One of the greatest traits and strengths of the American culture stems from its diversity.
Americans are often very proud to tell others that they were built in the hands of immigrants. Thus, it is no surprise that a store that threatened to overcharge non-English speakers incited great anger.
The small store that has attracted all sorts of complaints is a New Jersey store called “Cutter’s Edge”. It is not special nor significant in any ways – it barely had any reviews online prior to the incident as it was a simple blade sharpening place.
However, after the controversial poster that is seen in the picture above went viral online, a large amount of negative online reviews have been posted on its Yelp review. More critically, the owner said that his phone line has become unusable due to all the complaint calls he is receiving.
Many of the attacks and complaints all point to how the poster is being racist in a straightforward way. Many Twitter users ranted about racism being on full display, while others asked if it was legal to discriminate based on what language one speaks.
The Yelp reviews all expressed similar sentiments. One user said that anyone who knows a friend or family who is not familiar with English will instantly understand the connotations behind the poster, while another pointed out that there are 350 different languages spoken in the US.
In an interview with a local media, the owner of “Cutter’s Edge” Dave Feinberg tried to ameliorate the damage. He first disclosed how he has received interview requests from more than 10 different media sources, who all asked him his opinion on the controversy the poster instigated.
Feinberg tried to justify the poster by retelling an incident that happened a few weeks back. He said that a customer who came into his store didn’t even bother trying to speak with him in English, which is why he wanted to ask $10 for the 10 minutes he wasted.
However, Feinberg did admit to the fact that they way in which he expressed his frustration was not refined enough. He mused whether he should have asked that his customers at least attempt to speak English in his store.
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Replaced!