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RE: How ready are you for Spanish? - 9/1/2006 8:38:48 PM   
MistressLorelei


Posts: 997
Joined: 11/7/2005
Status: offline 		I live in South Florida, which has one of the largest Spanish-speaking populations in the country.  While growing up, I took interest in the 'other' language that was prevalent around me.  I wanted to speak it and understand it myself.  I also realized, that I am more marketable in the local job market if I can communicate with a large percentage of the population in their native language.

The United States is one of the largest Spanish Speaking countries in the world.  It would seem people would be eager to learn a language they are hearing regularly, and would want their kids to learn it as well 

For those who oppose it in schools... Just like learning math, science, grammar or computer skills, being familiar with Spanish in the US  is a skill that should be part of the curriculum.  I remember when a lot of people thought they shouldn't have to learn to use computers for work or school.... and imagine what would have become of them if they hadn't.

No one is going to be arrested for not speaking Spanish.... if you don't want to speak it, then don't.  But, those who don't want to have it available for others, when doing so causes no one any harm, are being ignorant. Many of these people are the same conservatives who are  fighting for their right to fog up the nation with their second hand smoke pollution... but heaven forbid if there is another language floating around.  The irony....

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RE: How ready are you for Spanish? - 9/2/2006 6:35:52 AM   
swtnsparkling


Posts: 1738
Joined: 1/1/2004
Status: offline 		I have nothing agaisnt anyone learning a different lagnuge if they wish too.I think it is great  different languages are offered in schools.As I stated before I wish I had learned one and I am in awe of those  people that can speak one or two or more.
Im not saying dont ever speak spanish or french what I mean is-
should I have to learn spanish to order a cup of coffee because no one working at Dunkin Donuts speaks english?
I personaly don't like that spanish is being shoved down my throat everywhere I turn because those who come to live in this country dont' bother to learn english. Dam straight if I moved to Mexico I would learn their language.
This is an english speaking country and english is becoming a Second language not the first that bothers me

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Profile   Post #: 82
RE: How ready are you for Spanish? - 9/2/2006 7:16:18 AM   
MistressLorelei


Posts: 997
Joined: 11/7/2005
Status: offline 		English is still the primary language in the US... and more than likely, it will remain that way.  I have yet to hear that people shouldn't be encouraged to speak or learn English, only that Spanish is often necessary, and it is a choice to learn it, or limit yourself.  There is no law requiring someone to speak Spanish.

If others choose to speak their native tongue here in the land of the free.... I see no reason why the Spanish language can't be a part of the environment.  Most other countries speak English, and when we Americans travel abroad, we expect there to be people who can communicate there with us in 'our' language.. and you know what, there are.

In South Florida, a lot of signs, billboards, recordings, etc. are in English and Spanish.... why would that bother someone?  Does it make Americans not feel elite enough?

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RE: How ready are you for Spanish? - 9/2/2006 7:24:15 AM   
swtnsparkling


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Joined: 1/1/2004
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quote:

Does it make Americans not feel elite enough?

Your just trying to start some thing else here and I wont be pulled into it
Have a good day

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Walk in Peace
A "No" uttered from deepest conviction is better than a "Yes" uttered merely to please



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Profile   Post #: 84
RE: How ready are you for Spanish? - 9/2/2006 7:25:28 AM   
NorthernGent


Posts: 8730
Joined: 7/10/2006
Status: offline 		I'd be asking the question what are you doing pledging allegiance in the first place (in any language)?

What are you pledging allegiance to anyway? Bush? the wider Government? wider US society? God? Jimmy Connors? who exactly are you pledging allegiance to?

And what does this allegiance constitute? killing yourselves in wars? regurgitaing the government line? doing the washing up in Bush's house on his butler's day off?

It smacks to me of your government saying this is how you are going to live your lives and you saying "oh, ok then".

Or, on the otherhand, is this pledge of allegiance seen as a bit of a joke and not taken seriously at all?

Regards

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RE: How ready are you for Spanish? - 9/2/2006 10:58:27 AM   
LotusSong


Posts: 6334
Joined: 7/2/2006
From: Domme Emeritus
Status: offline 		What a country........................................
   
5 million of our older Americans have not signed up yet for their Medicare, Part D, drug plan------they are old and confused. We are not going to grant them an extension.
   
However, 12 million illegal aliens are in our country and we are going to allow them to stay, protest, procreate, receive support monies, attend schools, avoid paying income taxes, have our teachers take 300 hours of ESL (English as a Second Language) training at our expense, Etc.
   
WE MUST REALLY DISLIKE OUR OLD PEOPLE......OR WE MUST REALLY LOVE TACOS!!!

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Profile   Post #: 86
RE: How ready are you for Spanish? - 9/2/2006 11:20:52 AM   
NorthernGent


Posts: 8730
Joined: 7/10/2006
Status: offline 		So, the US Government aren't providing for elderly Americans but they are providing for immigrants. Well, 1 out of 2 isn't bad. All you need now is to redirect military expenditure towards the elderly and it's big smiles all round.

Then you really will be able to say what a country - immigrants happy, elderly happy, no bombing campaigns slaughtering people - clear consciences so everyone's happy.

By the way, can someone please explain who concocted the term illegal aliens? when did it happen? and do you not feel slightly embarrassed referring to people as aliens?

Regards

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Profile   Post #: 87
RE: How ready are you for Spanish? - 9/2/2006 11:25:16 AM   
LotusSong


Posts: 6334
Joined: 7/2/2006
From: Domme Emeritus
Status: offline 		Actually, I believe we are looking into the Soylent Green concept.
http://www.scifi.com/sfw/issue55/classic.html

....and the illegal is self-explanitory.. the "aliens" I think comes from Gene Roddenberry. :)

< Message edited by LotusSong -- 9/2/2006 11:29:54 AM >

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Profile   Post #: 88
RE: How ready are you for Spanish? - 9/2/2006 12:30:45 PM   
NorthernGent


Posts: 8730
Joined: 7/10/2006
Status: offline 		Well, the current US population do not own that plot of land called the United States. So, to classify anyone as illegal who is simply looking to earn a living in the US is quite clearly a false statement. You are no more entitled to earn a living there as anyone else in the world. So your Government puts a fence around a plot of land, puts a flag in it and creates a national anthem - what does it actually mean apart from they have claimed it as theirs?. Ultimately, we are simply a more advanced (open to debate) community than communities who settled land in early times - we've simply created difference to serve economic convenience. So it's not yours, just like Britain isn't mine and when we get down to what it's really all about it is nothing to do with legality - personal wealth is the issue here.

The Government reels far too many in with the immigration issue - it serves Government interests to have immigration as an issue floating around as a diversionary element while they go about their dirty work elsewhere. There is enough wealth in the US to spread a bit of it around - I'm sure you good people could manage with one less car.

Never heard of Gene Roddenberry - great name though, take my hat off to him. I hear the term illegal aliens and I think Nazis - they used terms such as untermensch and the US Government uses terms such as aliens - the aim of both is to suggest they are not worthy. Government propaganda, pure and simple.

Regards


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Profile   Post #: 89
RE: How ready are you for Spanish? - 9/2/2006 12:57:25 PM   
MistressLorelei


Posts: 997
Joined: 11/7/2005
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: NorthernGent

So, the US Government aren't providing for elderly Americans but they are providing for immigrants. Well, 1 out of 2 isn't bad. All you need now is to redirect military expenditure towards the elderly and it's big smiles all round.

Then you really will be able to say what a country - immigrants happy, elderly happy, no bombing campaigns slaughtering people - clear consciences so everyone's happy.

By the way, can someone please explain who concocted the term illegal aliens? when did it happen? and do you not feel slightly embarrassed referring to people as aliens?

Regards


Perhaps a better term would be 'alienated' . Sadly 'alien' has a nicer sounding ring to it than what many people refer to them as... perhaps some of the comments on the boards speak for themselves. 

And, we could care for our elderly and by George... even the rest of society too if we redirected  some military and space program funds.  And, how about minimizing some one-sided tax benefits seen by large corporations, and only by large corporations.

The US government cares far more about corporations than it does human beings..  It supports the well-being of the corporation at the expense of the well-being of the people.  I have no problem with supporting corporate America someday... but let's first take care of the the hungry, the homeless, the sick, the uninsured, education, and the environment.

< Message edited by MistressLorelei -- 9/2/2006 1:08:53 PM >

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Profile   Post #: 90
RE: How ready are you for Spanish? - 9/2/2006 1:14:14 PM   
NorthernGent


Posts: 8730
Joined: 7/10/2006
Status: offline 		All sounds a bit strange to me. I think if the phrase "workers without a permit" was used people would understand who was being referred to. Then again this phrase doesn't have the same implied meaning of "illegal aliens" (i.e. different and not worthy) so I'm sure this is the reason why such a sensationalised term is used.

Regards

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Profile   Post #: 91
RE: How ready are you for Spanish? - 9/2/2006 1:41:20 PM   
Chloelicious


Posts: 1078
Joined: 8/10/2006
From: belgium, Brussels, Forest
Status: offline 		Well My american fellows i got a question for you:

Do you have in  your constitution  a text who said that English was/is the official language? I think that i have learn that you had'nt any. If you have not then everybody is free to express himself in His language.


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RE: How ready are you for Spanish? - 9/2/2006 2:00:48 PM   
juliaoceania


Posts: 21383
Joined: 4/19/2006
From: Somewhere Over the Rainbow
Status: offline 		fast reply,

The state I live in was bought from Mexico after the Mexican/American war. It had Mexican people here, many of which lost their land/ranches because they could not prove their ownership after the rule of Mexico was transferred to the USA. There have been Mexican families here longer than Americans have been here. Illegal immigration has been occuring all along in this state, mostly of a migratory nature, meaning Mexicans that work here during a season and taking back the money to their homes. They are Mexicans, not wanting to ever be American, many not wanting American citizenship for their kids.

Of course there are many that stay, have kids here, their kids are bilingual, and they contribute to the cultural landscape that is California. The immigrant issue that seems to have taken the nation by storm suddenly is quite interesting to me. I do not know why there is this feeling of impending disaster that is taking place in regard to illegal immigration from Mexico. This has been going on here since before I was born. I do not get the fear of immigrants, they are just people after all. What happened in the USA for people in predominantly wonderbread white states to become concerned about this issue? I think it is because the media has been using the immigrant issue as a scapegoat issue to push off all the ills of our society on. They are just a convenient target for the blame game.

< Message edited by juliaoceania -- 9/2/2006 2:01:10 PM >

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Profile   Post #: 93
RE: How ready are you for Spanish? - 9/2/2006 2:02:20 PM   
NorthernGent


Posts: 8730
Joined: 7/10/2006
Status: offline 		Exactly Mistress, too much business not enough social provision.

Regards

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Profile   Post #: 94
RE: How ready are you for Spanish? - 9/2/2006 4:31:29 PM   
NorthernGent


Posts: 8730
Joined: 7/10/2006
Status: offline 		julia,

It is the whole climate of fear that the Government has presented. Everyone remotely looking like an outsider becomes fair game. We have the same going on here. Paranoia in, common sense out.

Regards

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Profile   Post #: 95
RE: How ready are you for Spanish? - 9/2/2006 4:40:43 PM   
Level


Posts: 25145
Joined: 3/3/2006
Status: offline 		I think it should be required to learn english if you're going to be a citizen in America. I also wish I could speak Spanish, and a little French and Italian (for seduction purposes). Nothing wrong with being bilingual.

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Fake the heat and scratch the itch
Skinned up knees and salty lips
Let go it's harder holding on
One more trip and I'll be gone

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Profile   Post #: 96
RE: How ready are you for Spanish? - 9/2/2006 5:13:28 PM   
Level


Posts: 25145
Joined: 3/3/2006
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: LotusSong

What a country........................................
  
5 million of our older Americans have not signed up yet for their Medicare, Part D, drug plan------they are old and confused. We are not going to grant them an extension.
  
However, 12 million illegal aliens are in our country and we are going to allow them to stay, protest, procreate, receive support monies, attend schools, avoid paying income taxes, have our teachers take 300 hours of ESL (English as a Second Language) training at our expense, Etc.
  
WE MUST REALLY DISLIKE OUR OLD PEOPLE......OR WE MUST REALLY LOVE TACOS!!!


That's a bigoted way of making a point, and it's bullshit. You destroy any valid information in the rest of your post that way.

_____________________________

Fake the heat and scratch the itch
Skinned up knees and salty lips
Let go it's harder holding on
One more trip and I'll be gone

~~ Stone Temple Pilots

(in reply to LotusSong)
Profile   Post #: 97
RE: How ready are you for Spanish? - 9/2/2006 5:34:26 PM   
LotusSong


Posts: 6334
Joined: 7/2/2006
From: Domme Emeritus
Status: offline 		It makes me laugh when the illegals protest and hold signs for "Europeans" to go home.  If I recall history correctly.. Wasn’t it the Spanish the first hit Central America, plundering their gold and bringing European diseases to the natives of the new world? Wasn't it they who inbred with the Indians, forced their missionaries on them and killed the Indians if they didn't convert... they did the same in California.

If you look at poor Miami, it's not really the attraction it used to be.  Sure, come to America... but learn how WE live.  Most just move Mexico and Cuba with them with no intention of even trying to better themselves.  You can't learn the culture if you don't even try.  If the original way of living is so good... why bother.

How long has Mexico been in existence?  Why hasn't the creature comforts been established. like toilets that work.. water fit to drink?

No.. they only think they have to do is sneak in and set up roadside tamale stands and then wonder why they get passed over.. Had they bothered to learn about American culture..they would know.. it's about food purity.  There are guidelines for everything we consume here.  Unless we know you.. we won't buy from you.  To do so is at a risk.

I was shocked when I was in a doctor's office and there was one older lady sitting quietly  in the lobby.   A younger woman rushes in and accosts the receptionist that she was astounded that there were NO Spanish speaking employees present.  Excuse me.. daughter.. get off your fat ass and ACCOMPANY your mother to where she needs to be instead of  blaming everyone else for the situation.  The patient had no way of communicating with the office.

It's attitudes like this that make me pull back my own welcome mat.  I've given it some serious thought.. I find I'm in no way a racist.  I could give a damn about the color the color of somene's skin..but I will call myself a "Culturist".  There are some cultures I just cannot relate to and I live where I do because this is where I prefer to live.  In the culture I was raised in.   If you are not "wrong".. then neither am I.

I'm done with this tread.. all it's done is make me even more isolationist.

I've decided to speak my mind.  And I'm not the only one who is done choking down this BS situation.  I'd rather be a Biggot..than a smiling hypocrite.

BTW.. Mandarin Chinese is the most widely spoken language in the world.


< Message edited by LotusSong -- 9/2/2006 5:55:32 PM >

_____________________________

Life Lesson #1

I'm not your type.
I'm not inflatable.


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Profile   Post #: 98
RE: How ready are you for Spanish? - 9/2/2006 5:54:43 PM   
IslandHeat


Posts: 11
Joined: 8/30/2006
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: Chloelicious

Well My american fellows i got a question for you:

Do you have in  your constitution  a text who said that English was/is the official language? I think that i have learn that you had'nt any. If you have not then everybody is free to express himself in His language.



No, nowhere does it say that you have to learn English to be here or to be a citizen, but by the same token, don't condemn ME because I wont accomodate YOU by learning Spanish!

Furthermore, I have no REAL problem with undocumented workers, but we MUST secure our borders, because I have no doubt that some Middle-Eastern terrorists are slipping in amongst them!

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Profile   Post #: 99
RE: How ready are you for Spanish? - 9/2/2006 7:36:19 PM   
sharainks


Posts: 499
Joined: 12/13/2004
Status: offline 		Juliaoceania, It seems to me like the big push for all the sudden frenzy about illegal immigration probably came from the governors of the states most affected by it.  We tend not to think about the fact that each state's governor does have the ear of the President. 

Its been a problem with some of the governors for awhile as they see steadily increasing need for services for illegal immigrants while taxpayers don't want tax increases for anything (include me in this bunch). 

(in reply to juliaoceania)
Profile   Post #: 100
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