should the usa have one official language?

Cosmo

catefrances wrote:

americans amuse me when they get their noses out of joint about something. shit could you people be any whiter?

how many words within the english language come from another language you reckon? every day we as english speakers use foreign language words.
surely there's more to be concerned about than making english the official language of whitey land.

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Half the people who were born here can't speak English.

Cosmo

miller8966 wrote:

I have no problem learning another language. I have a problem when i cant communicate with someone in retail because they can barely speak english.

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Dude... how often do you run across someone that can't speak English?
What? At a local store? At a restaurant? Take you fucking business elsewhere.

jeffbr

catefrances wrote:

shit could you people be any whiter?

Australia:
Caucasian 92%, Asian 7%, aboriginal and other 1%
U.S.A.:
white 81.7%, black 12.9%, Asian 4.2%, Amerindian and Alaska native 1%, native Hawaiian and other Pacific islander 0.2% (2003 est.)
note: a separate listing for Hispanic is not included because the US Census Bureau considers Hispanic to mean a person of Latin American descent (including persons of Cuban, Mexican, or Puerto Rican origin) living in the US who may be of any race or ethnic group (white, black, Asian, etc.)


Apparently, we could be whiter. We could be you.

mammasan

Cosmo wrote:

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Dude... how often do you run across someone that can't speak English?
What? At a local store? At a restaurant? Take you fucking business elsewhere.

I live in a predominant hispanic neighborhood and I haven't run across anyone working in a store who can't speak english. their english may not be perfect but it's good enough to get their job done.

Cosmo

mammasan wrote:

I live in a predominant hispanic neighborhood and I haven't run across anyone working in a store who can't speak english. their english may not be perfect but it's good enough to get their job done.

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Me, too. I happen to love Tacos Asada y Cervesa Corona so I pop on down to Hawaiian Gardens (which has nothing in the vaguest relation to anything Hawaiian) for the Tacos. They speak enough English for los Gringos-types, like moi... besides, how tough is it to get tacos? I can just point at the menu if I had to.
It's on them to learn the language and they get enough to get by.
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and what about the Americans who work for years in Saudi Arabia... should they learn to be fluent in Arabic? Or just enough to get by. Are they assholes because some Arab fuck can't understand their broken Arabic... or is the Arab fuck the asshole?

catefrances

jeffbr wrote:

Australia:
Caucasian 92%, Asian 7%, aboriginal and other 1%
U.S.A.:
white 81.7%, black 12.9%, Asian 4.2%, Amerindian and Alaska native 1%, native Hawaiian and other Pacific islander 0.2% (2003 est.)
note: a separate listing for Hispanic is not included because the US Census Bureau considers Hispanic to mean a person of Latin American descent (including persons of Cuban, Mexican, or Puerto Rican origin) living in the US who may be of any race or ethnic group (white, black, Asian, etc.)


Apparently, we could be whiter. We could be you.

oh touche jeff.

it just seems much ado about nothing to me is all.

catefrances

Cosmo wrote:

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Half the people who were born here can't speak English.

big woop. it doesn't particularly bother me that someone can't speak my language. even in our supposed common home.

mammasan

Cosmo wrote:

...
and what about the Americans who work for years in Saudi Arabia... should they learn to be fluent in Arabic? Or just enough to get by. Are they assholes because some Arab fuck can't understand their broken Arabic... or is the Arab fuck the asshole?

Good point. II know that there are immigrants out there that have no desire to learn the language. You know tough shit on them if they have a hard time getting by, but most immigrants want to learn the language. What we have to styart realizing is that it doesn't happen over night. It's going to take some time for that person to learn the language and we should at least be tolerant of their lack of mastery of English. The biggest pet peeve of mine is when I hear some idiot complain about the multiple language option on an ATM. Is it really an inconvenience for you to have to hit that extra button to select english.

Cosmo

catefrances wrote:

big woop. it doesn't particularly bother me that someone can't speak my language. even in our supposed common home.

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The problem is... the ones I speak of are the ones who are more likely to compalin about speaking Spanish.
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I just learn the cuss words in Spanish... that way I can tell if they'll calling me an culo or a hoto.

onelongsong

catefrances wrote:

most? wow. how mighty big of them to do so. :rolleyes:

sorry cate; the most was a typo except for 1 governor many years ago.

catefrances

Cosmo wrote:

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The problem is... the ones I speak of are the ones who are more likely to compalin about speaking Spanish.
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I just learn the cuss words in Spanish... that way I can tell if they'll calling me an culo or a hoto.

and what is it that you'd be doing to be called an ass anyway?

onelongsong

mammasan wrote:

Good point. II know that there are immigrants out there that have no desire to learn the language. You know tough shit on them if they have a hard time getting by, but most immigrants want to learn the language. What we have to styart realizing is that it doesn't happen over night. It's going to take some time for that person to learn the language and we should at least be tolerant of their lack of mastery of English. The biggest pet peeve of mine is when I hear some idiot complain about the multiple language option on an ATM. Is it really an inconvenience for you to have to hit that extra button to select english.

the thread is about an official language. people can speak what they want. the official language is for government purposes.

Cosmo

catefrances wrote:

and what is it that you'd be doing to be called an ass anyway?

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You know... flirting with the senoritas latinas mamasitas and shit. Los hermanos y tios no los comprende... I like las mamasitas.

catefrances

Cosmo wrote:

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You know... flirting with the senoritas latinas mamasitas and shit. Los hermanos y tios no los comprende... I like las mamasitas.

perhaps they feel you like them a little too much.

and well misunderstandings can be a bitch to have to deal with.

RavennaSeattle1911

mammasan wrote:

Shit you saw through the facade. Kill whitey!!!

joking about killing? i find that disgusting

i respect you little now

RavennaSeattle1911

even flow? wrote:

I was always partial to the Ebonics that was coming out of America back in the mid 80's. Especially the, hooked on Ebonics tapes you could buy. So my vote would go to Ebonics as the official language of the United States of America.

After that I think you should start teaching the English that the rest of the world uses in your schools so your children won't have to keep knocking letters out of words so they are easier to spell and look the way they are pronounced.

youre so damn brililant, i think you oughta get some nobel prize


youre a rocket scientist!!

RavennaSeattle1911

mammasan wrote:

I live in a predominant hispanic neighborhood and I haven't run across anyone working in a store who can't speak english. their english may not be perfect but it's good enough to get their job done.

what the hell does hispanic mean?

im part indian and that tribe lived in "mexico" or texas possibly

so a yaqi indian from mexcio is a hispanic?

i have more in common with a yaqui than the bigots on this board

many of us indians speak spanish as well so watch yourself
do reserch- hispanic crap was created by richard nixon

hispanic -a mythical race

RavennaSeattle1911

mammasan wrote:

I'm aware of hispanic organizations with their hispanic power attitude, like Nation of Aztlan and the National Council of La Raza. These people are a minority though and 95% of hispanics pay them no mind. Just like 95% of Anglos pay the KKK no mind.

then why the helldidnt you say that in the other post instead of agruing?!!

sponger

soulsinging wrote:

you're just desperate for validation arent you? can't resist a single instance of smug self-congratulation can you?

It's more like....I'm trying to help you understand the words that are coming out of your own mouth. You don't seem to know what you're saying. I think the desperation for validation analysis is a case of projection on your part. And, no, I don't enjoy informing you of that. I just hope you learn from it.

i never said culture is irrelevant, i said your idea of culture is narrow-minded. it embraces much more than simple ethnicity.

Yet, you say...

the japanese ARE different from the americans

the japanese...hmmm..isn't that an ethnicity?

the indians

Aren't they also an ethnicty? You say that cultures are more than an ethnicity, yet you have no problem defining cultures by their ethnicity. Why is that?

that aspect of it is waning, i never said it is irrelevant or that it is bad and should go away. just that's it's one aspect of culture that seems to be growing less important as other expressions of culture take its place.

Growing less important as other cultures take their place? But, you just said that there is no such thing as a truly ethnic culture. You said that by saying that there's more to culture than ethnicity. Now you're saying that there is such a thing as ethnic culture, but that it's growing less important. And you also think that by saying that, you aren't referring to them as being irrelevant? Just less important? Do you really know what you're trying to say?

i said the development of culture allowed us to descend from trees yes. teamwork will always produce culture. so no matter what kind of teamwork you have, it's going to produce some sort of culture. we would not have left the trees without teamwork, and that teamwork inevitably would have produced some sort of culture. it wasn't even ethnic culture then. my point is, the two are inseparable for all practical purposes. you cannot have one without the other.

I agree. Notice you did not mention ethnic cultures. I don't see them as relevant to teamwork either.

you're so wrapped up in how the man is telling you how to act... maybe if you worried less about whatever it is you think "culture" is forcing you to do and a little more on doing what you like, you'd find that it's as easy to be an original thinker now as it ever has been.

The man? No. Co-workers who think bloodline is indicative of culture, which, in their opinion, is indicative of attitude? Yes. You think workplace discrmination doesn't exist? I think you're just not understanding the situation. How much work experience do you have?

nobody would think of deviating from their ethnic constructs until 100 years ago? how egomaniacal of you. the founding fathers were prototypes of this. christianity caused one of the largest cultural upheavals ever and islam is doing the same right now. darwin advocated evolution which rocked the world. feudalism gave way to the renaissance. the british empire gave way to industrialism. history is full of massive shifts in culture. if this were not the case, nothing would have changed in the last 9900 years. but go ahead, pretend you're the first generation to ever buck the man if it makes you feel special.

also, if you truly think someone asking you that question jeopardized your job security, you REALLY need counseling to fix that persecution complex you've got going.

Again, I think this is more projection on your part. I have no interest in believing that I am some original thinker who is trying to change the world. I am merely pointing out how much the world hasn't changed in spite of the perception otherwise. You believe that having this point of view is indicative of ego, but then I would have to wonder why my view is not accompanied by a sense of grandjeur -only concern.

I just think you might be a bit on the naive side in terms of understanding how perceptions of ethnicity and ethnic-based culture can influence a person's job security. It's a sad reality of the workplace, and when a co-worker is trying to picture what kind of person I am by asking my bloodline and culture, a person would have to be either naive or stupid to not be concerned, if not offended. Again, I have to wonder how much work experience you really have...or what knowledge you have of workplace discrimination. Questions about bloodline and culture, when asked in a job interview, would warrant a lawsuit. Why is that?

The changes to the way the world lives do exist. I'm not arguing with that. However, you completely ignore the fact that most of those changes encountered significant resistance by culture-preservationists, who, if they had their way, would have enacted the suppression that I am speaking of. Therefore, you are only supporting my point that culture does stunt progression. That isn't to say that progression doesn't still happen. But, on the same token, it can't be said that it wouldn't happen at a faster rate in the absence of the observance of culture. And, again, I'm talking about ethnic culture.

'O course, your response will be to accuse me of having motives derived from ego, insecurity..etc. Projection, my fellow jammer...projection.

soulsinging

sponger wrote:

Aren't they also an ethnicty? You say that cultures are more than an ethnicity, yet you tend to define cultures by their ethnicity. Why is that?

ethnicity is one kind of culture. ethnic culture is a unique kind of culture and can co-exist with many other kinds of cultures... what part of this are you not getting? any given person can belong to a number of cultures... japanese, corporate, and grunge... all at ONCE. mind-blowing isnt it? you're the one obsessing about ethnic cultures and racism. im saying culture is inherently human and will never be done away with and this ethnic racism that you think is spawned by culture would express itself in different ways if it disappeared tomorrow. instead of your evil co-worker threatening your job becos she thinks you're one of them snobbish japanese (:rolleyes: ), she'd be threatening your job becos she thinks you're one of those anti-establishment grungers, or anarchic punks, or whiny suburban boys, or nerdy tech geeks, or... you see where im going with this? judgments about our fellow humans will not cease just becos we stop talking about ethnicity or eradicate all ethnic differences. it is as human as breathing and walking upright.

as to culture stunting progression... i think you're misrepresenting that. a lot of crazy people come up with dumb ideas. shoudl we have all followed koresh becos he had an original idea of him as messiah? or the hale-bopp folks who worshipped that meteor? no, of course not. becos our status quo became status quo for a reason... it works. sure some elements fear change, but change SHOULD proceed cautiously. an idea must be tested to be determined as sound before it will gain wide acceptance, otherwise we'd all be running off on every fad that floats our way (which happens enough as it is). this takes time. that is why change is slow. progression is not stunted, it is guided and focused to ensure that it is beneficial, rather than counter-productive.