It is really embarrassing to read the xenophobic posts on DU,

[Ms. Toad]

25. Agreed.

I had 3 years of high school Spanish, and managed well enough to communicate with a store owner to explain the obscure item I needed and find out when he would be open. But it was a real struggle - and involved a lot of made-up sign language.

When I travel, I always try to learn a little bit of the language of the country I'm in - and I'm sure my accent is horrendous. (My daughter says I speak French with a Spanish accent - when I tried to work with her on French a long time ago.) I'm amazed at how Americans always seem to expect everyone else to speak English and, sometimes even in their own country, ridicule them when it is not perfect.

It is truly being an ugly American to ridicule the accent of someone who speaks English better than I speak their language.