PAtownhall.com
Pennsylvania's Marketplace of Ideas
Pennsylvania's Marketplace of Ideas
PAtownhall.com
Pennsylvania's Marketplace of Ideas
Pennsylvania's Marketplace of Ideas
by Chris Freind
So Geno's Steaks owner Joey Vento finally had his day in court last Friday. Why? To defend himself against a discrimination complaint filed by the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations. You see, Joey has a small sign in his store window that reads: "This Is America. When Ordering, Please Speak English".
And what a tremendously valuable allocation of city---read: "taxpayer"--- resources it is! With the highest rates of murder, violence and poverty in the nation, and one of the worst business climates, it's about time the City did something meaningful, like persecuting someone as nefarious as Vento. He absolutely should have to defend himself and his policy, because since the sign went up over two years ago, Mr. Vento has turned away...ah....let's see. Yes, here it is! Vento, who owns a private business and has the right to serve --- or not to serve--- whomever he wants, has turned away exactly zero customers.
Now if that's not clear-cut discrimination, what in the name of John Street is?
Actually, the answer to that question lies in the Pennsylvania Convention Center Extortion Racket, whereby the City openly discriminates against non-union labor, which, interestingly, employs countless more black workers than the city's unions, but that's for another column.
Vento is a Hero
Vento runs the most famous cheese steak establishment in a city world renowned for its signature culinary creation. Geno's is so popular that Vento has become an unofficial ambassador for the city, catering to the bus loads of tourists from around the world who make Geno's a mandatory stop on their tour of the city.
It would be a good assumption that the City would know a good thing when it sees it. But since we're talking about Philadelphia, that assumption would be wrong, of course. Instead, it chose to go to war with Vento. Vento's adversaries try to paint him as a racist and bigot who refuses to serve anyone who doesn't speak English. The reality is quite the opposite. While Vento is extremely passionate about the necessity of Americans to speak English, and while he has become one of the most widely quoted proponents against "rights" for illegal immigrants, he has never discriminated.
Vento vented: "At Geno's, you don't get refused. The Mayor himself had to come out and say that. The thing is, if we don't speak the same language, you might not get what you think you ordered. Maybe you wanted a cheeze whiz without onions, but (because you can't speak English) I took that to mean provolone with onions...what if you are allergic to onions? Whose fault is that? This is America where the English is the primary language spoken." He took on those who allege racism by asking "How is speaking English racism? If you want to become a citizen, don't you have to learn English?"
Hard to argue with that.
"Where are my rights as a businessman? As a citizen? One of my employees just got robbed at gunpoint while riding her bike home from work. We have the highest murder rate in the country, muggings are out of control, we have illegal invaders driving uninsured vehicles, and parts of the city are deplorable---some so bad even the cops are leery to go there. FBI statistics show that violent crime is up 14% from last year---Welcome to Philadelphia! And they want to chastise Joey Vento for trying to teach English two words at time? That's their priority? Gimme a break!"
And to add insult to injury, we are subjected to the whole "woe-is-me" victimhood crowd. These people are either out to lunch or simply love grabbing headlines. To them, reality is a foreign concept. Take Penn sociology professor Camille Charles, who compared Vento's signs with the "Whites Only" signs of Jim Crow era. What am I missing here? Jim Crow laws discriminated against people specifically because of skin color, and Vento's sign asks---yes, it asks--- patrons to speak the English language. Do we need to reiterate the not insignificant point that, even if one doesn't speak English, he still gets served? But Ms. Charles "logic" gets better: "The signs give the feeling of being unwelcome and excluded".
Two questions: 1) Can she not tell the difference between Jim Crow and Joey Vento, and much more importantly, 2) is she really teaching our children? How can someone of such limited mental capacity actually hold a teaching job?
But my favorite was the line from Ricardo Diaz, a "Latino community advocate" (what does that even mean?) who said that the sign was "...targeted at us. I cannot go order there in good conscience."
Hey, Ricky, here's a piece of advice. Don't go there. Who's holding a gun to your head making you order at Geno's? That's why God made the free market system. If you think Geno's makes the best steaks, which they do, then either sacrifice by going to Pat's or buck up, camper. Either way, your ridiculously racist, self-pitiful and tired rhetoric has grown old, and nobody cares about how your feelings get "hurt" when you're gorging yourself on cheesesteaks. Time to get a job.
This entire case is a sham. It is a waste of time, money and resources, and should never have seen the light of day. Ironically, the very people who want to fight Vento's "discrimination" have succeeded in perpetuating the real discrimination---in the form of businesses, conventions, tourists and suburbanites making the "discriminating" choice to stay away from the City.
The solution? Order a steak and stop harassing Joey Vento. And try it in English. He likes that.
