Am I xenophobic? (It's tf2 related)

Luna Breaker · 07-20-2011, 06:42 AM

I'm from Europe, UK specifically, so there are many cultures already present in my TF2 games.

Yes, I play on UK servers mainly, sometimes I diverge from that rule sometimes. However, what I've noticed happens often in UK servers as well.

I just came out of a match where 5 players had [ITA] in their names, meaning they're from Italy. These, on the UK servers. Now the thing that does annoy me is that they spoke absolutely 0 English besides the usual "U SUCK NUB" and spammed their mic with Italian, which was upsetting the players there as they were trying to talk and form some kind of coordinated defense+ attack.

This is common. From all my online games I've noticed this and they're mostly Italian, French and Spanish, who speak absolutely no English. Online.

To me, that's really confusing as I'm aware that English is mandatory in school nowadays in Europe up to High School, but they still can't speak it at all? I thought this was the age of information, and if you live in Europe I'd expect you to be at least bilingual, depending on your country.

I dunno why but it does upset and it does make me act out once I start hearing them pretty much spamming in Italian and simply not listening to anything else we try to communicate, as they simply don't speak English.

Can anyone relate to this? I know these are mainly American forums as such there's not going to be that much of an issue with multi-languages but I'd just like to try and discuss it.

I just don't understand how you can join a server which is meant for communication in English and do whatever you want with it. English as far as I know is a main class in every school in Europe so why can't you speak it?

Hamster Gutz · 07-20-2011, 06:56 AM

Well I can relate to this IRL. I live in Arizona and if you didn't know we have a lot of Mexicans here(not that there's anything wrong with that). But a lot of them don't speak English and it's frustrating, but I can't relate in game because the only time I join a non english server is when I use the quick play feature, which for some reason puts me in servers with 500ping.

LOOY · 07-20-2011, 06:56 AM

Yeah it is irritating, but I just mute anyone that speaks any language I don't understand. I'd expect them to do the same to me if went to a French/German server and blabbed on at them in english then screamed the 1 or 2 swear words I know in their language at them whenever they tried to tell me to shut up.

DigitalBoy · 07-20-2011, 07:01 AM

Well, you could always mute them.

Luna Breaker · 07-20-2011, 07:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DigitalBoy

Well, you could always mute them.

I could also become King of Europe and make English mandatory in all countries and build a gigantic doomsday DEVICE TO COMPLETELY OBLITERA--

Okay, thing is, I know methods to at least ignore such players but they're still taking up a slot.

I Bad · 07-20-2011, 07:22 AM

Xenophobic would be hating anybody simply because they're from other places. It sounds more like you're frustrated because you can't communicate.

So I'd say no. Now, if you find yourself absolutely enraged that somebody dare be born anywhere but your country with your skin color and your religious beliefs, then yes, you might be xenophobic.

07-20-2011, 07:25 AM

Would you like an English person constantly using mic going "BLA BLA BLA"?

Nope.

So that's probably why you don't like foreign chat as you cant understand it and it's just random noise.

If they're on a UK server then they're just being ignorant, but at the same time if there's 5 of them then it's much easier for them to talk their native language & with this being the internet who cares about teamwork/what other people think, herp.

DigitalBoy · 07-20-2011, 07:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Luna Breaker

but they're still taking up a slot.

So? A muted Italian is just another player, with the exception that they can't communicate with you in any meaningful way, which wouldn't be unheard of in public servers.

|PoisonHeadcrab · 07-20-2011, 07:39 AM

I've had experiences like these as well.

Even though I can speak Russian and German, which covers a lot of those cases from where I live, it's still quite irritating when people can't speak English. They usually just isolate themselves from the rest of the community, and when in groups act reckless towards communications not in their language, which gives the rest of the players that annoying "in-your-face"-experience.

Sash08 · 07-20-2011, 07:41 AM

Sometimes I'm amazed how some cultures just refuse to teach/learn english. Both in-game and in real life. I myself am from Holland, and because we have such a small (meaning-less) language, we all get schooled in English, German and French. So, most of us can speak and write English pretty well.

But other, bigger European countries just don't use languages other than their own that frequently. Take Germany, where most tv-channels have only german dubbed tv-programs. They even dub English movies :S.

I'm not saying people from those big country's don't know any English, cause that's not just true, but they just... Kind of prefer not to use it, i guess..

Sublime2k · 07-20-2011, 07:43 AM

I don't like Russians who assume everyone knows Russian and cyrillic alphabet even though they're not on Russian server.

16Bitman · 07-20-2011, 07:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sash08

Sometimes I'm amazed how some cultures just refuse to teach/learn english. Both in-game and in real life. I myself am from Holland, and because we have such a small (meaning-less) language, we all get schooled in English, German and French. So, most of us can speak and write English pretty well.

But other, bigger European countries just don't use languages other than their own that frequently. Take Germany, where most tv-channels have only german dubbed tv-programs. They even dub English movies :S.

I'm not saying people from those big country's don't know any English, cause that's not just true, but they just... Kind of prefer not to use it, i guess..

Don't act like Germany is one of these "We're teaching our children only our language because it's the best" countries.
English is a main subject on my school, fail it and prepare to have big problems with passing the year.
Afaik they even started to teach english in the first or seccond year of the elementary school.

But you're right, I almost never hear english on TV and most kids I know only stick to german websites.

Edit: Looks like this got moved to the Off-Topic section of this forum.
Uhm...
Hi not TF2/P2 players!

Th4n · 07-20-2011, 07:51 AM

Just learn some foreign language

But come on, if they can't speak well enough and are with a couple of friends online, why blame them? It's a game

psihomir2 · 07-20-2011, 07:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 16Bitman

Don't act like Germany is one of these "We're teaching our children only our language because it's the best" countries.
English is a main subject on my school, fail it and prepare to have big problems with passing the year.
Afaik they even started to teach english in the first or seccond year of the elementary school.

In addition, I'm currently studying my degree in Germany and when I was looking for a job, the one thing that was in the requirements of pretty much every big company was "must be fluent in English." They hardly even speak German in some of these companies...

EddieZaic · 07-20-2011, 08:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Th4n

Just learn some foreign language

But come on, if they can't speak well enough and are with a couple of friends online, why blame them? It's a game

"Why hello there, a griefer, he seems to be trapping my team in a teleporter trap. Oh well, it's just a game, COMING THROUGH!"

07-20-2011, 06:42 AM	#1
Luna Breaker Banned Join Date: Jun 2009 Reputation: 129 Posts: 281	Am I xenophobic? (It's tf2 related) I'm from Europe, UK specifically, so there are many cultures already present in my TF2 games. Yes, I play on UK servers mainly, sometimes I diverge from that rule sometimes. However, what I've noticed happens often in UK servers as well. I just came out of a match where 5 players had [ITA] in their names, meaning they're from Italy. These, on the UK servers. Now the thing that does annoy me is that they spoke absolutely 0 English besides the usual "U SUCK NUB" and spammed their mic with Italian, which was upsetting the players there as they were trying to talk and form some kind of coordinated defense+ attack. This is common. From all my online games I've noticed this and they're mostly Italian, French and Spanish, who speak absolutely no English. Online. To me, that's really confusing as I'm aware that English is mandatory in school nowadays in Europe up to High School, but they still can't speak it *at all? I thought this was the age of information, and if you live in Europe I'd expect you to be at least bilingual, depending on your country. I dunno why but it does upset and it does make me act out once I start hearing them pretty much spamming in Italian and simply not listening to anything else we try to communicate, as they simply don't speak English. Can anyone relate to this? I know these are mainly American forums as such there's not going to be that much of an issue with multi-languages but I'd just like to try and discuss it. I just don't understand how you can join a server which is meant for communication in English and do whatever you want with it. English as far as I know is a main class in every school in Europe so why can't you speak it? Last edited by Luna Breaker: 07-20-2011 at 08:57 AM.*

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07-20-2011, 06:56 AM	#2
Hamster Gutz Join Date: Oct 2010 Reputation: 4103 Posts: 1,352	Well I can relate to this IRL. I live in Arizona and if you didn't know we have a lot of Mexicans here(not that there's anything wrong with that). But a lot of them don't speak English and it's frustrating, but I can't relate in game because the only time I join a non english server is when I use the quick play feature, which for some reason puts me in servers with 500ping.

07-20-2011, 06:56 AM	#3
LOOY Join Date: Mar 2008 Reputation: 63 Posts: 1,278	Yeah it is irritating, but I just mute anyone that speaks any language I don't understand. I'd expect them to do the same to me if went to a French/German server and blabbed on at them in english then screamed the 1 or 2 swear words I know in their language at them whenever they tried to tell me to shut up.

07-20-2011, 07:01 AM	#4
DigitalBoy Join Date: Sep 2009 Reputation: 282 Posts: 1,750	Well, you could always mute them.

07-20-2011, 07:22 AM	#6
I Bad Join Date: Jul 2010 Reputation: 281 Posts: 1,716	Xenophobic would be hating anybody simply because they're from other places. It sounds more like you're frustrated because you can't communicate. So I'd say no. Now, if you find yourself absolutely enraged that somebody dare be born anywhere but your country with your skin color and your religious beliefs, then yes, you might be xenophobic.

07-20-2011, 07:25 AM	#7
F dot Guest Posts: n/a	Would you like an English person constantly using mic going "BLA BLA BLA"? Nope. So that's probably why you don't like foreign chat as you cant understand it and it's just random noise. If they're on a UK server then they're just being ignorant, but at the same time if there's 5 of them then it's much easier for them to talk their native language & with this being the internet who cares about teamwork/what other people think, herp.

07-20-2011, 07:39 AM	#9
\|PoisonHeadcrab Join Date: May 2010 Reputation: 97 Posts: 954	I've had experiences like these as well. Even though I can speak Russian and German, which covers a lot of those cases from where I live, it's still quite irritating when people can't speak English. They usually just isolate themselves from the rest of the community, and when in groups act reckless towards communications not in their language, which gives the rest of the players that annoying "in-your-face"-experience.

07-20-2011, 07:41 AM	#10
Sash08 Join Date: Apr 2010 Reputation: 16 Posts: 304	Sometimes I'm amazed how some cultures just refuse to teach/learn english. Both in-game and in real life. I myself am from Holland, and because we have such a small (meaning-less) language, we all get schooled in English, German and French. So, most of us can speak and write English pretty well. But other, bigger European countries just don't use languages other than their own that frequently. Take Germany, where most tv-channels have only german dubbed tv-programs. They even dub English movies :S. I'm not saying people from those big country's don't know any English, cause that's not just true, but they just... Kind of prefer not to use it, i guess..

07-20-2011, 07:43 AM	#11
Sublime2k Join Date: Jan 2011 Reputation: 270 Posts: 1,920	I don't like Russians who assume everyone knows Russian and cyrillic alphabet even though they're not on Russian server.

07-20-2011, 07:51 AM	#13
Th4n Join Date: Jun 2011 Reputation: 8 Posts: 165	Just learn some foreign language But come on, if they can't speak well enough and are with a couple of friends online, why blame them? It's a game