Quote:Not surprising that you feel this way, given your less than firm grasp at the English language. :whistling:
By the way, I totally disagree with the above. You wanna live here?..., learn and speak the damn English language.
It should be mandatory.
When my mother arrived she was 13 and didn't speak any English, she bough a dictionary and carried it through school. She graduated with honors and went on to get a masters in nursing. when at home with her mom they speak Spanish to each other, in public they speak English, it's a respect thing.
Quote:When my mother arrived she was 13 and didn't speak any English, she bough a dictionary and carried it through school. She graduated with honors and went on to get a masters in nursing. when at home with her mom they speak Spanish to each other, in public they speak English, it's a respect thing.
Yep. Is ridiculous the way we pander to the people in this country that still don't speak English.
As I said before - if you go to another country to live you MUST learn their language and assimilate. The same thing should be done here, in reverse.
How did we get from pride in ancestral heritage to speaking English?
Quote:How did we get from pride in ancestral heritage to speaking English?
Oh, I dunno, maybe via pride in being an
American....
Are the two things mutually exclusive? Can't an American citizen recognize and honor where he came from and the particular perspective that his culture adds to the American mix? I get the whole high and mighty, we speak English in America stuff I guess, but why is it less American for someone to be proud of where they, and their ancestors, came from?
Quote:Are the two things mutually exclusive? Can't an American citizen recognize and honor where he came from and the particular perspective that his culture adds to the American mix? I get the whole high and mighty, we speak English in America stuff I guess, but why is it less American for someone to be proud of where they, and their ancestors, came from?
It's not less American it's just not respectful of the nation in which you've decided to assimilate to.
Quote:Are the two things mutually exclusive? Can't an American citizen recognize and honor where he came from and the particular perspective that his culture adds to the American mix? I get the whole high and mighty, we speak English in America stuff I guess, but why is it less American for someone to be proud of where they, and their ancestors, came from?
I don't think its being all high and mighty to request that every citizen of this country be able to speak English.
If I moved to another country I'd expect to do the same with their language.
Quote:It's not less American it's just not respectful of the nation in which you've decided to assimilate to.
I guess that part I don't agree with. I've never thought about all of my Filipino friends growing up as being less respectful of America simply because they were proud of where they were from. And believe me, some of them had lots of reasons to not be respectful of America.
Quote:Are the two things mutually exclusive? Can't an American citizen recognize and honor where he came from and the particular perspective that his culture adds to the American mix? I get the whole high and mighty, we speak English in America stuff I guess, but why is it less American for someone to be proud of where they, and their ancestors, came from?
Or we could just cancel all the St Patrick's Day parades.
Mr. Bunny is a first generation American from Spain. We don't fly any Spanish flags or anything, although my son does love his Real Madrid stuff and watching bull fights....both of which I find boring as hell!!!
Quote:I guess that part I don't agree with. I've never thought about all of my Filipino friends growing up as being less respectful of America simply because they were proud of where they were from. And believe me, some of them had lots of reasons to not be respectful of America.
I'm referring more to the language thing. I don't care if someone has an Italian, or PR flag from their windshield, it's the language that gets me. I get heritage I'm not even a "real southerner" but I associate myself as a southerner (growing up here we assimilated). It's when people speak in foreign languages as to conceal their conversation in public I find incredibly rude. Some of the older immigrants I understand it's hard to learn a second language in your 30's I doubt I could do it in all honesty. I was just taught we came here, we are part of this country, we've left the old country behind for a reason.
Maybe it has to do with both of my parents leaving their host nations for bitter reasons? Neither of my parents families held their home nations in high regard and rarely if ever went back to visit. I don't think my Dad ever went back after his last visit with his Father. I know my mom never went back to Columbia.