No German, no swim: Language entry rule sparks debate in Germany
https://www.yahoo.com/news/world/articles/no-german-no-swim-language-102644049.htmlOpen linkView original on lemmy.worldhttps://www.yahoo.com/news/world/articles/no-german-no-swim-language-102644049.htmlOpen linkView original on lemmy.world
As a german, this is probably not racism related, though we got that too. However this just screams basic german bureaucracy to me:
Cant have people unable to understand lifeguard instructions in the water for various legal, liability, insurance reasons else the organization responsible for public safety there is in not lake, but hot water.
Someone somewhere involved in the chain of responsibility there is probably unsure or uncomfortable with the uncertain liabilities so they bring out this brilliant solution.
If you can't read German, what use is that sign? If you can read German, what use is that sign?
Hence the emphasis on brilliance 👀
In bureaucracy you don't need logic as long as you have enough forms, in triplicate.
As a fellow German, this screams "there is a problem, here is the wrong solution" to me, too. Frequently, the wrong solution magically appears when there is a bias to enforce, so I do lean more on the racism theory.
I agree as here it also seems to be bureaucracy and a lack of funding.
Maybe they need more personnel.
So what? They put an ad out "hiring lifeguards, only polyglots allowed"?
How many ppl do they need to hire for every language out there coming by through tourism?
No language or speaking required.
Have you ever worked in retail?
Differences in language are tied very closely with differences in race. Excluding people based on the language they [don't] speak is simply racism.
Safety is not a concern here. What language you speak has nothing to do with whether you know how to not drown. I'm quite certain that there are plenty of German speakers who blissfully fail to read or otherwise ignore that sign. Finally, the article seems to make it clear that the swimming area is understaffed for the number of bathers visiting. That's a staffing issue.
people in these comments seem confused; there's no physical sign that literally says "no German, no swim" on it in German, at least if there is it's not mentioned in the article or shown in the picture. the sign in the picture says "attention: only for swimmers - steep banks." people are being turned away by other people who work at the admission gate, if they don't seem able to confirm that they understand the safety rules that are being verbally explained to them
ya ya, ich sehr good Deutsch, danke beaucoup, ich go swim yetz, tchuuuussss
German here. On first glance this reads like no xenophobia is involved. However, that rationale is ridiculous, they claim that not understanding basic bathing safety is a problem with German language comprehension. The case about the toddler is about a case of negligent parents, I doubt there are parents that don't understand that you can drown in water no matter how far you are from.
They mention that they took several measures to reduce overcrowding. This is just cleverly disguised xenophobia dressed up as safety concerns to prefer locals over immigrants at the local bath.