Is the lack of English spoken by Miami's "new immigrants" a question of literacy? (Tampa: high school, live in)

[Leovigildo]

US Census Bureau. Facts about Cuban Americans
US Census Bureau. Facts about Cuban American:
Cuban Americans have acquired an enormous amount of wealth and prosperity in an extremely short period of time; no other immigrant group has achieved this as quickly as the Cubans. Many immigrants have never achieved it at all, despite being in this country far longer than Cubans.
Second-generation Cuban-Americans were more educated than even Anglo-Americans. More than 26.1% of second-generation Cuban-Americans had a bachelor’s degree or better versus 20.6% of Anglos. Thus Cuban-Americans in 1997 were approximately 25% more likely to have a college degree than Anglos.
Other Hispanic groups lag far behind. Only 18.1% of South Americans had a bachelor’s or better. Puerto Ricans, despite being U.S. citizens by birth, recorded a disappointing 11%; Mexicans only 7%.
In 1997, 55.1% of second-generation Cuban-Americans had an income greater than $30,000 versus 44.1% of Anglo- Americans. Thus Cuban-Americans are approximately 20% more likely to earn more than $30,000 than their Anglo-American counterparts. All other Hispanic groups lag far behind in average income.
In 1997, 36.9% of second-generation Cuban-Americans had an income greater than $50,000 versus 18.1% of Anglo- Americans. Cuban-Americans were twice as likely to earn more than $50,000. Also, approximately 11% of Cuban-Americans had incomes greater than $100,000 versus 9% of Anglo-Americans, and less than 2% of other Hispanics.
Cubans comprise less than 4% of the U.S. Hispanic population, Mexicans 65%, Puerto Ricans 10%, Central and South Americans 11%, and “others” 10%. Yet of the top 100 richest Hispanics in the U.S., more than 50% are of Cuban descent (ten times what it should be on a population basis), and 38% of Mexican descent. The rest is scattered among all other Hispanic groups.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau

[Leovigildo]

U.S. Census Bureau

In 1997 Cubans owned 125,300 companies with annual revenues of $26.5 billion.

Seven of every 10 Cubans live in Miami-Dade, Florida. The U.S. nearest point to Cuba is Key West, Fla., 90 miles away from Punta Icacos, Varadero, in the Cuban province of Matanzas.

The New York/New Jersey area with more than 150,000 Cubans is second to Miami-Dade, followed by California where 75,000 Cubans are living and working.

The Cuban presence in the United States did not begin with the anti-Castro exodus of 1959. Juan de Miralles, born in Spain and raised in Cuba, where he became a very successful businessman, was a close friend of George Washington during the American Revolution. He was the first ambassador of the Spanish Kingdom to the Continental Congress. He died in April 1780 assisted by Washington's doctors and wife Martha C. Washington.

[Leovigildo]

I like to catch crabs..
--------

You already have the crabs

[vpcats]

Originally Posted by Rock Newman

Was all of this data really necessary .... how about them Dolphins resigning Jason Taylor ???

don't tell me you actually even read that

This whole thing is beyond ridiculous already.

[dadeguy]

Originally Posted by Rock Newman

Dude .. you sound like you have some hatred in your heart there buddy .. have you ever been to Canada .. most people are Anglos just like in the US yet they are not crazy about us ( Americans ) and they criticize us continually for being supposedly ignorant , boisterous , violent , gun loving and egotistical .. I like Canada but I do feel there is some envy in Canadian dislike for us Americans ... Asians have their rivalries as well , do you think the Chinese and the Japanses are enamored of one another ... neither like the Koreans ... I went to college with many people from the Middle East and Africa .... Jordanians did not like Saudis and Egyptians did not care for the Lebanese none liked the Palestinians , Nigerians did not like Ugandans and on and on .. yet the all still hung out and socialized ... a bit hypocritical ... yes but harmless .. have you ever been to Europe .. it is the same way all Anglo Saxon - Germanic cultures and they "rag " on each other constantly ... it is annoying but harmless , like what you see here with the Cubans and other Hispanic thing ... I guess this proves your theory wrong and no they are not all alike . What is scary is your eloquent
and hateful rant towards Hispanics .

I bear no hatred for anyone and love for all people. I live in a predominantly black and hispanic neighborhood, we love and enjoy the company of our neighbors especially during the summer months of bar b q'n and fishing. I am truely apologetic if the post sounds mean as that is never my intention. read the post again and see if you can understand what I am attempting to convey from my perspective but perhaps I should have taken my own advice and said nothing at all.

with regard to your comments about our cousins the canadians I have not experinced that sentiment from the anglophones but have from the francophones. even then it seems more in jest than with true vitriol.

I am completely fluent in spanish. if you hear me speak you would think I'm from south america. I speak with no english accent at all. latins are surprised when I transition to spanish and anglos are surprised when I transition to english. I have seen and experienced the constant bickering between central americans of differing nationalities claiming that these people in a neighboring country are (name you favorite derision here) when from my point of view they are the same people. to me they all behave the same they look the same they sound almost the same they eat the same foods and they live in the same manner.

in south america there is greater difference culturally but not so much that they are not completely unalike. the contrast would be more akin to the difference between americans and canadians. the similarities are more than the differences yet there the peruvians hate the chileans who hate the argentinians who hate the brasilians (and in the case of argentina, the remainder of all humanity).

I think the most civil, easiest going, most laid back south americans are the brasilians but that would be in keeping with their cultural traditions. the portuguese are in my opinion far more affable than the spaniards.

the biggest differences between the anglo/northern european world and their progeny is how we view and treat corruption. while corruption is universal you don't see corruption so perfected and refined as that which you see in countries with a latin cultural heritage. I don't mean hispanic but back to the root, latin.

corruption on all governmental, social and economic levels is the reason why latin america is the mess that it is and why north america is so much more advanced. while corruption here does indeed exist it is nothing comparatively speaking. my view may not be politically correct but if one considers this opinion objectively one can only draw the same conclusion.

while I was discussing this very topic with dear friends overlooking the river that divides the city of cachoeiro de itapemerim enjoying some wine and cigars I was reminded by a cuban colleague of this possibly true fact. after I had drawn the same conclusion for them everyone was quiet and contemplative until the cuban piped in with "esta bien, pero tu sabes lo que los americanos inventaron y perfeccionaron? la hija de putada" ("very well but do you know what the americans invented and perfected?" I don't know how to translate the last words and the punchline which makes it humorous but the meaning is back stabbing) funny funny stuff and certainly a point of view worth considering.

all the best

[Marlin331]

I have Cuban-American friends in Key West whose families have been there for five generations. Most Miami Cubans and their families have arrived in the last fifty years, but you are right that have been people of "Hispanic" origin in Florida for hundreds of years.

[dadeguy]

Originally Posted by Leovigildo

I like to catch crabs..
--------

You already have the crabs

an ad-hominem!!! how sweet!!! hey thanks for helping me prove my point.

all the best

[Leovigildo]

ad-asinorum

[gymbuff]

Originally Posted by dadeguy

I bear no hatred for anyone and love for all people. I live in a predominantly black and hispanic neighborhood, we love and enjoy the company of our neighbors especially during the summer months of bar b q'n and fishing. I am truely apologetic if the post sounds mean as that is never my intention. read the post again and see if you can understand what I am attempting to convey from my perspective but perhaps I should have taken my own advice and said nothing at all.

with regard to your comments about our cousins the canadians I have not experinced that sentiment from the anglophones but have from the francophones. even then it seems more in jest than with true vitriol.

I am completely fluent in spanish. if you hear me speak you would think I'm from south america. I speak with no english accent at all. latins are surprised when I transition to spanish and anglos are surprised when I transition to english. I have seen and experienced the constant bickering between central americans of differing nationalities claiming that these people in a neighboring country are (name you favorite derision here) when from my point of view they are the same people. to me they all behave the same they look the same they sound almost the same they eat the same foods and they live in the same manner.

in south america there is greater difference culturally but not so much that they are not completely unalike. the contrast would be more akin to the difference between americans and canadians. the similarities are more than the differences yet there the peruvians hate the chileans who hate the argentinians who hate the brasilians (and in the case of argentina, the remainder of all humanity).

I think the most civil, easiest going, most laid back south americans are the brasilians but that would be in keeping with their cultural traditions. the portuguese are in my opinion far more affable than the spaniards.

the biggest differences between the anglo/northern european world and their progeny is how we view and treat corruption. while corruption is universal you don't see corruption so perfected and refined as that which you see in countries with a latin cultural heritage. I don't mean hispanic but back to the root, latin.

corruption on all governmental, social and economic levels is the reason why latin america is the mess that it is and why north america is so much more advanced. while corruption here does indeed exist it is nothing comparatively speaking. my view may not be politically correct but if one considers this opinion objectively one can only draw the same conclusion.

while I was discussing this very topic with dear friends overlooking the river that divides the city of cachoeiro de itapemerim enjoying some wine and cigars I was reminded by a cuban colleague of this possibly true fact. after I had drawn the same conclusion for them everyone was quiet and contemplative until the cuban piped in with "esta bien, pero tu sabes lo que los americanos inventaron y perfeccionaron? la hija de putada" ("very well but do you know what the americans invented and perfected?" I don't know how to translate the last words and the punchline which makes it humorous but the meaning is back stabbing) funny funny stuff and certainly a point of view worth considering.

all the best

Hija de putada= back-stabbing!

[Leovigildo]

The fury of the convert.