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Races are coming together more not going apart. When I was a kid an interracial relationship was considered taboo now days it's common. Things are changing and as the older generation die off their racial issues will die off with them.
Why all the hooplah regarding the Spanish language?
Do you all think that the issue of race and immigration in this country is only about Spanish speaking peoples? Heck there are some immigrants that speak better English than Americans.
There were Spanish colonies in present day North America well before the US established....
The hooplah is that depending on where you live all you hear is Spanish babble everywhere. Here in the southwest it is most prevalent. WTH does "some" immigrants speaking better English than Americans have to do with this issue? I seriously doubt your statement anyway.
So what that there were Spanish colonies here long ago? The huge number of Spanish speaking people here today isn't due to that and the descendants of those Spanish colonies would know how to speak English. This is about far too many immigrants being allowed into our country both legally and illegally from south of our border who are colonizing rather than assimilating.
The hooplah is that depending on where you live all you hear is Spanish babble everywhere. Here in the southwest it is most prevalent. WTH does "some" immigrants speaking better English than Americans have to do with this issue? I seriously doubt your statement anyway.
So what that there were Spanish colonies here long ago? The huge number of Spanish speaking people here today isn't due to that and the descendants of those Spanish colonies would know how to speak English. This is about far too many immigrants being allowed into our country both legally and illegally from south of our border who are colonizing rather than assimilating.
Wait.... The southern immigrants via Mexico is a recent occurrence? I recall from my Texas History classes of middle school that Texas was part of Mexico prior to US?
Yes... there are some immigrants (in particular from English speaking.. former English colonies) that speak better English than Americans.
Just a few towns over, is an entire town of predominantly Spanish speaking residence. Nice and up coming town too. It wasn't always that way and the more established (yes Spanish speaking) are doing a good job of contributing to the improvements of that town. Most of the businesses are locally owned and run. One Mexican restaurant I frequent is owned by a mother and daughter. Daughter speaks english perfectly and takes orders for those of us that don't speak Spanish.
Let's not forget that there are plenty of Spanish speaking people in this country who didn't arrive via southern border. You just wouldn't notice because they are well.. white... European ancestry white. Let's be honest here.. it isn't the language that is threatening but rather the brown skin people from South America. Its the language and accent, among other things, that makes them easy to identify and often associate with the problems of illegal immigration.
While I do agree with way too much illegal immigration and I think it is a major problem we need to address, I don't necessarily agree with the "colonizing rather than assimilating" statement. Usually their children are very much assimilated. No matter how much people put effort into it, once a person reaches adulthood there are aspects of that individual that are set in stone. What you observe as colonizing is simply aspects of a recently immigrated large groups of people who will never totally blend given they will never be American raised adults. Their children and even more so their children's children are very much assimilated into American culture and society.
I am a example of that. Parents have been here in the US 50+ years. It is still pretty obvious they are immigrants and both speak English (accent still exists of course). My brother and I are indistinguishable (other than our looks) from any other American... we are both American born. Heck I don't even speak my native language but I do speak a little Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, and Korean. I am also married a white woman and my children have a variety of looks... one looks white (fair skin, light brown hair. Hazel eyes). I have several 1st and 2nd generation american born from immigrants friends. They are basically the same... One of my long time best friends from high school is a career military doctor in the Navy... and very proud of him... there's no question of loyalties.
Much of your (and others) posts and views that are predominantly focused on the Spanish speaking. Up here.. there are plenty of illegals from Korea and Russia... I know another town that the predominant language is Russian; people are from Ukraine, Poland, and Russia... but yet we focus on Spanish. I'd even say the Spanish speaking town nearby is actually more welcoming....
And to reiterate. Spanish speaking peoples have been in North America well before the US was established.
I'm black and I feel race relations are better than they've ever been. IMO people are short sighted and don't know much about 20th century race relations post 1965 or they have rose colored glasses (especially white people who think everything was great in the 1970s-2000 for some reason).
Wait.... The southern immigrants via Mexico is a recent occurrence? I recall from my Texas History classes of middle school that Texas was part of Mexico prior to US?
Yes... there are some immigrants (in particular from English speaking.. former English colonies) that speak better English than Americans.
Just a few towns over, is an entire town of predominantly Spanish speaking residence. Nice and up coming town too. It wasn't always that way and the more established (yes Spanish speaking) are doing a good job of contributing to the improvements of that town. Most of the businesses are locally owned and run. One Mexican restaurant I frequent is owned by a mother and daughter. Daughter speaks english perfectly and takes orders for those of us that don't speak Spanish.
Let's not forget that there are plenty of Spanish speaking people in this country who didn't arrive via southern border. You just wouldn't notice because they are well.. white... European ancestry white. Let's be honest here.. it isn't the language that is threatening but rather the brown skin people from South America. Its the language and accent, among other things, that makes them easy to identify and often associate with the problems of illegal immigration.
While I do agree with way too much illegal immigration and I think it is a major problem we need to address, I don't necessarily agree with the "colonizing rather than assimilating" statement. Usually their children are very much assimilated. No matter how much people put effort into it, once a person reaches adulthood there are aspects of that individual that are set in stone. What you observe as colonizing is simply aspects of a recently immigrated large groups of people who will never totally blend given they will never be American raised adults. Their children and even more so their children's children are very much assimilated into American culture and society.
I am a example of that. Parents have been here in the US 50+ years. It is still pretty obvious they are immigrants and both speak English (accent still exists of course). My brother and I are indistinguishable (other than our looks) from any other American... we are both American born. Heck I don't even speak my native language but I do speak a little Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, and Korean. I am also married a white woman and my children have a variety of looks... one looks white (fair skin, light brown hair. Hazel eyes). I have several 1st and 2nd generation american born from immigrants friends. They are basically the same... One of my long time best friends from high school is a career military doctor in the Navy... and very proud of him... there's no question of loyalties.
Much of your (and others) posts and views that are predominantly focused on the Spanish speaking. Up here.. there are plenty of illegals from Korea and Russia... I know another town that the predominant language is Russian; people are from Ukraine, Poland, and Russia... but yet we focus on Spanish. I'd even say the Spanish speaking town nearby is actually more welcoming....
And to reiterate. Spanish speaking peoples have been in North America well before the US was established.
The rapid increase of those from south border is a recent occurance (last couple of decades) and much of it from illegal immigration. Latinos are also allotted the highest quotas for legal immigration and family reunifications on our soil. What happened to diversity in our "immigration" numbers? Texas being a part of Mexico for a short time, long ago or any other parts of the southwest is irrelevant. They now belong to the U.S.
Most Spanish speaking people here today are from south of our border and their skin color is irrelevant although most of them are Mestizos not just plain Spanish white. As you already mentioned we have entire towns being taken over by them that resemble a foreign country. Is that desirable? I don't think so!
So all of these Spanish speakers I am hearing are recent immigrants? I seriously doubt that. Those born on our soil are taught the language and culture of their ancestral lands by their parents. They don't lose or stop practicing it just because they attend our schools.
Since it is overwhelmingly Spanish speakers in my area why would I focus on Koreans or Russians, etc. here legally or illegally? I am aware that there are others here illegally though. Once again, the largest number by far nation wide here illegally are those from south of our border that speak Spanish and you wonder why the focus is on them???
I dispute your notion that Spanish speaking peoples have been in No. America before the U.S. was established in any larger numbers than non-Spanish speakers. What does that have to do with the issue at hand anyway? Many of the Europeans that came here were from England, Poland, Germany, etc. and they weren't Spanish speakers.
there were only 75,000 Mexicans, Hispanics north of the border when it was established in 1848. Now there are about 60 million and the sky is the limit. Because the Latin American Spanish speakers are the most numerous, mostly illegal origin and the worst offenders. I don't want any immigration and don't want to hear any foreign language in public from those of foreign origin ideally. That would be the status quo back in my home town and most parts of the country I've been just a very few years back.
LOL you have a clear lack of knowledge about the history of the Southwest US.
I also wonder where your grandparents were from. I bet one of them or a few of your great grandparents were not from the USA lol. Most white people who have such huge issues with Spanish speaking immigrants I've discovered have recent immigration in their own backgrounds and their own parents or grandparents never spoke English.
I live in Ohio and grew up with quite a few people who were grandchildren of Polish or Hungarian immigrants. I knew some of their grandparents and none of them spoke English....
I also worked in public housing that served senior citizens and we had entire buildings that were 98% occupied by Polish or Russian immigrants who didn't speak English who were first generation immigrants. Also those who were/are Korean.
I'm thinking you're okay with all the above, but the Spanish speaking ones !!! The horror lol.
The rapid increase of those from south border is a recent occurance (last couple of decades) and much of it from illegal immigration. Latinos are also allotted the highest quotas for legal immigration and family reunifications on our soil. What happened to diversity in our "immigration" numbers? Texas being a part of Mexico for a short time, long ago or any other parts of the southwest is irrelevant. They now belong to the U.S.
Most Spanish speaking people here today are from south of our border and their skin color is irrelevant although most of them are Mestizos not just plain Spanish white. As you already mentioned we have entire towns being taken over by them that resemble a foreign country. Is that desirable? I don't think so!
So all of these Spanish speakers I am hearing are recent immigrants? I seriously doubt that. Those born on our soil are taught the language and culture of their ancestral lands by their parents. They don't lose or stop practicing it just because they attend our schools.
Since it is overwhelmingly Spanish speakers in my area why would I focus on Koreans or Russians, etc. here legally or illegally? I am aware that there are others here illegally though. Once again, the largest number by far nation wide here illegally are those from south of our border that speak Spanish and you wonder why the focus is on them???
I dispute your notion that Spanish speaking peoples have been in No. America before the U.S. was established in any larger numbers than non-Spanish speakers. What does that have to do with the issue at hand anyway? Many of the Europeans that came here were from England, Poland, Germany, etc. and they weren't Spanish speakers.
On the bold, I honestly would have no problem with immigrants moving to a town and "taking over." Especially if that town is blighted and depopulated. The immigrants coming into it probably will revitalize it.
Even if in your area there is a large first generation immigrant community, by the 2nd generation, they will speak English and "be" American so I don't understand your issues.
Most of your white immigrant ancestors had people thinking about them in the same way that you are typing about the Latino immigrants.
And note, I am not "for" illegal immigration but if people are immigrating here legally and paying taxes then I have no issue with them coming. And something called "natural increase" will cause populations of certain groups to be larger. The southwest is an interesting area in regards to the history of the USA as it is the only area that has been under the domain of 3 rulers in the past 200 years (Spanish, Mexican, then USA, TX had the unique distinction of being under its own authority for a while too).
On the bold, I honestly would have no problem with immigrants moving to a town and "taking over." Especially if that town is blighted and depopulated. The immigrants coming into it probably will revitalize it.
Even if in your area there is a large first generation immigrant community, by the 2nd generation, they will speak English and "be" American so I don't understand your issues.
Most of your white immigrant ancestors had people thinking about them in the same way that you are typing about the Latino immigrants.
And note, I am not "for" illegal immigration but if people are immigrating here legally and paying taxes then I have no issue with them coming. And something called "natural increase" will cause populations of certain groups to be larger. The southwest is an interesting area in regards to the history of the USA as it is the only area that has been under the domain of 3 rulers in the past 200 years (Spanish, Mexican, then USA, TX had the unique distinction of being under its own authority for a while too).
5th generation Mexican-American here. What you don't understand is that my ancestors came to this country when there was no social safety net or taxpayer-robbing programs like Social Security. They had to "sink or swim" or return to the old country. I pay a sh*tload of property taxes, fed income taxes and every other annoying taxes that the gov'ts sneak in, so I am more than a little resentful that I pay all of these taxes, yet have no access to the local county health system without paying any more or any other national/state/local social welfare program that I am forced to pay for. Illegals, "refugees" and legal immigrants pay indirect/direct property taxes, sales taxes- so what?!!! Do you honestly think that what they pay into our bloated gov't is enough to compensate for schooling or caring for their children?!!!
I sometimes think that gov't created all of these additional taxes to create voting blocs who would remain loyal to the party in charge. We should not be responsible for the rest of the world's mistakes. It's up to them to change to create a better government for themselves.
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I also worked in public housing that served senior citizens and we had entire buildings that were 98% occupied by Polish or Russian immigrants who didn't speak English who were first generation immigrants. Also those who were/are Korean.
This is exactly what is wrong with the system today! Why should first generation immigrants (permanent residents in many cases) have greater access to those facilities than native born senior Americans who paid all of their lives into the entitlement robbery programs? You should visit West Hollywood, Calif- the non-english speaking russians make up the majority of those in subsidized housing. American taxpayers should have the preference in those cases.
Trying to project your tribal antagonism onto others?
Well, this was more than 25 years ago. The folks in the community - and that includes Korean Americans, African Americans, Latinos, and others - learned from that experience since then. Unlike you, they're capable of change and understandng, and collaboration. l.
You are sorely mistaken that if America crumbled tomorrow that AAs are going to come to your rescue. It is frankly, highly unlikely.
I live in a VERY diverse neighborhood - probably one of the most diverse on the planet. And I have seen the ugliest of it all - racial riots across the street from my house (Asians v. blacks, no lie), girls getting harassed because of their skin tone, kids beaten an inch of their life because of differences, all manner of racial strife.
I don't have to project anything - I have lived through it and continue to see it in my daily life.
Surely, we can and do get along and make the situation work to the best of all our abilities, but there is always an underlying sense of our differences.
Now let's say a EMP (or a dozen) go off tomorrow - and our intelligence has indicated it's certainly possible - well we will all just see how civilized we all are...
And note, I am not "for" illegal immigration but if people are immigrating here legally and paying taxes then I have no issue with them coming.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hopelesscause
so I am more than a little resentful that I pay all of these taxes, yet have no access to the local county health system without paying any more or any other national/state/local social welfare program that I am forced to pay for. Illegals, "refugees" and legal immigrants pay indirect/direct property taxes, sales taxes- so what?!!! Do you honestly think that what they pay into our bloated gov't is enough to compensate for schooling or caring for their children?!!!
Hopelesscause, I think you misread. residinghere2007 isn't advocating for illegals taking advantage of tax payer systems. It a statement that he/she has no issue with legal immigration. At least that's how i interpret it.
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