Say Anything Blog

This is at least partly about racial power. Someone else described a similar case involving bilingual city workers in Oakland. Translating this to the present case would go something like this:

Even if an English speaker becomes mostly fluent in Spanish, will it be the right dialect of Spanish? Or, will someone originally from Mexico be needed to provide that correct inflection? Plus, only someone from Mexico can fully understand the needs of La Raza.

Ok, but what if you look at it as the non-spanish speaking kids learning Spanish?

Ok, but what if you look at it as the non-spanish speaking kids learning Spanish?

That doesn’t change the point.

This is insane!! What if you had a class with Cambodian, Chinese,Latvian,Russian and Korean students? What language do you use to teach? This is no what if --it happened in Los Angeles last year--Bf

That isn’t any too likely, though, so long as officials can increase their power by stirring up conflict on the basis of characteristics that one can’t change. Officials know that adults can’t learn a foreign language, more than ,say, a pidgin. They know that there is much power to be won, by making us become more like Mexico. This is what they mean by assimilation: foreigners to assimilate the citizenry, and just insofar as the citizen is resistant to dictatorship. The power seekers are not mistaken, but competent at their balkanization objectives.

This is about swinging the cultural balance of the South West over to be culturally Mexican.

Hm, but the SouthWest has always had a Mexican-influence culture, hasn’t it?

This is about swinging the cultural balance of the South West over to be culturally Mexican. As Americans, the people in Texas should assert their soverignty and insist on assimilation. As Americans, we should ditch the Balkanizing effects of multi-culturalism and insist that all immigrants are culturally American first, and a minority second.

Point taken, the influence has always been there. I more accurately should have said:

This is about swinging the cultural balance of the South West over to be primarily culturally Mexican.

Right now, the primary cultural influance in the South West is diminishingly American. There are those who wish to swing that ballance.

I think it is a good idea for those interested in learning the language.  After all here in Texas there are alot of hispanics.  Offer a pay raise to those that want to learn the language, then see how many of those teachers will be jumping at the chance to learn spanish.

The question, Toni, is not whether or not its a “good thing” for the teachers to learn Spanish but rather whether or not its a good thing to make it easier for all the Hispanics living in Texas to refuse to learn English.

When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.

-- Thomas Jefferson

Rob’s recently listened-to songs:

OH OK.  Sorry!!!  In that case I have alot of different thoughts on
> that.  I think if the hispanics want to come and live in this country
> where the language is English.  Then THEY should learn to speak the
> language.  I would not go to live in Mexico and not know how to speak
> their language.  I think alot of the hispanics use their not speaking
> english as a crutch.  And that is not right.  And I feel sorry for the
> hispanic children that go to the schools here in Dallas that cannot
> speak english.  It only makes it harder for them because for one they
> don’t know the language, and the parents can’t even help them because
> they can’t speak it.  So in this case I dont think the teacher should
> be FORCED to learn spanish. The hispanics come here, some illegal to
> provide a better life for their families in Mexico.  It has gotten to
> the point in my own country, that I am beginning to feel like the
> foreigner.  I don’t consider myself prejudice.  But when I go to the
> grocery store and I get looked at like I am stupid for not knowing
> what the cashier is saying to me, because she is speaking spanish. 
> That pisses me off!!!!!!

I think if the hispanics want to come and live in this country where the language is English.

What do you mean by “THE” language is English? I don’t understand.

Were European colonists under some obligation to speak Timucua or other Native American languages?

VERY WELL SPOKEN!!!!!!!!!

There is a saying here in Houston amongst the immigrant population, it goes something like this “We were just letting you borrow Texas from us so you could fix up the roads and sewage systems ... for us” Texas within the next 20 years will be mostly Hispanic with the majority speaking Spanish. Texas will be an extension of Mexico. Get used to it.

I do not have a problem with any race of people.  And I assume that you are hispanic.  You do speak english I see!!!  I date a hispanic man.  He is from Mexico, and before he came here he learned the language.  I see no problem speaking spanish. I am actually learning the language myself.  But when you cannot communicate with others,and choose to be in a country where spanish is not the primary language.  That creates a problem.  Perhaps one day spanish will be used more among Texans.  But NO ONE should be FORCED to learn a language or lose their job.

I think if the hispanics want to come and live in this country where the language is english, that they should atleast learn the language.  I am not saying that english is the only language that is acceptable.  But it is the primary language spoken here. Forcing someone to learn another language to keep their job because of a minority group of people that are unable to communicate with the vast majority is crazy!!!

Were European colonists under some obligation to speak Timucua or other Native American languages?

Nice strawman.

The issue here, as I’ve pointed out before, is not one of which language we speak but rather one of integration.  I want immigrants who come here to integrate with American culture so that they are loyal to this country and its ideals.

Teddy Roosevelt said it best:

In the first place we should insist that 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 allegiance 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, and this excludes the red flag, which symbolizes all wars against liberty and civilization, just as much as it excludes any foreign flag of a nation to which we are hostile…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.

When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.

-- Thomas Jefferson

Rob’s recently listened-to songs:

tenochtitlla spit out, Texas will be an extension of Mexico. Get used to it.

So you mean it will be a 3rd world state full of corruption and full of shit floating in the ditches alongside the streets?

Not without a fight buddy. Dream on.

these are very good arguments for people of your age, i can tell that u all really care and are really proud of your opinion

Rob wrote:

...integrate with American culture so that they are loyal to this country and its ideals.

Hmmm… The american companies moving jobs and profit offshore are certainly exhibiting american culture and ideals. Thank god for good loyal american CEOs and directors, who understand what makes us great!

Hmmm… The american companies moving jobs and profit offshore are certainly exhibiting american culture and ideals. Thank god for good loyal american CEOs and directors, who understand what makes us great!

What the hell does that have to do with the story?

Just another history test likewideshoes.

Screw your “history test”, just explain yourself. And how come you can’t get my nick right? You having problems?

Just another history test likewideshoes.

Hmmm… The american companies moving jobs and profit offshore are certainly exhibiting american culture and ideals.

They sure are.  Its called capitalism.

If we were to create a better tax environment most of them would come back.

When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.

-- Thomas Jefferson

Rob’s recently listened-to songs:

Rob wrote:

If we were to create a better tax environment most of them would come back.

Well, they might move incorporation offices back if offered a really nice tax haven....

Now if we could only get americans to work in dangerous conditions for a few dollars a day, without corporate liability, maybe we’d get some manufacturing jobs back?

...Oh man! That’s why we’re learning to speak spanish!

FUB said:...[A]mericans to work in dangerous conditions for a few dollars a day, without corporate liability...

Oh please, that’s not why they’re learning Spanish. It’s much cheaper to open up sweatshops in foreign countries then import the goods into America. Illegals come to America for higher wages and better working conditions.

Illegals come in, capital goes out. Illegals have no incentive to assimilate, because they have no desire to be American. Why adjust to them? They should adjust to us.

Seth, it was satire, and any minute someone is going to pop in and say “Only a miniscule fraction of american jobs have ever gone overseas.”

Which is mostly true, since american companies have generally created new product lines in overseas sweat shops, or subcontracted new overseas production, instead of moving existing production.

Seth, it was satire, and any minute someone is going to pop in and say “Only a miniscule fraction of american jobs have ever gone overseas.”

It was? Explain.

[...] *Wham* *Wham* *Wham* *Wham* A truly dumb story out of Dallas, Texas (with a hat tip to Say Anything) has a Dallas school board voting 5-4 on a resolution that requires adminstrators in the system to learn Spanish or risk losing their jobs. The reason? To better communicate with immigrant parents. First and foremost, I have to admit that this is completely lost on me. Immigrants are getting a message that English is optional in Dallas, because we force our administrators to talk to you in your native language, or we’ll can their ass. What happened to the idea that integration meant that the immigrants, not the natives, learned the language of their new country, and not have the natives speak to them in their own language?  This lowers the bar so far down to the ground it’s ridiculous - the (legal, legal) immigrants should be learning English, not our school administrators learning Spanish. Otherwise, what is the point of emigrating to this country, where the native language is (still!) ENGLISH. It isn’t sensical to require an administrator to bend over that far backwards to accomodate someone who is unwilling to learn the language (or well-practiced in it, for that matter). [...]

[...] The world is truly coming to and end and it has been confirmed since this past Thursday Aug 26Th in Dallas, TX. Apparently the school board voted 5-4 to make it a REQUIREMENT for the job that you must speak Spanish to better communicate with illegal immigrant families who only speak Spanish or you loose your job. [...]

[...] photos.For an alternative source of information and news from Iraq, try Multination Force - Iraq. # posted by GeoBandy @ 3:26 PM    postCount(’112543028473614789’; Comments |postCountTB(’112543028473614789’; Trackback [...]

Hello.......I am visiting Texas..and I must say that this has almost been a cultural shock!! I am from Ms.  Granted I am in Brownsville, so yes it is more than 90 percent hispanic.  No one here understands English, or at least not that i have ran into.  It is frustrating to be in my own country and no one here understand me.  We went into Mexico also, and can you believe that more people there spoke English than the Hispanics here do...how crazy is that???  I don’t think that someone born in the U.S. (teachers, children, moms, dads, etc...) should be forced to learn Spanish!! If they want to live here, then it should be a law for them to learn English!! Especially the children and those of the adults who work in or with the public.  I don’t care what they speak at thier own residence...or in private conversations..but if you are dealing with the public, then the language should be English by law!!!!!