american's must be stupid-they only know one language....

[BlaqueKatt]

This bugs the hell out of me....

there are reasons most of us only speak one language.

Reason 1)
Most of us never had the chance to learn a language until high school.

At that point language is fully developed and it's tons harder to learn a new one-then you get a couple years of either spanish, french, or if you're lucky your school offers german.

Reason 2) We can drive for days and still be in the same country. is a little bigger than the US and contains 49 countries

Most countries in Europe are the sizes of some of our states(50 states vs 49 countries). The closest place to me that speaks another language is Quebec(I do speak french)-and that happens to be 800 miles away, or a 13 hour drive(I live in Wisconsin), other direction to mexico-1724 miles, or a 28 hour drive.

The us covers 3,537,441 square miles, Europe about 4 million.

It' not that we are "stupid" or "arrogant" that we only know one language-it's that our geography makes it unnecessary, and if you want to learn it's next to impossible.

[Fashion Lad!]

The only other languages I'm interested in learning are programming languages.

I live in Minnesota we just need to learn to speak Wisconsinite for when they come to visit. :p (LOL, I'm kidding.)

A lot of times, second languages are taught starting at a very young age. At that young age, it's easier to learn and grasp the concept. As you get older, it gets harder. Our school systems just aren't set up for a second language like they should be.

I do think people should learn more than one language, but I also think that everyone should travel.

[the_std]

I've seen this sentiment expressed a lot too, and I think your system is failing you in not giving you the opportunities to learn new languages. So it's not Americans, as in you, or any other individual, that are stupid for it. It's kind of a whole-country dumb in that respect.

[jayel]

But again, in the U.S.A we really have no need to know any other language but English. I mean, some people may choose to if they are genuinely interested, but even if I was fluent in Spanish/French/German, I'd have no one to speak to in that language, so what's the point? Why knock myself out learning just so I can impress random strangers from other countries with how 'cultured' I am?

[daleduke17]

I've seen this sentiment expressed a lot too, and I think your system is failing you in not giving you the opportunities to learn new languages. So it's not Americans, as in you, or any other individual, that are stupid for it. It's kind of a whole-country dumb in that respect.

No, the opportunities are plentiful to learn new languages. It is a voluntary effort. I shouldn't be considered some backwoods hillbilly just because I don't know a second language. I've considered going to class to learn a second language, but haven't found the resources (aka money) to take the classes yet. Look at any college or university, there are plenty of foreign language classes available.

[linguist]

But again, in the U.S.A we really have no need to know any other language but English. I mean, some people may choose to if they are genuinely interested, but even if I was fluent in Spanish/French/German, I'd have no one to speak to in that language, so what's the point? Why knock myself out learning just so I can impress random strangers from other countries with how 'cultured' I am?

it has nothing to do with appearing 'cultured' or impressing anyone. like it or not, the u.s. is part of a global economy, and even if there's no 'need' to speak a second language within the country (which is actually patently untrue in the southwest portion of the country) it's imperative to be multilingual to stay competitive with the rest of the world.

No, the opportunities are plentiful to learn new languages. It is a voluntary effort. I shouldn't be considered some backwoods hillbilly just because I don't know a second language. I've considered going to class to learn a second language, but haven't found the resources (aka money) to take the classes yet. Look at any college or university, there are plenty of foreign language classes available.

if you're really serious, money can be worked around. every community i've ever lived in, from maine to minnesota to california to texas, offers some form of conversational language classes for free through various organizations, usually libraries. all it takes is some research.

[joe hx]

Reason 2) We can drive for days and still be in the same country.

The best way to learn a language - and, in my opinion, the only way to master one - is through immersion. That's almost impossible for some because they can travel for days and everyone around them still speaks English. Many don't have the funds to get a passport and fly a country that uses a different tongue.

[guywithashovel]

Yeah, this sentiment is pretty unfair. However, I'm sure that if people were to do a little more research on the American people, they would probably find that there are areas that we excel in over people in other countries.

Foreign languages just aren't stressed here. For one thing, most of us can drive for miles and miles without leaving the country, and of the two countries that border us, one is an English-speaking country (Canada). Granted, some parts of Canada are French, but even there, most of the people understand English.

I know a little bit of French myself, and I would like to be fluent someday. I just work on my French a little bit here and there. Maybe someday it'll amount to something.

Also, learning a new language is difficult, primarily because most people who try to learn one don't devote the necessary amount of time to it. Here in the US, it's not uncommon to meet someone who took four years or more of a certain language in school, but only knows a few words and phrases. I think that's mainly because you study the language in class, and then once you leave the class you're back to English and there's no real pressure to seriously practice the language.

[Greenday]

This is an interesting thread to me. My school forced us to start learning Spanish in the 1st grade and by the time I was almost in high school, they started them in kindergarten. A lot of basic stuff, but I used to be pretty good at Spanish and even though I stopped taking it after sophomore year in high school (about five years ago), I still have a decent grasp and while I can't understand my roommate when he speaks Spanish and talks fast, I still get the gist of what he is saying. Maybe it's because there was a decently large Mexican population near my area, but we really didn't get a choice. We had to take Spanish no matter what unless you were in basic skills. I wish I kept taking it and became fluent, but I really don't need it these days.

Learning a new language at this point is almost out of the question. Through working for the military, I get to use Rosetta Stone for free. First I tried Farsi as I thought that would be cool. Problem is, Rosetta Stone doesn't teach you the alphabet and Farsi is really damn hard. So I switched to French. Not nearly as hard as Farsi, but it was still a lot harder to learn it than learning Spanish when I was a kid. I also have a lot of problems with the French language. Like how you never pronounce s's. Kinda makes determining singular and plural pretty freaking hard.

[Boozy]

No, the opportunities are plentiful to learn new languages. It is a voluntary effort. I shouldn't be considered some backwoods hillbilly just because I don't know a second language. I've considered going to class to learn a second language, but haven't found the resources (aka money) to take the classes yet. Look at any college or university, there are plenty of foreign language classes available.

Which proves BlaqueKatt's point, I think. In Europe (and parts of Canada, etc.) children naturally pick up fluency in a second language while growing up, because they are surrounded by it. There's no real effort (or cost) involved.

You have to be relatively smart to pick up a second language in an academic (non-immersion) environment as a grown adult, after your brain has fully developed.

When it comes to simple capacity to learn a second language as an adult, I'd assume that about as many Americans are able to do it as Europeans. The only difference is the motivation to do it. A French businessman might need to learn German, due to proximity. An American businessman is not likely to need to learn anything other than English. So they pursue other interests in their free time. It has very little to do with intelligence.

[Crescent Cat]

I really want to become fluent in Spanish. I've taken up to the intermediate level of Spanish and the classes are very easy for me - despite not being introduced to the language until high school - but the problem I face is being able to use what I've learned.

It's sort of funny, really. I live in Arizona and there are a lot of Spanish speakers here, including friends, but I rarely have the opportunity to practice my Spanish with them. Part of the reason is that I'm painfully shy, which is my own fault, if I suck it up and just ask I'm sure they'll be willing to help. And they are, but they have their own lives and don't always have the time to practice with me.

I really wish I had been fortunate enough to be introduced to Spanish at a young age or have family members that speak it. I used to, my abuela did but she passed before I started taking Spanish and she lived on the other side of the country. I'm kind of annoyed that my father never learned Spanish. His mother knew it but never felt the need to teach her children for some reason. Gah . . . so frustrating.

You know what's really annoying though? When you have friends that are fluent in another language and they speak it around you, knowing damn well you can't understand what they're saying. I had two friends in high school that spoke German. I was talking to one of them one day when the other came over and they both started going off in German. And for what? I could tell by their tone that it wasn't a private conversation so I have no idea why the felt that they couldn't just speak English. It just made me feel stupid and left out.

What's even more annoying is that on more than one occasion of them doing this they suddenly stop and go, "Oh, you can't understand us huh? Haha, sorry."

Well duh. You know I can't and you've known I couldn't for quite a while.

Honestly, I think they had some insecurity issues and felt the need to "prove" that they could do something that I couldn't. I can't think of any other reason they would do this.

[Lace Neil Singer]

The same could occur to English people too; we generally only know one language, our own. And some of us don't speak that very well either... O_o

I learned bits and pieces of French, as in enough to make myself understood but not fluent by a long chalk. What makes the French hard to understand is not so much the words themselves, but the way they speak, stringing all the words together. O_O

[RecoveringKinkoid]

I can actually speak enough Italian to get around, however, my syntax is terrible, my use of pronouns is laughable, and I've actually forgotten quite a bit of all of it. There's no one to speak that language to around here.

Heck, I knew a Japanese guy whose first language was actually Japanese. His family came here when he was a little kid and by the time I knew him, he'd forgotten just about all of it.

As for me, I've met more people down here in South Carolina who spoke Gullah than I have who have spoken Italian. Some places down in the Lowcountry, you actually need a translator. Way my brain processes language, if it's not clear, I can't make heads or tails of it. Some folks can understand Gullah, but I'm not one of them.

[violetyoshi]

This bugs the hell out of me....

there are reasons most of us only speak one language.

Reason 1)
Most of us never had the chance to learn a language until high school.

At that point language is fully developed and it's tons harder to learn a new one-then you get a couple years of either spanish, french, or if you're lucky your school offers german.

Reason 2) We can drive for days and still be in the same country. is a little bigger than the US and contains 49 countries

Most countries in Europe are the sizes of some of our states(50 states vs 49 countries). The closest place to me that speaks another language is Quebec(I do speak french)-and that happens to be 800 miles away, or a 13 hour drive(I live in Wisconsin), other direction to mexico-1724 miles, or a 28 hour drive.

The us covers 3,537,441 square miles, Europe about 4 million.

It' not that we are "stupid" or "arrogant" that we only know one language-it's that our geography makes it unnecessary, and if you want to learn it's next to impossible.

Nobody would suggest it's arrogant if you went to Germany, Japan, or whatever other non-English speaking country, and they were to expect you understand their language. We're the ones who are perceived arrogant however, probably because:

We provide amnesty for people from non-speaking countries. They come here, and instead of being greatful, and trying to learn our language. They throw a tantrum about how nobody speaks their language.

Particularly when it comes to people from Mexico, who act as if we MUST know how to speak Espanol. We are doing them a favor, by offering them a chance to a better life. They disobey the law? Cross the border? It's not their fault, they just have to march and say "Nobody is illegal!" like toddlers having no understanding why everyone is being unfair to them. They also will pull the race card, if they don't get their way. Again we are trying to help them, and they are ungreatful to us.

There are Mexican people who do respect US laws, and the language. These people are having to contend with the problems people who come from Mexico and don't obey the rules cause. It's not fair that people, may refer to them as border crossers, illegal, or whatever. They did what they were supposed to.

I wasn't raised in a Spanish speaking country, I was raised in an English speaking country. Why then should people from Mexico, be able to harass people for not knowing the language of their country. They decided to come here, if we went to Mexico it wouldn't be tolerated if we didn't know Spanish right?

Maybe people think we're arrogant, because they are ignorant of the true effects of where opening your countries doors leads you. They have the starry-eyed notion, that the people who come to America are poor victims, and it's just cruel not to care for them. They don't live with the crime, that results from people immigrating here, or the drugs. I'm sure when all you hear is the poor plight of the Mexican immigrant, you feel the least people could do is learn their language to help them. The reality is far from that, and we're now seen as arrogant because we're no longer playing to the fairytale notion of immigration being perfectly wonderful.

Now, sure all of may have been born to people who immigrated to the US, or were born from the people who immigrated here. However, back then you had to learn English or have no job. The notion that you can tell people who immigrate here, it's okay if you don't know English we understand, and then expect everyone to make way for them is ridiculous. Things worked better when English was mandatory. There were less crimes, because there was better communication, and less frustration or temper tantruming when someone dared to suggest someone should be able to live knowing only English as a language. That behavior simply wasn't tolerated.

We try to give and give to people, and all we get in return is whining. It's not being arrogant to suggest if you don't like things here you can return to your own country, it's reality. This is a result from us giving a little to non-English speaking people, and them taking a mile. Most other countries wouldn't tolerate people they've welcomed there, blocking traffic so they can have their "Day without a Mexican" and march the streets like a pack of angry children. They want to make a point, they should attempt to do it like adults. I don't see any attempt to improve things for themselves, by saying "No one is illegal!" like a two year old shouting "It not FAIR!"

There are people who come here, who manage to fit in, and live well. Without having parades, or a tantrum around town. What do people who feel we're arrogant want? Us to treat everyone who comes here from another country, like a helpless child? Do they really think, we haven't tried to help them. We can't help people who refuse to help themselves. No amount of shouting and stomping of feet, is going to change that.

[Gravekeeper]

Yes, it's fairly easy being Canadian to pick up a second language as you're immersed in it from day 1. So its just natural for it to be around. Even if you don't speak it in day to day life. Its still on every single product label and sign. You just naturally begin associating the English words to their French equivilent.

But yes we also learn French in school, and many of our children's programming teaches French as well. You'd sort of have to be actively trying to NOT learn it to avoid picking any up in Canada.

However, if you go to any foreign country, especially immigrating, and expect them to speak your language to accomodate you? Than yeah you're a dick. -.-

[BroomJockey]

But yes we also learn French in school, and many of our children's programming teaches French as well. You'd sort of have to be actively trying to NOT learn it to avoid picking any up in Canada.


Unless you're in Alberta. I got one year of French in school (grade 3), and we didn't get much in the way of French programming. I can pick out a decent number of words in the written language, maybe a couple hundred, but nothing remotely close enough to even be conversational, let alone fluent.

[gremcint]

I took french until grade 9. I know almost no french, I have not been imersed in it, it is actually rather rare to hear someone speaking it at all.


Knowing only one language does not make you dumb. There are people in every country who only speak one language.

[Lace Neil Singer]

I took five years of French at school and mine is patchy at best. Some people have a natural aptitude for languages, some don't. That's a factor too when it comes to learning a second language.

[Boozy]

Like I said earlier in the thread, it's a Herculean task to learn a language in school. One really requires an immersion environment, and those are harder to come by for Americans.

[Fire_on_High]

It's also easier to make someone want to learn a language that actually interests them. Japanese tends to be a good example of this...quite a bit of my preferred entertainment is only fully accessible in Japanese, so I've got a lot of incentive to pick it up.

The rest? Eh...French and German would never get used, plus it still seems as there's a little bit of a stigma to someone with German ancestry being too interested in it. Spanish? At that point my inner stubborn mule kicks in. I know a little, but I hate the appearance of yielding on anything where I'm not in the wrong to begin with.

Nothing else even seems remotely interesting til we start getting back to some of the ancient languages for some of my other interests...but thinking about it, Greek or Latin to read documents for a style I'm only marginally interested in, vs Japanese for Vocaloid and UTAU? Sorry, no contest.

[Lace Neil Singer]

Klingon, then? XD

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Frankly, I am of the mind that American Sign Language should be offered as a language option in schools. That is a language that has quite a bit of practical use.

I used to know enough "Sioux Sign" (it's not the same) to hold a simple conversation (but, of course, not a whole lot of folks to talk to using SS, so most of it, I have forgotten). But it did spark an interest in ASL. I have had many deaf customers in my various jobs where it would have been very handy.

[violetyoshi]

Frankly, I am of the mind that American Sign Language should be offered as a language option in schools. That is a language that has quite a bit of practical use.

I used to know enough "Sioux Sign" (it's not the same) to hold a simple conversation (but, of course, not a whole lot of folks to talk to using SS, so most of it, I have forgotten). But it did spark an interest in ASL. I have had many deaf customers in my various jobs where it would have been very handy.

There was a edutainment game called, The Lost Mind of Dr. Brain. There was a game called Pentode, the games were based off of the different areas of Dr. Brain's mind. You would match up symbols to each other. It's actually kind of difficult to recall how the puzzle worked exactly. However, I do recall that some of the symbols were the sign language hand symbols. So perhaps it was intended by the creators of the game, to use that as a way to teach kids sign language.

P.S.: For those of you who fondly remember this game, Youtube has a ton of videos from it.

[jackfaire]

I hate when I hear that if you don't speak more than 1 language that your an uncultured arrogant American with no respect for other cultures.

I took 4 years of spanish from native speakers of the language. To say I was speaking broken spanish would have been unbelievably generous. I could translate it if you gave me a spanish dictionary.

I don't have a mind for languages learning to speak another language without full immersion is very difficult. I don't even know that full immersion would work as I haven't had the opportunity to visit another country.

Yes I like watching things in my own language it is easier to get into the story failing that I do like subtitles. However I do love learning about other cultures and would hate if my inability to easily learn other languagaes meant I was not allowed to.

I am cultured but my tounge isn't.

[Wingates_Hellsing]

This is one of the anti-American sentiments that's always going to be around, despite being stupid. Almost as irksome as people who can't tell the difference between Germany and Nazis...

But isn't there an underlying stupidity to it?
Since when does a person's language equal their culture?

They're connected, for sure, but it's not as if speaking Spanish makes one the same as all other people who speak Spanish...

This, of course, never applied to those who speak only French, only Spanish, or any other language.

Double Standards, they're for breakfast!

[Slytovhand]

Hmm - well, many Americans are! Just ask them. If you don't speak English (well, actually, if you don't speak American), you're an idiot (certainly, you will be seen as less intelligent - it's a human thing - doesn't matter which part of the planet you're on.. you don't speak the native tongue fluently, and you have to prove your intelligence!) The Parisian-French have a similar stereotype!

To learn a language effectively, you need to use it constantly. You did that with English, why should it be so different for any other language? (that's what annoys me about my students - as soon as class is over, straight back into Chinese. When in class, about 80% of it is in Chinese.. even seconds after I've told them not to! And they will wonder why they don't have high marks! AND why some of their teachers are crap!!)

Speaking of such things, it's bloody annoying hearing a non-native language speaker try and lecture or correct a native speaker on how a language is actually used (sure - technical points of grammar I'm willing to concede - perhaps they've just studied it better or more intently) - but don't tell me what we say in my own country that you've never been to!

[Sarah Valentine]

Almost as irksome as people who can't tell the difference between Germany and Nazis...

I told one of my friends that I was part german, and he asked if I was a nazi. I was upset, but then I told him since he's part italian that must mean your in the mafia.

[jackfaire]

To learn a language effectively, you need to use it constantly.

I agree like I said full immersion. The problem is 1)Finding people who speak the language 2) having fellow students who are actually wanting to learn the language.

[AdminAssistant]

One of the issues is that in many other western countries, students are taught other languages successfully. It's common for Europeans to speak 2-3 languages, and very helpful since they are surrounded by other countries where a variety of languages are spoken. For example, you'll have a hard time doing business in Belgium unless you can speak French and Flemish.

Foreign language education in the States is laughable, and it makes it harder for us to operate as a member of the global community.

[jackfaire]

Foreign language education in the States is laughable, and it makes it harder for us to operate as a member of the global community.

I talk to people from other countries that also like me have difficulties learning other languages and only speak their own languages using translation programs to talk to me.

That is part of my issue. Some people in other countries (not all) learn more than one language and are fluent in more than one language and they are held up as an example that I don't care.

I took spanish from native speakers who made the spanish program at my school shine. There were some people came out of the program I did able to speak it fluently.

I understand I should try and do my best to speak the language of the country I am visiting and I will attempt that when I am done with my trips around the US. I don't want to be judged for not currently being able to do it though.

It's along the lines of the fact that I study US cultural history and am fascinated by things that happened in my country. I am treated like I must be an arrogant idiot who thinks my country is the best in the world.

In my city it seems to be awesome if you know tons of things about other countries but your not allowed to know anything about your country, except for the bad things, and you have to hate the US to be a "Good" person.

As far as I am concerned I am a citizen of Earth and study everything I can about the entire planet not just my little part of it.

Someday I will travel to places I have never been and I will do my best to speak the language but it will be severly broken and a dictonary will be close at hand.

[BlaqueKatt]

I hate when I hear that if you don't speak more than 1 language that your an uncultured arrogant American with no respect for other cultures.

we've had this thread already (http://www.fratching.com/showthread.php?t=1529)

[Boozy]

we've had this thread already (http://www.fratching.com/showthread.php?t=1529)

And I hath merged them.

Thanks for providing the link! :)

[jackfaire]

And I hath merged them.

Thanks for providing the link! :)

I feel like DC and Marvel now

[linguist]

O
Foreign language education in the States is laughable, .

it really is. in most other countries foreign language education starts at the equivalent of elementary level. here, students generally are lucky to start in middle school, and most don't even start until high school. add to that that they're not encouraged to actually use the language outside of the classroom, and you have a sad situation.

[BlaqueKatt]

And I hath merged them.

with thy Mod-like powers of awesome.....

[jackfaire]

"Why I've gone and merged them....Sir Peter is Gorbash!" (cookies for quote)

[Fryk]

The Flight of Dragons


GIMME COOKIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[jackfaire]

The Flight of Dragons


GIMME COOKIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.fotosearch.com/bthumb/FDC/FDC007/967856.jpg


1) I am impressed

2) SQUUUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! I just found out they are releasing Flight of the Dragons on DVD!!!!!!!

[Fryk]

1)Never underestimate my ability to know useless stuff. (Just like in the thread)

@) And most important... When?????????

[jackfaire]

@) And most important... When?????????

http://www.amazon.com/Flight-Dragons-Victor-Buono/dp/B002VA5A0C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1261292784&sr=8-1

Now already bought my copy and one to give my mom for Christmas.

And they even kept the original artwork that pictures Carolinus as the purple wizard!!!

[Greenday]

it really is. in most other countries foreign language education starts at the equivalent of elementary level. here, students generally are lucky to start in middle school, and most don't even start until high school. add to that that they're not encouraged to actually use the language outside of the classroom, and you have a sad situation.

Man, the rest of the US kills me. Back home, we all started learning Spanish in the 1st grade. By the time I got to high school, they started people a year earlier in kindergarten.

[DesignFox]

I didn't even get introduced to the idea of foreign languages until 8th grade...where we learned a bit of German, a bit of Spanish and a bit of French. I was lucky to get one, maybe two (I can't remember anymore) years of German in high school before the class had to be canceled due to lack of interest, and I had one semester of German in college.

I think I was drawn to German because it was the first language they started us with in 8th grade, so it was the easiest to start learning by that point.

If they had started us much younger, that would have been awesome. Probably would have picked it up a lot faster.

As an adult, I sort of want to learn Spanish. But, I'm pretty set in my ways, and unless I can find someone to converse with, it's not gonna stick. Likely, I won't be able to avoid having to learn it (at some point) depending on where I end up choosing to live/work.

:rolleyes:

I'm not stupid. Everyone in my area has always been English speaking.

[protege]

I'm not stupid. Everyone in my area has always been English speaking.

Same here. I took several years of Spanish in high school. Pointless really, since nobody in Pittsburgh speaks it, other than the odd tourist. And even then, most of them use English anyway. Odd, because my city supposedly does have a growing Hispanic population :rolleyes:

[DesignFox]

Same here. I took several years of Spanish in high school. Pointless really, since nobody in Pittsburgh speaks it, other than the odd tourist. And even then, most of them use English anyway. Odd, because my city supposedly does have a growing Hispanic population :rolleyes:

Your population doesn't feel as entitled as the population around parts of my state apparently. The places I've worked in the past, you are all but expected to speak Spanish, no one even bothers trying to communicate with you otherwise.

The area I'm currently in is similar to how Pittsburgh sounds. We all speak English and that's that. There's very little bending on that because...well..there just isn't anyone around who CAN, even if they wanted to...which...for better or worse, they don't.

[jackfaire]

There are parts of our country where the families who insist on still speaking Spanish have lived there ancestrally longer than any of the English speakers.

I have a friend whose family in Southern California still speaks spanish and got told by someone who had moved their from the East Coast to "go home". She had to laugh as her family has owned the land since before there was a United States.

[Fryk]

I have a condition that I call Chewbacca syndrome. I can understand several languages quite well -Spanish, German, Swedish, and a little Czech and Japanese (enough to get the gist, but not totally understand). BUT I cannot reutrn the conversation in any of them but German. I don't know the grammar structure in any of them well enough to form my own sentences. I don't know if this is common for a lot of people or not, but I call it Chewbacca syndrome after the character who holds his conversations in Wookie, no matter what the other person is speaking.

[blas87]

I think the main point is that it's much easier to learn a second language when you are young.

Language courses start in middle school around here, which is still an ok age and kids are still spongy enough to absorb and learn it, but I feel if everyone learned at an even younger age, it would stick better.

I have forgotten almost all the French I ever learned in school, at least how to put a sentence together or ask a question.

[Slytovhand]

So, Fryk, if you bellow and growl and mewl and all that - people can understand you ok??? :p

[Fryk]

Well, my wife does. But I only do that in, uh, "certain" situations...