The Language Assault
“… if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the man’s becoming in very fact an American and nothing but an American … There can be no divided allegiances here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn’t an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag… we have room for but one language here, and that is the English language … and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people.”
Theodore Roosevelt – 1907
I couldn’t agree with this more. It seems as if every waking day, I am becoming the minority, the English speaking minority.
Just the other day, our local TV channels have become peppered with commercials in Spanish. Even though we have 2 channels dedicated to Spanish only, they feel the need to run commercials in a language I do not speak, on a channel for people that don’t speak English.
My local Wal-Mart has taken to their new dual-label system on their meat selections. What bugs me is not that I have two labels on all my meat in 2 different languages. It is that the Spanish label is in type twice the size of the English label. So I guess not only do we have people who refuse to learn English, but I assume they are blind too.
I’m sorry folks, but I just don’t understand this overwhelming appeasement approach we have towards immigrants and immigration. If I move to Mexico, you better darn well expect me to learn to speak fluent Spanish. If I move to Germany, you bet your backside that I will learn to speak fluent German. It is par for the course, you move to a foreign land, you should have to adapt to their language. It doesn’t go the other way in my book. I was born here, I speak English. You were not, you don’t. I’ll be damned if you’re moving here, and expecting me to accommodate you by forcing me to learn a different language than what I need in my day to day activities.
Adam McCombs
22 Nov, 2005
I am going to seriously have to disagree with you about this post and comments.
Point #1:
While I share some of the same feelings that you do I do not believe we as the great USA could function without or immigrants (illegal or legal). If anyone has ever seen “A Day without a Mexican” you know exactly what I mean. While the movie pokes fun at the issue you described, we would have a very serious problem if one day we kicked out all of our immigrants.
Point #2:
As playing devil’s advocate, coming from england, spain and several other country’s (to shorten the point) this land was never ours to begin with. At one point WE were the immigrants. Did we learn to speak the language? No, we brought/make up our own. Did we have any rights to this land? Not in the slightest. But that didn’t stop us from taking everything over.
Point #3
This is truly an American “problem”, which is often times blown up by the media. I went to Europe this past summer and I can tell you that multiple languages are not a problem. I encountered so many natives take most times spoke 3-5 sometimes 6 or 7 different languages. Granted immigrants SHOULD take the time to learn english but what’s stopping us as americans from learning spanish? They are our closest neighbors. My kids in europe can speak 3 languages before they are even 15!
To sum everything up: The immigrants that come to america should take the time to learn the english language but what is stopping us from learning theirs? If we didn’t treat them like second class citizens then maybe this would be such an issue. We have and continue to treat immigrants like the bad habit no one wants to talk about.
James
22 Nov, 2005
Sorry Adam, none of that flies in my book.
Regardless of the “this land wasn’t our first” argument… we’re here, and we exist as the USA. Can’t change history.
YES, we are a country of immigrants. But the difference, as stated by Roosevelt, is in that WE came here legally and as a whole, adopted English as our native tongue (even thought the feds refuse to state such). I understand a newly immigrated individual or a family, speaking in their native tongue… that is to be accepted, they have yet to adjust to American Society. My fathers side immigrated from Germany, but within one generation, their accent and language has become English speaking.
The problem I have with the Spanish speakers that come here, is that they REFUSE to learn our language. I went to school with the son of a THIRD generation Mexican immigrant… his father was born here, and he REFUSES to speak English. This is unacceptable by my standards, yet we, as overly emotional Americans, flex with him and allow such to take place.
I have no problem with the “mutliple” languages point from a eurpoean aspect. But unles you live in the South (Texas, Arizona etc.) why should you have to assimilate to the minority.
In Europe, you have a high concentration of small countries, all of which speak different languages. So it is understood that in the European Continent, in order to function in day to day life, you should be flexible by knowing as many languages as possible. Here in the US, I can function in my neighborhood, work and personal life without having to speak Spanish/German/Romanian/French/Swedish/Russian…
Libertarian Jason
22 Nov, 2005
Man.. You must be traveling in (or near) the same blog circles I am… Here is another recent blog post I read, discussing some of the issues you raise…
http://futureuncertain.blogspot.com/2005/10/some-economics-of-language.html
James
22 Nov, 2005
Great minds think alike?
Libertarian Jason
22 Nov, 2005
Well… I would say that that that other post explain the natural pressures and incentives of the marketplace toward linguistic conformity, where your email came off as…no offense…rather whiny.
You have no need to worry nor fret as you do. It’ll be ok.
James
22 Nov, 2005
Well I meant “our surfing habits” rather than the posts.
I did not intend for my post to come across as whiny, it just irritates the livig crap out of me when I have to WORK at doing things in English.
I find it very similar to the “low/no carb” insanity that recently swept the retail market. Those of us who don’t give a rats behind about diet fads, were forced into searching for “normal” food, because everything down to Chocolate had the carbs and sugars sucked out of it.
Libertarian Jason
22 Nov, 2005
Well I meant “our surfing habits†rather than the posts.
Oh. My bad.
I find it very similar to the “low/no carb†insanity that recently swept the retail market. Those of us who don’t give a rats behind about diet fads, were forced into searching for “normal†food, because everything down to Chocolate had the carbs and sugars sucked out of it.
Yeah.. the free market sucks, doesn’t it???
James
23 Nov, 2005
While I am a HUGE supporter of the Free Market, it CAN suck for individuals from time to time, but I have yet to see any other system that either A)actually works, or B)is fair 100% of the time.