American BLOG amazed that South African ATM offers 8 language choices - Koreans mustn't look at women in toilets [pictures]

BoingBoing has this picture of an ABSA Bank ATM on their front page! They are amazed that you can choose from 8 different languages on an ATM here in South Africa.

It's called DIVERSITY... Pronounce it slowly... DIE VER CI TEE.... Not everyone who is of a different race, different gender, different language, or different cultural background is to be forced into a North American English mold, have their country invaded, their natural resources plundered and their ATM's changed to English! Oooopppps, that was just a rant. I deserve to be flamed for that! Sorry.

Can you imagine how the picture taker would have felt if he had discovered that we actually have 11 official languages in South Africa and that the majority of South African speak as many as 4 languages (English, isiZulu (or Xhosa), Sotho (or a variant thereof), and Afrikaans)?

Now that I have upset the Americans, and I do appologise! Truthfully, I have never yet met an American who is what the stereotypes suggest. My experience is that whilst the 'nation state' is quite self obsessed and abusive, all the Americans I have met are just great, open minded, people...

So, now let me poke some fun at South Africans (let's see if I can upset everyone this morning... Sorry!)

When I was in South Korea last year I was amazed to see this sign warning women to watch out for men looking over the tops of toilet stalls... I thought 'how bizarre', but then a Korean friend ask me a simple question, "Do you think it doesn't happen in South Africa", to which I replied "well, I'm sure it does". So he said, "well, why not do something to stop it?"

Sensible! It's amazing what we find strange about one another! Any other crazy signs out there? Just post a link to the comments or email me.

Technorati tags: South Africa, diversity, ATM, Korea