Quote:
Originally Posted by Eagle5US
I have said it many times before, and I will indeed say it again...
America is no longer the melting pot, it is the salad bowl.
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Just when was America a "melting pot"? Did all Americans have the opportunity to blend in?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Eagle5US
We are already losing much of our identity as Americans. The language debate has gone back and forth for years.
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IMO, the debate has spanned centuries, not years. Historically, groups of Americans have invested a lot of effort denying other groups of Americans the opportunity to educate themselves formally. Now, that some of these groups have managed not just to survive but to thrive "on the margins," we castigate them for not embracing the thorny concept of assimilation.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Eagle5US
You want to maintain your own culture and pride in your "heritage", I am all for it. But there should be a RESPONSIBILITY to learn English along with it.
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Why? If a person can make it through her everday life without speaking a word of English, why should she be compelled to develop a skill set she doesn't need?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Eagle5US
As an example, here in El Paso when I call my utilities company...now IN SPANISH, it says "To continue in Spanish, press 1, for English Press 2" - THEN in English, it says, to "continue in English, press 2".
I shouldn't have to press anything...
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sdiver
Eagle,
I couldn't agree more with your post, especially the last line.
IMO, the downfall is the "Press 1 for English...Press 2 for Spanish"[.]
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What happened to letting the "free market" decide how business gets done?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sdiver
[T]he plethora of Spanish speaking Television stations (Tele-Mundo, Telefutura, ect.) that you see so rampant now-a-days. It gives absolutely NO emphasis for anyone coming in from "South of the Border" to even ATTEMPT to learn English. They know, that they don't have to learn English. Spanish will be PROVIDED for them.
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Shall we add a language and acculturation requirement to go alongside the "fairness" doctrine that our friends on the left side of the aisle champion?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sdiver
I think Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt said it best, oh so many years ago.....
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IMO, Roosevelt's comments are less savory if one situates them in an understanding of the politics of identity at that time. YMMV.
Quote:
Originally Posted by nmap
Perhaps Ebonics and all the rest are a symptom of a deeper problem.
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Perhaps they are the symptom of a deeper solution.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sdiver
If we don't become careful, Fiction WILL become Fact/Reality.
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Has anyone been to downtown Los Angeles recently and taken a look at the reality? The future of America has arrived. It is called Little Tokyo.
My $0.02.
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* My apologies to Rick Rubin, if not Shawn Carter.