Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I know legal Latino residents who have been here for more than ten years and don't speak alot of English. They have become U.S. citizens and have voted, and they aren't Brown Pride nazis. I find your post to be lacking credibility, because you can become a patriotic American as an immigrant and still not know a whole lot of English.
Take a look at the requirements to becoming a U.S. citizen. Not only must you speak English but you must be able to read and write it as well. And please don't find my post lacking in credibility as a member of my family from Sweden managed to do all of that well before he was here for ten years. People who want to succeed in this country learn the language and don't sit around making excuses for why they can't.
Toryturner, is it not possible that these people CAN speak english, although not as fluently as a native speaker, but CHOOSE to speak Spanish exclusively because 90% of the people they speak to in their lives speak Spanish also ( where they work, where they live, their family, their friends, where they shop, where they eat, where they spend their leisure time, etc.) So although you are ASSUMING they CANNOT speak English, I have found the reality to be that they CAN speak english enough to get a job (as you see them working), however they CHOOSE to speak Spanish 90% of the time as there is not a NEED to speak English unless REQUIRED.
So what's the real problem here? The fact that YOU are uncomfortable hearing another language being spoken and automatically believe/ASSUME that they are illegal immigrants and do not know English? Are you proposing eliminating the FREEDOM OF SPEECH for those that choose to speak another language that YOU find annoying/irritating?
Very few in this country want to clean toilets,mop floors,bag groceries,fry burgers etc ...I mean we are talking about people that don't have any other option because they either dropped out or only have a high school diploma.
where was it mentioned in kele's post about cleaning toilets? with all due respect, fburgos, you need to get out more often and see what today's kids are doing to make extra money. there are plenty of kids out there who ARE frying burgers, bagging groceries, etc. imo, it is true that kids will not pick fruit, mop floors, wash dishes. i think that my dad's generation (born 1943) was possibly the last one to do so when i was a teenager, i enjoyed mowing lawns for extra money ($10-15 back then), then worked as a bagger, restaurant work,babysitting, etc. i think that some businesses lock kids out b/c of what kele said about the long hours with no regard to school schedule. i support businesses that employ american teenagers b/c i think that those employers are responsibly teaching our kids the value of hard work and earning. i've had the good fortune of living in both so calif and texas and have seen the differences in who these businesses employ. i much prefer the texas way over the so cal way b/c these high school kids can still learn responsibility here.
Toryturner, is it not possible that these people CAN speak english, although not as fluently as a native speaker, but CHOOSE to speak Spanish exclusively because 90% of the people they speak to in their lives speak Spanish also ( where they work, where they live, their family, their friends, where they shop, where they eat, where they spend their leisure time, etc.) So although you are ASSUMING they CANNOT speak English, I have found the reality to be that they CAN speak english enough to get a job (as you see them working), however they CHOOSE to speak Spanish 90% of the time as there is not a NEED to speak English unless REQUIRED.
So what's the real problem here? The fact that YOU are uncomfortable hearing another language being spoken and automatically believe/ASSUME that they are illegal immigrants and do not know English? Are you proposing eliminating the FREEDOM OF SPEECH for those that choose to speak another language that YOU find annoying/irritating?
Wow! I didn't mean to offend I was simply answering a thread. Actually, no, I'm not assuming that they cannot speak English and elect to speak Spanish. But that brings up a whole other subject in that my grandfather who is the relative I spoke of, did not allow us to speak Swedish outside the home or around anyone who did not speak Swedish. He considered it rude. So I really am coming from a different outlook apparently then you. I do believe it is VERY important to retain your original language and culture but English is the language in this country. I do not see billboards, ballots or menus printed in Swedish for my conveinence and I don't want to see it. I don't find other languages annoying or irritating. But as my grandfather taught us, speaking anything other than English(when out in the public)unless you are a tourist can be considered rude by others.
I certianly udnerstand that..I am not offended by your statement at all. Because America is so isolated from the rest of the world, there is a sense that English uber alles...and speaking other languages is viewed as rude and/or annoying. Much of the rest of the 1st world is well versed in multiple foreign languages, not necesarily though because they love it, but because they have to for business, pleasure...and speak easily between various languages. America is the opposite...and its part of that physical isolation I think.
where was it mentioned in kele's post about cleaning toilets? with all due respect, fburgos, you need to get out more often and see what today's kids are doing to make extra money. there are plenty of kids out there who ARE frying burgers, bagging groceries, etc. imo, it is true that kids will not pick fruit, mop floors, wash dishes. i think that my dad's generation (born 1943) was possibly the last one to do so when i was a teenager, i enjoyed mowing lawns for extra money ($10-15 back then), then worked as a bagger, restaurant work,babysitting, etc. i think that some businesses lock kids out b/c of what kele said about the long hours with no regard to school schedule. i support businesses that employ american teenagers b/c i think that those employers are responsibly teaching our kids the value of hard work and earning. i've had the good fortune of living in both so calif and texas and have seen the differences in who these businesses employ. i much prefer the texas way over the so cal way b/c these high school kids can still learn responsibility here.
All i see is kids doing these days are logging into my space or playing video games.When i was a kid i remember working since i was 14 and going to high school,i can also recall shoveling snow,cleaning yards,washing cars.These days too much technology and that has mede our young ones lazy.
I certianly udnerstand that..I am not offended by your statement at all. Because America is so isolated from the rest of the world, there is a sense that English uber alles...and speaking other languages is viewed as rude and/or annoying. Much of the rest of the 1st world is well versed in multiple foreign languages, not necesarily though because they love it, but because they have to for business, pleasure...and speak easily between various languages. America is the opposite...and its part of that physical isolation I think.
I think that you are right. Also this is such a huge country with so many cultures trying to come together that a common language is what we have used to try to bond us together. And I do find it sad when some immigrants are so eager to become American that they do not teach their children the language of their native country. It is nice to speak more than one language. I live in the central part of California and have only picked up on a little Spanish due to osmosis. Which is sad because it keeps me from communicating better sometimes. Thanks for your imput on this issue.
All i see is kids doing these days are logging into my space or playing video games.When i was a kid i remember working since i was 14 and going to high school,i can also recall shoveling snow,cleaning yards,washing cars.These days too much technology and that has mede our young ones lazy.
You may be onto something there-------looking at how 'overweight' so many of today's kids are---------of any race/ethnicity.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
when i was a teenager, i enjoyed mowing lawns for extra money ($10-15 back then), then worked as a bagger, restaurant work,babysitting, etc. i think that some businesses lock kids out b/c of what kele said about the long hours with no regard to school schedule. i support businesses that employ american teenagers b/c i think that those employers are responsibly teaching our kids the value of hard work and earning. i've had the good fortune of living in both so calif and texas and have seen the differences in who these businesses employ. i much prefer the texas way over the so cal way b/c these high school kids can still learn responsibility here.
