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And I live on the border in a town where at least 40% of the population was born in Mexico -- but 75% speak Spanish as their primary language. Not much assimilation going on here as far as language --- you even hear WIC coupons being called "Week". There are more television and radio channels in Spanish than in English, it would be difficult for many to assimilate even if they wanted to. In fact in order to get a job, very often there is no requirement at all to speak English or at least not fluently but Spanish fluency is very often required. You can go to Walmart and have your change counted out in Spanish. I wish I saw assimilation going on. I had a neighbor who lived here for more than 50 years and he could not speak or understand English.
all the more reason we need a fence and American civic classes
Have you ever watched Spanish language TV? The shows there are not some weird stuff like from the middle east or Asia. They are the same things we watch: variety shows, soap operas, game shows, sports. So it is in Spanish. They are lucky to be the first immigrant group where they can actually see TV in their native language.
Now, have you ever been to Pittsburgh? If so you will see multitudes of ethnic neighborhoods, signs in various languages and even alphabets. And old people, lots of old people. Because the young have learned English, gone to school, got jobs and moved away. But the old cling to their ways The same thing is going on in border states. atter generation Mexicans don't speak Spanish well if at all. They live in our neighborhoods, send their kids to our schools, barbeque in the back yard, and are our friends, often very good friends. Our kids date them and marry them. They are part of our families. They are every bit as assimilated as your own family is.
Well actually this very massive immigraton from Mexico is quite recent. Back 80 years ago, you did not see millions coming over every year. The ones amnestied in the 1980s have not assimiliated and there is no way you can predict the 11 to 30 million handed their amnesty this time will assimilate.
They sure do wave a lot of Mexican flags in their protests don't they. Unlike my ancestors, this batch will hold onto their own citizenship and just get the USA citizenship for how it benefits them. My ancestors never had anything like an Aztlan movement or mexica movement. Nor did they demand television and radio in their own languages.
The very fast growing problem of hispanic gangs is a result of inability to assimilate --- and they are a big problem. Ever visit along the border and see the vandalism, the gang graffitti?
Hispanic poverty is growing -- and it's not due to the assimilated American types.
I don't live near the border but my experience has been the same. I know there are many who have been here for decades and still can't speak English. Everywhere I go most of them are speaking exclusively in Spanish. Did they all just come over the border? I don't think so! When you have this magnitude of immigrants coming both legally and illegally from mostly one ethnic group they colonize rather than assimilate. I can't believe the number of channels my cable provider has in Spanish now. It has accelerated in the past 5 years. What happened to diversity as the desire for this country?
Yeah I can vouch for you on the cable tv thing. There's almost as many spanish channels as there are english.
This doesn't sound like assimilation at all. It sounds more similar to the canada/quebec thing that's going on.
I don't live near the border but my experience has been the same. I know there are many who have been here for decades and still can't speak English. Everywhere I go most of them are speaking exclusively in Spanish. Did they all just come over the border? I don't think so! When you have this magnitude of immigrants coming both legally and illegally from mostly one ethnic group they colonize rather than assimilate. I can't believe the number of channels my cable provider has in Spanish now. It has accelerated in the past 5 years. What happened to diversity as the desire for this country?
True -- and back in the 1800s when many immigrants came, they came from many countries and many language backgrounds and because of that, they saw the need in having and learning a common language. They really did not expect everyone else to learn Polish, Greek, German, Italian, and so on.
Today there is not much diversity in immigration because most of it is illegal or family chain migration and just one ethnic group/language heavily dominates. Legal immigrants coming on work visas generally do assimilate and also they see the need in learning English. You don't see people coming here from China, Japan, or India insisting we must provide them everything in their own language except in isolated cases. That's because most come through employers who provide them visas to come and require some level of education.
We've never before had many millions coming in a short time all from just one country or one region, one language.
And what's worse -- and the reason the politicians REALLY want to bring so many in is that impoverished people make more docile servants for the elites and of course are the most reliable government dependent voters. (just like they were back home, they tend to be a one-political party people here also) We're going to become a lot more like one of the hispanic nations they fled, one of those two-class societies with an extra high portion of very cheap workers.
Very high birth rates and young teen births, and lack of jobs does not affect how many pour over the border. Immigration during the recession was at an all time high.
Childhood Poverty Among Hispanics Sets Record, Leads Nation
The spread of poverty across the United States that began at the onset of the Great Recession of 2007-2009 and accelerated last year hit one fast-growing demographic group especially hard: Latino children.
More Latino children are living in poverty—6.1 million in 2010—than children of any other racial or ethnic group.
What different culture? What different faith? Most of them are Catholics, the largest religious group in the US. As for culture, geez, the Mexican culture is work, family, cars, possessions, Christmas, fast food, pizza. Honestly how can righties be so friggin' stupid? Mexicans are going to assimilate into US society with ease. We have already seen this in the border states. Will they leave their mark? Of course? Just like every immigrant group has. And we will be a better, richer, more interesting "culture" for it.
This country was founded by Catholics (well except Maryland).
One might get the impression after reading these posts that many of you know nary a Hispanic person, much less anything about their culture. That's most certainly the impression I get. Where are they not assimilating? I see a lot of empty rhetoric in this thread without examples. Also, the smell of fear is palpable.
And why is knowing more than one language a bad thing? I know 4 and watch Univison and such for funsies. Perhaps people such as myself are growing, taking the initiative and learning more languages.
Forget Pat Buchanan said it, I'm saying it now. Refute the notion that failure to assimilate mexicans will result in balkinization.
Hispanics are assimilating. Some Hispanics actually hate Hispanics as much as the KKK does.
Self loathing types, I believe the name for them is Uncle Juan.
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