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Your opinion on Coke's version of America The Beautiful? [W:1014]

Do You like this version of "America The Beautiful?"


  • Total voters
    104
If you're expecting honest responses, you're barking up the wrong tree. I suspect you know that, though. ;)

I do, but that's okay, I can just keep posting facts. They can deny them all day long, but hopefully the more intelligent people who have common sense can make the connections without having their opinions tarnished by political correctness. :)

Construction Expert Claims Language Barrier is Detrimental to Safety in the Construction Industry - ForensisGroup.com

Effective communication is important to safety in any work environment. In the construction industry, a lack of communication can cause property damage, injuries and even deaths. It’s no secret that there are many non-English speakers employed in the construction industry. According to construction expert Paul Gogulski, speaking English is necessary to avoiding hazards on construction sites.

As an expert witness specializing in construction accidents, Paul Gogulski is well aware of the importance of communication on construction sites. In November of 2008, he published an ENR column entitled "Speaking English is Key to Safety." The column deals with the sensitive fact that there are many workers on construction sites that are unable to speak and understand the English language. The resulting lapse in communication can actually lead to hazards on construction sites.
 
Then a lot of people are friggin stupid and reading way too much into a dumb coke commercial.

There's no indication what-so-ever that the people singing in a non-Merikan language where showing any disrespect or animosity towards 'Merika.

There's no inference or sub=plot to suggest they're putting their pride of country of origin OVER 'Merika.

I don't know where people get this stuff from.

You using the term "Merika" is QUITE disrespectful IMO.
 
Lol, OSHA investigation. *smh* - You posted "information" on a study that shows that there as more immigrants come the US, there will be larger numbers of poor people not that not speaking English makes them poorer. Yes Chris, that's how it works. Immigrants come here? Their degrees are not accepted, they find jobs in other fields whether they like it or not. If they have the ability, they work through school maybe. If they have kids and other things to pay for they don't and end up like the overwhelming majority of immigrants. :shrug:

The fact is that non-English speaking workers put themselves and other workers at risk because they cannot communicate effectively, and everyone knows that effective communication is vital in maintaining a safe work environment.
 
You using the term "Merika" is QUITE disrespectful IMO.

I don't care what you think.

The idiots who are "offended" over this coke commercial are the disrespectful and ignorant ones who deserve the term.

Maybe that's you, maybe it's not. I haven't read all 58 pages of posts in this thread to know.
 
The fact is that non-English speaking *construction* workers put themselves and other workers at risk because they cannot communicate effectively, and everyone knows that effective communication is vital in maintaining a safe work environment.

A non English speaking waiter isn't putting anybody at risk by not knowing English. :shrug:
 
Do you only respect those who agree with you? Because that's how it appears.

Not at all, an easy example is Zyphlin him and me don't agree on everything but the man is one the smartest and level headed posters here. I wish I could be as calm as that guy, and I know if he chooses to disagree with me in a topic I'm either about to concede or have a run for my money.
 
A non English speaking waiter isn't putting anybody at risk by not knowing English. :shrug:

Okay, so what? That's one occupation out of many. There are many other occupations where not being able to speak or understand English puts people's lives in danger, literally.
 
Easy solution, make the safety guidelines in Spanish. Wait! That's already done! :shrug: :)

Oh wait! That's hasn't worked so well, according to my links. You still have to be able to communicate with one another on the job site.
 
My husband is bilingual and works construction with both English and Spanish speakers and there are no problems he says other than the English speaking workers than live outside the city that have a problem with the workers speaking Spanish to each other on break. They've been crying to the boss because they think they are talking about them in Spanish. :roll:

Other than that they all get the job done just fine.
 
I don't care what you think.

The idiots who are "offended" over this coke commercial are the disrespectful and ignorant ones who deserve the term.

Maybe that's you, maybe it's not. I haven't read all 58 pages of posts in this thread to know.

No they don't. They just see it differently than you do.
 
My husband is bilingual and works construction with both English and Spanish speakers and there are no problems he says other than the workers than live outside the city that have a problem with the workers speaking Spanish to each other on break. They've been crying to the boss because they think they are talking about them in Spanish. :roll:

Other than that they all get the job done just fine.

Sorry, but personal anecdotes don't trump facts that are well known and published by OSHA and other work site safety/health evaluations.
 
Okay, so what? That's one occupation out of many. There are many other occupations where not being able to speak or understand English puts people's lives in danger, literally.

A Mexican gardener isn't putting anybody at risk by not speaking English.
A Nigerian cab driver who knows street names in English and nothing else isn't putting anybody at risk.
A Chinese guy who only understands "Number ...." at Chinese restaurants isn't putting you at risk.
A Greek guy mopping floors at the mall after 10PM isn't putting you at risk.
An Arab who fixes computers at a coffee shop isn't putting you at risk.

These are the jobs that immigrants do. They're not doctors or even construction workers for the most part. The majority of them work menial jobs that Americans don't want to be paid $7.50 an hour to do. :shrug:
 
Yeah, I'm really not the best person to identify with these feelings. I speak 7 languages and am a citizen of Canada, Spain, Italy and Switzerland. I love all equally as they are all wonderful countries in their own unique way. I've never been in a situation where I had to chose which one I love more. Maybe if one goes to war with another I'll have to take a side, but other than that I don't foresee any other major issue.

Americans are different than Europeans. We have been on an island for centuries, separated from the rest of the world by oceans without the ability to drive for a few hours and be in countries where they don't speak our native tongue. The need to be bi lingual is not as great in America. That's not the issue here though. The issue for many is that some foreigners come here with the intention of making money to send home and then return to their homeland in many cases. Some tax our social safety nets or come here to have children who are granted citizenship. They are called anchor babies and their existence is to make immigration easier for the rest of their families.

Some of us become a little sensitive about how our nation is used by people who don't assimilate. I'm not saying anything about the people in the video specifically but the video can be interpreted in many ways. Some see it as a sign of diversity, some see it as a sign of our nation being used in a manner which is unacceptable.
 
Sorry, but personal anecdotes don't trump facts that are well known and published by OSHA and other work site safety/health evaluations.

I'm not trying to trump facts, I'm just saying from personal knowledge there's never been a language problem if the people work together and get over it. It's when jackasses feel superior and don't want to help each other that's when accidents happen.
 
Not at all, an easy example is Zyphlin him and me don't agree on everything but the man is one the smartest and level headed posters here. I wish I could be as calm as that guy, and I know if he chooses to disagree with me in a topic I'm either about to concede or have a run for my money.

Is that the only example you can think of? Ok so having a level head is respectable. Does that mean that someone who is constantly angry at and name calling people for disagreeing with him is not someone to respect as a debater?
 
A Mexican gardener isn't putting anybody at risk by not speaking English.
A Nigerian cab driver who knows street names in English and nothing else isn't putting anybody at risk.
A Chinese guy who only understands "Number ...." at Chinese restaurants isn't putting you at risk.
A Greek guy mopping floors at the mall after 10PM isn't putting you at risk.
An Arab who fixes computers at a coffee shop isn't putting you at risk.

These are the jobs that immigrants do. They're not doctors or even construction workers for the most part. The majority of them work menial jobs that Americans don't want to be paid $7.50 an hour to do. :shrug:

Look bud, the more you post, the more obvious it is that you're just pulling stuff out of your butt like usual.

This study examines where construction workers come from by analyzing the most recent 2011 American Community Survey (ACS) from the Census Bureau and compares the findings with the results from the 2004 ACS, the last time the NAHB Economics conducted a similar analysis. The results show that immigrants have been an important source of new recruits to the construction industry—accounting for a large share of the overall labor force. The inflow of foreign born labor into construction is cyclical and coincides with the overall housing activity. Their share was rising rapidly during the housing boom years when labor shortages were widespread and serious. But even during the severe housing downturn and a period of high unemployment the construction labor force continued to recruit new immigrants to partially replace native and foreign born workers leaving the industry.
 
I'm not trying to trump facts, I'm just saying from personal knowledge there's never been a language problem if the people work together and get over it. It's when jackasses feel superior and don't want to help each other that's when accidents happen.

No! When something happens on the job site, people need to be able to understand each other. It has NOTHING to do with feeling superior. It has EVERYTHING to do with not being able to understand one another.
 
No! When something happens on the job site, people need to be able to understand each other. It has NOTHING to do with feeling superior. It has EVERYTHING to do with not being able to understand one another.


So what about accidents that happen to English speakers? What's their excuse for not understanding or communicating?
 
It's funny, I can post link after link after link to studies which prove what I'm saying to be the truth, but there are still those who have their mind shut so tightly that all they can think about is that it MUST be bigotry and hatred and not just the plain truth and common sense. Not being able to communicate effectively with one another has consequences, and sometimes those consequences result in a person's death!!! THAT is a FACT.
 
So what about accidents that happen to English speakers? What's their excuse for not understanding or communicating?

That is a retarded question that I'm not even going to dignify with a response. Now you are just grasping desperately at straws. All of the things I have stated in this thread are true and I have backed them.
 
Look bud, the more you post, the more obvious it is that you're just pulling stuff out of your butt like usual.

You're either not reading your links or you are posting links to see what sticks. Immigrants in construction account for 2.2 million as per your link. Total number of immigrants in the US? 38 million. That means 5% of all immigrants work in construction. The rest? Menial jobs. So again I ask, what danger does the guy fixing computers at a computer store pose to you?
 
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They speak our language. They obey our laws. They make an effort to ingratiate themselves with the people living here before they arrived and contribute something to the collective whole of our society as a whole. They don't saunter in like they own the place, and demand that everyone else change to accommodate them. Such people are not behaving like potential citizens, with an interest in becoming a part of our greater culture, but arrogant tourists. They should be treated as such.

So do you 'ingratiate' yourself as a 'real' American? Millions of Americans can trace their roots much farther back than I. Must I in some way cow-tow to anyone with a DAR button? So who demands that 'everyone else' changes to accommodate them? NO ONE has asked me to do a damn thing to accommodate anyone. But I am a good sort and quite willing to help most who ask for it- I seriously doubt anyone has sauntered up to you and demanded anything who couldn't speak da Engrish.

Our 'greater culture' is such a mish mash of imported cultures that you are hard pressed to claim it is somehow now frozen as a dominate culture.

I'll admit I am not a great judge of saunter, but to my untrained mind I've seen far more arrogant Americans saunter across the nation and overseas than ever a recent import.
 
I couldn't care less.
 
That is a retarded question that I'm not even going to dignify with a response. Now you are just grasping desperately at straws. All of the things I have stated in this thread are true and I have backed them.

Retarded huh? You like to throw that word around alot.

Anyway let's look at some statistics

https://www.osha.gov/oshstats/commonstats.html

Construction's "Fatal Four"
Out of 3,945* worker fatalities in private industry in calendar year 2012, 775 or 19.6% were in construction. The leading causes of worker deaths on construction sites were falls, followed by struck by object, electrocution, and caught-in/between. These "Fatal Four" were responsible for nearly three out of five (56%) construction worker deaths in 2012*, BLS reports. Eliminating the Fatal Four would save 435 workers' lives in America every year.

■Falls – 278 out of 775 total deaths in construction in CY 2012 (36%)
■Struck by Object – 78 (10%)
■Electrocutions – 66 (9%)
■Caught-in/between – 13 (2%)

Back to OSHA Data & Statistics

Commonly Used Statistics
Federal OSHA coverage
Federal OSHA is a small agency; with our state partners we have approximately 2,200 inspectors responsible for the health and safety of 130 million workers, employed at more than 8 million worksites around the nation—which translates to about one compliance officer for every 59,000 workers.

Federal OSHA has 10 regional offices and 90 local area offices.

OSHA budget
FY 2011: $573,096,000
FY 2012: $564,788,000
FY 2013: $563,658,000 (Full Year CR)–with Sequestration: $535,246,000

OSHA inspections
FY 2012 Total Federal inspections: 40,961
FY 2012 Total 18(b) State Plan inspections: 51,133

Worker injuries, illnesses and fatalities
4,383 workers were killed on the job in 2012 [BLS revised 2012 workplace fatality data*] (3.2 per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers) – on average, more than 84 a week or nearly 12 deaths every day. (This is the second lowest preliminary total since the fatal injury census was first conducted in 1992.)

708 Hispanic or Latino workers were killed from work-related injuries in 2012–on average, more than 13 deaths a week or nearly two Latino workers killed every single day of the year, all year long.

Fatal work injuries involving contractors accounted for 16 percent of all fatal work injuries in 2012.

Construction's "Fatal Four"
Out of 3,945* worker fatalities in private industry in calendar year 2012, 775 or 19.6% were in construction. The leading causes of worker deaths on construction sites were falls, followed by struck by object, electrocution, and caught-in/between. These "Fatal Four" were responsible for nearly three out of five (56%) construction worker deaths in 2012*, BLS reports. Eliminating the Fatal Four would save 435 workers' lives in America every year.

■Falls – 278 out of 775 total deaths in construction in CY 2012 (36%)
■Struck by Object – 78 (10%)
■Electrocutions – 66 (9%)
■Caught-in/between – 13 (2%)
Top 10 most frequently cited OSHA standards violated in FY2013

The following were the top 10 most frequently cited standards by Federal OSHA in fiscal year 2013 (October 1, 2012 through September 30, 2013):

1.Fall protection, construction (29 CFR 1926.501) [related OSHA Safety and Health Topics page]
2.Hazard communication standard, general industry (29 CFR 1910.1200) [related OSHA Safety and Health Topics page]
3.Scaffolding, general requirements, construction (29 CFR 1926.451) [related OSHA Safety and Health Topics page]
4.Respiratory protection, general industry (29 CFR 1910.134) [related OSHA Safety and Health Topics page]
5.Electrical, wiring methods, components and equipment, general industry (29 CFR 1910.305) [related OSHA Safety and Health Topics page]
6.Powered industrial trucks, general industry (29 CFR 1910.178) [related OSHA Safety and Health Topics page]
7.Ladders, construction (29 CFR 1926.1053) [related OSHA Safety and Health Topics page]
8.Control of hazardous energy (lockout/tagout), general industry (29 CFR 1910.147) [related OSHA Safety and Health Topics page]
9.Electrical systems design, general requirements, general industry (29 CFR 1910.303) [related OSHA Safety and Health Topics page]
10.Machinery and Machine Guarding, general requirements (29 CFR 1910.212) [related OSHA Safety and Health Topics page]



Since 1970, workplace fatalities have been reduced by more than 65 percent and occupational injury and illness rates have declined by 67 percent. At the same time, U.S. employment has almost doubled.



Wow more people were getting killed on the job sites before all these non speaking immigrants started invading that trade.

And falling is the most common one. That guy probably wouldn't have lost his balance, had he known English.
 
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