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Newscaster wins free Mexican food for life after shutting down viewer angry over Spanish use

SOURCE: KFOR

KFOR Weather Woman Emily Sutton got props from a local Mexican restaurant that was so smitten with her responses to an angry viewer that they offered her free food and margaritas for life.

If you spend enough time on social media, you quickly learn everybody has got an opinion on everything. And most people aren't afraid to voice said opinions, even if they aren't very good.

Of course one could argue there's no such thing as a "good" opinion or a "right" or "wrong" one. I'd argue that if you've got an opinion on something, it should be based on some type of evidence or logic. Perfect example: if you're trying to tell me that Ross from Friends isn't a psychopath, then you clearly haven't seen this video or heard the show without a laugh track.

And if you need an even clearer example of a bad opinion, I offer up Richard Weathers for consideration. He got on local reporter Emily Sutton's case after seeing she delivered a weather broadcast that employed the use of a Spanish translator.

Let's entertain the notion for a bit that multiculturalism and not having a unified national language is a bad idea. Even if that were the case, Richard's opinion in this light would still be considered "bad."

That's because the news Emily was reporting on was a severe weather emergency that could've resulted in people being severely injured or killed.

So there are two possible reasons why Richard offered up this opinion:

A.) He didn't consider the fact that many people living in or visiting America don't speak English and would still need to understand important news that could save their lives.

B.) He thinks that not speaking "American" while living in the U.S. is a crime that should be punishable by death.

You could see how both of these opinions are generally considered "bad", right?

Emily saw his message and decided to school Richard, all while also pointing out that his obsession with the "American" language isn't one he imposes on himself.


SOURCE: FACEBOOK


In a two-part response, she carefully explains the reason the sole purpose of having a bilingual broadcast was to save lives. In the second part, she highlights Richard's inability to grasp that there is no language called "American" and suggests the become a bit more culturally aware.

Then she absolutely roasts him with a wonderful observation: just because his name is Richard, doesn't mean he has to act like a common nickname for Richard.

Her response quickly went viral, as everyone was loving the shellacking she gave Richard. This included restaurant and bar San Marcos No. 4, who loved her takedown of the discriminatory Facebook troll so much that they offered her free Mexican Food and margaritas for life.

And they stressed that they were being 100 percent serious about the offer too. How serious? We're talking the "100" emoji serious. Yeah.

SOURCE: FACEBOOK

A number of people pointed out how ridiculous Richard's original comments were, saying how ironic it was that Richard valued the English language but showcased such a poor command of it.


SOURCE: IMGUR


SOURCE: IMGUR

Others mentioned their own hometown news stations serve the diverse communities that they live in.


SOURCE: IMGUR


SOURCE: IMGUR

Mostly though, people just couldn't get over the fact that Richard was so grammatically deficient.

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Why Tim Kaine delivering an entire speech in Spanish meant the world to me as a Latina.

To get your message across, sometimes you have to speak their language.

Whether Hillary Clinton is elected the first female president on Nov. 8 or not, the Democratic campaign has already made history several times.

Not to overstate the obvious, but this is the first time in our history that a woman is nominated from a major party for the highest office in the land. This is the first time a former first lady has gone on to run for the office once held by her husband. This is also the first time a major player in the presidential election is fluent in Spanish.

Most recently, vice presidential nominee Tim Kaine delivered an entire speech to a huge crowd in Phoenix ... in Spanish.

On Nov. 3, 2016, he spoke at a community center in Maryvale, which is considered the most Latino neighborhood in the Phoenix area. And, amazingly, Kaine took the time to address that demographic in their language.

Image by Kelly Presnell/Arizona Daily Star.

Kaine learned Spanish over 35 years ago when he spent a year in Honduras with Jesuit missionaries in 1980.

Although he's proudly shown off his Spanish-speaking chops on the campaign trail with a phrase here and there, he's never delivered a whole speech in another language.

This time, he delivered the whole enchilada! (Pardon the pun.)

In this speech, Kaine acknowledged our collective frustrations with the election.

"I feel the same way about this election as you do. With so much talk of the Hispanic community coming into play, it was important for our campaign to address you in a language spoken by so many families across the country," Kaine said.

Kaine also called for something we all want: unity. He said we need people of all origins to help write the next chapters of our country's history. Yes, please!

Spanish-speaking parents and grandparents, many of whom don't speak English, will be voting on Nov. 8, and that's why this speech was a big deal.

Latinos have a huge deciding power in this presidential election. There are over 27 million of us eligible to vote this year, and we know we've got power.

Reaching out to my demographic by using our native language is not only a smart move, but also an empathetic one, which I love. It's an acknowledgment that not all of us are fluent in both languages. It's a reach across the divide to meet us halfway. It's an added effort to make sure we all understand his message.

Kaine's speech made me feel like my community, the Latino community, matters.

Finally, we're important enough that one of the major party's vice presidential candidates is addressing us directly.

Image by AP Photo/Matt York.

Kaine spokeswoman Karen Finney told reporters on the senator's plane, "No other person on a presidential ticket in the United States has given a full campaign speech in Spanish. So it's unprecedented and historic."

If only I could have taken my grandmother, who can no longer walk long distances, to this rally.

I so wish she could have heard his message of unity. I know she would have felt how far we've come. Politicians are trying to reach us — us! — the Latino community, by speaking our language.

The bottom line is that Kaine's effort to speak our language shows that he cares. He knows we're here to stay. He knows it's better to embrace everything that brings us together — including language. Whether his speech translates into more votes in Arizona remains to be seen, but I know that for me, the gesture will never be forgotten.

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The machista mentality is harmful for women. These 21 tweets explain why.

It's time we start shifting away from a male-dominated mentality and into a more inclusive and realistic one.

The word machistameans "a strong exaggerated sense of masculinity placing great value on physical courage, virility, domination of women, and aggressiveness."

It's a dangerous (and outdated) way of thinking that's especially prevalent within the Latino community and Spanish history, probably because the word "macho" in the Spanish language is literally the descriptor of being male.

While many cultures struggle with toxic masculinity problems, Latino culture has been one of the slowest to change and adapt to modern times, when women don't take a backseat to their husbands. I don't know why this mentality has been so pervasive, although I wish I did. As a Latina, I still see it represented everywhere in my community.  

Image via iStock.

By now, it's fairly well-acknowledged among forward-thinking people that the machista mentality undermines everything women have worked for when it comes to gender equality.

But despite decades of work, the archetype of this male sentiment hasn't fully disappeared, a la Donald Trump and many prominent men in Latino and American culture. It's a big problem.

That's why the hashtag #EsMachismo (which means "It's machista" in Spanish) started trending on Twitter on Oct. 10, 2016.

It was sparked by this tweet by Liz Cardosa from Guatemala (who posts as "Analista Feminista," which cleverly translates into "Feminist Analyst"). The tweet, written in Spanish, reads: "#ItsMachista — the idea that female bodies are for the pleasure of the male gaze."

Other people, both men and women, quickly chimed in using this simple hashtag, too.

The purpose of the hashtag was to spark a discussion so people could vent about what the machismo mentality meant to them and why they wish it would change. I've translated 21 of them from Spanish to English below:

1. @nictechula: "#ItsMachismo to assume that women can't work together in harmony."

2. @marciluu: "#ItsMachismo that there are more men than women in government."

3. @carvasar: "#ItsMachismo to deny an education for little girls in favor of their male siblings. That violates their human rights."

4. @nictechula: "#ItsMachismo to think that sexual harassment on the street is acceptable conduct."

5. @elplacer_de_ser: "#ItsMachismo to assume that every woman dreams of being a mother and a housewife."

6. @carvasar: "#ItsMachismo to think that a woman's place is in the home. And it should be a crime to force her to do that."

7. @avilarenata: "#ItsMachismo to not hire young women because you consider their right to bear children a burden."

8. @kmolinae: "#ItsMachismo to judge a woman for enjoying her sexuality."

9. @galvez_ingridj: "#ItsMachismo when you're told how to act, what to say, where to go and what you should do when you're in a relationship."

10. @JohnDavilM: "#ItsMachismo to deny access to sexual education, reproductive health and access to free contraceptives."

Image via iStock.

11. @WRadioguate: "#ItsMachismo — From childhood on, moms teach sisters that they should tend to their brothers. That's how machismo starts."

12. @LizCardosa: "#ItsMachismo for a man to feel the right to 'correct' a woman."

13. @Nora_PerezM: "#ItsMachismo to say that women victimize themselves over everything."

14. @Ninitarios: "#ItsMachismo to refuse to wear a condom when you are sleeping with more than one person at a time."

15. @Landsmoder: "#ItsMachismo when women are called unbearable or crazy when they get their period. The label of being 'hysterical' is misogynist and violent."

16. @carvasar: "#ItsMachismo, as well, to assume that the entire financial obligation of the home falls exclusively on the man."

17. @Anayancy: "#ItsMachismo — The pink ribbon. To have to pay more for thousands of products just because they're 'for women.'"

18. @GerardoHerro: "#ItsMachismo that men and women perpetuate the idea that men shouldn't cry."

19. @AliciaAlvarezGI: "#ItsMachismo for motherhood to be imposed upon you. If someone doesn't want to have kids, so what?"

20. @Nora_PerezM: "#ItsMachismo to expect for him to pay for the check."

21. @Polaris_GT: #ItsMachista to classify a woman with either Ms./Mrs. based on either her sexuality/motherhood/marriage status referring to her availability."

Image via iStock.

A women should have as much say and as much power as a man. No more, no less.

The ideas of machista has hit even closer to home recently as we've heard Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump's now-infamous "Access Hollywood" bombshell tape. It was machismo behavior to the umpteenth degree — off the charts to the point where I feel even a machista would be offended. And let me tell you: The idea that Trump's words and the actions he boasted about are even offensive to a machista says a lot.

But as a new generation comes of age, young Latino people are standing up against toxic traditions, and things are starting to change.

This makes me proud, and these tweets from young Latinos are proof that someday, we'll have the power to teach our children about what the machismo mentality used to be.

If we stand up against unhelpful traditions and we adapt, we might be able to talk about machista and toxic masculinity much like we talk about how women were once not able to vote or hold office: things of the past.

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3 artists made a bilingual comic to show how complicated immigration really is.

Liddy heard a scream one night from the backyard of her home in the border town of Pharr, Texas.

She was having trouble with undocumented immigrants passing through her property. She'd been especially worried ever since she found one of her horses killed and skinned, which she took as a warning sign from a Mexican drug cartel.

When she went out to her backyard to investigate the sound, she was disoriented by what she found. But not half as much as I was.

​All images by Marcos Martin and Muntsa Vicente​/Panel Syndicate, with words by Brian K. Vaughan. Used with permission.

That's the basic setup to a cool new web comic called "Barrier."

Written by Brian K. Vaughan with art by Marcos Martin and Muntsa Vicente, "Barrier" is a digital-only comic about immigration and aliens — legal, illegal, and extraterrestrial. The self-published series is available online, with the purchaser setting their own price, and the horizontal pages are optimized to fit your screen or tablet.

But here's the interesting part: The comic is bilingual. Which means I can't understand all of it.

Aside from a few years of high school Spanish that I can't remember and some random Irish phrases that I never use, I'm ashamed to say that English is my only language. But half of "Barrier" follows a Honduran immigrant en route to the United States, and there's no translation guide.

It's annoying and confusing — but, well, that's kind of the point.

"We wanted to try something different, presenting a story with no translations, so that readers in various parts of the world would each have completely unique experiences," explained Vaughan — who, like me, only speaks English.

Vaughan's artistic collaborators, Martin and Vicente, are both from Barcelona.

Unlike Vaughan, they speak Spanish. But their Spanish (and Catalan) is different from Honduran Spanish, or Mexican Spanish, so while they were making the comic, they ran the translated dialogue past the Honduran consulate in Barcelona too, just to be safe.

But again: That was kind of the point.

"It’s vital to the story that readers experience the same feeling of being lost and confused that people face when finding themselves in a different country," said Martin. "And judging by the both positive and angry responses we’ve received, we’ve apparently succeeded."

"We wanted to find an entertaining, unconventional and, most importantly, visual way to explore a complicated issue [like immigration]," Vaughan said.

Before "Barrier," the trio worked on a similarly experimental webcomic about internet privacy called "The Private Eye," a digital-only story that was pay-what-you-want and free of any copyright locks or encryption. This time around, Vaughan says they wanted to tackle what might be the most important topic of conversation for the next five years.

"We didn’t exactly need a crystal ball to guess that it might be immigration," he said, although he admitted that none of them realized just how big of an issue it would be.

From a reader's perspective, the lack of translation in "Barrier" really does make the story that much more effective.

You can still figure out what's happening, for the most part; not every language uses words, and the artwork in the comic speaks for itself.

I might not be able to interpret the dialogue during Carlos' trek through South America and Mexico, for example. But thanks to Martin's and Vicente's incredible artwork, I can at least understand that he's feeling anxious, lost, and confused — because, after all, so am I.

"I’m always humbled and fascinated by the way that language both unites and separates us all," said Vaughan. "As a visual medium, comics can often smash through that language barrier, which was a phenomenon I always wanted to investigate more deeply."

And just to drive the point home even further, there are sequences without any words at all, but they still tell a powerful story. You can see it in the pages below, or in the upcoming third installment of the series, which ... well, let's just say it takes the idea of feeling alien to differently literal level.

A series of consecutive, silent pages portraying the characters' parallel lives.

The disorientation of not knowing what's happening brings clarity to the issue of immigration in an incredible way.

"Languages are not only about communication, but they also model the way we perceive, understand, and experience the reality and the world around us," Martin said.

The artists know some people will miss out on certain subtleties and nuances in the story because they don't speak the language. Some people will likely understand a different point of view entirely. Others might follow their instincts and block out the half of the story they can't understand, even if they could still infer the story from the images and moments.

But, come to think of it, that sounds a lot like the larger debate around immigration.

When it comes to a complex topic like immigration, sometimes it's hard to find the right words. But that's exactly why "Barrier" is worth checking out.

Stories bring us together, and when a story like this is accessible to anyone, it makes it easier for people to have important conversations about things like immigration and surveillance — regardless of their native tongue.

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