Everyone's a little bit racist...

[1964Alum]

LOL! I have to laugh about some of the side conversations Latinos have had in my presence assuming that I didn't understand what they were saying. I speak Spanish fluently, and back in my salad days when I was young and frisky, I would often overhear comments Spanish-speaking young men were making about me when out and about. I lived in a neighborhood with a largish Spanish-speaking population. Anyway, I would chose my moment, turn toward them, and fire back at them in Spanish. The looks on their faces were priceless! We all would then burst out laughing. No harm, no foul!

When we go to our Mexican restaurant here, I always speak to them in Spanish, which is very well received. The manager always comes out from the back where he works to greet us, always with a warm smile and hearty welcome.

I just love Latinos -the generic term- and IMO that I like and respect them comes across to them. I am about as WASP as you can get. But those would-be barriers have never interfered with having a good relationship with them.

[lyrica9]

Originally Posted by 1964Alum

Anyway, I would chose my moment, turn toward them, and fire back at them in Spanish. The looks on their faces were priceless! We all would then burst out laughing. No harm, no foul!

I do the same thing at work. I'm an apartment manager, and I get a guilty thrill out of not mentioning I speak spanish to people conversing amongst themselves until they're about to leave, when I respond to something they're discussing.

Side note, my husband does not speak spanish and I find that I'm kind of judgmental when he says gracias or the like in the scenario of #2 from the OP's post.