# Diplomatic way to say "Excuse me, may I speak to a White person?" **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 2, 2009, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diplomatic-way-to-say-excuse-me-may-i-speak-to-a-white-person/516006 "2009-11-02T01:35:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2009, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diplomatic-way-to-say-excuse-me-may-i-speak-to-a-white-person/516006/1 "2009-11-02T01:35:15Z")
Well, not really white, particularly…just somebody that can speak English fluently. Scenario: I, taking a computer class, needed to go into the computer lab at the CC that I attend. Last time I was there, I got linked up with an Asian female for whom, one can EASILY tell, English is a second language. When I asked her a question, she seemed to latch onto a keyword in my sentence, and take off on a discourse of the entire chapter dealing with what I needed, when I only needed info as to what a particular line of code is used for in any given circumstance. Also, her English was fairly bad, and whenever she DID understand my question, I couldn’t understand her English, and she was trying to be so helpful. OK, I knew to avoid her, but she is the first line of inquiry at the computer lab…like Cerberus, she is at the log in station. I am early 50ish, European, and have a reserved appearance. She, small, Asian, female… I can really see myself asking her, or this group of young, sullen, computer geeks, who are busy anyway working on their \*own \*projects, in a bureaucratic setting, if I can speak to somebody who ‘talks good American.’ I believe that I would be lucky if they didn’t call security to escort me out of the building for hate speech. (hyperbole) The physical layout of the area precludes me from setting up a watch station to find out when she steps away so I may pounce. So, is there a diplomatic way to ask either her, or somebody else, if I can get an English speaking tutor? What would YOU do? Thanks, hh p.s. Also, I’ve studied Mandarin for one semester but I don’t know if she is Chinese or not, but anyway, I forgot all of it, and never knew enough to do computer speak in it, so it doesn’t matter, but I just wanted to block some wit from saying perhaps I should learn some other language, if I don’t like the way that she speaks English. ---
**Author:** ![Plan\_B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Plan\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Plan_B)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2009, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diplomatic-way-to-say-excuse-me-may-i-speak-to-a-white-person/516006/2 "2009-11-02T01:41:49Z")
Once or twice I’ve requested a customer service person who speaks clear American English. No one gave me a hard time for it. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2009, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diplomatic-way-to-say-excuse-me-may-i-speak-to-a-white-person/516006/3 "2009-11-02T01:41:58Z")
> [@handsomeharry](#): > > I believe that I would be lucky if they didn’t call security to escort me out of the building for hate speech. Maybe, but only if she manages to decipher your thick European accent. ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2009, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diplomatic-way-to-say-excuse-me-may-i-speak-to-a-white-person/516006/4 "2009-11-02T01:42:25Z")
Done it many times. I just say, I’m sorry. I _know_ you’re trying _very_ hard to speak my language, but I just don’t _understand_ what you’re saying. That and the poor telephone connection puts us both at a disadvantage, so is there a supervisor I can speak with? **Please** don’t use the word _White_!🙂 And I know you wouldn’t! Just an example, isn’t it? Quasi ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2009, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diplomatic-way-to-say-excuse-me-may-i-speak-to-a-white-person/516006/5 "2009-11-02T01:51:16Z")
> [@Quasimodem](#): > > Done it many times. > > I just say, I’m sorry. I _know_ you’re trying _very_ hard to speak my language, but I just don’t _understand_ what you’re saying. That and the poor telephone connection puts us both at a disadvantage, so is there a supervisor I can speak with? > > **Please** don’t use the word _White_!🙂 > Quasi Of course not! “Fellow Aryan” is what I normally use!😛 ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2009, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diplomatic-way-to-say-excuse-me-may-i-speak-to-a-white-person/516006/6 "2009-11-02T01:54:22Z")
> [@handsomeharry](#): > > Of course not! > > “Fellow Aryan” is what I normally use!😛 **LOL!!!** **Somebody’s** been “reading my mail!”😃 Good one, **hh**! Q ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2009, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diplomatic-way-to-say-excuse-me-may-i-speak-to-a-white-person/516006/7 "2009-11-02T01:56:01Z")
> [@handsomeharry](#): > > Of course not! > > “Fellow Aryan” is what I normally use!😛 Fellow 'Merican Aryan - preferably with a regional qualifier - those people from Boston or Jersey or Dallas don’t speak English either. ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2009, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diplomatic-way-to-say-excuse-me-may-i-speak-to-a-white-person/516006/8 "2009-11-02T02:05:38Z")
> [@Dangerosa](#): > > Fellow 'Merican Aryan - preferably with a regional qualifier - those people from Boston or Jersey or Dallas don’t speak English either. Well, of course. We don’t really count those East Coast Commie liberals as real Americans, do we? Esp. the East coast of Dallas… hh ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2009, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diplomatic-way-to-say-excuse-me-may-i-speak-to-a-white-person/516006/9 "2009-11-02T02:06:48Z")
> [@Quasimodem](#): > > **LOL!!!** > > **Somebody’s** been “reading my mail!”😃 > > Good one, **hh**! > > Q Thank 'ee. hh ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Carrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@Captain\_Carrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Carrot)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2009, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diplomatic-way-to-say-excuse-me-may-i-speak-to-a-white-person/516006/10 "2009-11-02T02:47:04Z")
“White” and “speaks English clearly” are two very different things. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2009, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diplomatic-way-to-say-excuse-me-may-i-speak-to-a-white-person/516006/11 "2009-11-02T02:55:13Z")
My wife seems to run into this more than I do, but she simply says “I’m sorry, I can’t understand your accent. May I speak to someone else?” ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2009, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diplomatic-way-to-say-excuse-me-may-i-speak-to-a-white-person/516006/12 "2009-11-02T03:08:47Z")
> [@Captain\_Carrot](#): > > “White” and “speaks English clearly” are two very different things. Diplomatic way to say “Sigh…is there a banging my head on the wall emoticon on this page?” ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2009, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diplomatic-way-to-say-excuse-me-may-i-speak-to-a-white-person/516006/13 "2009-11-02T03:15:27Z")
> [@Captain\_Carrot](#): > > “White” and “speaks English clearly” are two very different things. True enough…you could easily end up with [this guy.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sY_Yf4zz-yo) ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2009, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diplomatic-way-to-say-excuse-me-may-i-speak-to-a-white-person/516006/14 "2009-11-02T03:27:53Z")
The thread title sets my teeth on edge. The amazing thing to me about working at a call center is that the only people I’ve heard complain about foreign call center people not speaking very good english are people with southern accents. No, of course you’re not racist. :rolleyes: Sometimes when they get excited about getting someone in America, I’m tempted to adopt a really bad Indian accent and tell them that my name is actually Rajneesh and I’m in Mumbai. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2009, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diplomatic-way-to-say-excuse-me-may-i-speak-to-a-white-person/516006/15 "2009-11-02T03:44:52Z")
“I’m so sorry, please don’t be offended, I’m sure it’s just me but…” Doesn’t seem all that hard somehow. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Il\_Palazzo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Lord\_Il\_Palazzo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Il_Palazzo)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2009, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diplomatic-way-to-say-excuse-me-may-i-speak-to-a-white-person/516006/16 "2009-11-02T04:05:11Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > The amazing thing to me about working at a call center is that the only people I’ve heard complain about foreign call center people not speaking very good english are people with southern accents. No, of course you’re not racist. :rolleyes: Right. Because southerners are inherently racist.:rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Serenata67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/serenata67/32/10646_2.png) [@Serenata67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Serenata67)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2009, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diplomatic-way-to-say-excuse-me-may-i-speak-to-a-white-person/516006/17 "2009-11-02T04:22:12Z")
Accents are hard. I’m sure the person you’re talking to has had issues with not understanding other people’s accents. As long as you phrase it nicely, politely and use a tone of voice that isn’t condescending or demeaning, no offense should be taken. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2009, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diplomatic-way-to-say-excuse-me-may-i-speak-to-a-white-person/516006/18 "2009-11-02T04:27:04Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > “I’m so sorry, please don’t be offended, I’m sure it’s just me but…” > > Doesn’t seem all that hard somehow. Another vote for the above. I would avoid “speaks good American English” because (a) I’m not American though I can certainly speak and understand it; and (b) all I’m looking for is somebody who speaks a dialect of English I can understand. I don’t really care if the person speaks Standard American MW/Standard American NE/Southern American/Canadian/French-Canadian English/RP with British variants/Indian/Australian/New Zealand/South African English; I can understand all of them though it may take me a little bit and a few “pardon mes?.” But various local accents can make things difficult. Under the circumstances, I don’t believe answering as **elbows** suggests above could be seen as anything other than just a pause for clarification. ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2009, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diplomatic-way-to-say-excuse-me-may-i-speak-to-a-white-person/516006/19 "2009-11-02T04:31:03Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > The thread title sets my teeth on edge. > > The amazing thing to me about working at a call center is that the only people I’ve heard complain about foreign call center people not speaking very good english are people with southern accents. No, of course you’re not racist. :rolleyes: > > Sometimes when they get excited about getting someone in America, I’m tempted to adopt a really bad Indian accent and tell them that my name is actually Rajneesh and I’m in Mumbai. I don’t believe our OP meant any disrespect. Yeah, the thread title threw me too, at first, but after reading about the problem he was having (which I mistakenly assumed was on the phone and based my reply on that) I can understand his dilemma, although I’ve never experienced the difficulty _live_. _do_ have problems on the phone, sorry, but please don’t assume it’s because I have a southern accent. English is actually my _second_ language, and the reason I _sound_ southern is because I’ve lived here for nigh on 50 years!🙂 But getting back to your post, I don’t believe for a second that **hh** meant any disrespect. Quasi ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2009, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diplomatic-way-to-say-excuse-me-may-i-speak-to-a-white-person/516006/20 "2009-11-02T04:44:35Z")
> [@Dangerosa](#): > > Fellow 'Merican Aryan - preferably with a regional qualifier - those people from Boston or Jersey or Dallas don’t speak English either. Shaddupayaface! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diplomatic-way-to-say-excuse-me-may-i-speak-to-a-white-person/516006.md?page=2)