LOL (learn our language)
“Give us your tired, your poor, your huddled masses”
- Statue of Liberty
“Denos su cansado, su pobre, sus masa apiñadas”
- La estatua de la Libertad
“Дайте нам ваш утомленный, ваш голодный, вашим запиханным массам”
- Статуя Свободы
As the House and Senate work out their differences over a controversial immigration bill, the discussion begins anew of who exactly we are as a country. Are we a great American melting pot that our fifth grade social studies teacher (and SchoolHouse Rock) promised? A Sunday afternoon drive through Chicago can take you to Chinatown, little Italy, and Greektown. These neighborhoods are relics from the great era of Eurasian immigration, and some at Stevenson owe their Americanism to Lady Liberty for opening up the gate at Ellis Island.
U.S. History class taught us that massive immigration led to increased nationalism. Immigrants found the streets paved with flag waiving citizens. In 2006, a great number of Americans (including a majority of House Republicans) want immigration to come with one simple caveat: LOL. Learn Our Language.
English as the national language. Should the U.S. scrap the watered down resolution of “English as the unifying language” and make the mastery of the English language an absolute in order to gain citizenship? If so, the government would be under no obligation to provide alternative languages whatsoever. Street signs, job applications (the government is the largest employer in the nation), schools. English. English. English.
Every so often, Patriot of ’76 turns the blog over to two students. The process is simple. They write their opinions, answer some difficult questions, and you tell me what you think. Patriot of '76 isn't here to take sides, but you are. Who do you agree with, and why? Do you have any arguments on this issue that hasn’t been made?
Blogging today against English as the official language is Wonderwomen. Blue Raja disagrees with her. Here are their reasons
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Wonderwoman
There are many reasons that I strongly disagree with English becoming a mandatory learned language in the United States. To begin with, the concept and the reason why America is so unique and wonderful are because it incorporates a variety of cultures and traditions. Language is a crucial part of those cultures and by taking it away, we would essentially be taking away makes our country so special. What difference does it make to a businessman in Buffalo Grove, whether or not a Hispanic Immigrant can speak English–it doesn’t! Most people that still speak their native language only interact with those who do, so it really doesn’t affect those speaking English. If anything, it just enriches our country’s culture.
A second issue raised is how does the government accommodate those that learn differently or just cannot seem to learn a language period? I have learned in Sociology that once past a certain age, I believe it’s late teens; it is almost impossible to learn a language. So, would you just only allow citizens to fewer than eighteen? But once again, it all relates back to the question of what does it matter- why would it even be relevant to the rest of our country if immigrants know English. As the world is essentially become smaller, what would it hurt to preserve the beauty of culture and language? With a McDonalds on every corner in about every country, you can’t deny that the true identity of these societies is being gradually diminished.
Blue Raja
If people want become American citizens, they should have to learn the language of the country. Making English the national language would also create more jobs and opportunities for immigrants. People always argue that immigrants, Mexicans in particularly, have awful jobs and hardly make any money. Making them learn English will increase their chances of economic prosperity. As President Bush said, “If you learn English, and you're a hard worker, and you have a dream, you have the capacity from going from picking crops to owning the store, or from sweeping office floors to being an office
manager”. The opposition may argue that America is a free country,
and we are the melting pot of the world. America is a free country, and I have nothing against immigrants bringing in their different cultures, but if they want to interact and step-up in America, they have to learn the language and not expect us to learn theirs. It’s our country and our language should be spoken. What unifies a country? Culture. What is culture made up of? Communication. Language. What represents a country? The people and language they speak in it. This is AMERICA, not Mexico, not France, not China, but AMERICA, where ENGLISH is spoken, not Spanish, not French, not Chinese, but ENGLISH.
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CLICK BELOW FOR THE AUDIO DEBATE!
English as the National Language?.
posted by CitizenPatriot at 6:55:00 PM
21 Comments:
Learn the fricking language!!!!
9:44 PM
I'd have to agree with Blue Raja on this one. America may be considered a "melting pot" but we must remember that we are firstly a united nation. Other cultures and customs can be accepted but we, as Americans, must have SOMETHING to unify us all: language. How can a large nation such as ours thrive without being able to communicate? It's just not possible. And, just because we make English the language of America does not mean that all other languages are banned. You will be able to speak your native language, but the difference simply will be that you must also be able to speak a sufficient amount of english at the same time. There's nothing wrong with bilingual abilities. It's actually proven to benefit cerebral activity. By establishing one main language, it'll be beneficial to the national unity of our country, yet still tolerate other cultures. By making this restriction to one language only on street signs, job applications, etc.,the government isn't expecting someone to completely give up everything he knew before for only one culture. No, it's simply asking an immigrant to embrace his American side. If american citizenship is received, America SHOULD be part of that person's culture too. You should be able to communicate in a country that the you've sworn citizenship to. Immigrants come to America to be considered American. If so, why not embrace it by speaking its language?
12:32 AM
Oks, could someone get Blue Raja a geography book? hey, America is a whole freakin' continent, and mostly we do not speak English in AMERICA.
But whatever, the whole "America" thing has always seem very Egomaniatic to me It's called United States of America, and you dudes weren't even the first ones to call a confederation of states United States, geez.
But back to the language thing. The truth is that, English is losing ground. Go down the border and from every Denny's you stop by from El Paso till L.A you'll find someone to speak to you in Spanish... You don't need English. I know, I've been there.
In all three major cities of the US, English keeps losing and losing ground against Spanish and other languages. Why would someone need to lear English to become a citizen when in twenty years the majority of citizens is going to regard English as a SECOND language.
The US is a country of inmigrants. And Most of US culture is taken out of little slivers of the cultures of those inmigrants, a big part of that comes with the language, you can't ask people to give up that. Because, what are you giving in exchange, really?
Even with as a citizen, immigrants are for the most part regarded as second-rate citizens.
Why would I give up this huge part of my culture for a country that isn't even going to give me some respect for it?
Forcing one language isn't going to unify the population, it's just going to cause resentment.
And furter more! you guys should be speaking navajo or something, English was NEVER the original language in what you guys call America, not by any extent of history or geography.
12:55 AM
The best way to keep the immigrant Hispanic population in poorly paying jobs is to ensure that they don't learn English. The fact we don't have more programs to help them learn English and about American citizenship is a national shame. Let them speak Spanish if they wish; but give them the facility to speak English easily. This could be a volunteer effort.
12:02 PM
Go Wonderwoman. One word you you Blue Raja.........Trading
4:40 PM
Blue Raja, your arguement is sooooo weak!!! Do you REALLLY expect people to learn English--that's abosolutely REDICULOUS!!!! there are soo many issues that you have not even begin to addess that would prevent it from even being possible!
and anyways....Wonder Woman is much better looking and she very much swept the floor with you on this one!
6:07 PM
Blue Raja, your arguement is sooooo weak!!! Do you REALLLY expect people to learn English--that's abosolutely REDICULOUS!!!! there are soo many issues that you have not even begin to addess that would prevent it from even being possible!
and anyways....Wonder Woman is much better looking and she very much swept the floor with you on this one!
6:08 PM
Blue Raja for pesident...good arguemnet JG
8:42 PM
picture yourself as a lawyer, a doctor. picture yourself in an office.
think really hard about where you want to be in 10 years.
specifically your profession.
now imagine coming to work and not understanding the people who work around you. not understanding the cashier who didn't give you back the right amount of change. imagine the waiter who speaks polish not chinese because that's YOUR primary language. imagine the police officer speaking to you in spanish while he writes out your ticket.
there's so much confusion today, even with english being our first language. english should remain our main language here in the states simply for organization and communication.
here's why i feel this way:
i'm an immigrant, my parents are immigrants. we came here in 92. my dad and mom worked 16 hour shifts to make ends so we could make our way out of the city. they learned english because they knew, if they wanted to get money to prosper, they had to learn the language that unified us all. that defined us all.
today, they read russian newspapers, they even watch russian television. at home they speak in russian. they even yell at me in russian (aww. culture.)
why is learning a language such a death sentence?
i finish with this.....lenin preached (i'm paraphrasing here...): the many different languages one knows, that's how many times he is a being.
8:51 PM
If you go to another country, you need to speak their language to get around and live a successful life. If you come to America, You should be expected to learn the language so others can communicate to you. To be in America, you should be a citizen and to be a citizen, you should know the language that most people speak.Its that easy.
9:57 PM
hey notorious b.e.a.
that's absolutley NOT TRUE..if you're working in a profession such as law, or a drs office or whatever...a career that's considered high status the ppl you'll be working with are others of the same profession and most ppl that become those sort of things would not have gotten there w/o speaking english so they would DEFINATELY know english b/c they would be of a higher status
think about it.......
5:02 PM
uhhhh...did you read my whole argument? if i read yours correctly (multiple times because of the confusion) you'd be agreeing with me...?
if you're not, then explain yourself. because what you wrote made no sense.....
9:03 PM
wonderwoman,
i have to agree w/ u
ur arguement is very valueable
nice work
hey blue raja,
get a clue!
7:50 PM
I must say Blue Raja is the correct one here. Im tired of walking into store and hearing Russian and Chinesse and Spanish. I am Italian, and some people mistake me for a Spaniard, and start speaking spanish to me. What has America come to? Yes it is true that America was built on many different cultures and languages, but we all unite under one. Where would we be today if everyone spoke a differnet language? We would get nowhere economically. We have a universal business language for a reason, so things can get done such as trading and foreign relations. America is like the world but on a smaller scale. People can have their own individual languages, but everyone should be able to communicate with English. We are in AMERICA last I checked and in AMERICA the national language is ENGLISH. You go over to China or Korea and try to make a living speaking in Spanish and tell me how it works out. If you want to speak spanish, stay in a country where the national language is such. But if your going to come to America, you better damn well make a good effort to learn our language. End Of Story. GG. No RM.
8:08 PM
yes i def have to agree w/ you anonymous ppl--sooo right
right on wonderwoman!!!--you're argument rocked!!!
4:34 PM
Hahah man I love all the rippage that goes on in these comments. First off Blue Raja, do you know that if English is made the national language then all funding that goes towards helping people learn it stops and ESL programs will be based only on volunteer efforts? How can people be forced to learn a lanugage when the majority of people that immagrate to this country do not have the money for a private English tutor? People can't just snap their fingers and learn English. If it is of no benefit to a person to learn the language then I see no reason why they should. And if it is to their benefit, then they'll learn it. Do you not think it's a little dangerous for public signs to be only in one language that a lot of people might not understand? And is it really that big of an annoyance to take that 5 seconds to differenciate English and Spanish on a sign? You can't argue that is beneficial to learn English if you live in the United States, but isn't there somethign slightly creepy about a "national" language. Like it's required? What's next. A national religion? A national race? De ja vu, much?
But hey, good call Huck. "Learn the fricking language!!!" That's really profound.
10:13 PM
Go Wonderwoman
6:37 PM
so what if its America! this is a very diversed country. people speak different languages. you just have to adapt with the other peoples language. maybe it'll be a benefit for you in some way. you never know!
9:17 PM
aren't people sick of seeing almost all the mexicans stuck in esl? im friends with a couple of them, and one time, a dude from esl was happy he got a C- on his english paper. hmm woah way to go. wonderwoman says "whys it matter if u know english?" well wonderwoman, have u tried learning geometry in spanish? oh you have? whats that? oh yeah it was pretty damn hard huh? jk u probably didnt learn geometry using spanish. but im sure its just as hard for the kids in esl- not all of them of course- but most of them.
"America is so unique and wonderful are because it incorporates a variety of cultures and traditions"
oh i see, so people from mexico are thinking "oh snap i want some straight up chinese food! im so excited"? do mexicans come here to meet new people from europe? well, let's think about stevenson. how many mexicans do u see hanging out with white people? and hanging out, i mean REALLY being friends with each other, not just aquaintences. shoot, i have like a zillion people i say hi in the hallways but that doesnt count. i guess the bigger question is how many mexicans hang out with other mexicans? probably all of them, because it's easier (since they speak the same language).
so the conclusion:
1. mexicans should learn english if they're in AMERICA where EVERYONE SPEAKS ENGLISH to become smarter or start a business or do anything to make money. i mean, unless their definition of "success" is making 6.50 an hour, then have at it.
2. nobody cares about culture. restaurants? most are run by white people such as panda express (mocking chinese food). yes, for you whtie people, panda express is not even close to the real taste of chinese food. the restaurants that are owned by the race it belongs to, only that race goes to that restaurant. anyone been to INDA HOUSE on 83? yeah, a shizload of indian people go there. and possibly one ore two white people who wnat to try something new. that goes for chinese, korean, and i dont know any other examples.
its getting late so im going to bed.
12:53 AM
wow...you need to get a clue
wonderwoman is right--your argument is REDICULOUS! that's unfathomable that you HAVE to learn the language to be a citizen..what about if you're blind of hearing impaired what do you do then...i mean commmmon
think about it..that's NOT realistic at alll!!!
plus....wonderwoman's really cute so i say she DEFINITELY won!!!
8:33 PM
A unified language is a must. A melting pot was and is a great definition for out country but not at the expense of our countries well being. The heavy hispanic population in the US is very problematic. Im not gonna even begin on all the illegal immigrants...kick em out (props to Mr.Kollar) The surge of the hispanic cultura has made peso's valid currency at taco bell! WTF! The standards of assimilation are being thrown out the window. We are creating a bi-cultural nation and i cannot imagine the future results.
Personally, i have a story to add. My mom and grandma were sworn in as us citizens about a year ago. Although my mom had moved here when she was two and my grandma at age 28ish, both are fluent english speakers. I went with them to the swearing in ceremony. I was appaled. Half of the people could barely speak the language. At a part in the ceremony everyone was asked to raise their right hand and repeat after the judge...around half either did not open their lips or speak coherently. As a nation we are too lenient.
We are granting voting right to people who can understand the pledge of allegiance...c'mon!
7:11 PM
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