driver's handbook and understand the test.

I know that your topic was for the US, but people can understand road signs without knowing English. The purpose of the test is to ensure that a driver understands the proper way to use an automobile, the meanings of road signs, and what to do in an emergency. The US is basically a car based society, it is extremely difficult to live in the US without a car (i.e. shopping, working, going to the Dr.).

Now for the post explanation rant.
Anti-non-English speaking shit is geared towards whom....? ...Immigrants? The US is one of the greatest nations in the history, it is the first nation built by immigrants they are the backbone, heart and soul of America. I am continually amazed at the anti-immigrant propaganda machine running in the US, it seems to have become patriotic to be anti-immigrant... what could be less patriotic? On the surface this shit is created to be easily digestible,
"It's America, we speak English" instant response is "it IS America, we Do speak English".... let me translate the statement into it's true intent.
"Immigrants legally residing in the US should not be allowed the privilege to drive until they can understand a 200 page tech. manual in English" ... adding my own inference to this ... "...you can't live in the majority of America without a car, and we won't let you drive legally, so stay the fuck out of our country."

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to read "No U Turn." But living in an aria with electronic road signs warning ppl of Bridge Delays, etc. It can be a bit frustraiting for those at a (let's say) 2nd grade level of reading... I sympathise with ya. But the majority of driving in America is in American English. Not, Spanish, Chinese or Japanese. Thus, if you want to survive in a box with wheels... Learn some freaking English.
In Oklahoma you have to pass an 8th Grade Reading test before even taking the written. :/ Just an FYI for those out their. Alabama isn't too far off the deep end on the whole DL thing...
One more point to make... Driving isn't like going into a Target in San Antonio, Texas. Were every department is given two names, (one in English, the other... Not). TBH, I felt a little more red neck when walking out of that store (Which NEVER happens). Look, I'm trying to get to the Electronics aria... Not the ElectrónicaElectronics department. Look, I get the demagraphics of America veries. However, last I checked America was founded with an all around agreement of English being the first language... Please, let's not make it anymore complicated... I mean, "Doh" is now a freaking word. Thanks Webster... not.

P.S. I found this game for the Nintendo DS called My Japanese Couch and apparently I'm at a 2 yr old level too. ROFLOL! But living in Washington State doesn't really call for Japanese.

[spooky]

BikerTom did a good job summing it up, here's my two cents:

First, there is no law that requires you be able to read or speak English to reside, travel, or work in the USA. That alone is reason enough, never mind the added safety benefit of testing more people.

Second, the signs are designed around symbols and simple words, something someone who doesn't even know the alphabet can quickly and easily learn to recognize. If we were hell bent on enforcing English reading skills on the road, we would make laws and absurd signs doing so.

Third, it's cheaper to print the test in Spanish as well as English than to go after and prosecute people driving illegally because the test is English only. If Alabama prosecutes a single individual, they spend more. Is that state so flush with money that they can afford to throw it away jailing people who can't read?

The last and, in my opinion, most important reason to allow testing in multiple languages: NAFTA and the global economy. The door's already open, you may as well make it safe on the roads.

Is there any situation you can imagine that you need a high level of English reading skills to be road worthy? If so, that's where we should be focusing resources, it might help to curb the forty thousand or so deaths in automobile crashes each year.

Originally Posted by SeanGraves

...aria...Learn some freaking English...veries

Do you have a license to drive?

[picard102]

Originally Posted by spooky

First, there is no law that requires you be able to read or speak English to reside, travel, or work in the USA.

There really should be. Some competency in English (Grade 4) should be a requirement for citizenship through immigration.

[spooky]

Originally Posted by picard102

There really should be. Some competency in English (Grade 4) should be a requirement for citizenship through immigration.

We aren't speaking about just citizenship. The US allows many other countries driver's licenses to validate driving in the US, there are many here on work visas, diplomatic visas, relationship visas, student visas and tourist visas. Anyone staying for an extended period of time is forced to contend with America's car culture. Restricting who is allowed to drive in the US sets a precedent that will adversely extend into many areas of our economy.

It could literally cut out trillions of dollars from our GDP.

Can we afford that, what about the unintended consequences of this belief? How would that affect the rest of the world? Are we prepared to take these kinds of drastic steps, partitioning ourselves off from free trade for the sake of some misplaced sense of nationalism/exceptionalism? Are we prepared, when we revoke driving abilities, to have our own driving abilities revoked across the world?

Personally, I like being able to legally drive in virtually any country I travel to...

[BrownEyedBtch]

The ability to drive and figure out road signs has nothing to do with being a licensed driver in the first place. There are so many unlicensed drivers who simply knew how to operate a vehicle and figured out what the signs meant. To say the driving test should only be given in English would be to disregard the millions of people who are legally citizens (just by being born in the US, for example) but do not speak English. It's racist. Personally, the varying languages for the test gives me some peace of mind that those who have actually received licenses have spent time learning the rules and don't just figure it out as they go.