Españophobia grips the nation... (Canada, border, illegal immigration, Miami)
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Not everyone has an affinity for foreign languages. While I understand what you're getting at, this is America and English is the predominant language.
This is America and there is no official language. Everyone is allowed to speak whatever they wish to speak. I find it pathetic that people are against other nationalities speaking other languages in USA. Actually -- I take that back, I find it hypocritical... especially because most of these people are so called conservatives who preach about the constitution. If you're going to call yourself a conservative and talk about having a free country and smaller government, then stop complaining about the language people speak.
I do however disagree that people who choose to not speak English should receive extra benefits. If they choose not to speak English, so be it.. it's a free country, but they also do not have any right to ask for extra services in Spanish.
This is America and there is no official language. Everyone is allowed to speak whatever they wish to speak. I find it pathetic that people are against other nationalities speaking other languages in USA. Actually -- I take that back, I find it hypocritical... especially because most of these people are so called conservatives who preach about the constitution. If you're going to call yourself a conservative and talk about having a free country and smaller government, then stop complaining about the language people speak.
I do however disagree that people who choose to not speak English should receive extra benefits. If they choose not to speak English, so be it.. it's a free country, but they also do not have any right to ask for extra services in Spanish.
What happens when elected officials start speaking Spanish ?
Or, you go to court and the judge is conducting business in Spanish ?
Will you start asking for a translator ?
Have you ever gone into a business and no one there speaks English ?
I speak 3 languages fluently and understand another one pretty well and I am sick of the catering to people who make no efforts to learn English. It is one of the easiest languages out there.
I speak 3 languages fluently and understand another one pretty well and I am sick of the catering to people who make no efforts to learn English. It is one of the easiest languages out there.
Well to play the devil's advocate..why not learn Spanish instead ?
Since the US is going multi-cultural it only seems fitting for Americans to learn Spanish if they don't want to be left in the dust of "progress".
With Hispanics growing at a faster pace and in some states they are already a majority, it will just be a matter of time before Spanish becomes more popular over English.
Well to play the devil's advocate..why not learn Spanish instead ?
Since the US is going multi-cultural it only seems fitting for Americans to learn Spanish if they don't want to be left in the dust of "progress".
With Hispanics growing at a faster pace and in some states they are already a majority, it will just be a matter of time before Spanish becomes more popular over English.
Anyone writing on this forum will be dead before Spanish ever becomes the predominant language. Maybe there's an Hispanic majority in New Mexico, I don't know, but outside of California, the southwest, and Florida, there's no reason to learn Spanish.
I wrote this on another thread but it is relevant to this one too:
At the federal level, there is no official language and only 33 states have English as the official language. Only one state, Hawaii, is officially bi-lingual. California does have English as its official language. Many states produce documents in multiple languages. In Arizona, where I live, the law requires the distribution of voting ballots in languages such as Navajo and Tohono O'odham in certain counties. Alaska also provides voting information in native languages.
The issue of language in the USA is much more complex than many people think and it is not just about Spanish. For example, in Louisiana, French is legally recognized. The only reason people get worked up about Spanish is because it is, by far, the most common language after English and because most illegal immigrants are Spanish speaking. The language issue is a proxy for disquiet over the immigration issue.
At least that's how it seems around the forum lately.
I don't get it... I'm as pasty-white as they come but I also speak Spanish and a bit of Portuguese. There is nothing sinister or scary about it.
Do you fear it because you don't understand it? Wouldn't that be *your* fault, not the guy speaking Spanish?
Why should we only speak Amerikun? The majority language was ALMOST German you know, not English... and last time I checked, I wasn't even English!
Nobody shouts down my Grandma when she speaks Danish in public, so why is that not the case when somebody speaks Spanish?
I don't want to hear anything about illegals... yes there lots of Spanish Speaking illegals, and yes they should be punished according to the severity of their crime. There are lots of illegals from all over the world in America and our government has done a lousy job of enforcing immigration laws.
...But I'm surrounded by even more AMERICAN CITIZENS who speak Spanish by choice and are harassed/hated for it.
It's time to face the truth... we've got a problem and we need to get over it.
Fear brews the same kind of hate that leads to racism, slavery, bigotry, terror, witch hunts, inquisitions and genocide. There is no reason we should hate to hear things said in Spanish simply because they are heard in Spanish.
Knowledge is the antidote to fear. If you have Españophobia, sign up for a Spanish class, go to your library and get some language tapes, watch some Spanish programming for an evening... expose yourself to it and learn.
End Rant.
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Do you fear it because you don't understand it? Wouldn't that be *your* fault, not the guy speaking Spanish?
An immigrant moves to a foreign country. They don't speak the predominant language. Should they learn the language or expect and in many cases demand that their new country accommodate them by making everything from education for their children to government documents available in their foreign language? How is it my fault if a foreigner doesn't speak the predominant language of my country? Immigrants need to adapt to the USA and stop demanding that the USA adapt to them.
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Nobody shouts down my Grandma when she speaks Danish in public, so why is that not the case when somebody speaks Spanish?
Does your grandma also speak English or does she demand that everything and anything be available in Danish to suit her?
So why do people have Espanaphobia?
Hispanics have the highest high school drop out rate in the country.
Hispanics like to blame all of this on racism and discrimination but that's just yet another lame excuse for their own shortcomings. They think that if they become a majority someday that increased numbers will magically just make all this go away. Greater numbers can't change decades or even centuries of culture and ignorance. I know....I'm a racist because I speak about facts.
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