Posted on 05/12/2005 5:53:30 AM PDT by cyborg
I've frequented many illegal immigration threads, yet I've never participated in any serious activism. I'm not that political but I've had enough. I was driving down a main street and noticed a quite large ad for apartment renters in SPANISH ONLY. It really bothered me because I think it's discrimination as anyone who doesn't know spanish won't be able to read the sign. I wrote to the county EOC a very brief note asking what can be done. I do believe in property rights but with the history of racial red lining on Long Island that was as bad as legal segregation was in the South, I think someone had to say something.
Was I wrong for asking? It's mostly a symbolic move since I expect whoever to write me back saying it's their right.
Oh yes... LI has a big problem with illegals. Google Farmingville and you'll see.
Sarcasm, cy! Ya think the Old Gray Lady will ever wake up to that?
Welcome to our world.
Nah. The old mill cities here in eastern Massachusetts, like Lowell, Haverhill, and Lawrence, have been havens for Puerto Ricans, Dominicans, etc., ever since I can remember (I've been here since the early '70s). And that they're here is not necessarily a problem. In my opinion, the Hispanic community is just like every other ethnic community to set its roots down in this area---you've got your bad individuals, sure, but the vast majority are just normal people trying to raise their kids and live the American version of the good life.
Don't mind me. I knew you were being sarcastic. Snooze Day and the Slimes never talks about this except for when writing stories about 'undocumented' migrants.
Racist!!!!!!!!
:) HA! Have a great day, cy.
That happened to me yesterday at a Kohl's in Northern Virginia. An announcement in Spanish that they were hiring and to come on in to the office and fill out an application. I kept waiting for it to be announced in English, but it never happened.
Even when the employees get on the intercom and speak in English, I can't understand it because their accents are too thick. Sometimes I just ask the local immigrants to repeat something to me in Spanish because its actually easier to understand it in Spanish.
Brave new world.
There was an ad in our local paper last Tuesday, they were looking for a drilling Superintendent. One of the qualifiers was, must be fluent in Spanish.
My question is why?
So he can communicate with his crew of illegal aliens.
Donde esta el bano?
Why should Americans have to assimilate to the culture of the invaders?
You may want to bone up on the English Language and use words correctly when you write a sentence.
Assimilate: To absorb (immigrants or a culturally distinct group) into the prevailing culture.
For Example: "Mr. Gonzalez is working hard to assimilate into our culture as evidenced by his ability to speak English when he was telling me how much he would charge the cut the grass."
Acculturation: The modification of the culture of a group or individual as a result of contact with a different culture.
(This would be the process that North Americans experience as South and Central Americans migrate into the society.)
For Example: "The State of Texas has gone through a process of acculturation over the last twenty years as evidenced by native Texans adopting the language and traditions of Mexico."
Thanks for the grammar lesson. I did mean to write into instead of to.
Seriously, if it's private property there's nothing you can do about it unless you can find an ordinance in local codes against non-English signage or something along those lines.
Wear rubber gloves, check the wind and choose a time when the coast is clear before spray painting...er, your lawn furniture (yeah, that's the ticket).
"What? Long Island and Massachusetts? I thought only Border States had problems with large populations of Hispanics..."
I was born and reared in Phoenix, but for awhile, I lived in metro Oklahoma City and Ponca City. In metro Oklahoma City in the early 1970's ,I was assistant director of a program that assisted American Indian and other minority people, as well as Anglos. I had a very difficult time trying to find Latino kids for the program. We finally had to settle for Spanish-surnamed kids who were essentially WASPS. Since those days, the Oklahoma City Catholic Diocise has established a Spanish-speaking ministry and you can sit in you car and see Latino people stroll by. Never happened when I lived there.
In Ponca City, when I was in high school, we had two Latino families in all of Kay County. Since then, they moved in a meat packing plant, and guess what.
I'm not saying these things are negative, but the fact is that Latino/Hispanic peoples are living in many, many once-essentially Anglo communities.
I used to speak spanish to the people because I wanted to keep my spanish fresh, now I don't speak it at all. I watch Univision and read the papers to keep it fresh. I've had only one person ask me to speak to them in english, a nice Mexican girl I worked with. She was pretty fluent within ONE year.
Remember, on Lawn Guyland, only blacks need not apply. At least that was the attitude among landlords until recently (and, judging from such signs, now as well).
That includes learning the language - and using it on a daily basis... It also includes teaching your kids ENGLISH so that when they go to school - they don't need ESL classes after living here all their lives.
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