I have no idea who Tim James is other than this clip, but...
racist? no... politician trying to score easy political points? absolutely...
I could care less if forms have other languages on them... especially detailed things like license exams or medical/legal stuff. Even if you can speak a language pretty well conversationally, you might not be able to understand detailed stuff.
Heck, I've never had a spanish class in my life, but seeing stuff in spanish/english all of the time, I've gotten to the point where I can read something in spanish and get the gist of what it's saying.
My whole life
was like a picture
of a sunny day
“We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.”
― Abraham Lincoln
I am amazed that so many people in the US are English-only supporters. Our world is so interconnected now and being an English-only country puts us at a great disadvantage economically. Americans won't be able to compete in the world market unless we can communicate with the rest of the world.
I only speak English...forgot all the french I toke long ago.
Well there's your problem right there.
Hahaha...I wish. I'm clean.
It's a good point about it being a global economy and the USA could fall behind unless we realize that there are more languages than English. It the same with the stupid units of measurement we use...
Anyhow, this is just a side effect at the cluster F that is illegal immigration. It has led some to see others that are different then them as illegal immigrants when that is not always the case. If the USA had actually followed the laws regarding illegal immigration, had the gov't come down hard on companies using illegal labor, had the gov't followed through with deporting illegal immigrants long ago rather than closing their eyes we'd have a better immigration policy and I believe created more tolerance. Maybe I'm just an optimist.
I don't get what your ancestry has to do with it though...
I have learned that I have to spell that out for some people (not directed at you personally) so they don't just dismiss my comments because they'll assume that I have a partisan philosophy because maybe I'm Spanish or something. That was all.
Gimli 1993
Fargo 2003
Winnipeg 2005
Winnipeg 2011
St. Paul 2014
The thing is, I think just the fact that someone from the U.S. could make the mistake of forgetting that Mexico is part of North America, if only for a minute, is really telling of the underlying egocentrism with which we are raised. We can forget about others because we hold the privilege. Do you think someone in Mexico would ever, even for a minute, forget that the U.S. is part of North America? I don't think so. It's kind of like how we can easily forget to consider the Native Americans (or even African Americans) that live in the U.S., but they can never forget about white people. We see the world as if we're the center of it, and we expect - and force - others to see the world as if we're the center of it too.
who does WE refer to?
Americans, as a group, in the fist example and white Americans, as a group, in the second. Or American and white American society, if you prefer.
(Just the fact that we describe ourselves as "Americans" when there are many other countries in the Americas is indicative of our egocentrism.)
so no black people feel like english should be the language of the united states? You don't seriously think that do you? that only white people from America act like they are the center of the universe? Why differentiate this?
that’s right! Can’t we all just get together and focus on our real enemies: monogamous gays and stem cells… - Ned Flanders
It is terrifying when you are too stupid to know who is dumb
- Joe Rogan
I am amazed that so many people in the US are English-only supporters. Our world is so interconnected now and being an English-only country puts us at a great disadvantage economically. Americans won't be able to compete in the world market unless we can communicate with the rest of the world.
American who want to succeed in international business do in fact learn many languages. It ins't that people don't want to learn other languages, it is, at least for me, the desire to cut down on costs that aren't truly necessary. I don't care if the language is mooninite as long as we have one for official documents. I hate having 10 copies of the same form in my office for every form I need filled out. This guys wants english, that is his choice, I am sure some would love spanish, I don't care as long as there is only one.
and to the sorry old argument of well then everyone should be speaking Native American blah blah blah... That shit is old and tired. It is a terrible argument. Fucking Aramaic for everyone.
that’s right! Can’t we all just get together and focus on our real enemies: monogamous gays and stem cells… - Ned Flanders
It is terrifying when you are too stupid to know who is dumb
- Joe Rogan
that only white people from America act like they are the center of the universe? Why differentiate this?
It was two separate examples used as an analogy. For one thing, I am not talking about people as individuals and I've tried to be clear about that. I'm talking about the power dynamic within our social structure. And, no, I never said only white people from American act like they're the center of the universe.
I said that, generally speaking, when Americans as a group think of North America we are able to forget about the existence of Mexico because we were lucky enough to be born into the dominant nation. Mexicans are not able to do that because they are not the dominant country.
And as a separate analogous example because I thought this would help people better understand what I meant, I said that within the power structure of US society, white people similarly have the privilege of being born into the dominant group, allowing us to see our own culture as normative and be oblivious to groups outside our cultural norms. People of color are not able to do this because, at the national level, their groups are not dominant.
I don't get what your ancestry has to do with it though...
I have learned that I have to spell that out for some people (not directed at you personally) so they don't just dismiss my comments because they'll assume that I have a partisan philosophy because maybe I'm Spanish or something. That was all.
Ahh gotcha.
Well in that case if my views seemed too prejudiced against immigrants i'm English/Welsh/Scottish/Italian/Japanese... lol
I could care less if forms have other languages on them... especially detailed things like license exams or medical/legal stuff. Even if you can speak a language pretty well conversationally, you might not be able to understand detailed stuff.
This is a great point. My dad can have a pretty good conversation in English (granted, he makes grammatical errors, but thats expected). However when he had to fill out some forms for his PR Card (which are only offered in French or English btw) I had to help him. Sometimes the writing is too formal or isn't used in daily conversation.
I am amazed that so many people in the US are English-only supporters. Our world is so interconnected now and being an English-only country puts us at a great disadvantage economically. Americans won't be able to compete in the world market unless we can communicate with the rest of the world.
American who want to succeed in international business do in fact learn many languages. It ins't that people don't want to learn other languages, it is, at least for me, the desire to cut down on costs that aren't truly necessary. I don't care if the language is mooninite as long as we have one for official documents. I hate having 10 copies of the same form in my office for every form I need filled out. This guys wants english, that is his choice, I am sure some would love spanish, I don't care as long as there is only one.
and to the sorry old argument of well then everyone should be speaking Native American blah blah blah... That shit is old and tired. It is a terrible argument. Fucking Aramaic for everyone.
It's true that many Americans learn other languages. But this is not encouraged from youth like it should be for people to have the best chance of learning. And it's not like we're neutral about the subject; the disdain for other languages plays itself out with funding cuts for langauge programs, etc.
How exactly is it a terrible argument to say that, if we follow the same logic as the English-only supporters, our ancestors and forefathers should all have learned the languages that were native to this land when they got here?
I could care less if forms have other languages on them... especially detailed things like license exams or medical/legal stuff. Even if you can speak a language pretty well conversationally, you might not be able to understand detailed stuff.
This is a great point. My dad can have a pretty good conversation in English (granted, he makes grammatical errors, but thats expected). However when he had to fill out some forms for his PR Card (which are only offered in French or English btw) I had to help him. Sometimes the writing is too formal or isn't used in daily conversation.
It's the same in medicine. Even non-native English speaker who can carry on a conversation in English are often not able to understand complicated medical terminology and concepts in English. And it really is in everyone's best interest to do whatever we can to make sure they understand.
EDIT TO ADD: If more of our brochures, forms, instruction sheets, etc. were in their language we wouldn't have to spend all the time and MONEY it takes to speak through interpreters.
and to the sorry old argument of well then everyone should be speaking Native American blah blah blah... That shit is old and tired. It is a terrible argument. Fucking Aramaic for everyone.
if you really believe this, then this WHOLE argument is moot. Including your and Tim's point of view.
Gimli 1993
Fargo 2003
Winnipeg 2005
Winnipeg 2011
St. Paul 2014
It's simply a case of people not wanting to change because of entitlement and looking at things on the other foot. Pathetic... and it comes out in measures of racism, hatred, jingoism and ignorance.
I agree, and it's sad. Not just for the victims of our sense of entitlement, but also for us and our children, who are missing out on a whole world of rich language, culture, and experiences. Shouldn't we WANT to learn other languages? :?
Both of you have a very strange way of looking at this IMO. and I don't get it. What language should we speak then? Should we speak a different language every day of the week ?
How about the choice if one wants to learn another language or not ? . It has nothing to with entitlement ,racism, or haterd for other cultures. :roll: Some people just don't see the need to and they have every right if they want to or not. Here in America we speak english and I don't see what the big deal is. If we lived in Germany we would speak German would we not? Isn't english spoken in more places than any other language in the world.
As far as children missing out... I don't know where you went to High school but the school I attended we had to take French or Spanish in order to graduate.
But for what it's worth I would love to learn a second language,3rd,or 4th, But Im just lazy :oops: . I would really like to learn italian.
I agree with Tim James, how on earth do think that has anything to do racism ?.....great another race card. :roll:
Godfather.
I have answered this previously. Read. And how on earth do you think it doesn't? :roll:
this is America not mexico germany japan or any place else, our language is and has been english,part of the deal of becoming an American citizen is learning the American language isn't it ?
Both of you have a very strange way of looking at this IMO. and I don't get it. What language should we speak then? Should we speak a different language every day of the week ?
How about the choice if one wants to learn another language or not ? . It has nothing to with entitlement ,racism, or haterd for other cultures. :roll: Some people just don't see the need to and they have every right if they want to or not. Here in America we speak english and I don't see what the big deal is. If we lived in Germany we would speak German would we not? Isn't english spoken in more places than any other language in the world.
As far as children missing out... I don't know where you went to High school but the school I attended we had to take French or Spanish in order to graduate.
But for what it's worth I would love to learn a second language,3rd,or 4th, But Im just lazy :oops: . I would really like to learn italian.
I'm not entirely sure I'm following all of your post. I think we should speak whatever language we speak, and that it's a great idea to learn other languages as well. I'm not really saying anyone should be forced to learn/speak another language. But I do think failing to teach our children to be multilingual when they're young limits their choices. Yes, I took Spanish in high school. But by then it was much harder to learn and kind of a joke requirement. Kids, on the other hand, are like sponges and soak up these things much more easily and willingly. I have tried more than once to learn Spanish and I totally suck at it. I really think I would have been able to learn it at a younger age though, and I'm sad that I didn't have the opportunity to learn it then.
As for the entitlement bit, I think that's in reference to the notion that everyone in the US speaks English (though they don't), this is our national language (though it's not), and there should be little tolerance for people whose primary language is not English. When I say I think we should speak whatever language we speak, that goes for people whose language is not English too.
this is America not mexico germany japan or any place else, our language is and has been english,part of the deal of becoming an American citizen is learning the American language isn't it ?
Godfather.
Where is it written that our national language is English? Even if learning English is a requirement for citizenship, what about all the legal residents who don't have that requirement? And does your sentiment go for New Mexico too?
this is America not mexico germany japan or any place else, our language is and has been english,part of the deal of becoming an American citizen is learning the American language isn't it ?
Godfather.
Where is it written that our national language is English? Even if learning English is a requirement for citizenship, what about all the legal residents who don't have that requirement? And does your sentiment go for New Mexico too?
:crazy: are you a old hippy or a new re-born hippy....anti establishment type of hippy ? and hell yes that goes for NM also.
this is America not mexico germany japan or any place else, our language is and has been english,part of the deal of becoming an American citizen is learning the American language isn't it ?
Godfather.
Where is it written that our national language is English? Even if learning English is a requirement for citizenship, what about all the legal residents who don't have that requirement? And does your sentiment go for New Mexico too?
:crazy: are you a old hippy or a new re-born hippy....anti establishment type of hippy ? and hell yes that goes for NM also.
Godfather.
Would you mind answering my other questions, please? And why should people in New MEXICO, whose families have lived here on the same land and spoken the same language (Spanish) for generations, since this land WAS Mexico, be forced to speak English or forbidden from flying Mexican (or even Spanish) flags?
sbc you probably think I'm a freakin redneck asshole.....and some cases you might be right but your concern for everybody and your posts always put a smile on my face,thanks kiddo people like you remind me that there is hope for the future
sbc you probably think I'm a freakin redneck asshole.....and some cases you might be right but your concern for everybody and your posts always put a smile on my face,thanks kiddo people like you remind me that there is hope for the future
Godfather.
I can't tell if that's sarcasm or what. But, regardless, you won't catch me using the word redneck in a derogatory way, since it refers to someone who has a sunburn from working hard in the fields all day. So, no, I don't think you're a redneck.
Would you mind answering my other questions, please? And why should people in New MEXICO, whose families have lived here on the same land and spoken the same language (Spanish) for generations, since this land WAS Mexico, be forced to speak English or forbidden from flying Mexican (or even Spanish) flags?
Should you be paid in pesos? Exempt from federal $$ for roads and bridges? Sing the Mexican national anthem at sporting events?
If you think so, write your Senators and Congressman and ask to secede from the union and become part of the Mexican government. My guess is you have a better life in the US than you would if NM was part of Mexico.
Would you mind answering my other questions, please? And why should people in New MEXICO, whose families have lived here on the same land and spoken the same language (Spanish) for generations, since this land WAS Mexico, be forced to speak English or forbidden from flying Mexican (or even Spanish) flags?
Should you be paid in pesos? Exempt from federal $$ for roads and bridges? Sing the Mexican national anthem at sporting events?
If you think so, write your Senators and Congressman and ask to secede from the union and become part of the Mexican government. My guess is you have a better life in the US than you would if NM was part of Mexico.
No, I don't think and have never said we SHOULD do any of those things, including speak Spanish. My point is that other cultures should be RESPECTED. It doesn't have to be my way - and my language - or the highway. Not everyone has to be like the people who came here from Europe and their descendants. If a community wants to trade in pesos or pounds or pigs ears, I don't care. And if a group of people wants to sing the Mexican national anthem at their sporting events, then let them. And if a little old lady on the reservation still speaks Navajo, leave her the fuck alone.
AND print the damn hospital forms in Navajo! Be practical. We print many of our medical brochures and forms in Navajo around here, but not the ones pertaining to pregnancy. Know why? Because we know that the Navajo women who are young enough to be pregnant all speak English, so there's no need. But where there's a need, fill it.
My post was in response to Godfather saying our language is and has been English. My point was that, especially in some places, it's NOT just English and in fact it really hasn't been English for very long.
I also think everyone needs to respect the oppression that is still very much a part of the collective memory around here. Plenty of people not much older than my parents were beaten in school for speaking the language of their people. And, consequently, their languages were all but lost in many families and tribes. The forcing of one language onto other cultures is one of many forms of oppression. I just think the people around here have been oppressed enough.
My point is your entire notion of "here in america we speak english" has no real rhyme or reason other than colonization. We do not have an official "national language" but english is the primary language because the majority of people speak it. I highly doubt you or most others would say we should speak spanish and make that primary or official language if at some point in the future, spanish speaking citizens were the majority - correct? So this obvious observation means "here in america we speak english" really means because it's how it used to be and we want to keep it that way. That's what you call entitlement.
Both of you have a very strange way of looking at this IMO. and I don't get it. What language should we speak then? Should we speak a different language every day of the week ?
How about the choice if one wants to learn another language or not ? . It has nothing to with entitlement ,racism, or haterd for other cultures. :roll: Some people just don't see the need to and they have every right if they want to or not. Here in America we speak english and I don't see what the big deal is. If we lived in Germany we would speak German would we not? Isn't english spoken in more places than any other language in the world.
As far as children missing out... I don't know where you went to High school but the school I attended we had to take French or Spanish in order to graduate.
But for what it's worth I would love to learn a second language,3rd,or 4th, But Im just lazy :oops: . I would really like to learn italian.
CONservative governMENt
Our government is the potent, the omnipresent teacher. For good or for ill, it teaches the whole people by its example. Crime is contagious. If the government becomes a law-breaker, it breeds contempt for law; it invites every man to become a law unto himself; it invites anarchy. - Louis Brandeis
this is America not mexico germany japan or any place else, our language is and has been english,part of the deal of becoming an American citizen is learning the American language isn't it ?
Godfather.
last I checked there was no such thing as an "American language". how typical.
Gimli 1993
Fargo 2003
Winnipeg 2005
Winnipeg 2011
St. Paul 2014
I like that forms are written in Spanish I read that side and try to learn more and test my knowledge
and to the person who commented on being paid in pesos....
you now that there are none USD currencies in our country right?.... for example in IL we have Illinois trade dollars, and if I wasn't so tired I would do research on some NPR stories that talk about how more and more communities are creating their own currency to promote local trade and commerce... I know apples and oranges but still interesting to think about..... it does not have to be "black and white"
and where does the "this is our country and do as we say" attitude come from?
I like that forms are written in Spanish I read that side and try to learn more and test my knowledge
and to the person who commented on being paid in pesos....
you now that there are none USD currencies in our country right?.... for example in IL we have Illinois trade dollars, and if I wasn't so tired I would do research on some NPR stories that talk about how more and more communities are creating their own currency to promote local trade and commerce... I know apples and oranges but still interesting to think about..... it does not have to be "black and white"
I didn't know that. Thanks. And I don't really think it's apples & oranges.
and where does the "this our country do was we say" attitude come from?
I find this particularly peculiar in light of the fact that so many us who also lay claim to this country disagree with what is being said. (Of course, I guess we should just get the fuck out. :roll: )
What does speaking english and wanting immigrants to learn english have to do with it being an Entitlement ? The united states was made a nation by english speaking people. Every immigrant who has ever come to America, learned the english language because they know they have to in order to succed IMO.
If Americans started living in Mexico or Iran, would it be fair for us to demand that everyone else speak english? They’d laugh at us, and I don’t see how the situation is any different for Mexicans coming to the States.My experience for the most part with Mexicans is that they are a friendly,christian and hard-working people.I don't get why people think it's some big deal or even think it's racism that people should learn english if they want to live here. If any one who comes to this country and wants to be succesful in other words doesn't want to be just a dish washer or a day laborer they are going to have to learn english.
Comments
racist? no... politician trying to score easy political points? absolutely...
I could care less if forms have other languages on them... especially detailed things like license exams or medical/legal stuff. Even if you can speak a language pretty well conversationally, you might not be able to understand detailed stuff.
Heck, I've never had a spanish class in my life, but seeing stuff in spanish/english all of the time, I've gotten to the point where I can read something in spanish and get the gist of what it's saying.
was like a picture
of a sunny day
“We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.”
― Abraham Lincoln
Well there's your problem right there.
Hahaha...I wish. I'm clean.
It's a good point about it being a global economy and the USA could fall behind unless we realize that there are more languages than English. It the same with the stupid units of measurement we use...
Anyhow, this is just a side effect at the cluster F that is illegal immigration. It has led some to see others that are different then them as illegal immigrants when that is not always the case. If the USA had actually followed the laws regarding illegal immigration, had the gov't come down hard on companies using illegal labor, had the gov't followed through with deporting illegal immigrants long ago rather than closing their eyes we'd have a better immigration policy and I believe created more tolerance. Maybe I'm just an optimist.
I have learned that I have to spell that out for some people (not directed at you personally) so they don't just dismiss my comments because they'll assume that I have a partisan philosophy because maybe I'm Spanish or something. That was all.
Fargo 2003
Winnipeg 2005
Winnipeg 2011
St. Paul 2014
so no black people feel like english should be the language of the united states? You don't seriously think that do you? that only white people from America act like they are the center of the universe? Why differentiate this?
It is terrifying when you are too stupid to know who is dumb
- Joe Rogan
American who want to succeed in international business do in fact learn many languages. It ins't that people don't want to learn other languages, it is, at least for me, the desire to cut down on costs that aren't truly necessary. I don't care if the language is mooninite as long as we have one for official documents. I hate having 10 copies of the same form in my office for every form I need filled out. This guys wants english, that is his choice, I am sure some would love spanish, I don't care as long as there is only one.
and to the sorry old argument of well then everyone should be speaking Native American blah blah blah... That shit is old and tired. It is a terrible argument. Fucking Aramaic for everyone.
It is terrifying when you are too stupid to know who is dumb
- Joe Rogan
:? Why would you think I think that? I didn't say anything like that.
It was two separate examples used as an analogy. For one thing, I am not talking about people as individuals and I've tried to be clear about that. I'm talking about the power dynamic within our social structure. And, no, I never said only white people from American act like they're the center of the universe.
I said that, generally speaking, when Americans as a group think of North America we are able to forget about the existence of Mexico because we were lucky enough to be born into the dominant nation. Mexicans are not able to do that because they are not the dominant country.
And as a separate analogous example because I thought this would help people better understand what I meant, I said that within the power structure of US society, white people similarly have the privilege of being born into the dominant group, allowing us to see our own culture as normative and be oblivious to groups outside our cultural norms. People of color are not able to do this because, at the national level, their groups are not dominant.
Well in that case if my views seemed too prejudiced against immigrants i'm English/Welsh/Scottish/Italian/Japanese... lol
I agree with Tim James, how on earth do think that has anything to do racism ?.....great another race card. :roll:
Godfather.
It's true that many Americans learn other languages. But this is not encouraged from youth like it should be for people to have the best chance of learning. And it's not like we're neutral about the subject; the disdain for other languages plays itself out with funding cuts for langauge programs, etc.
How exactly is it a terrible argument to say that, if we follow the same logic as the English-only supporters, our ancestors and forefathers should all have learned the languages that were native to this land when they got here?
It's the same in medicine. Even non-native English speaker who can carry on a conversation in English are often not able to understand complicated medical terminology and concepts in English. And it really is in everyone's best interest to do whatever we can to make sure they understand.
EDIT TO ADD: If more of our brochures, forms, instruction sheets, etc. were in their language we wouldn't have to spend all the time and MONEY it takes to speak through interpreters.
I have answered this previously. Read. And how on earth do you think it doesn't? :roll:
Fargo 2003
Winnipeg 2005
Winnipeg 2011
St. Paul 2014
if you really believe this, then this WHOLE argument is moot. Including your and Tim's point of view.
Fargo 2003
Winnipeg 2005
Winnipeg 2011
St. Paul 2014
Both of you have a very strange way of looking at this IMO. and I don't get it. What language should we speak then? Should we speak a different language every day of the week ?
How about the choice if one wants to learn another language or not ? . It has nothing to with entitlement ,racism, or haterd for other cultures. :roll: Some people just don't see the need to and they have every right if they want to or not. Here in America we speak english and I don't see what the big deal is. If we lived in Germany we would speak German would we not? Isn't english spoken in more places than any other language in the world.
As far as children missing out... I don't know where you went to High school but the school I attended we had to take French or Spanish in order to graduate.
But for what it's worth I would love to learn a second language,3rd,or 4th, But Im just lazy :oops: . I would really like to learn italian.
this is America not mexico germany japan or any place else, our language is and has been english,part of the deal of becoming an American citizen is learning the American language isn't it ?
Godfather.
I'm not entirely sure I'm following all of your post. I think we should speak whatever language we speak, and that it's a great idea to learn other languages as well. I'm not really saying anyone should be forced to learn/speak another language. But I do think failing to teach our children to be multilingual when they're young limits their choices. Yes, I took Spanish in high school. But by then it was much harder to learn and kind of a joke requirement. Kids, on the other hand, are like sponges and soak up these things much more easily and willingly. I have tried more than once to learn Spanish and I totally suck at it. I really think I would have been able to learn it at a younger age though, and I'm sad that I didn't have the opportunity to learn it then.
As for the entitlement bit, I think that's in reference to the notion that everyone in the US speaks English (though they don't), this is our national language (though it's not), and there should be little tolerance for people whose primary language is not English. When I say I think we should speak whatever language we speak, that goes for people whose language is not English too.
Where is it written that our national language is English? Even if learning English is a requirement for citizenship, what about all the legal residents who don't have that requirement? And does your sentiment go for New Mexico too?
Godfather.
Would you mind answering my other questions, please? And why should people in New MEXICO, whose families have lived here on the same land and spoken the same language (Spanish) for generations, since this land WAS Mexico, be forced to speak English or forbidden from flying Mexican (or even Spanish) flags?
Godfather.
I can't tell if that's sarcasm or what. But, regardless, you won't catch me using the word redneck in a derogatory way, since it refers to someone who has a sunburn from working hard in the fields all day. So, no, I don't think you're a redneck.
Should you be paid in pesos? Exempt from federal $$ for roads and bridges? Sing the Mexican national anthem at sporting events?
If you think so, write your Senators and Congressman and ask to secede from the union and become part of the Mexican government. My guess is you have a better life in the US than you would if NM was part of Mexico.
9/29/04 Boston, 6/28/08 Mansfield, 8/23/09 Chicago, 5/15/10 Hartford
5/17/10 Boston, 10/15/13 Worcester, 10/16/13 Worcester, 10/25/13 Hartford
8/5/16 Fenway, 8/7/16 Fenway
EV Solo: 6/16/11 Boston, 6/18/11 Hartford,
No, I don't think and have never said we SHOULD do any of those things, including speak Spanish. My point is that other cultures should be RESPECTED. It doesn't have to be my way - and my language - or the highway. Not everyone has to be like the people who came here from Europe and their descendants. If a community wants to trade in pesos or pounds or pigs ears, I don't care. And if a group of people wants to sing the Mexican national anthem at their sporting events, then let them. And if a little old lady on the reservation still speaks Navajo, leave her the fuck alone.
AND print the damn hospital forms in Navajo! Be practical. We print many of our medical brochures and forms in Navajo around here, but not the ones pertaining to pregnancy. Know why? Because we know that the Navajo women who are young enough to be pregnant all speak English, so there's no need. But where there's a need, fill it.
My post was in response to Godfather saying our language is and has been English. My point was that, especially in some places, it's NOT just English and in fact it really hasn't been English for very long.
I also think everyone needs to respect the oppression that is still very much a part of the collective memory around here. Plenty of people not much older than my parents were beaten in school for speaking the language of their people. And, consequently, their languages were all but lost in many families and tribes. The forcing of one language onto other cultures is one of many forms of oppression. I just think the people around here have been oppressed enough.
Also, here's a generic list of languages throughout the world by speakers of 100 million or more. English is listed 3rd and one of the primary reasons English is spoken so much throughout the world and we now see Mandarin Chinese 1st is because of money and business - nothing else.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_languages_by_number_of_native_speakers#100_million_and_more_speakers
Our government is the potent, the omnipresent teacher. For good or for ill, it teaches the whole people by its example. Crime is contagious. If the government becomes a law-breaker, it breeds contempt for law; it invites every man to become a law unto himself; it invites anarchy. - Louis Brandeis
last I checked there was no such thing as an "American language". how typical.
Fargo 2003
Winnipeg 2005
Winnipeg 2011
St. Paul 2014
and to the person who commented on being paid in pesos....
you now that there are none USD currencies in our country right?.... for example in IL we have Illinois trade dollars, and if I wasn't so tired I would do research on some NPR stories that talk about how more and more communities are creating their own currency to promote local trade and commerce... I know apples and oranges but still interesting to think about..... it does not have to be "black and white"
and where does the "this is our country and do as we say" attitude come from?
I didn't know that. Thanks. And I don't really think it's apples & oranges.
I find this particularly peculiar in light of the fact that so many us who also lay claim to this country disagree with what is being said. (Of course, I guess we should just get the fuck out. :roll: )
If Americans started living in Mexico or Iran, would it be fair for us to demand that everyone else speak english? They’d laugh at us,