Political Hippo Circle Jerk - America, farg YEAH!

[phillymic2000]

If you come to the United States to live, you should learn to speak read and write English.  This is admittedly asking more of immigrants than many born citizens ever achieve (or even seek to achieve), but it is nevertheless correct.  Time to stop with the hundred language documentation, signage, and education.  Put up a plan to eliminate that shtein, move all public schools into English as a requirement curriculum, etc.  It simply isn't sensible to accomodate every language.  We should still teach other languages of course, and there should be provisions for new immigrants to give time to learn, etc.

I don't think many so called liberals agree with me on this.  But if I moved to Spain, I'd learn Spanish and if I moved to France, I'd learn icehole.

Dead on my man, dead on. And by man I say that in a pruely non-homo way, not that there is anything wrong with that, except if they don't speaka da english

[Diomedes]

It's a shame that so many idiotic racists think this means I side with them.

[phillymic2000]

I'm not that idiotic, You can't take a simple compliment from me without lashing out in your anger, pity. And i guess by racist you would mean?

[Diomedes]

jeez Mr. Sensitive..I didn't mean you....

[phillymic2000]

   appologies, my bad, my bad, carry on.

[Geowhizzer]

If you come to the United States to live, you should learn to speak read and write English.  This is admittedly asking more of immigrants than many born citizens ever achieve (or even seek to achieve), but it is nevertheless correct.  Time to stop with the hundred language documentation, signage, and education.  Put up a plan to eliminate that shtein, move all public schools into English as a requirement curriculum, etc.  It simply isn't sensible to accomodate every language.  We should still teach other languages of course, and there should be provisions for new immigrants to give time to learn, etc.

I don't think many so called liberals agree with me on this.  But if I moved to Spain, I'd learn Spanish and if I moved to France, I'd learn icehole.

One of the biggest failings in the public school system down here is that our ESOL students are not adequately taught basic English.  I have had more than a few monolingual students dropped into my 8th grade history class - they speak no English, I speak very little Spanish (and no Creole, German, Chinese, and whatever indigenous language from Guatemala my one student spoke that wasn't Spanish).  Some were brand new immigrants, and rather than being steeped in basic English skills, the law says that they must be placed in their current grade, so they're trying to learn American history in a foreign language, when the poor kids don't even have the basic skills in either English or history.  The expectation is that the student will learn English by immersion, but there are no basic building blocks being given to the student.  Math and Language Arts (English) classes do have an aid, but Social Studies and Science (and for some unknown reason Reading) do not.

I think that immersion would work, if used in conjunction with a class that works on teaching the kid to speak and write English.  Unfortunately, way too many students are falling through the cracks in the current system. 

Also, with the immigrant population as large as it is in Florida, an adult English-education class should be offered more often.  The trick there, though, is who's going to pay for those classes.

[Sgt PSN]

If you come to the United States to live, you should learn to speak read and write English.  This is admittedly asking more of immigrants than many born citizens ever achieve (or even seek to achieve), but it is nevertheless correct.  Time to stop with the hundred language documentation, signage, and education.  Put up a plan to eliminate that shtein, move all public schools into English as a requirement curriculum, etc.  It simply isn't sensible to accomodate every language.  We should still teach other languages of course, and there should be provisions for new immigrants to give time to learn, etc.

I don't think many so called liberals agree with me on this.  But if I moved to Spain, I'd learn Spanish and if I moved to France, I'd learn icehole.

I'm in 100% agreement with everything you said except the part about you being an icehole if you moved to France.   Trust me, you don't need to move to France. 

I was talking with a buddy about this the other day......his parents came here from South America when he was like 6 mos old.....and he speaks perfect english.  And he also speaks perfect whatever variation of spanish it is that he speaks.  Point is, that it's totally possible to speak 2 languages and making someone learn english when they come here is not insensitive to their cultural background or any of that other crazy crap you hear people bitching about. 

Take Chuggie for example:

He speaks english as well as he speaks spanish.  So much so, that when he speaks english, you wouldn't even know he's mexican if it wasn't for the fact that your conversation would consist of haggling over the price of the new deck he's going to build you while your standing in the Home Depot's parking lot.  The man speaks perfect english and yet he's still completely beaneriffic.  No cultural insensitivity at all. 
   

[rjs246]

We are one of the only first world countries whose population is not bilingual. Why should we encourage that? And how can you say that accommodating several languages isn't sensible when so many other modern countries pull it off without any problem whatsoever?

We're spoiled because the entire world speaks English. But taking that luxury and using it as an excuse to exclude other languages from the educational process is elitist and stupid.

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

You shouldn't have to press 1 to continue in English.

[Rome]

My daughter is learning how to speak Spanish at the moment.  They teach the course in her school and she'll continue with that until the eighth grade.  If she can speak Spanish well enough by the time she reaches high school, I'll encourage her to take a third language like French or Italian.  If not she can continue on with Spanish through high school and college.

As I see it the more languages you speak the more it helps you in life.

[ice grillin you]

It's a shame that so many idiotic racists think this means I side with them.

this is the problem

youd be hard pressed to find many people that dont think you should be able to speak the language of the country you live in

the problem tho is that when you say this it emboldens all the xenophobes and racists and has a can of worms effect with a lot of people...for example tell people like that that everyone should speak english and then they spin that into well no more foreigners should be allowed in the country at all because you know they wont learn it...or every non english speaking citizen in the country today whether legal or illeagl should be deported and then build that wall as fast as possible

so while i totally agree that you should either be working towards or be able to speak the native language of the country you live in we have to be careful about the kind of rhetoric we use in talking about the subject and the way we go about enforcing such an idea

[rjs246]

You shouldn't have to press 1 to continue in English.

Exactly, a real person should answer the phone and be capable of speaking the two major languages in this country. Call a hotel in Brussels and make a reservation. They speak French, German, Dutch and English perfectly. All of continental Europe speaks more than one one language, but suggest that the United States should accommodate for its massive spanish speaking population and people start claiming that it isn't sensible. It's like standing up and screaming 'Americans are too stupid and lazy to accommodate for something that is already a reality.' Oh, wait...

Now, do I think that people who live here should be able to speak English as well? Sure. But to fight tooth and nail against accommodating a second language just because 'they' should conform to 'us' is idiotic.

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

No one's fighting tooth and nail.  It would certainly be ideal for more and more Americans to learn Spanish, specifically, as they're growing up.  But at the same time, if people are coming here for an extended period of time, they should be prepared to do the majority of communication in English.  It's ridiculous to expect adults who've lived in America for 20+ years to learn a new language to accommodate immigrants.

[SunMo]

i'm fighting tooth and nail...for you all to shut up

[rjs246]

No one's fighting tooth and nail.  It would certainly be ideal for more and more Americans to learn Spanish, specifically, as they're growing up.  But at the same time, if people are coming here for an extended period of time, they should be prepared to do the majority of communication in English.  It's ridiculous to expect adults who've lived in America for 20+ years to learn a new language to accommodate immigrants.

I agree completely. I'm just saying that dismissing a second language or steadfastly insisting that we are and should always be a monolingual country is stupid.