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There's a difference between not wanting to learn English and having difficulty because of age.
And I get it. My grandparents knew very little English. It's what happens when you move to the ethnic ghetto.And they eventually ended up taking their American company pensions and going back to the old country when retired.
My father and his siblings, however, were placed in immersive English classes when they entered school in the US.
In this way they were able to integrate into the greater community. Half of my aunts and uncles married out of the ethnicity, and as far as I know not a single one of us 13 American born grandchildren married others from the ethnicity. It doesn't mean we don't know about our history, but it's not THE defining or most interesting thing about us.
Assimilation should always be the goal for immigrants to the US, and the US should not encourage non-assimilation. If you do not assimilate, you don't get to complain that you're seen as being "not American" or that you're not reaching the same levels of success economically. You can't moan that the opportunities aren't there for Hmong or Spanish speaking only people as they are for English speakers or multi-generational Americans.
The US is a people derived from many backgrounds and there needs to be more than "I live here too" to create and sustain a cohesive nation comprised of people from disparate backgrounds. In fact, one of the major obstacles preventing implementation of greater social programs is lack of identity sharing amongst 330 million people. (Compare to Nordic countries of 8 million where everyone looks the same. Or even Canada, which implemented its great society programs when the country was infinitely less diverse and much smaller than it is even now with it's less-than-the-size-of-California population?)
Why on earth do you think I should give up more money out of my paycheck to fund social welfare programs for someone 3000 miles away who doesn't look like me, barely wants to be here but for the chance to make money, and doesn't speak my language and has no intention of ever identifying as American?
I find that many who do learn English refuse to speak it unless they have to. What's the point of learning it then?
America has always been a multilingual country and will remain so. English is the language of business and the vast majority of people are fluent in English, but there are areas where English has never been the predominant language and that is fine too. Educated people should be at least bi-lingual.
Whoa that's rich. I've been making valid, intellectual arguments this entire thread. You know what the fallback excuse is for people who DON'T have valid, intellectual arguments? Calling something xenophobic and racist. The topic of the thread is not whether non-English-speaking people should be cited, harassed, or punished by government or other citizens for speaking their native tongue. The topic is whether we should be an officially bilingual country. As an extremely diverse country that takes in more immigrants than any other country (no comparison to Spain), whose culture is not based on bloodline, an official religion, a royal family etc. or other traditional cultural traits, we need to at least preserve unity through a common way to communicate. And why should non-Spanish-speaking immigrants who come here be forced to learn Spanish in addition to English? Talk about your equal treatment of groups.
Well, you have time and time again expressed dismay, even hostility, about of the use of Spanish in this country, in public by individuals minding their own business and breaking no laws. I have refuted your assertions pretty consistently and called you out on it. It is what it is.
But let's have a time out and clear the air.
You want my position on whether the US should be an officially bilingual country? The answer is no.
Now should the USA adapt an English only official language policy? Also no - and I've cited reasons that have been mentioned earlier.
La raza to me means those "brown power" people like that Angel Guttierez who has it out for anglo white people. Too; I know MANY "Hispanics" who want to see la raza put in its place. La raza ain't any better than the old school KKK but; white supremacy is a part of Hispanic culture so, sassing a white "Hispanic" ain't safe cause many of the "brown ones" are full of self hate. IN LatAm; the more "white" the better which I DO find real sad.
You've basically made my point: You use the term like many ignorant right wingers throw around the word "socialism", in the absence of historical context.
And if one wants to hear, read, and speak English, they can move to England. The USA in its 240 years of existence does not have an official language. If the government never bothered to make it official in all these years, why bother now? To appease a bunch of xenophobes/racists?
Are you kidding me? Been to England lately?
FWIW, the United Kingdom does not have an official language. Wales gives equal consideration and protection to Welsh and English, but the United Kingdom itself has no official language.
Be happy! at least all pilots speak English- was listening to the tragic plane accident and the captain in the cockpit was talking to the tower in English- even though going from France to Egypt--why? I don't know-- but be happy
No America should not be a bi-lingual country. That would be regression. we are a nation where more languages are spoken than any other nation on earth.
we should remain so.
However, we should be a nation that encourages those that come here to learn English and by the second and third generation, become utterly mainstreamed. The way we did generations before the arrival of the putrid progressive notion of multiculturalism which insures various groups remain defensive and prevents real integration in a culturally diverse society.
However, we should be a nation that encourages those that come here to learn English and by the second and third generation, become utterly mainstreamed. The way we did generations before the arrival of the putrid progressive notion of multiculturalism which insures various groups remain defensive and prevents real integration in a culturally diverse society.
That's already happening, it has been happening through history through today.
Multiculturalism actually ADDS to the fabric of our nation - and this has been the case from the very beginning, like it or not.
Be happy! at least all pilots speak English- was listening to the tragic plane accident and the captain in the cockpit was talking to the tower in English- even though going from France to Egypt--why? I don't know-- but be happy
Because English is the official language of international aviation.
Because English is the official language of international aviation.
Yep, it's actually written into regulation, both in the US regs and international regs. Pilots and controllers, regardless of where they are or nationality, must be proficient in English.
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