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Actually, there are many Americans are blissfully ignorant of languages other than English and seem to expect other non-Americans to be able to speak English while abroad.
This is true in some instances. But to be fair, have you seen how a native of France behaves when an American tries to speak their language and is having a hard time? They are not very polite about it. Yet when Americans move to a non-English speaking country they tend to learn the language.
Even moving to the UK was a lesson in learning a different language for me. Just because we share the same root language does not mean we speak the same language. I had to learn many new words and phrases in order to be understood.
We didn't steal anything from Mexico. We fought a war, signed a treaty and paid millions for the land. The Aztecs also fought battles and won land from the original native inhabitants of areas in Mexico. And so the world goes throughout history.
Nice bit of historical revisionism. I don't want to de-rail the thread but Ulysses S. Grant had a different view and wrote in 1883:
"I was bitterly opposed...and to this day, regard the war, which resulted, as one of the most unjust wars ever waged by a stronger nation against a weaker nation."
Back to the spirt of the thread (hopefully), what exactly are these favors we are giving to Spanish speaking immigrants that were not given to prior generations? Again, I noted the example of Milwuakee and the German immigrants in the public schools (late 1800's).
Heck, that was the late 1800's...blacks and most women couldn't vote, etc. Yet, those Midwestern settlers found a way to accommodate German speakers in their midst, even provided instruction in German in public schools.
What is so wrong with 21st Century Los Angeles (a former Mexican pueblo no less) doing the same?
America cannot sustain every single person throughout this big world who wishes to come here. Its a simple matter of economics and protecting our own people. Hence, we have immigration procedures. We do have the right to set forth laws which are intended to keep out those who have criminal backgrounds, mental instabilities, contagious diseases or an inability to become gainfully employed. In your world we would leave the borders wide open and watch everything go to Hell.
We didn't steal anything from Mexico. We fought a war, signed a treaty and paid millions for the land. The Aztecs also fought battles and won land from the original native inhabitants of areas in Mexico. And so the world goes throughout history.
hey fontucky, check it out! i'm actually following your advice!
ok, i agree, believe it or not, that naturally we can't have unchecked immigration. and america has been something of a dumping ground at times- anybody remember castro's little trick when he expelled all the mentally ill and all the criminals from Cuba's prisons? you wouldn't have found me on the shores of miami beach with arms held wide and my bleeding-heart-of-jesus pinned on my sleeve. that would have been christ-like, but i DO have me a little bit of horse sense.
i think we should consider what the OP was saying in the beginning, instead of this being an immigration argument. yes, some neighborhoods are unfairly maligned for being largely hispanic-whether we all agree as to the unfairness part of that last sentence.
with the economy being in shambles, naturally people have more of a run-to-the-hills attitude, and damn you if you want to climb onto my hill. fair enough.
but if it were possible to want to have saner immigration policies without it being based on race, then maybe i wouldn't be so cynical about it. but a century ago there were signs all over the northeast saying "no dogs and no irishmen". in another century we are gonna worry what all the fuss was about and latinos will have firmly embedded themselves into the american fabric to the extent that it will seem as they have always been here. which they have. if people have a problem with jobs being scarce, the last person they ought to pin that on is some latino farmer who can't speak english and who is pushing around an ice cream cart. immigrants and their stories and their hardships are a part of the american firmament, and its the one thing about this country that i adore and will always make me proud. my people came from scotland and probably couldn't write their own names. so what. this isn't england, its america. all those revolutions were fought to make this place a haven for the tired and huddled masses. if we can't have anymore tired and huddled masses, ok, well, maybe we should spend a little less on tearing down countries in wars and maybe overseeing a bit and helping our neighbors back on their feet, and within twenty years there will finally be a balance. that might not be the answer, i dunno, i'm not a politician, but answers are what we need, not "damn the brown man" rhetoric.
and come on, some sportsmanship! sense of humor! tell me what plunker means!
I live on a 60% hispanic street in Inglewood. Yeah crap happens in this city, but this block is gorgeous. People drive pretty nice cars and everyone keeps their lawns looking great. Sure, there are a few bad neighbors, but that's everywhere. I'm just pissed because people think hispanic/latino is a race. Most "hispanics" are your traditional indigenous amerindian/ white european spaniard mix also known as a mestizo. Spanish is a white language, but here in So Cal everyone forgets that. There are great people in latin america, just because most of the people from that one corrupt one down south compromise the majority of hispanics, they get a bad name. Many hispanic families here proudly display USA flags on their porches and we all get pissed when we see mexican flags.
hey fontucky, check it out! i'm actually following your advice!
ok, i agree, believe it or not, that naturally we can't have unchecked immigration. and america has been something of a dumping ground at times- anybody remember castro's little trick when he expelled all the mentally ill and all the criminals from Cuba's prisons? you wouldn't have found me on the shores of miami beach with arms held wide and my bleeding-heart-of-jesus pinned on my sleeve. that would have been christ-like, but i DO have me a little bit of horse sense.
i think we should consider what the OP was saying in the beginning, instead of this being an immigration argument. yes, some neighborhoods are unfairly maligned for being largely hispanic-whether we all agree as to the unfairness part of that last sentence.
with the economy being in shambles, naturally people have more of a run-to-the-hills attitude, and damn you if you want to climb onto my hill. fair enough.
but if it were possible to want to have saner immigration policies without it being based on race, then maybe i wouldn't be so cynical about it. but a century ago there were signs all over the northeast saying "no dogs and no irishmen". in another century we are gonna worry what all the fuss was about and latinos will have firmly embedded themselves into the american fabric to the extent that it will seem as they have always been here. which they have. if people have a problem with jobs being scarce, the last person they ought to pin that on is some latino farmer who can't speak english and who is pushing around an ice cream cart. immigrants and their stories and their hardships are a part of the american firmament, and its the one thing about this country that i adore and will always make me proud. my people came from scotland and probably couldn't write their own names. so what. this isn't england, its america. all those revolutions were fought to make this place a haven for the tired and huddled masses. if we can't have anymore tired and huddled masses, ok, well, maybe we should spend a little less on tearing down countries in wars and maybe overseeing a bit and helping our neighbors back on their feet, and within twenty years there will finally be a balance. that might not be the answer, i dunno, i'm not a politician, but answers are what we need, not "damn the brown man" rhetoric.
and come on, some sportsmanship! sense of humor! tell me what plunker means!
Plunker is a British term for a dumb arse, LOL! But at least I said it with the British meaning in mind, and not that of the Aussies. Plunker in Australia is a condom, LOL! Seriously, calling someone a plunker in the UK is generally done in fun
I've said this before but don't mind repeating it... the Hispanics have brought many wonderful things to our society, making for a richer experience in life. I have a 1/2 Mexican nephew-in-law and my other niece is marrying someone whose parents immigrated here from Mexico. Both are wonderful young men who are loved and respected additions to our family. My two most dearest male friends are from El Salvador. The three of us have helped to keep each other sane in this insane company we work for. I just hate feeling like a stranger in my own city and it isn't because most of the people here are Hispanic, its because we can't communicate because of different languages.
Plunker is a British term for a dumb arse, LOL! But at least I said it with the British meaning in mind, and not that of the Aussies. Plunker in Australia is a condom, LOL! Seriously, calling someone a plunker in the UK is generally done in fun
I've said this before but don't mind repeating it... the Hispanics have brought many wonderful things to our society, making for a richer experience in life. I have a 1/2 Mexican nephew-in-law and my other niece is marrying someone whose parents immigrated here from Mexico. Both are wonderful young men who are loved and respected additions to our family. My two most dearest male friends are from El Salvador. The three of us have helped to keep each other sane in this insane company we work for. I just hate feeling like a stranger in my own city and it isn't because most of the people here are Hispanic, its because we can't communicate because of different languages.
well, i did feel a bit out of my element when i moved here, much like i felt in parts of atlanta, like a grain of rice in a bowl of raisins (i guess in this case it would be jalapenos? ) but then i started doing a bit of my own assimilating, and have begun learning a bit of spanish, and loads of things- whether it be the amazing overwrought latino-catholic aesthetic (all those dramatic virgin marys and weeping jesuses), the cholo cars, latin funk ("viva tirado"...mmmmmm).....- i have begun to truly prize the polyglot, sometimes bewildering culture that is los angeles. do i still feel like a stranger at times? a bit. i went and did my laundry in boyle heights tonight and was mulling over this thread whilst being the only whitey in the whole place. and i was getting friendly smiles from women i had to squeeze past with my cart, and little kids were running around screaming at each other in spanish. i didn't
feel like a stranger at all- because its amazing what a smile can do even if when you don't share the same language. hope that isn't too maudlin and no one is barfing right now HA
i was THINKING that plunker had to be british! i love it! not often that i thank someone for calling me names, but.....THANKS
well, i did feel a bit out of my element when i moved here, much like i felt in parts of atlanta, like a grain of rice in a bowl of raisins (i guess in this case it would be jalapenos? ) but then i started doing a bit of my own assimilating...
Have you tried birria and tacos de tripas? You can't assimilate until you do.
Idaho is full of Mormons, and Mormons do welcome other Mormons.
The people of Idaho do NOT want bigots from California or anywhere else to move to their state.
Sorry, I was just wondering and needed a little clarification. I realize that their are those in Idaho that think white is right. Maybe even some Mormons that think that. For the most part though the Mormons are accepting of others and are just as much against white suppremist as everyone else.
well, i did feel a bit out of my element when i moved here, much like i felt in parts of atlanta, like a grain of rice in a bowl of raisins (i guess in this case it would be jalapenos? ) but then i started doing a bit of my own assimilating, and have begun learning a bit of spanish, and loads of things- whether it be the amazing overwrought latino-catholic aesthetic (all those dramatic virgin marys and weeping jesuses), the cholo cars, latin funk ("viva tirado"...mmmmmm).....- i have begun to truly prize the polyglot, sometimes bewildering culture that is los angeles. do i still feel like a stranger at times? a bit. i went and did my laundry in boyle heights tonight and was mulling over this thread whilst being the only whitey in the whole place. and i was getting friendly smiles from women i had to squeeze past with my cart, and little kids were running around screaming at each other in spanish. i didn't
feel like a stranger at all- because its amazing what a smile can do even if when you don't share the same language. hope that isn't too maudlin and no one is barfing right now HA
i was THINKING that plunker had to be british! i love it! not often that i thank someone for calling me names, but.....THANKS
I can cuss and swear very well in Geordie, a British dialect. I thank my British husband and in-laws for that, LOL!
I agree that smiling ca go a long way, but unfortunately in some areas where I live a smile gets you nowhere. I am still the 'invader' in the city of my birth. Its actually pretty sad, and the thing is, I'm not the only one who notices this. I have tenants of all races and colors and the majority of them feel the same way in this neighborhood, even those who are Latino. To be completely fair and honest, my worst tenants are a white couple and some of my best are the El Salvadorans. But once we step outside of this building the 'feel good' factor rapidly decreases.
Just throwing this in to save time since I have a client on the way...someone on here asked me about what concessions I was talking about. I can give one in particular that happened in Mesa, AZ in 1998 when I was living there and my son attending 2nd grade. All American parents whose children rode the bus to school were told that they would have to find another way to get their children to school. There simply wasn't enough room on the buses to accomodate all the children and they wanted to make sure that the children of illegal immigrants were able to take the bus. There were a lot of very angry, tax paying parents, especially since most of us worked so would drop our children at the bus stop on the way to our jobs. Now we were forced to rearrange our work scheduals or make our children cross a very busy and dangerous street by themselves in order to get to school. Within a week of our children being forced off the buses a local American girl, 9 years old, was struck and killed trying to get across that street on the way to school.
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Seriously, calling someone a plunker in the UK is generally done in fun 
