Comments on: The language police

By: Mark

Mark — Tue, 24 Oct 2006 14:44:18 +0000

Perhaps a law that requires Bolt to be translated into Vietnamese to ensure “balance” is in order?

By: Kim

Kim — Tue, 24 Oct 2006 13:58:39 +0000

Just so, Nabs.

Typical of that elitist Bolty to take potshots at the small business owners on Struggle Street, Marrickville from his coward’s castle in the oligopolistic Murdoch empire.

Seriously, the last people you’d expect to support free markets are the culture warriors.

By: Nabakov

Nabakov — Tue, 24 Oct 2006 13:42:01 +0000

The fucking obvious point here is that it’s the free market at work. The shops in question have worked out who their customers are and promoted themselves accordingly. Why spend extra money trying to flag down non-customers?

The moment cheap bad Vietmanese action musicals become an item in demand among a big Anglo audience, they’ll change their signage themselves.

You don’t see the Thais, Viets, Koreans, Greeks or even the Frogs for that matter complaining about about the signage for English language book, music and movie stores in their cities.

By: Leinad

Leinad — Tue, 24 Oct 2006 13:30:29 +0000

Bolty’s never been much of a libertarian, social or economic – that’d require some form of systematic or at least vaguely consistent thinking.

By: Jason Soon

Jason Soon — Tue, 24 Oct 2006 12:42:55 +0000

Funny that most of the lefties here have a better appreciation of private property rights than that socialist asshat quoted by Phil …

By: Phil

Phil — Mon, 23 Oct 2006 12:48:39 +0000

They probably all look alike to him Leinad. I think it was dark. I’m gonna take a pic of the shop tomorrow before it gets all gentrified and lit up like the Blockbuster down the road.

Lost charm, coming soon to a video store near you.

By: Angharad

Angharad — Mon, 23 Oct 2006 12:44:18 +0000

Fourth sort of local – I live in Erko – just a stone’s throw away. I don’t get the bit about not covering more than half the window with advertising. Umm – why not? That’s most of thecorner shop seven elevens gone!

But I do like the signs in Greek in Marrickville – I like painstakingly working out what they say, usually to find out it’s much the same in English, just written differently.

By: Leinad

Leinad — Mon, 23 Oct 2006 12:23:27 +0000

It’s possible Phil, though I’ve yet to see any Bantu or Dinka signage around – most of the wrath seems to be directed at The Dreaded Incomprehensible Vietnamese Video Store of Doom on Illawarra road.

By: morganzola

morganzola — Mon, 23 Oct 2006 12:21:44 +0000

Oops – I meant to say “There’s a great Korean emporium in the Valley in Brisbane”…

By: morganzola

morganzola — Mon, 23 Oct 2006 12:20:19 +0000

Yeah, I love Asian shops too. There’s a great Korean emporium that has all kinds of stuff, from the sublime to the ridiculous. I bought some cutesy stationery there last year, with some hilarious mistranslations printed on them. One of the best was a notepad inscribed with “I feel it in my fingers, I feel it in my toss” surrounded by hearts.